| Gulbarga Fort | |
|---|---|
| Kalaburagi, India | |
 Gulbarga Fort | |
 Great Mosque (Jami Masjid) in Gulbarga Fort | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Fortress |
| Controlled by | Government of Karnataka |
| Open to the public | Yes |
| Condition | Ruins |
| Location | |
  Gulbarga Fort  Gulbarga Fort | |
| Coordinates | 17°20′26″N76°49′52″E / 17.3405°N 76.8311°E /17.3405; 76.8311[1] |
| Site history | |
| Built | 14th century |
| Built by | SultanAl-ud-din Bahmani ofBahmani Sultanate in 1327 andAdil Shah |
| Materials | Basalt,Granites and lime mortar |
TheGulbarga Fort is located inKalaburagi in theKalaburagi district ofNorth Karnataka. The fort was originally constructed by the Hindu monarch Raja Gulchand, and it was subsequently significantly enlarged in 1347 byAla-ud-Din Bahman Shah of theBahmani Kingdom after he cut off his ties with theDelhi Sultanate. Islamic monuments such as mosques, palaces, tombs, and other structures were also built later within the refurbished fort. TheJama Masjid, built later within the fort in 1367, is a unique structure built in thePersian architectural style, fully enclosed with elegant domes and arched columns. It was built to commemorate the establishment of the dynastic rule of theBahmani Kingdom at Gulbarga Fort between 1347 and 1424. It remained the capital of theBahmani Kingdom until 1424 where after the capital was shifted toBidar, which had better climatic conditions.[1][2][3]
The early history of the region dates back to the 6th century when theRashtrakutas ruled over the external areas, except Gulbarga. TheChalukyas won back their domain and ruled for over two hundred years. TheKalachuris of Kalyani succeeded them and ruled until the 12th century. At the end of the 12th century, it came under the rule of theYadavas of Devagiri and theHoysalas ofHalebid. During this period, theKakatiya dynasty, kings ofWarangal, were also powerful and took control of the present-day Kalaburagi district andRaichur district.[4][5]
The Kakatiya power was subdued in 1321, and the northernDeccan, including the district of Gulbarga, passed under the control of theDelhi Sultanate.[4][5]
In the early 14th century, the Deccan was under the rule ofMuhammad bin Tughluq of the Delhi Sultanate, whose dominions included Gulbarga. The revolt of the Muslim officers appointed from Delhi resulted in the founding of theBahmani Sultanate in 1347 byZafar Khan, who eventually chose Gulbarga (named as 'Ahsenabad' during this period) to be his capital. Gulbarga was the capital of the Bahmani Kingdom (with headquarters at the Gulbarga Fort) until 1424, when the capital was transferred to Bidar. It is said that with the establishment of the Bahmani Kingdom, the Muslim rule took firm roots in the Deccan. Bahmani sultanAhmad Shah I Wali had inducted immigrants from Iraq, Iran and Central Asia, which changed the social, cultural and religious life in the Deccan but was well amalgamated with Hindu traditions.[1][4][5][6][7]
The fort was razed to the ground by theVijayanagara Empire, but was subsequently rebuilt byYusuf Adil Shah of theSultanate of Bijapur after Vijayanagara was defeated in 1565 in theBattle of Talikota.[8]
TheMughal EmperorAurangzeb (r. 1658–1707) captured the fort in 1687 and appointedAsaf Jah I ("Nizam-ul-Mulk") as the governor of the Deccan. In 1724, when the Mughal Empire was declining, the Nizam became independent and formed theHyderabad State, of which Gulbarga area was a part.[4][5][9]
The fort and the Gulbarga district were a part of Hyderabad State under theNizam's rule. After India became independent in August 1947, Hyderabad State was annexed to theDominion of India in 1948. In 1956, the Indian state of Hyderabad was partitioned among neighbouring states along linguistic lines and renamed asAndhra Pradesh (nowTelangana). Most of the Gulbarga district became part of the thenMysore State, later renamedKarnataka, excluding two taluks, which were given toAndhra Pradesh.[3]
Upon entering the Jamia Masjid, inscriptions inDeccaniPersian language are found on the left and right walls of the main entrance.
