Bidar Fort

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Bidar Fort
Old City, Bidar, Karnataka, India
Gateway to Bidar fort.jpg
Gumbaz Dharwaza, which acts as entrance into the fort
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Bidar Fort
Coordinates 17°55′28″N77°31′36″E / 17.92444°N 77.52667°E / 17.92444; 77.52667 [1]
Type Fort
Height670 metres (2,200 ft)
Site information
Controlled by Government of Karnataka
Open to
the public
Yes
ConditionRuins
Site history
Built15th century CE
Built by Ahmad Shah I of the Bahamani dynasty from 1429 to 1432
Materials Laterite and lime mortar
Battles/wars Siege of Bidar
Garrison information
GarrisonBidar Garrison
Bidar
Bidar
Panaromic Entrance View.jpg
Bidar Fort View
India Karnataka relief map.svg
Archaeological site icon (red).svg
Shown within Karnataka
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Archaeological site icon (red).svg
Bidar Fort (India)
Location Bidar, Karnataka, India
Coordinates 17°55′28″N77°31′36″E / 17.92444°N 77.52667°E / 17.92444; 77.52667
TypeCultural
Criteriaii, iii
Designated2014 (Tentative list)
Region Asia-Pacific

Bidar Fort is located in old city area, Bidar, Karnataka, India. The fort, the city and the district are all affixed with the name Bidar. Sultan Ahmad Shah I of the Bahmanid dynasty shifted his capital from Gulbarga to Bidar in 1427 and built his fort along with a number of Islamic monuments. [2] [3] There are over 30 monuments inside Bidar fort. [4]

Contents

The complex was put by UNESCO on its "tentative list" to become a World Heritage Site in 2014, with others in the region, under the name Monuments and Forts of the Deccan Sultanate. The Bidar Fort has witnessed many historical milestones – the rise and fall of Bahmani dynasty, rise and separation of the five Deccan Sultans, capture by the Barid Shahi and Adil Shahi dynasties, and finally being won by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in the blockade of Bidar in 1657.

Bidar was the capital of Bahmani Kingdom in the 14th century. This fort was built by Ahmed Shah Wali Bahmani. The Fort was renovated in the 15th century by Sultan Ahmad Shah-I as he shifted his capital from Kalaburagi (Gulbarga) to Bidar. [5]

Geography

Bidar city and fort are located on the edge of the Bidar plateau, the northernmost in Karnataka state. The plateau area, comprising low laterite hills, ends to the north at the Manjira River, a major tributary of the Godavari River. The Karanja River, a sub-tributary, drains the surrounding low-lying areas and feeds into the Manjiri River. [6] [7] Bidar district comprises the only part of the Godavari basin in Karnataka. [8]

Geologically, Bidar district is predominantly Deccan Trap with underlying layers of gneiss emerging along the eastern boundary. [7] The plateau has an altitude of 2,200 feet (670 m), and measures 22 miles (35 km) in length and 12 miles (19 km) in width at its broadest. [2] The plateau encompasses a total area of 190 square kilometres (73 sq mi). [2] Bidar fort is built in the form of an irregular rhombus on the edge of the plateau with sheer walls built along the North and the East. [9]

The ancient capital Kalyani (Basavakalyan) of the Western Chalukya Empire is situated about 40 miles (64 km) to the west of Bidar. [2] [6]

History

Bidar fort was built by Ahmed Shah Wali Bahmani; the exact layout of the old fort, with its double lines of defensive fortifications, [9] is no longer discernible. Folklore suggests that the old fort was located in the western portion of the fort's present-day extent, from the Takht Mahal to the Kalmadi gate and the promontory on which Virasangayya's temple was built, with the old water tank at the base of its walls. [9] This is confirmed in historical record in Tarikh-i Firishta, by the Persian scholar Firishta (1560-1620 CE), which states that the Government House or Darul Imara, today known as Takht Mahal, was built on the site of the old fort. [9]

The old fort of Bidar was captured in 1321-22 AD by Prince Ulugh Khan of the Tughlaq dynasty from the Kakatiya dynasty, who later on became Sultan Muhammad bin Tughluq of Delhi. [2] [10] [11]

