A History of the Mahrattas v1.c17.123

v1.c17.123

Beejapoor henceforth ceased to be a capital, and was soon after deserted. The walls, which are of hewn stone and very lofty, are to this day entire, and being surmounted by the cupolas and minarets of the public buildings, still present to a spectator from without the appearance of a flourishing city; but within—all is solitude, silence, and desolation. The deep moat, the double rampart, and the ruins of the splendid palaces in the citadel, attest the former magnificence of the court. The great mosque is a grand edifice, and the tomb of Ibrahim Adil Shah, already mentioned, is remarkable for its elegant and graceful architecture, but the chief feature in the scene is the Mausoleum of Mohummud Adil Shah, the dome³ of which fills the eye from every point of view, and though in itself entirely devoid of ornament, its enormous dimensions and austere simplicity invest it with an air of melancholy grandeur, which harmonizes with the wreck and desolation that surround it. In the climate where Beejapoor is situated the progress of decay is extremely rapid, and until lately nothing whatever was done to arrest its effects; but when viewed as mere ruins, the remains of that city, as they at present exist, are exceedingly grand, and as a vast whole far exceed anything of the kind in Europe.¹