GULBARGA, Karnataka

Main Attraction: The Gulbarga Fort

The Gulbarga Fort is located in Gulbarga City. The fort at Gulbarga, originally built by Raja Gulchand and afterwards strengthened by Ala-uddin Bahmani, is a fine work, containing 15 bastions and 26 guns, one of which is 25 ft. long. The walls 16 cm. thick are frequently punctuated by semi – circular bastions and surrounded by a 30m. wide moat. The Principal gateways on the East and the West sides consist of pointed arched openings flanked by bastions, approached by bridges across the moat. The western entrance, however, is much more strongly fortified. Here four gates and four well defended courts, turning several corners, are built within a hornwork of massive wall. Throughout the fortification walls are massive and unrelieved, yet there is a continuous parapet of merlons, raised over the gateways, provided with narrow openings from which to fire muskets. 

Within the centre of the fort, is situated a great mosque 216 ft. by 176 ft. large enough to accommodate about five thousand worshippers and is the only one of its kind in India built by Rafi, son of shams from Qazsvin in Iran in 1367 A.D., the mosque is entered from the north and has arched halls on all sides except the west. The roof measuring 40x50m. is formed by intersecting arches supporting small domes, which also divide the area into long bays in the east west orientation. The plan of this mosque is unique in India and is the sole example of a completely covered mosque devoid of any courtyard.

Brief History

Gulbarga district encompasses a vast geographical area and as may be expected, contains a few places of historical importance as well as a few which finds a mention in the Hindu mythology.

In former days, Gulbarga was known as Kalburgi which means a ‘stony land’ or ‘stone roofing’ or a ‘heap of stones’ in Kannada. Another version is that Gulbarga was so named to connote a leaf with flower, since ‘gul’ means ‘flower’ and ‘Burg’ means ‘leave’, in the Persian language. Nothing definite is known about the origin of the name, but this much is certain that it was known as Kalburgi in earlier days and was later on changed to Gulbarga. Even now it is not uncommon to hear people calling the place as Kalburgi.

During the rule of the Nizam there was practically no real administration in the modern sense of the term. Land was given in the form of grants to nobles and others and as security for the payment of debts to people who had advanced money or to leaders of mercenary bands. The lands given to the nobles were known as Paigah and that given to others were called Jagirs. Land taken over by the Nizam from the government for failure to pay his privy purse was known as Sarf-e-Khas and the land that remained under the government control was called Diwani land. Each had a separate administrative machinery of its own.

The areas directly under the government were divided into districts and each district was in turn divided into taluks. Zillabandi, the formation of district, was first attempted in 1863 and this constituted one of the most remarkable reforms brought about by Salar Jung, the then Prime Minister of Hyderabad. The first district to be then formed in this area was the Shorapur district. This had only five taluks originally, within a decade on account of annexations the number of taluks increased to nine and the district comprised of Shorapur, Gulbarga, Andola, Dehgaon, Chincholi, Sedam, Kodangal, Gurmatkal and Mahagaon(Narona). Gulbarga district as such was formed in 1873 with six taluks of the above mentioned nine. 

The Shorapur district was again broken up in 1883 when Andola taluk came to be transferred to Gulbarga district. Thus in 1901 Gulbarga district had seven taluks besides as many as 509 Jagir villages. In 1905 there were several changes such as the transfer of Yadgir taluk from Raichur district to Gulbarga district. Gurmatkal and Mahagaon were divided among Sedam, Kodangal, Gulbarga and Yadgir taluks and 73 villages from Mahabubnagar district were included in Kodangal and Yadgir taluks. Thus, after these changes Gulbarga district consisted of eight taluks and the five paigahs of Aland, Firozabad, Afzalpur, Kalgi, and Chittapur and the Jagirs of Tandur and Kosgi. 

This position remained more or less unaltered till, in September 1949, the Jagirs were abolished and the Sarfe-Khas lands too were taken away from the Nizam after payment of compensation. In Gulbarga district four more taluks were created out of adjoining enclave Jagir areas. Thus, prior to the time of Reorganisation of States in 1956 the district comprised twelve taluks namely, Gulbarga, Chincholi, Sedam, Kodangal, Shorapur, Shahapur, Jevargi (Andola), Yadgir, Aland, Chitapur, Afzalpur and Tandur. Of these, in 1956 the taluks of Kodangal and Tandur were transferred to Andhra Pradesh and the rest to Karnataka. Thereafter there has not been any change either in the external boundaries of the district or in the boundaries of the taluks. The ten taluks of the district are grouped into three revenue sub-division with the respective head-quarters at Gulbarga, Sedam and Yadgir. After the formation of the new Mysore State in 1956, Gulbarga became the the headquarters of the Revenue Division having jurisdiction over the districts of Gulbarga, Bidar and Raichur. In 1966 for administrative convenience Bellary district was also transferred to Gulbarga Division.

Gulbarga was the capital of Alauddin Bahaman Shahim 1347 and continued as capital till about 1424, when the capital was shifted to Bidar. Even prior to 1347, Gulbarga formed a provincial seat of administration and before the Mohammedan conquest of this region, it was included in the territory ruled by the Kakatiyas of Warangal. The Gulbarga fort is said to have been originally built by Raja Gulchand of Warangal and subsequently strengthened by Alauddin Bahaman Shah, the Bahamani Sulthan. The fort contained 15 towers and 26 guns of which one was 8 m. long. Within the ramparts of the fort there is the imposing mosque which, spanning an area of 72 m. by 59 m., resembles the great mosque of Cordova in Spain, it incidentally happens to be the only mosque in India which is completely roofed. The architect of this mosque was Rafi from Quazia of Iran.

The celebrated Sufi Saint Khwaja Syed Mohammed Gewuderaz popularly called Khwaja Bande Nawaz who was the disciple of Nasiruddin Chirag of Delhi, came to Gulbarga in 1413. He was primarily a Persian writer and after residing in the Deccan he mastered Urdu language. During (1422-1436 A.D.) Ahmad Shah Bahamani conferred rich endownments on Khwaja Bande Nawaz and even to this day the tomb of this saint stands as an imposing structure with a good number of other tombs in the huge complex. The tomb of Khwaja Bande Nawaz is an object of veneration for Muslims as well as the Hindus. The tomb has fine wall of paintings. 

The Bahamani sultans encouraged the influx of learned men, poets and statesmen to their capital from abroad. It later fell into the hands of Adilshahi dynasty. Gulbarga continued its importance under the Mughals and the Nizams. Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah, the first Nizam had it in his dominion and the Nizam made it a district headquarter in 1873. It was in 1956 it became part of the Karnataka State. To the north-west is the old Fort of Gulbarga, the outer walls and the gateway areas dilapidated condition. The other important monuments in Gulbarga are the shrine of Sharanbasaveshwara a Veerashiva saint of the 12th century. The saints successors run a chain of educational institution in the city so also the successors of Bande Nawaz also run a chain of educational institutions.

Besides this, the mosque of Khalandar Khan and the Hirapur mosque constructed during 1585 by Chandbibi are two more important building in the city. Shah Bazaar Masjid (mosque) is a notable monument of Bhamari period. There are seven monuments of Bahamari princes built between 1375 to 1422 A.D. and they are called as Haft Gumbaz. The monuments at Gulbarga are fine examples of Indo Sarasenic style. The Gulbarga city is subjected to the administration of a municipal corporation and university is also established.