With the establishment of the Bahmani Sultanate (1347), Bidar was occupied by Sultan Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah. During the rule of Ahmad Shah I (1422–1436), Bidar was made the capital city of Bahmani Kingdom. [2] Under Ahmed Shah's rule, the old Fort was rebuilt, [6] and beautiful madrasas, mosques, palaces and gardens were raised. Firishta records that the reconstruction began in 1429 CE and ended in 1432 CE. [9] As gunpowder had not yet been introduced into peninsular India, long and winding fort walls were constructed out of stone and mortar by Persian and Turkish architects, the stone being provided from the moat, which was excavated by Hindu masons. [9]

Bidar fort was captured by the independent Bijapur Sultanate in 1619–20 but fell to then Mughal viceroy Aurangzeb in 1657, and was formally absorbed by the Mughal Empire in 1686. [6] In 1724, Bidar became a part of the Asaf Jahi Kingdom of the Nizams. [2] Nawab Mir Sa'id Muhammad Khan (also known as Salabath Jung), who was the third son of Asaf Jah I (the first Nizam of the dynasty), ruled from Bidar fort from 1751 to 1762, until his brother Mir Nizam Ali Khan, also known as Asaf Jah II, imprisoned him and later killed him in the fort on 16 September 1763. The old name for Bidar, "Mohammedabad" refers to the rule of Salabath Jung.

During the rule of the Nizams, almost all the palaces within the fort were used to house government offices, and one was used as a jail. After the formation of the archeological department, the fort was restored and the government offices removed. [12] In 1956, when the state of Hyderabad was partitioned, Bidar fort became part of the newly formed Mysore state (now Karnataka). [6]

Architecture

The triple moat of Bidar fort. Protected Walls.JPG
The triple moat of Bidar fort.
Large cannon in Bidar fort circa 1917 Bidar-Fort-Large-Gun.png
Large cannon in Bidar fort circa 1917

The present-day Bidar fortress was rebuilt using red laterite stone around the old fort in 1428 by Ahmed Shah Bahmani. [6] Constructed on the edge of the plateau, Bidar fort has a haphazard rhombus-shaped layout. The fort is 0.75 mi (1.21 km) long by 0.5 mi (0.80 km) in breadth.[ citation needed ] The fort walls measure 2.5 km (1.6 mi) on the outside, [9] and include within numerous buildings, arches, pavilions, mosques, gateways and gardens. [2] To the north and east, steep cliffs provide natural protection to the moat and the glacis; elsewhere, facing Bidar city, from the south-east to the south-west, the walls are protected by a unique triple-channeled moat, described by Yazdani (1995) as follows: [9]

The width of the moat between the glacis and the first partition wall is 32 feet 6 inches [9.91 m], between the first and second partition-walls 36 feet 4 inches, and between the second partition wall and the scarp 41 feet 9 inches [12.73 m]. The depth of the moat is 30 feet, and the height of the scarp above the rock-base on which it is built varies from 32 feet 8 inches to 43 feet [13 m].

Gates

The seven gates of the fort are named from East to West as follows: [9]

There are 37 bastions on the fort wall, [9] with cannon made of bars of metal welded together and held together by metal hoops were mounted on the bastions. [7] The Munda Burj is the most prominent bastion, and the heaviest guns were placed here to dominate the approaches. [2]

Bidar fort has a number of monuments within the fortress complex. Prominent amongst them are the Rangin Mahal ("Painted Palace"), so called because of its elaborate decoration with coloured tiles; the Takht Mahal, or throne room; the Jami Masjid ("Great Mosque") and the Sola Khamba Masjid ("Sixteen-Pillar" mosque). [6]

With the establishment of the Bahmani Kingdom in the Deccan from 1347, the architectural styles of the Persian architecture of Iran made impressive and lasting impacts, which are seen in the Bidar Fort. The mosques, arches, gardens and the palaces were built within and also outside the fort in the Bidar city. Some of the important structures built are elaborated. [2] [13] Innovative systems of water management are seen in and around the fort and city of Bidar. [14] The influence of Persian culture was distinct in Bidar in the Deccan, during the 15th and 16th centuries. [15]

Gagan Mahal

Rangin Mahal

Rangin Mahal (lit. coloured palace) was named for its walls which were decorated with coloured tiles. [9]

