Hazrat Malik Rehan Dargah, Sira

Right from the days when Bangalore-Pune road was called NH-4, I wanted to see this monument closely. Back then the highway passed through the town, the Dargah was a stone's throw from the road. I've passed by this monument countless times but somehow I could never check it out closely. Finally, on July-31-2019, Pushpa and I were traveling from Dharwad to Bangalore, I decided to take out time. I parked the car under an old tamarind tree, nice shade. Pushpa decided to stay in the car.

Here's the beautiful domed tomb of Malik Rehan, the governor of Sira from 1638 to 1650 CE. Sira was the capital of Suba province during the Mughal rule. It is said that Malik Rehan was revered by his subjects as a holyman so he was known as Hazrath Mallik Rehan Rahmatullah Alai and his tomb is considered as a Dargah. It seems to be a popular religious place, people come here with wishes and prayers, seeking blessings of this Dargah.

This building sits on a 5' high platform which has two flights of steps, one each on northern and eastern sides. In plan, its a square. All the four sides have five equal sized arches. Take a closer look at the overhang, it seems like Hindu temple architecture though the dome and minars are Islamic.

The pair of lotuses accompanying every arch are copies from Hindu temples. Anyhow, the builders have done a good job, the building has withstood centuries.

Behind the arches is the sanctum with a perambulation around it.

As I climbed the flight of steps and crossed over the threshold, I happened to notice this strip of steel embedded into the stone blocks. Such strips can be seen right back in Chalukyan temples.

The perambulation is quite wide, three people can walk side by side comfortably. Notice the arched door way and the colorfully painted door. The sanctum has three such doors, I think. The east facing was kept open. Inside was a grave covered in silky green cloth and lot of peacock feathers.

More lotuses on the walls. I have a feeling this was either built by temple builders or a temple originally.

Besides the Dargah is mosque-madarasa. A class was in progress, few kids were distracted by my presence.

What a lovely tamarind tree! Most temples and mosques in northern Karnataka have tamarind trees close to them. Sira somewhat has that ambiance.

On the southern side of the Dargah is this half built structure which is a temple, quite sure of that. Notice the door frame on the left side, its rectangular. Looks like the structure was being modified when the work was abandoned for some reason.

On the northern side is another tomb, flat top but has four minars.

The white domed structure seems like a Mantapa. On its left is a roofless structure with a mesh screen which is typically seen in Hindu temples. Well, we never know if this was a temple-mosque-tomb complex once upon a time like the one at Alampur near Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh.

The other tomb, probably of some high ranking state official.

The minar design is interesting, lot of detailed sculpting on it. Sadly the minars have been covered in lime.. Sunna. People are crazy about covering stone with lime, enamel paint, and what not.

Lastly, close to the entrance is this roofless tomb. Architecture is inline with other structures.

This Dargah being a protected monument, probably because of that status it's being kept well.

Sira is also known for its fort- Kasturi Rangappa Nayaka fort. Also, on the outskirts of the town, on Sira-Madhugiri highway is an ancient temple known as Aytihasika Anjaneyaswamy Devasthana. The temple has Kannada or Telugu inscriptions dating back to Vijayanagara times.

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Bahamani tombs of Ashtoor

September 3, 2018
This was my third visit here, the place had changed so much since the first visit in Feb-1996. The site was open, now its bound by walls, good way to keep out vandals. During the first visit there were just three people here- the caretaker and two visitors from Bidar. One of the visitors had said that he and his friends came here whenever they wanted to take important or difficult decisions. He said the peaceful ambiance and their belief in this Dargah helped them think clearly. In fact the place was  serene, Gulli and I must have spent an hour here.

The next visit was January 2011 with my maternal uncles. We met a young man who was a tourist guide here. He- Kalil Shah Bahamani -claimed to be a descendant of Bahamani dynasty. I'd made a video of his narration and uploaded it to YouTube.

This time with Pushpa. We had stopped at Chaukandi, tomb of Hadrat Khalimullahullah, before coming here. I happened to see and recognize Kalil Shah. He poured his heart about the difficulties he's facing to prove his Bahamani connection. He showed us around Chaukandi and then came down here to show us the tombs as well.

This is the first structure seen as we enter this necropolis, tomb of Ahmad Shah-al-Wali. This is the only tomb public get to see the inside.

