Kaladarshana - Ancient and Medieval Historical Indian Architecture and Art - Bidar

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Mahmud Gawan
The builder of this grandiose madrasa was the prime-minister of the Bahmani empire in the late 15th century. He became powerful through military campaigns, administrative reform, and a policy of balancing rival factions in the Bahmani court. The madrasa however, built to reaffirm Shiism as the state religion, is clearly modeled on contemporary central Asian buildings. Its principal east facade, now partly ruined, faces the city's main street leading to the citadel. An imposing minaret is in three stages separated by cantilevered balconies and surmounted by a dome. The minaret and fa�ade walls were once covered with blue and white tiles, with traces of yellow and green.