03-08-2005, 03:43 AM
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/fd452cf8-8ccb-11d...000e2511c8.html
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->If one wants to ponder whether death is an occasion for mourning or a chance to celebrate a life, the 17th century tomb of Ibrahim Adil Shah II is a good place for such meditations. The complex looks more a pleasure palace than a mausoleum, with two exuberant domes (the second building is a prayer hall) and such an abundance of ornate minarets that it has something of the circus tent about it. Bijapur was known for its religious tolerance and the tendency of its rulers to revere both Hinduism and Islam. This is the stone embodiment of the ideal; an attempt to cram all of Indiaâs diverse medieval traditions into one building that somehow works spectacularly.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->If one wants to ponder whether death is an occasion for mourning or a chance to celebrate a life, the 17th century tomb of Ibrahim Adil Shah II is a good place for such meditations. The complex looks more a pleasure palace than a mausoleum, with two exuberant domes (the second building is a prayer hall) and such an abundance of ornate minarets that it has something of the circus tent about it. Bijapur was known for its religious tolerance and the tendency of its rulers to revere both Hinduism and Islam. This is the stone embodiment of the ideal; an attempt to cram all of Indiaâs diverse medieval traditions into one building that somehow works spectacularly.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->