A History of the Mahrattas v1.c17.125

v1.c17.125

¹ [This description of Bijāpur is no longer applicable. ‘The hum of busy life pervades the atmosphere; the jungle is well-nigh all cleared away; well-made roads take the place of tortuous paths through bush and brake; modern residences and bazaars cover the once ruinous sites; factory chimneys rise in unlovely contrast with graceful minarets; and the railway discharges its living freight at the very gate of the town’ (Cousens, A.S.I., xxxviii. 21). In 1877 an extensive clearance was carried out in the citadel as a famine relief work, and after the removal of the district head-quarters from Kaladgi to Bijāpur in 1885, several of the old Muhammadan buildings were utilized as offices and for other public purposes. More recently, under the stimulus of Lord Curzon’s policy, Government has been at pains to conserve the monuments of Ādilshāhī rule, which are gradually recovering from the treatment received from those who devoted them to utilitarian ends. The Gōl Gumbāz mosque, which was used as a traveller’s bungalow, has been restored, as also the Bokhara mosque, occupied for many years by the post-office.]