A small board describes the monuments as-
Ahmad Shah was the ninth king of the Bahamani dynasty and ruled for thirteen years (AD 1422 - 1436). This is the earliest and grandest of the Bahamani tombs located at Bidar. Built in AD 1436, upon the demise of Ahmad Shah, it honours the sultan who shifted the Bahamani capital from Gulbarga and Bidar. The tomb displays continuing Persian influences of the time, as well as synthesis between Indic and Islamic cultures. The monument is unique as it is the only tomb at the site under veneration. The tomb is a square, domed structure with three tiers of arched recesses. There are four recesses, each on the bottom and middle floors, and seven on the highest of the three floors. The pointed arches are one example of Persian elements which continued. The tomb is decorated with calligraphic bands and inscriptions, representing similes used by meta-physicians of the time to express their views regarding the unity of God. Foliate and arabeque designs are painted on the interior of the tombs and have retained their original colour. While the most recurring colour schemes include vermilion, turquoise and gold, there are also instances of cobalt, grey terra-verde and buff. The most striking aspect of the paintings is not merely the variety of colour used but the manner in which they play upon one another to create striking contrasts within the designs. There is also a crenelated parapet with corner finials on the ground floor which is repeated on the sixteen sided drum on which the dome is raised.
Near the tomb of Ahmad Shah, is that of his wife which essentially has the same layout, on a much smaller scale. However, it is placed on a four foot platform and rises 29 feet above the sultan's own tomb. Only traces of the original paintings are visible in this tomb.

As seen from the other side. The white structure is a mosque. A group consisting of men, women and children had come from Gulbarga district. For them it was a religious visit, they would spend the entire day here.. perform a ritual, cook food, offer it to the Dargah and then consume it.

The next building is the tomb of Aladdin Ahmad Shah II who reigned between 1435 and 1457. This structure is almost the same size as the previous one. As you see the outer walls had been covered in cobalt colored tiles, like Madrasa of Mohemmad Gawan. The other interesting thing is the sculpted stones outlining the arches and building corners.

I think originally Ahmad Shah's tomb was white colored while Alladin's tomb was striking red-blue-white.

The next one is the tomb of the eleventh Bahamani Sultan i.e. Humayun Zalim Shah who reigned between 1457 and 1561. It looks like the dome collapsed at some point of time, not sure if it was due to defect in construction or it was cannoned. The person standing is our guide who claims to be Bahamani himself.

This structure was pyramidal, tapering upwards.

Diagonally opposite the damaged building is a much smaller building which is marked as the tomb of wife of Sultan Humayun. A board planted near the entrance read as follows-
All the queens of Bidar were given the title Malika-I-Jahan, queen of the world. However, this particular tomb is dedicated to Sultan Humayun's wife, and the regent queen for both her sons, Nizam Shah and Muhammad Shah who came to power at the ages of eight and nine, respectively. Upon the assumption of full kingship by her son Muhammad Shah the queen withdrew from the court and became extremely religious. Her tomb is smaller than those of her husband and sons. The walls of the tomb is not extensive but displays neat workmanship in the stucco and plaster work medals, which bear religious themes.

Next to the damaged building is the tomb of Nizam Shah who reigned between 1461 and 1463. This four-walled structure is either by design or incomplete.

Next is the tomb of Muhammad Shah III who ruled from 1462 to 1482. Going by the looks, this is an incomplete structure.

Moving on to the next one.. this is the tomb of Mahmood Shah Bahmani II, he was in power for 36 years, between 1482 and 1518. It was during his rule that the kingdom disintegrated. This structure is comparable to the the tombs of Ahmed Shah and Aladdin Shah.

All four faces are marked with arched niches, some with mesh covered windows. You have to see them closely to actually see their beauty.

This square slab with an embossed circle is positioned at the tomb's entrance. This doesn't seem to be part of this tomb's design. From its looks, this is a dance stage of a Chalukyan temple. You can see such slabs at Mahadeva temple of Itagi in Koppal district. Quoting a line from Wikipedia page on Bahamani Sultans.. "Bahmani Sultans were fanatics and did not show any interest in general welfare of their subjects." Their subjects were mostly Hindu people, Sultans' soldiers must have looted and pillaged Hindu shrines and temples.

The next two tombs are small and different by design. Instead of domes, these tombs are crowned by six-sided pyramids. This reminds me of structures seen at Firozabad fort near Gulbarga. These are the tombs of Waliullah Shah Bahmani and Kaleemullah Shah Bahmani who ruled between 1522–1526 and 1525–1527 respectively. Their rule was not independent but under Amir Barid I.

The last structure in this site is a simple mosque.

