Ibrahim Rauza, Bijapur, Karnataka India

This mausoleum complex just outside the city was comissioned by Ibrahim II. The scheme consists of a mosque (right) and tomb (left) within a walled compound entered through an ornamental gateway. This and other buildings from Ibrahim's reign are marked by an elaborate style and exquisite sculptural detail.

Ibrahim Adil Shah II took Bijapur kingdom to great heights. His tomb and the mosque complex are situated about 700 km west of Zohrapur gate. It is just 30 m from the road. Walking up the path, with the tomb on the left and the mosque to the right of the entrance gate, the structures with their numerous minarets and the onion dome, make a fantastic sight.

The largest dome is on the tomb of Ibrahim with a diameter of 13 m. Below this is the tomb room with two rows of enclosed ambulatories. The wall and doorway facing the closed corridor has wonderfully intricate decoration. The mosque and tomb face each other in a 130 m x 140 m area, encircled by a low wall on a common foundation platform with a tank in the centre. The mosque faces Mecca in the west and the east side is open with five arches. Persian architect Malik Sandal designed this geometrical arch type construction. Only the eaves supported by brackets look Indian.

The Ibrahim-Rauza, built by Ibrahim 'Adil Shah II (1580-1627), consists of his tomb and mosque within a square compound, both rising face to face from a common raised terrace, with a tank and fountain between them. The mosque has a rectangular prayer-chamber, with a facade of five arches, shaded by the chhajja and a slender minaret at each corner. Enclosed within a square fenestration rises the bulbous dome with a row of tall petals at its base. The square tomb with double aisles around it, the inner one pillared, has similar features but is finer in proportions. Two narrow arches, next to the ones at each end, break up its facade. On the interior, each wall has three arches, all panelled and embellished with floral, arabesque or inscriptional traceries. The tomb-chamber has a low curved ceiling made of joggled masonry, with empty space between it and the dome.