The Citadel, Bijapur, Karnataka India

The Citadel in Bijapur is surrounded by a wall. The Citadel in Bijapur in Karnataka encompasses many palaces, halls and gardens which belonged to the Adil Shahi rulers. The Citadel, Bijapur is in a state of ruin but still holds the magnificence with a strong appeal. The remains of Hindu temples in the Citadel in Bijapur prove the fact that the city bore a great importance during the pre-Islam times.

This is a centrally located site. The Citadel is surrounded by its own walls and there is a wide moat in the center of the premise. It has in its enclosure palaces, gardens and halls which belonged to the Adil shah rulers. It was built by Yusuf Adil shah. Most of the structures are dilapidated and some have been converted to government buildings but the unique charm of the place cannot be missed when you visit the place. The most famous structures in the enclosure are Gagan Mahal, which was the royal palace as well as a Durbar Hall, Sat Manzil, Jala Manzil and Bara Kaman.

The city of Bijapur consists of three distinct portions, they are the citadel, the fort and the remains of the city. The Bijapur Citadel was built by Yusuf Adil Shah. This citadel is also called the Arkilla. This man of culture also constructed the Faroukh Mahal.

The citadel of Bijapur was well built and the materials were of the best monumental materials. This citadel was surrounded by a ditch of 100 yards wide. This ditch was formerly a good source of water, but now have become a murky pool. Within the citadel there are the ruins of Hindu temples. This shows that Bijapur was an important town in pre-Islam era.

This Bijapur fort, which the citadel is commonly called was completed by Yusuf Adil Shah in 1566. The surrounding wall rises to 30 to 50 ft. high, and is ornamented by 96 massive bastions of various patterns. There are 10 gateways to this citadel. The width of each is about 25 ft.

The citadel was used by the Bijapur kings to defy all intruders. Outside the walls of this citadel lies the remains of a beautiful city. Presently the monuments within the citadel are ruins but still reflect the ancient splendor of the place. Bijapur Citadel is one of the prime Bijapur attractions. The Citadel in Bijapur in Karnataka in India was built by Yusuf Adil Shah.