Gol Gumbaz, the famous mausoleum at Bijapur known for its massive dome and whispering gallery, was constructed in which century?

Introduction / Context:
This question is about medieval Indian architecture, specifically Gol Gumbaz, an iconic monument located at Bijapur in present day Karnataka. The structure is famous for its enormous hemispherical dome and whispering gallery, where even a small sound can be heard clearly across the space. Identifying the century in which it was built helps you place the Deccan Sultanates and their architectural achievements on a historical timeline.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The monument is Gol Gumbaz at Bijapur.
• It is known as the mausoleum of a Deccan sultan.
• The question asks in which century it was constructed.
• Options range from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century.
• We assume standard dating of Bijapur Sultanate architecture.

Concept / Approach:
Gol Gumbaz is the tomb of Muhammad Adil Shah of the Adil Shahi dynasty of Bijapur. It was constructed in the seventeenth century, around the mid 1600s. The Adil Shahi dynasty itself flourished during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, contemporaneous with the later Mughals. The fifteenth century is too early, as the Adil Shahi rule had not yet matured, and the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are associated with later regional and colonial powers. Therefore, the correct conceptual approach is to link Gol Gumbaz to seventeenth century Deccan sultanate architecture.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify Gol Gumbaz as the tomb of Muhammad Adil Shah at Bijapur. Step 2: Recall that Muhammad Adil Shah ruled in the first half of the seventeenth century. Step 3: Connect the monument's construction with this ruler's period, placing it firmly in the seventeenth century. Step 4: Eliminate the fifteenth century as too early and the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as too late compared to the life of Muhammad Adil Shah. Step 5: Choose the seventeenth century as the correct answer from the options.

Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, you can situate Gol Gumbaz alongside other seventeenth century architectural works in India, such as the Taj Mahal and parts of Shah Jahan's Delhi constructions. While these Mughal monuments are in North India, Gol Gumbaz represents a parallel flowering of monumental architecture in the Deccan. Architectural historians often highlight its dome as one of the largest in the world and date it firmly in the mid seventeenth century. This comparison supports the conclusion that the right century is the seventeenth, not the fifteenth, sixteenth, eighteenth or nineteenth.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
15th century: Too early for the construction of Gol Gumbaz and for Muhammad Adil Shah's reign; the Adil Shahi dynasty had not produced this monument yet.

16th century: The Adil Shahi dynasty existed, but Gol Gumbaz itself belongs to the following century, not to its earliest phase.
18th century: By this time, the power of the Deccan Sultanates had greatly declined and the monument was already completed; it is not an eighteenth century construction.
19th century: This century is associated more with colonial structures and later regional buildings, long after Gol Gumbaz had been built.

Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to guess the sixteenth century simply because many Deccan Sultanates emerged around that time. Another error is to confuse Gol Gumbaz with other domed buildings whose dates you may not clearly remember. To avoid this, fix one simple association: Gol Gumbaz equals tomb of Muhammad Adil Shah, seventeenth century Bijapur. Once this link is firm in your memory, you can easily discard other centuries as either too early or too late.

Final Answer:
Gol Gumbaz at Bijapur was built in the 17th century.