Musafir

Before you continue reading, read the previous post.

The interior of has plain but lofty style of architecture appropriate to a place of worship. The hall is 49 feet in length and 24 feet in width. Corresponding to the mosque and adjoining the minaret, was the library, which has completely perished. But as architects of the East generally design the wings of the building in a uniform plan, it is not unlikely that the plan of the library is a replica of that of the mosque.

By entering the building through the opening where the main gateway once stood, and following the either of the two passages to the right and left of the porch, the inner court is reached, which measures 103 feet and has a dodecagonal cistern in the middle. It was a large one where its water was apparently supplied by a subterranean channel from the well in the forecourt of the building. The marginal slabs of this cistern are now missing, and its current depth is only 3 feet.

As the  northern and western wings of the building are in a better state of preservation than those of the other sides, it would be best to begin the description of the different apartments of the Madrasa from its northern wing. At the extreme eastern end of this wing, adjoining the mosque described above, is a square hall with a dome shaped ceiling which measures 27 feet on each side at the base, but its corners are slightly cut The walls are plan but there are series of receding arches combined with the elegant design in the northern projection of the hall, take away any monotony from the building. The hall was apparently meant for the residence of the principal teacher of the Madrasa who would have acted also as the Imam. Corresponding to this hall there was another in the southern wing of the building which has completely disappeared, but its plan has been determined by the excavations carried out the Archaeological Department.

It is said that the southern wing got demolished by a lightning, however, the actual reason was different. After the capture of Bidar by Aurangzeb in the latter end of the 17th Century, these splendid range of buildings were used as a storage of powder magazine and barracks for a body of cavalry, when by accident the powder exploded destroying the greater part of the edifice causing dreadful havoc around. All we can see in this wing is a large gaping hole on one side the building with the arch and a pillar as silent witnesses of the destruction.

Beyond the latter two halls, the plan on the northern and southern wings of the Madrasa is uniform, comprising a large hall in the middle with pairs of student rooms built on either side of it. These rooms rise to three storeys and there is a verandah in front of each with an arched opening towards the court. Each student accommodation consists of two rooms where the inside one was a sleeping quarter. The back rooms of this apartments are fitted with windows opening on grounds surrounding the buildings. The windows were originally fitted with jalis. of elegant designs which were restored in recent times. The arrangement of the apartments shows that the architect has taken into consideration the comfort of the students in all seasons of India. There are thirty six suits of these rooms in all the three storeys of the building and according to the estimate, if we consider each suite to accommodate three students, the Madrasa was capable of accommodating 108. The halls in the middle were meant to be lecture halls where you can see calligraphic texts here and there. At the north-west and south-west corners, the architect had planned rooms for professors, which are not only comfortable for living but also have pleasing designs.

The architect has planned a platform all round to make the structure more secure. The walls of the Madrasa measure exactly 242 feet from east to west and 220 feet from north to south. They are built of rough-tooled masonry, which has been covered with plaster and emblazoned with tiles.

The more we talk about this amazing construction, the less it is. I spent in the premises for more than half an hour and moved on to visit the Bahmani Tombs in Ashtur.

Proceeding a little further from the Chaubara,  a visitor will notice on the left side of the road a timeworn but magnificent structure. As i mentioned in the previous post, Mahmud Gawan was not only a great warrior but also a great administrator. His contribution to Deccan History was the great Madrasa he established in 1472 AD. It is not only the most imposing building of the Bahmani period, but in its plan and in the general style of its architecture, it is one of its kind in India. Mahmud Gawan, being from Persia and as he was continually was in correspondence with eminent personages of his home country, it is not unlikely that he bought engineers and craftsmen from that country to design this building. He, under the aegis of the Bahmani Kings, who were enthusiastic patrons of learning and literature, was thus able to have this college at Bidar on the same magnificent lines as its prototypes in Khurassan and other Islamic countries, and he not only staffed it with eminent divines, philosophers and scientists, but also equipped it with a library of 3000 valuable manuscripts.

The first view of this unique monument is itself enough to understand the importance it had during that time. The ASI took over this monument in 1914 and has put in a great deal of effort in conserving it. Lets get inside the complex and talk about each part of it.