Diwan-i-Aam

Diwan-i-Aam Ruined Structure in Bidar Fort.jpg
Diwan-i-Aam

The principle hall, presumably used for public audience, is located at the southern side. The hall contains three rows of six pillars each. It has entrances on the eastern and western sides. [16]

Solah Khamba mosque

Solah Khamba Mosque Bidar - Fort (4278998017).jpg
Solah Khamba Mosque

The Solah Khamba mosque was originally the congregational mosque of Bidar. An arcade of nineteen uniform arches forms the facade of the mosque. A parapet wall rises above the mosque. It is surmounted with a massive dome. Several smaller domes on the roof of the mosque remain hidden when viewed from below, due to the parapet wall. [9]

Takht Mahal

Karez water supply system

One of the most unusual features of Bidar is the historic water supply system, called karez , [17] (also known as qanat), which is a water harnessing technology that originated in Persia.

The technology was brought to the Deccan by the Bahmani kings of the 15th century CE, the karez system was built by Bahmani kings in the 15th century in Naubad village in Bidar, in Gulbarga and Bijapur districts in Karnataka and also in Burhanpur district in Madhya Pradesh.

Entrance to the Karez system in Bidar Karez System In Bidar.jpg
Entrance to the Karez system in Bidar

The karez consists basically of a network underground canals, punctuated by vertical shafts to the surface, The karez taps into the groundwater sources (or natural springs) and transports it through the tunnel to the settlement, ending in a surface canal and/or pools in the village for various uses like drinking, washing, ablution, watering livestock, and also further used for irrigating fields, orchards and gardens.

The rocky soil in Bidar makes access to drinking water very difficult and the karez was built in order to provide drinking water to civilian settlements and the garrison inside the Bidar fort. The system in Bidar has 21 vertical shafts, and extends for about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi). A few karez shafts have been closed by builders and developers, leaving only 17 visible today.

Access

Bidar is well connected by road, rail and air links. Bidar city is situated about 740 km (460 mi) north of Bangalore India on NH 7, 116 km (72 mi) northeast of Gulbarga and 130 km (81 mi) on NH 9 from Hyderabad.

Though the nearest airfield is in Bidar itself, it is an air force station and flight access . The nearest commercial airports are Bidar Airport and Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, in Hyderabad.

Parts of Kannada cinema Bara were shot at Bidar Fort, while most of the movie was shot at Bidar and surrounding places. The song "Ishq Sufiyaana" from the hit Bollywood film of 2011, The Dirty Picture was shot in the Bidar Fort. The song had sequences in the fort with Vidya Balan and Emraan Hashmi.

See also

Related Research Articles

The Deccan sultanates is a historiographical term referring to five late medieval to early modern Indian kingdoms on the Deccan Plateau between the Krishna River and the Vindhya Range that were created from the disintegration of the Bahmani Sultanate and ruled by Muslim dynasties: namely Ahmadnagar, Berar, Bidar, Bijapur, and Golconda. The five sultanates owed their existence to the declaration of independence of Ahmadnagar in 1490, followed by Bijapur and Berar in the same year. Golconda became independent in 1518, and Bidar in 1528.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bijapur</span> City in Karnataka, India

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bahmani Sultanate</span> Kingdom in Deccan India (1347–1527)

The Bahmani Sultanate was a late medieval empire that ruled the Deccan Plateau in India. The first independent Muslim kingdom of the Deccan, the Bahmani Sultanate came to power in 1347 during the rebellion of Ismail Mukh against Muhammad bin Tughlaq, the Sultan of the Tughlaq dynasty of Delhi. Ismail Mukh then abdicated in favour of Zafar Khan, who would establish the Bahmani Sultanate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bidar</span> City in North Karnataka, India

Bidar (/biːd̪ər/) is a city in the north-eastern part of Karnataka state in India. It is the headquarters of Bidar district, which borders Maharashtra and Telangana. It is a rapidly urbanising city in the wider Bidar Metropolitan area. The city is well known for its many sites of architectural, historical and religious importance. Bidar has a population of more than two lakh (200,000) and is likely to be upgraded to a municipal corporation in the next five years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sultanate of Bijapur</span> Indian kingdom in the Deccan (1490–1686)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indo-Islamic architecture</span> Islamic architecture in Indian subcontinent

Indo-Islamic architecture is the architecture of the Indian subcontinent produced by and for Islamic patrons and purposes. Despite an initial Arab presence in Sindh, the development of Indo-Islamic architecture began in earnest with the establishment of Delhi as the capital of the Ghurid dynasty in 1193. Succeeding the Ghurids was the Delhi Sultanate, a series of Central Asian dynasties that consolidated much of North, East, and Central India, and later by the Mughal Empire during the early 16th century. Both of these dynasties introduced Islamic architecture and art styles from West Asia into the Indian subcontinent.

