QUIT 3. Day 5

Today was a day of no travel. We stayed in Bijapur itself and visited Gol Gumbaz and Ibrahim Rouza again. Original plan of this trip was to cover Ajanta and Ellora caves in Maharashtra, but the road to Ajanta is so bad that we had to drop that plan. That gave us some extra days to spend.

Our Hotel was just a km away from Gol Gumbaz. We reached Gol Gumbaz by 6.30 AM expecting to be the first people in. To our surprise there was a healthy number of people already there. Then we realized that most of them were locals who come there for their morning walk. It is an excellent place for morning walks with well maintained lawns and pathways. There were people sitting in the museum steps and doing Pranayama, Yoga and what not.

Gol Gumbaz at early morning

We entered Gol Gumbaz and found there were a few people already there by that time. All of them had come like us to hear the acoustic effects of Whispering Gallery. The noise level was beginning to rise when a guide came and convinced all of us to stand at one side. He went to the other side and did his bag of trick. Waving a handkerchief, snapping his fingers, crushing a plastic bottle, Whispering. Everything was amplified and heard by us on this side. Then he called out names of Gods - Shiva, Allah, Jesus to let us hear the echoes seven times. Secularism is well and alive at some places atleast.

Posing in front of Gol Gumbaz. Notice morning walkers on the sides.

Our next stop was Ibrahim Rouza. Here we were the first ones and for a long time the only ones. As magnficient as Gol Gumbas is, I personally liked the Ibrahim Rouza better. There is something very peaceful about this place. As we entered I saw a person jogging in the lawns of the monument. So I too donned on my running shoes and went for a jog. Jogged a kilometer, just for history to record that I continued my half marathon training in Ibrahim Rouza :-)

Early morning Ibrahim Rouza

Photographer photographed

Tonight's dinner was at the restaurant Qaswa Hills in Pearl Hotel. It came highly recommended on the internet, so I was a bit skeptical. Surprisingly the food was real good. Paneer kebabs, Mutton Biryiani (half) and Egg Biriyani (half), followed by Chocolate Mastani and a Falooda. Quantities are humongous, we couldn't finish even the half portions of Biriyani. A good meal and a much needed rest day.

Good restaurant in Bijapur

Total distance traveled till date : 1150 km.