This is the third tomb with pyramid crown. Mortal remains of Ahmed Shah Bahmani II are buried here.

The necropolis of Ashtoor. How much money must have been spent on raising these structures for the fancy of few men and women. I wonder why Muslim kings had a liking for grand tombs.. to make their names immortal?

Going back to the starting point, there are two more structures. One is an unidentified tomb, which is damaged just like Humayun's tomb.

And the last one is said to be a queen's tomb, not sure which queen. The group from Gulbarga had gathered around this building. Children huddled together, busy with a mobile phone. men were chatting while women had setup a make shift kitchen preparing a feast. Pushpa went up to them and made friends.

About eight women were preparing holige and chapatis. They must've planned to prepare some curries and rice too. Pushpa was awestruck by the jewelry on the lady in blue-orange saree.

The other two ladies.. attired in traditional North Karnataka sarees were preparing madli. The elderly women must be in her 90s and I'm sure she would be working in fields along with her family. Observe the number of bangles around their arms.. these are the people who have preserved our traditions so far.

From here we drove back to Bidar city. We wanted to quell our hunger and the explore Bidar fort.

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Bareed Shahi tombs in Memorial Park, Bidar

January 28, 2011
I was on a tour of Bidar, Gularga and Bijapur with my maternal uncles. We'd spent the day sightseeing monuments of Bidar, Barid Shahi tombs was the last item of the day. It was a sunny day, post lunch we were too tired to move around freely. So we'd seen only one group of tombs and missed two tombs on the other side of the road.

September 3, 2018
Pushpa and started the tour early morning. We'd covered Narasimha Jharani, Chaukandi, Bahamani tombs of Ashtoor, three gates of Bidar fort, Choubara, Mohammad Gawan Madrasa and Bidar fort. Pushpa was exhausted after the long walk in Bidar fort where we covered the main tourist spots. As we drove through the narrow streets of old city, we found a grains store where we purchased jowar. The store was situated close to Basaveshwara Chowk and our next item was about 3½ kms away.. Palm road entrance of Memorial Park. This building is a screen concealing a direct view of the tomb. This is akin to a similar building in front of Chaukandi. Gol Gumbaz and Ibrahim Rouza also have such a buildings.

Here's that tomb, unlike other tombs, this is an open building, this does not have doors. There is a twin building on the left hand side, about 170 meters away. This is supposed to be tomb of Ali Bareed Shah (1542 to 1580). The approximate dimensions of this structure: platform is  46m x 46m, tomb building is 17m x 17m x 25m and the dome diameter is 14m. The structure can be viewed as 3 parts height-wise- lower, middle and top. Lower level consists of the great arch and niches, mid level is more or less plain except for the horizontal lines creating 5 layers and the top consist of the dome. All four faces of this structure are identical.

Closer look at the mid and top levels. Unlike Adil Shahi tombs, Bareed Shahi tombs do not have minars.

Murals just above the arch. Within the outlines is text, either Persian or Arabic.

The interior is simple, just two three graves in the middle. Pigeons have taken over this building, the entire floor is littered with droppings. The building seen through the arch is the twin building.. this is Ali Bareed's tomb and that is Ibrahim Bareed's tomb.

Ceiling and dome.. the design is elegant, it matches the exterior.

Closer view of the dome base. Actually the dome is plain, its the base which has the artistic touch.

As seen from western side. It seems these 400+ years old structures were snow-white originally. Color has faded over the centuries, parts of the plaster has fallen off. The design is similar to Charminar minus the minars.

The other tomb is known as Sabbal Barid ki Gumbad which translates to Tomb of crow-bar Barid. The three graves found in this structure are said to be of Ibrahim Barid Shah (1580 to 1587) and two of his wives.

This tomb is incomplete since the walls are not covered in plaster. The finer details of this structure is slightly different compared to Ali Barid's tomb.

The dome as you see is unfinished, brick work is not covered in plaster and paint.

Bidar district seems to have received good rainfall, as a result lot of vegetation have taken over some of the monuments. Memorial Park was more like a grassland, limited scope for photographing these monuments. It is said there are graves of Barid family members scattered around in this ground.

Turning our attention towards the mosque complex next to the screen building. Where there's a Muslim tomb, there has to be mosque.

This is the mosque of three arches and two minars. Good thing archaeology department has kept these structures grilled and locked lest they become dens for drinking and gambling.

Besides the mosque is a similar sized building which could have been a madrasa or a lodge. The complex also has a water tank which doubled up as a swimming pool. Good to see a well maintained monument.

