Mehtar Mahal

 Mehtar Mahal, 

Mehtar Mahal is the ornamental gateway located in Vijayapur which leads to an exquisitely crafted mosque and a beautiful garden. Mehtar Mahal is also known as the ‘Sweeper’s Palace’ and is believed to be dating back to 1620 AD.

The entry gate of Mehtar Mahal is built in Indo-Saracenic style. The place is three-storied and has beautifully carved arches. The grand minarets of the Mahal are finely designed with pictures of birds and rows of swans that would make it a picture perfect shot for a photographer. The carvings are crafted in Hindu architectural style with brackets that support balconies and stone trellis work.

Mehtar Mahal has a mosque which is believed to be built by the sweeper of the palace by collecting gold coins that were showered upon him by the King. The ground floor of the mosque has a staircase that leads to a room above. The most stunning among all the carvings is the motif of lion and elephant. It is a perfect blend of perfection and art that takes you back to the time when artists came from across the world to create such masterpieces with their handiwork. Mehtar Mahal takes pride in being, one of the finest architectural monument of India.

Photograph of the Mehtar Mahal, Bijapur from the Archaeological Survey of India Collections taken by Henry Cousens in the 1880s.

The early 17th century Mehtar (mihtar) Mahal, though modestly sized, is one of the city's most beautiful structures. A gateway leading to the Mehtar Mosque, the graceful three-storey building is surmounted by two slender minarets and covered with delicately carved birds and rows of swans. Balconies projecting over the street are supported on angled struts carved as if they were made of wood.

Cousens Wrote, "….It is a building of no exceptional design, yet, nevertheless, the clever treatment of its parts and its decorative detail, make it one of the prettiest structures in Bijapur. Though called a mahall, or palace, it is really the gateway to the inner courtyard of a mosque...It is however, a little more than a mere gateway, for it has upper rooms and balconies above the entrance, where men might assemble and spend an hour lounging in the bays of the windows and enjoy the pleasant views of the city...'' Henry Cousens, 'Bijapur and its architectural remains' (A.S.I., Imperial series, vol. XXXVII, Bombay, 1916), pl. lxv, pp. 84-87

Percy Brown Observes : 

The fineness of the workmanship is astonising, the stone being manipulated as it it were plastic clay. Either in the chiselling of the low relief pattern around the doorway or in the deep moulding of the coffered ceiling of the ground storey, all is executed with a loving are recalling that of the artists of the Italian Quottro-Cento. The entire structure seems to imply that not only the artisans themselves took a pride in the perfection of the handiwork, but they were encouraged to do so by their patrons who experienced an equal pleasure in seeing such exquisite forms grow under their hands.

Maintenance:

The site is managed by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI).

Entrance Fee:

Entrance is Free and The Site is having a Mosque So People will come here for praying.

Visitors:

Annually around 10000 tourists visit this Place and Daily Local People visit this place For Praying in the Mosque.

Infrastructure:

ü  There no cleanliness maintained outside of this Place. Local Corporation have kept Dustbin just outside the entrance of this Mahal and Surrounding People dump their household waste in this Dustbin so entrance area of this place will looks like a Sewage Dumping Area.

ü  There is No parking Facility.

ü  There is no any information Boards which Gives information of this Monument.

ü  There is No Guide facility available.

Security:

ü  There is No any Security Guard.

Ongoing Projects:

ü  There are No any ongoing Projects.

Basic Connectivity:

ü  Mehtar Mahal is located in the main Road. So one can get plenty of busses, autos, Tangas etc. and one can visit this place by auto or taxi also. 

Basic Accomodation

ü  The Mehtar Mahal is in Vijayapur city itself, and more number of hotels are located in the City, so for accommodation people will stay in Vijayapur city.