Mahmud Gawan Madrasa

The Madrasa of Mahmud Gawan (Madrasa-e-Mahmud Gawan) is an ancient university located in Bidar - the City of Whispering Monuments. This heritage structure is placed under the list of monuments of national importance. Founded by the prime-minister of the Bahamani empire in the late 15th century, it bears testimony to the scholarly genius of Mahmud Gawan, who first came to Delhi as a Persian trader (in exile) from Gilan in Iran and moved to Bidar in 1453.Mahmud reportedly built the madrasa with his own money and it functioned like a residential University which was built and maintained on the lines of Madrasa of Khurasan. The imposing and spacious building of the institution is considered as an architectural gem and an important landmark of Bidar.LocationSituated on the Deccan Plateau 2330 feet above the sea level, Bidar has long been a place of Cultural and Historical Importance. The monument is located between the Chowbara (Clock Tower) and the fort from where it is a few hundred meters away. Remains of the monument stand strong amongst the chaos of urban settlement around it. Its principal east facade, now partly ruined, faces the city's main street leading to the citadel.DescriptionThe Madrasa has been a striking building though long in a ruinous condition. It occupied an area of 205 feet by 180, and was entered by a large gateway on the east in front of which it had two lofty towers about a hundred feet high. The rooms surround an open area 100 feet square, in the middle of each of three sides of which was a large apartment or hall 26 feet wide by about 52 in length, rising to the full height of building, which is of three stories. Each of these hall has a dome on the outer end over the oriel that projects beyond the line of the walls. The walls of the Madrasa measure exactly 242 feet from east to west and 220 feet from north to south.