Gol Gumbaj, Bijapur

Trip: Badami, Pattadakal, Aihole & Bijapur

• Bijapur is best covered by own vehicle. Gol Gumbaj is the only attraction here and Bijapur is far from any place.
• The dome of Gol Gumbaj is a marvel, a true masterpiece of architecture. You will believe it when you are there.

We reached Bijapur on a winter afternoon and immediately decided to hit for the Gol Gumbaj. It is well maintained and well organised. In no time we had parked our vehicle in a huge parking area and were inside the grand structure. On top of us was the world famous dome but there was no way visible to reach there. From the ground it looked so high and empty that for a moment we thought the upper zone is not open for tourists.

Gol Gumbaj Main Entrance

We followed the crowd and found a small staircase going up. It was looking ancient and worn out. We took it. About twenty minutes later and out of breath, we were seven floors up on the level of the dome. To our surprise the level was swarming with tourists. They were hardly visible from ground because they were so high up.

World famous Gol Gumbaj Dome

Everyone was so excited here, not just the children but the adults were equally engaged. We figured out why in a minute. While we were admiring the sheer size of this structure we wanted to know how the whispering works as this is what Gol Gumbaj is famous for. We asked around and were told to be exactly diametrically opposite to each other and then whisper anything we want.

We were ashtonished. A tiny whisper - me calling my wife’ name - reached the opposite side where my wife was standing clearly. We were excited like kids, just like everyone around us. It was some time later that our childishness let go of us. We had recovered all our effort of reaching this place.

Hidden Staircase to the top @ Gol Gumbaj

It was time to start back for Badami. Next day we had to cover Pattadakal and Aihole but we had covered two of the most remarkable human made structures in North Karnataka that day and we were happy.