Mahmud Gawaan Madrasa

Built in 1472 and founded in 1460, the Madrasa is an ancient university located in Bidar. It was an Islamic college and housed over 2000 students at a time. It had lecture halls, libraries and also enough place to house both students and professors. The Madrasa also has a mosque attached to it. This mosque is still functioning even today. The madrasa taught Islamic culture and Farming techniques. The students also had the practice of eating and sharing a single plate. Excellent planning and thought has gone into the building of the Madrasa. Traces of the exquisite, colourful tiles used are still seen. This structure is an excellent piece of Islamic architecture with its wide windows with jail work and descriptive arches with Arabic inscriptions.  In 1665, Aurangzeb attacked the Madrasa. In one of the two minarets, the gunpowder being stored exploded. There have been stories told that the tower was blown up by accident but there are also stories that say that it was blown up on purpose. There were not many buildings in that period that had two minarets. It suffered severe damage and the madrasa was shut down. Then again in 1696, the Madrasa was struck by lightning. It suffered significant damage. While the yellow and blue patterns on the dome have faded away, the charm of the Madrasa never will.

- Swetha Ramachandran
Keith Pereira (Phototgraphy)