Gol Gumbaz is known as the Taj Mahal of South India

Gol Gumbaz in Bijapur, Karnataka, is known as the Taj Mahal of South India. One of the biggest free-standing domes and one of the largest single-chamber structures in the world, Gol Gumbaz was built as a mausoleum for Sultan Mohammed Adil Shah of the Adil Shahi dynasty in the mid-17th century. The structure features a cube (measuring 47 metres on each side) topped by a dome with a diameter of 44 metres supported by interlocking arches without any columns. A “whispering gallery” rings the interior of the dome, where the faintest sound is amplified, echoing back several times. Its single chamber covers 1,700 sq metres and sits atop the basement tombs of the sultan, his two wives, his mistress, his daughter and his grandson. Each corner of the tomb is guarded by a seven-storey-tall minaret.