The building has a high basement, but to make the approach convenient, two terraces have been built in front it. The main entrance has vanished, but its floor has been exposed by excavations carried in recent times and the plan shows that the whole comprised of an outer arch 21 feet in span and an inner 10 feet in span. The height of the arch was around 45 feet from the floor level. Beyond the entrance was a portico, square at the base. The roof of the portico probably had a dome structure similar to those above the roofs of the semi octagonal projections that you see one three sides. The other three projections rise to a height of 90 feet There were passages from the portico to the inner building, but today only the pavements and remains of walls are seen.

The minaret at the northern end of the façade and the wall adjoining it towards the south are comparatively the best preserved portions of the Madrasa, although their tile decorations have survived only in fragments. The minaret has an octagonal base, 67 feet from ground level and has three storeys where the first and second have balconies, which project from the main body of the tower, but has no brackets to support them. The absence of brackets signify a typical Persian construction. The lower part of the tower was decorated with tiles arranged in a chevron pattern, the colors being green, yellow and white. Owing to rain water, most of the tiles have fallen down but the remaining ones convey a clear idea of the decorative schema of the tower. For the purpose of variety, each storey at the neck point had calligraphic devices on mosaic tiles with white letters fixed over a deep blue background. The total height of the tower is 131 feet from ground level. The top of the tower looks somewhat dumpy and does not possess any grace.

The wall adjoining the tower towards the South forms the façade of a mosque built in the north-eastern part of the building. This wall extends at present to a length of 59 feet and has an elevation of 65 feet from floor to the upper terrace. The architect in order to produce an effect of light and shade in the building has divided the façade into several compartments, two of which have deeply recessed arches with screens of trellis-work at their back. Details of the façade include a band of tile-work containing a parapet design with white, yellow and blue tiles arranged in artistic manner. Below this band, comes another broader one containing an extract from the Quran. Below the calligraphic band, which is of a rather intricate pattern, there is another comprising little squares arranged in the form of stars. Below the three bands of tile-work, there is a broad compartment, containing five arches, the side walls of which are again decorated with beautiful tiles.

The second or middle compartment also contains arches which are also decorated with tiles. The third compartment, which adjoins the plinth of the building, comprises five rectangular panels where the middle one has a doorway and a window on top of it. The other panels also have windows with jalis of delicate patterns.

We will see more of this amazing monument in the coming post..

Even after an year that I travelled to Bidar, I still wonder about one thing. How come a literal ruin is one of its most famous monuments. The answer lies in two aspects. If one is the personality of Mohammed Gawan, the other is the beauty and prominence of this Madrasa.

Today, the opinion on Madras has degraded because of some anti social elements. However, in olden days Madrasa was a temple of learning where a variety of subjects were taught. Many people do not know that our former President, Dr. Abdul Kalam is a product of a Madrasa.

Khaja Mohammed Gawan came under public eye when he was sent by Sultan Allauddin II to suppress a neighbor king. He later became prominent among the nobles and ultimately was chosen as the Chief Minister by Humayun, which is termed as the best thing that happened to the kingdom in his rule. He became the Principal Minister of State in 1462 and administration went smoothly after that. One of his most trusted followers was Yusuf Adil Khan, who later found the Adil Shahi Dynasty of Bijapur. Now lets talk about Khaja Gawan’s character.

Khaja Mohammed Gawan, was an excellent fighter as he was a learned person. He was sent to many battles which resulted in utmost victories to the Bahmani kingdom. There is an incident that is mentioned of life where after being honored by the Sultan, he went back to his house and decided to dispose all of his wealth and used all of his valuables to purchase books for his students. The reason he gave was he got a sudden pride in his victories which was not good for a humble person like him. From then on, he used to disguise himself and donate all his money to poor.

With his rising prominence, other nobles were jealous. They created a situation where the Sultan had to believe that Mohammed Gawan was helping the enemy to usurp the kingdom. The Sultan in a fit of rage and under the influence of alcohol, had Mohammed Gawan’s head cut off. His simple tomb lies at one end of Bidar, on which, inscribed are the words “The story of unjust execution” and “The guiltless Mahmud Gawan suffered execution”.

The Madrasa that we are going to talk in the next post is the most fruitful aspect of Mohammed Gawan’s dedication towards his country and people.

References:

1. History of the Deccan by J.D.B. Gribble

2. Bidar - Its History and Monuments by Ghulam Yazdani