Ibrahim Rauza Tomb in Bijapur - Also called Ali Rauza

The beautiful Ibrahim Rauza is among the most elegant and finely proportioned Islamic monuments in India, built by Ibrahim Adil Shah II, the Sultan of Bijapur, in a span of 47 years from 1580 to 1627. The building was designed by the Persian architect Malik Sandal, as the king’s own final resting place, with the sentence of the Quran beautifully covered on the walls. The building consists of two core constructions, a tomb and a mosque in the East and the West respectively. All these buildings were built within a square enclosure with an attractive garden in the front. Both the structures are built on a platform that is 360 feet long and 160 feet wide, around a walled enclosure.

In between is an open yard in which are found in decorative tanks and a fountain. Though the size and purpose of these two structures are different, the architect has productively attempted to produce an equilibrium between them in volume and style. Nevertheless, the tomb seems to be a grander structure than the mosque. Tall minar-shaped turrets are built at four corners of the building. However, the most beautiful and crowning part is the bulbous dome at the upper storey. The interior has an arched verandah of rows of pillars around the central chamber. They are all abundantly adorned with intricate patterns.

The chamber room is a small square of 18 feet each side, but it is elegant because of the introduction of a charmingly carved ceiling at the correct height. Thus, Ibrahim Rauza has a well-executed plan of a building in its entirety, harmonizing architecture with ornamentation. The mosque forming the other part relates harmoniously to the mass of its proportion and architectural treatment as well as width of frontage. Though it seems slightly smaller, the comparisons overlook in terms of minars at four directions and a slightly smaller elongated dome. This congruence is the real uniqueness of Ibrahim Rauza. The entire composition is extremely appealing and it is a combination of beauty and grandeur.