Vijayapura (Bijapur)

Vijayapura, historically known as Bijapur, in northern Karnataka, has a rich history as the capital of a powerful Deccan Sultanate. The region was earlier under the Chalukyas, Yadavas and Vijayanagara Empire, but its major transformation began in the 15th–16th centuries when the Adil Shahi dynasty made Bijapur their capital after breaking away from the Bahmani Sultanate.

Under rulers like Ali Adil Shah I, Ibrahim Adil Shah II and Mohammed Adil Shah, Bijapur became a centre of architecture, music, painting and Indo-Persian culture. Grand monuments such as the Gol Gumbaz, Ibrahim Rauza, Jama Masjid and many palaces, caravanserais and gateways were built, giving the city a distinctive skyline of domes and minarets. Ibrahim Adil Shah II, in particular, is remembered as a tolerant and art-loving ruler who supported music and blended Hindu–Muslim cultural elements.

In the 17th century, the Adil Shahi kingdom weakened due to internal conflicts and external pressures, and Bijapur was eventually captured by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1686. Later it passed under Maratha and then British influence. After Independence, it became part of Mysore (Karnataka) state. Today, renamed Vijayapura, the city is known primarily for its spectacular Adil Shahi monuments, which preserve the memory of its days as a flourishing Deccan capital.