Overview
Previous Year UPSC-CSE Questions By the end you will be able to draft model answers for the following UPSC questions. Each question carries a collapsible framework showing how to approach it in the exam.
- UPSC Prelims 2001 GS-IIn which one of the following cities is the Lingaraja Temple located?
How to approach this Prelims question
Approach: Recall that the Lingaraja temple is at Bhubaneswar, the temple-city of Odisha; Bijapur is the Deccan-Sultanate city of the Gol Gumbaz, not a Lingaraja site.
Trap to watch: Bijapur is a distractor; it is the Adil Shahi city of the Gol Gumbaz, not the home of the Lingaraja temple, which is at Bhubaneswar.
Key facts to recall:
- The Lingaraja temple is at Bhubaneswar in Odisha.
- Bijapur is the Adil Shahi capital of the Gol Gumbaz.
- Shravanabelagola is the Jain site of the Gommateshwara statue.
Answer signal: Bhubaneswar.
The Deccan Sultanates left a rich Indo-Islamic architecture, distinct from the Mughal style of the north, brought first by the Bahmani and grown to its height under their heirs at Bijapur and Hyderabad. At Bijapur, the Adil Shahi capital, stands the Gol Gumbaz, the tomb of Muhammad Adil Shah, with one of the largest single-chamber domes in the world and its famous whispering gallery, and the graceful Ibrahim Rauza. At Hyderabad, the Qutb Shahi city, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah built the Charminar in 1591, near the great fort and the royal tombs of Golconda. This part covers the Deccani style, the monuments of Bijapur and of Hyderabad, and the exam focus, and closes the series.
The Indo-Islamic Style of the Deccan
The Deccani Style and its Three Centres
What is the significance of the Deccani style: it was a distinct school of Indo-Islamic architecture, apart from the Mughal style of the north, and one of the great traditions of medieval India.
The style was brought by the Bahmani. The Muslim architecture of the Deccan began with the Bahmani, who brought to the south a Persian-Indian style of bulbous domes, pointed arches and coloured tilework, seen in the great madrasa that Mahmud Gawan built at Bidar, as the fourth part described. From this root the Deccani style grew.
It flowered in three centres. After the Bahmani broke up, the style reached its height in the two great successor sultanates: at Bijapur under the Adil Shahis, and at Hyderabad under the Qutb Shahis. The figure below sets out the growth of the Deccani style.
The Architecture of Bijapur
The Gol Gumbaz and the Glory of Bijapur
What is the significance of Bijapur: the Adil Shahi capital was the chief seat of Deccani architecture, and its Gol Gumbaz is among the most famous buildings of India.
The Gol Gumbaz is the glory of Bijapur. The Gol Gumbaz, at Bijapur, is the tomb of the sultan Muhammad Adil Shah of the Adil Shahi dynasty. It is crowned by one of the largest single-chamber domes in the world, and within it runs the famous whispering gallery, where the faintest sound is carried clear around the great circle of the dome.
Bijapur held other masterworks. Near it stands the Ibrahim Rauza, the tomb and mosque of the house of Ibrahim Adil Shah II, a jewel of fine carving so graceful that it is said to have given ideas to the builders of the Taj Mahal. The table below sets out the chief monuments of the Deccan Sultanates.
| Monument | Place | Dynasty | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gol Gumbaz | Bijapur | Adil Shahi | Tomb of Muhammad Adil Shah; the whispering gallery. |
| Ibrahim Rauza | Bijapur | Adil Shahi | The tomb and mosque of Ibrahim Adil Shah II's house. |
| Charminar | Hyderabad | Qutb Shahi | Built 1591 by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah. |
| Golconda Fort | Hyderabad | Qutb Shahi | The hill-fort capital; the Qutb Shahi tombs nearby. |
| Mahmud Gawan Madrasa | Bidar | Bahmani | The great college of the wazir Mahmud Gawan. |
The Architecture of Hyderabad and Golconda
The Charminar, the Fort and the Qutb Shahi Tombs
What is the significance of Hyderabad: the Qutb Shahi city of Hyderabad and its fort of Golconda hold the other great group of Deccani monuments, the equal of Bijapur.
The Charminar is the symbol of Hyderabad. The Charminar, the monument of the four minarets, was built in the city of Hyderabad in 1591 by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, with its four grand pointed arches and its four tall minarets crowned by bulbous domes. It stands to this day as the very symbol of the city. The figure below sets out its form.
Golconda was the fortress capital. Before Hyderabad the Qutb Shahis ruled from the great hill-fort of Golconda, whose mighty walls and gates still crown its hill; and on the plain near it stand the row of domed Qutb Shahi tombs, the burial-place of the kings. With these, the Deccan Sultanates closed their long age in stone.
