Bijapur Citadel

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.



Last Updated on 07 August 2012