It is located on a plateau land in the northeastern part of Karnataka.Krishna River andBhima River drain the district. The soil formation in the region is predominantly of black cotton soil.[3][4][10]
Fort is in thedrought prone district and experiences a meagre average rainfall of 777 millimetres (30.6 in) with only 46 normal rainy days.[4]
Climate is dry and cold in the winter but summer is hot. South westmonsoon brings rains. Temperature during summer is a high of 45 °C (113 °F), the minimum recorded in winter is 5 °C (41 °F).[3][4][10]
With the establishment of the Bahmani Kingdom in the Deccan from 1347, thearchitectural styles of Persia made impressive and lasting impacts, which are seen in the fort. The mosques, arches, gardens, and the palaces were built within and also outside the fort in the Kalaburagi town.[clarification needed] Within the fort, the buildings built are impressive with Indo-Persian architecture that evolved in the Deccan. Professor Desai has observed:
A distinct Indo-Persian architectural style of Deccan came into existence after the establishment of the Bahmani dynasty in 1347.
Some of the important structures built are elaborated.[11]
The fort was originally built by and was subsequently substantially fortified inWest Asian and European military architectural style by Alauddin Hasan Bahman Shah, the founder and first Sultan of the Bahmani Empire; particular mention is made of the citadel that was added in the centre of the fort. The fort has an area of approximately 57 acres (23 ha) and periphery length of 3 kilometres (1.9 mi). It is well fortified with double fortification. A 30 feet (9.1 m) wide moat surrounds the fort. The fort is a monumental structure highly fortified with 15 towers mounted with 26 guns; each gun located inside the fort is 8 metres (26 ft) long and is still well preserved.[1][7][12]
It is said that the Bahmani Sultanate claimed lineage of theSasanians and themotifs on their buildings, particularly the crowns of the arches that they built depicted an emblem of thecrescent and occasionally a disk that was closely reminiscent of the crowns of the Sassanian emperors. Many religious or secular buildings in the fort area depict this emblem.[13]
TheJamia Mosque, one of the first inSouth India, was built to commemorate Gulbarga as the capital of the Bahmani Sultanate.[1] The mosque though simple in design but has a symmetrical plan with well organized constituent parts. The masjid, only one of its kind in India, has dimensions of 216 feet (66 m)x176 feet (54 m) and was built on the lines of theGreat Mosque of Córdoba in Spain. The masjid, which was in ruins, has been well tended now.[14][15]
The mosque has no open courtyard. The outer passageways surround the prayer hall on three sides and have low open arcades with arches. They form a rectangular layout with ten bays each on the north and the south, and seven bays on the east. The square bays on the corners are topped by domes. The roofed interior bays are covered with low domes, faceted bypendentives. The front yard in front of themihrab has nine bays with a single large dome.Trefoil interiors and elongated lobes are seen on sloping arches of the drum. The main roof drum is mounted on a cubicclerestory. The wooden screens that existed on the outer arcade openings have been removed over the years. They have been replaced, in recent times, by an arched entrance portal on the north face. On the whole, the mosque displays distinct Persian architectural style with five large domes (One large and four small at the corners) and 75 small domes with 250 arches.[3][12][16]
Apart from the other monuments, the other building of interest is the tomb of theSufi saintBande Nawaz, built in theIndo-Saracenic style. It is a large complex where the tomb of the Sufi saint exists. The tomb walls have paintings; the arches of thedargah are in the Bahmani architectural style while the paintings on the walls and ceiling have a fusion ofTurkish andPersian influence. The Mughals also built a mosque close to the tomb. An annual fair orUrs is held here in November, which attracts a large number of devotees of all religious communities.[5][17][18]
Kalaburagi is well connected by air, railway lines and roads.[3] It is an important rail head on theCentral Railway zone line connecting toBengaluru,Mumbai,Chennai andHyderabad.
It is well connected byNational Highways with Bengaluru and Hyderabad, which are 610 kilometres (380 mi) and 225 kilometres (140 mi) away respectively, from Kalaburagi. Road distances to other cities within the state are:Basavakalyan-80 kilometres (50 mi),Bidar -120 kilometres (75 mi),Raichur - 155 kilometres (96 mi) andBijapur - 160 kilometres (99 mi).[3]
Kalaburagi Airport is the nearest airport.
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