UPSC Relevance and Exam Focus
Where Deccan Sultanate Architecture Fits in the UPSC-CSE Syllabus
This topic belongs to General Studies Paper I: art and culture and medieval history, and the architecture of the Deccan Sultanates, above all the Gol Gumbaz and the Charminar, is a favourite ground for questions.
The questions most often test the monument-city-dynasty match: the Gol Gumbaz at Bijapur of the Adil Shahis, and the Charminar at Hyderabad of the Qutb Shahis, with their builders and dates.
Several linked points recur and are worth holding in working memory:
- The Gol Gumbaz: At Bijapur, the Adil Shahi tomb of Muhammad Adil Shah, with the whispering gallery.
- The Charminar: At Hyderabad, built in 1591 by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah of the Qutb Shahi dynasty.
- The dynasties: The Gol Gumbaz is Adil Shahi (Bijapur), not Qutb Shahi; the Charminar is Qutb Shahi (Hyderabad), not Adil Shahi.
- Golconda: The Qutb Shahi hill-fort and the royal Qutb Shahi tombs of Hyderabad.
- The Bidar madrasa: The Bahmani college of Mahmud Gawan, the earliest of the great Deccani buildings.
A 2001 question asked in which city the Lingaraja temple is located, with Bijapur among the choices; the answer was Bhubaneswar, for the Lingaraja is a temple of Odisha. Bijapur, by contrast, is the Adil Shahi city of the Gol Gumbaz, a fact this part fixes.
A reader who knows Bijapur as the city of the Gol Gumbaz, and Hyderabad as the city of the Charminar, can place these monuments and their dynasties with ease, and avoid the common trap of swapping the two.
Prelims MCQ practice
Each question below tests one specific concept on the topic. Click to reveal the answer and a full option-wise explanation.
Q1. The Gol Gumbaz, the tomb of Muhammad Adil Shah famous for its whispering gallery, is located in which one of the following cities?
- Hyderabad
- Bijapur
- Bidar
- Golconda
Show answer and explanation
Answer: Bijapur
Explanation.
Option (b) is correct. The Gol Gumbaz, the Adil Shahi tomb of Muhammad Adil Shah, is at Bijapur; the Charminar is at Hyderabad. Hence option (b).
Q2. The Charminar at Hyderabad was built in 1591 by which one of the following rulers?
- Sultan Quli Qutb-ul-Mulk
- Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah
- Yusuf Adil Shah
- Muhammad Adil Shah
Show answer and explanation
Answer: Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah
Explanation.
Option (b) is correct. The Charminar was built in 1591 by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah; Sultan Quli Qutb-ul-Mulk was the founder of the dynasty, not the builder of the Charminar. Hence option (b).
Q3. The Charminar, the monument of the four minarets, is located in which one of the following cities?
- Bijapur
- Hyderabad
- Bidar
- Gulbarga
Show answer and explanation
Answer: Hyderabad
Explanation.
Option (b) is correct. The Charminar is at Hyderabad, the Qutb Shahi city, not at Bijapur; Bijapur is the home of the Gol Gumbaz. Hence option (b).
Q4. The Gol Gumbaz at Bijapur was built by which one of the following dynasties?
- The Qutb Shahi
- The Adil Shahi
- The Nizam Shahi
- The Barid Shahi
Show answer and explanation
Answer: The Adil Shahi
Explanation.
Option (b) is correct. The Gol Gumbaz at Bijapur belongs to the Adil Shahi dynasty; the Qutb Shahi built at Hyderabad and Golconda. Hence option (b).
Q5. With reference to the architecture of the Deccan Sultanates, consider the following statements:
- The Gol Gumbaz is located at Bijapur.
- The Charminar is located at Hyderabad.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer and explanation
Answer: Both 1 and 2
Explanation.
Both statements are correct. The Gol Gumbaz is at Bijapur (Adil Shahi), and the Charminar is at Hyderabad (Qutb Shahi). Hence option (c).
Q6. The Mahmud Gawan Madrasa, the great Bahmani college, is located in which one of the following cities?
- Gulbarga
- Bidar
- Bijapur
- Hyderabad
Show answer and explanation
Answer: Bidar
Explanation.
Option (b) is correct. The Mahmud Gawan Madrasa, the Bahmani college, is at Bidar, the later Bahmani capital. Hence option (b).
Sources and Further Reading
Editorial Disclaimer
This article is for UPSC preparation. The architecture of the Deccan Sultanates rests on the surviving monuments and the standard scholarship on the medieval Deccan.