The Sultanate of Bidar was an early modern Indian polity that ruled a territory in the central Deccan centred at Bidar. As one of the Deccan sultanates, the sultanate's initial territory corresponded to that of one of the five provinces of the Bahmani Sultanate, and under the rule of Qasim Barid I in 1492 assumed de facto control of state affairs of the Bahmani Sultanate. Leadership passed to his sons; Amir Barid I in 1504 and Ali Barid Shah I in 1542. Starting from the 1580s as a result of Ali's death, a wave of successions occurred in the rulership of the dynasty which ended in 1609 under the last sultan, Amir Barid III. He was eventually defeated in 1619 by Ibrahim Adil Shah II of the Sultanate of Bijapur, who annexed the territory of the Bidar Sultanate into his realm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Narnala</span> Fort in India

Narnala Fort or Narnala Qila Sarkar, also known as Shahnoor Fort, is a hill fortress in the Satpura Range of Vidarbh, Maharashtra, India, named after the Rajput Solanki Chaulukya Ruler, Raja Narnal Singh, also known as Narnal Singh Swami. It was renamed as "Shahnoor" by Islamic rulers but again acquired, rebuilt and got its name "Narnala" by ruler Rao Rana Narnal Singh Solanki, who migrated from Patan in Gujarat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kondapalli Fort</span> Fort in Andhra Pradesh, India

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulbarga Fort</span> Bahmani-era fort in Kalaburagi, India

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bijapur Fort</span> Fort in Bijapur, India

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Basavakalyana fort, earlier known as Kalyana fort, is located in Bidar district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Its historic importance is dated to the 10th century. The capital of Chalukyas was also shifted from Manyakheta to Kalyana in the 10th century. The fort, integral to the Basavakalyana town, is also famous as Karmabhoomi of Basavanna and hundreds of other Sharanas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warangal Fort</span> Building in Telangana, India

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of the Bahmani and Deccan Sultanates</span> Islamic architecture of the Deccan Plateau, India

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ali Barid Shah I</span> 3rd Sultan of Bidar

Ali Barid Shah I was the third ruler of the Barid Shahi dynasty at Bidar. He succeeded his father in 1540, and ruled until his death in 1580. He was considered a man of letters, and invited scholars and craftsmen from all over the Indian subcontinent to his capital. He is also known to have played a key logistical role in the Battle of Talikota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bahmani Tombs</span> Necropolis in Bidar, India

The Bahmani tombs complex at Bidar is the necropolis of the Bahmani dynasty, located in Bidar, in the Indian state of Karnataka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haft Gumbaz</span> Group of tombs in Gulbarga, Karnataka, India

The Haft Gumbaz, also spelt Haft Gumbad are a group of tombs of the Bahmani dynasty situated in Kalaburagi, in the Indian state of Karnataka. Built during the 14th and 15th centuries, the tombs are examples of early Indo-Islamic architecture. There are seven tombs in total, with four being tombs of the rulers of the Bahmani dynasty. The tomb complex is a monument of national importance, maintained by the Archeological Survey of India. The tomb complex is part of the "Monuments and Forts of the Deccan Sultanate", which is an ensemble of various structures added to the tentative list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The Turquoise Throne or Takht-i-Firoza was a famous jewel-studded royal throne of the Bahmani Sultans of Deccan in India. It was a gift by Musunuri Kapaya Nayaka, then king of Warangal, during the Bahmani-Vijayanagar War, where the Bahmanis defeated the latter. Over some time, this throne became one of the most important icons of the Bahmani royalty and heritage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chor Gumbad</span> Building in Kalaburagi

Chor Gumbad, Kalaburagi is a domed building in Kalaburagi. It is listed as a state protected monument.

References

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