Domesday prophesy

HIT THE ROAD

Although the flat, flat Deccan will never top a driver's most-involving-drives list, the relatively less-visited northern part of Karnataka holds some attractions for the touring driver, and can make for an interesting detour from southern Maharashtra or northern Andhra Pradesh.

Bijapur has, quite literally, a domeful of history in the form of the extraordinary Gol Gumbaz. Its dome, with a thirty-eight metre span, is the second largest in the world and enables the awesome amplifying properties of the famous Whispering Gallery.

There are other monuments too, such as the elegant Ibrahim Rouza, and the world's largest medieval cannon, the Malik-e-Maidan.

Bijapur is 530 km from Mumbai via Solapur and the route, although quite well-surfaced, can be a little staid. The KSTDC Hotel Adilshahi (Ph: 08352-250401, Rs 350 onwards) is a fairly pleasant place to stay, although the Adilshahi Annexe a short distance away has four better if slightly costlier rooms.

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