We were tired, no energy left to pay a visit to the other group of six or seven tombs. We headed back to the hotel, freshened up and went to Gurudwar Sri Nanak Jhira Sahib.

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Chaukandi - Dargah of Hadrat Khalimullahullah

September 3, 2018

We started our day with a short visit to Narasimha Jhira, Pushpa was ready to wade through water in the tunnel but the temple was crowded, at least 30 people in the queue. We took pictures and made a short video from the outside and left. We drove on Bidar city ring-road and turned right towards Ashtoor village. A kilometer before Bahamani tombs of Ashtur, on the left hand side is Dargah of Hadrat Khalimullahullah commonly known as Chaukandi which means four storeys. Chaukandi is a octagonal shaped white colored structure, its design is truly unique. Its a protected monument.

Situated away from settlement this place is peaceful. In fact local people come here to spend time peacefully. Neem and Tamarind trees add to the ambiance.

This white colored building is a screen to the main structure. Its a belief that beautiful structures should have a screen to protect it from evil eyes ~ ketta drishti. Bijapur's Gol Gumbaz also has a screen like this locally known as Naqquar Khana. The brown colored two-storey building is a mosque. Besides this is another mosque inside.

There's Chaukandi as seen through the inner arch of the screen. Its a magnificent structure with a classy color scheme. Originally it was white octagonal structure, the brown colored structure with dome was added later. As we entered the inner portion, a saw a man.. I felt it was the same man I'd met in Jan-2011.. Kalil Shah Bahamani who claimed to be a descendant of Bahamani dynasty. He offers to show us around.

The white exterior is the outer wall, approximately 10' thick, it encloses another octagonal structure which in turn houses the tomb. On the exterior its designed to look like a two-storey building but in real its a four-storey building.

Looking back towards the gateway we just passed through. On either sides of the passage are raised platforms, large enough to accommodate 60 to 70 people.

This is another mosque, simple elegant structure.

The side view of Chaukandi. The octagon will fit into a circle 88' diameter. Its opposite parallel sides are 80' apart and its height is approximately is 80'. This is said to be built during the first half of XV century CE.

As I was photographing the structure, Pushpa spotted a couple of owls in a niche high above the ground. That was a wonderful catch. Grey feathered owls sitting cozily up there, possibly baby owls inside. She remarked they look like us two :)

Our guide pointed out to Arabic / Persian texts above door frames, he said they were of great importance. There are many such slabs both outside and inside walls here. Beautiful sculptures they are. Notice the floral on the lower portion. The three lotus' design is similar to the ones found in Hindu temples, like the ones seen at Chalukyan temples.

Sky view from the gap between inner and outer structures. Each of these arches are 30' high.

On the floor level. This is the front side of the building, on the left side is the main entrance and on the right side is the main door to the tomb. The tombs seen here are of Hadrat Khalimullahullah's family members.

This is the tomb of Hadrat Khalimullahullah. This is a shrine for local people who believe in powers of this Dargah. Visitors offer oil and agarbathi. A single oil lamp burns throughout the day. Smoke rising up from the lit up agarbathi. Visitors are patted with a bunch of peacock feathers, kind of blessings. The doors seen here are also ancient, they have the brass knobs which seems original.

We go back outside and around the building. A close look at the black granite outlines. At the base of this sculpted black column is a brown niche which was originally filled up. Vandals have pried out the filling.

Spirals rising up above.. like coil springs.

This is the rear face. Notice the spiral along the arch outline. Truly a result of superb designing, planning and execution.

This is the western face. Besides the arches and geometric designs this face has floral designs as well. Notice the mural at the arch crest.

Opposite the western face is this small structure, not sure if its incomplete or as designed. The arches are quite low, about 3' high. Two arches are open while the rest were closed with mesh screen. Inside there are several tombs. Though small, its has very detailed artwork.

A closer look at the art. Amazing isn't it.

The Chaukandi has its own well too. The open well has a flight of steps descending into it. Such wells are commonly found at temples and known as Kalyani. This raises a question mark if a Hindu shrine exists close by or at the very spot where the tomb stands.

Chaukandi as seen from the open-well. The place has a great ambiance, you can sit here for hours, enjoy the silence and fresh air.

About 200 meters from Chaukandi is another open-well named as Pari Bowli meaning Faiies' Well. You normally see circular or square shaped shafts but Pari Bowli is octagonal. The water is fresh, can be consumed as is.. of course its upto one's confidence. I had a mouthful :)

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