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{{Short description|Fort in the Bidar, Karnataka, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2018}}
{{Infobox military installation
|name = Bidar Fort
|partof = [[Bidar]]
|location = Old City, [[Bidar]], Karnataka, India
|image = Gateway to Bidar fort.jpg
|image_size = 300
|caption = Entrance
|map_type = India Karnataka
|map_size = 300px
|map_caption =
|type = [[Fort]]
|coordinates = {{coord|17|55|28|N|77|31|36|E}}<ref name="Wikimapia">{{cite web|title=Bidar fort|url=http://wikimapia.org/21392627/Bidar-Fort|website=Wikimapia|access-date=17 April 2015}}</ref>
|code =
|built = 15th century CE
|builder = [[Ahmad Shah I Wali|Ahmad Shah I]] of the [[Bahamani dynasty]] from 1429 to 1432
|materials = [[Laterite]] and lime mortar
|height =
|used =
|demolished =
|condition = Ruins
|open_to_public = Yes
|controlledby = [[Government of Karnataka]]
|garrison = Bidar Garrison
|current_commander =
|commanders =
|occupants =
|battles =
|events =
}}

'''Bidar Fort''' is a fort 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 Wali|Ahmad Shah I]] of the [[Bahmani Sultanate|Bahmanid dynasty]] shifted his capital from [[Gulbarga]] to [[Bidar]] in 1427 and built his fort along with a number of [[Islamic]] monuments.<ref name=areas>{{Cite web |url=http://kannadasiri.kar.nic.in/heritage/heritage_areas.htm |title=Heritage areas : Bidar-Gulbarga|access-date=12 April 2015 |website=kannadasiri.kar.nic.in|publisher=National Informatics Centre}}</ref><ref name=tourism>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bidarcity.gov.in/tourism.html |title=Bidar City Municipal Council |work=Tourism |publisher=Government of Karnataka |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090828115314/http://www.bidarcity.gov.in/tourism.html |archive-date=2009-08-28 }}</ref> There are over 30 monuments inside Bidar fort.<ref name="The Hindu">{{cite news|title=Not many follow the compass pointing north|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/not-many-follow-the-compass-pointing-north/article6797203.ece|author=Desai, R. B.|author2=Rozindar, Firoz|author3=Patil, Vijayakumar|name-list-style=amp |website=The Hindu|publisher=Kasturi & Sons Ltd.|date=18 January 2015|access-date=17 April 2015}}</ref>

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]] (despite there being a number of different sultanates).<ref>[https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5887/ UNESCO "tentative list"]</ref>

==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.<ref name=Britannica/><ref name="Imperial Gazetteer">{{cite book|chapter=Bidar District|chapter-url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V08_170.gif|title=Imperial Gazetteer of India|volume=8|page=64 |publisher=Digital South Asia Library, University of Chicago |year=1908 |access-date=17 April 2015}}</ref> Bidar district comprises the only part of the Godavari basin in Karnataka.<ref name="RiversinKarnataka">{{Cite web|title=River Systems of Karnataka |url=http://waterresources.kar.nic.in/river_systems.htm |website=Government of Karnataka, Water Resources Department |access-date=18 April 2015}}</ref>

Geologically, Bidar district is predominantly [[Deccan Trap]] with underlying layers of [[gneiss]] emerging along the eastern boundary.<ref name="Imperial Gazetteer"/> The plateau has an altitude of {{convert|2200|ft|m}}, and measures {{convert|22|mi|km}} in length and {{convert|12|mi|km}} in width at its broadest.<ref name=areas/> The plateau encompasses a total area of {{convert|190|km2|mi2}}.<ref name=areas/> 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.<ref name="Yazdani1995">{{cite book|last=Yazdani|first=Ghulam|title=Bidar: Its History and Monuments|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w6xpQpOCtzAC&pg=PA28|access-date=17 April 2015|date=1 January 1995|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |pages=28–64|chapter=Chapter 4 - Monuments.|id=GGKEY:KB5EZYWXR98}}</ref>

The ancient capital ''Kalyani'' ([[Basavakalyan]]) of the [[Western Chalukya Empire]] is situated about {{convert|40|mi|km}} to the west of Bidar.<ref name=areas/><ref name=Britannica>{{Cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/64749/Bidar|title=Bidar|access-date=17 April 2015|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141006132649/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/64749/Bidar| archive-date= 6 October 2014 | url-status= live}}</ref>

==History==
Bidar fort was built by Ahmad Shah Wali Bahman; the exact layout of the old fort, with its double lines of defensive fortifications,<ref name="Yazdani1995"/> 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.<ref name="Yazdani1995"/> 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.<ref name="Yazdani1995"/>

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.<ref name=areas/><ref name="Palati">{{cite book |last=Palati |first=Dr. Venkat Rao |title=Role Of Freedom Fighters In Bidar District (1890 -1948) |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=BvT_BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA21 |access-date=12 April 2015 |publisher=Lulu.com |isbn=978-1-312-40623-0 |pages=21–23}}</ref><ref name="HaidarSardar2011">{{cite book |last1=Haidar |first1=Navina Najat |last2=Sardar |first2=Marika |title=Sultans of the South: Arts of India's Deccan Courts, 1323-1687 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=iWNHYID4WqAC&pg=PA186 |access-date=18 April 2015 |date=1 January 2011 |publisher= Metropolitan Museum of Art |isbn=978-1-58839-438-5 |page=186}}</ref>

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 Wali|Ahmad Shah I]] (1422–1486), Bidar was made the capital city of [[Bahmani Kingdom]].<ref name=areas/> Under Ahmed Shah's rule, the old Fort was rebuilt,<ref name=Britannica/> and beautiful [[madrasa]]s, [[mosques]], palaces and gardens were raised. Firishta records that the reconstruction began in 1429 CE and ended in 1432 CE.<ref name="Yazdani1995"/> 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.<ref name="Yazdani1995"/>

Bidar fort was captured by the independent [[Bijapur Sultanate]] in 1619–20 but fell to then [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] [[viceroy]] [[Aurangzeb]] in 1657, and was formally absorbed by the Mughal Empire in 1686.<ref name=Britannica/> In 1724, Bidar became a part of the Asaf Jahi Kingdom of the [[Nizams]].<ref name=areas/> Nawab [[Mir Sa'id Muhammad Khan, Salabat Jang|Mir Sa'id Muhammad Khan]] (also known as Salabath Jung), who was the third son of [[Qamar-ud-din Khan, Asif Jah I|Asaf Jah I]] (the first Nizam of the dynasty), ruled from Bidar fort from 1751 to 1762, until his brother [[Nizam Ali Khan, Asaf Jah II|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. In 1956, when the state of Hyderabad was partitioned, Bidar fort became part of the newly formed [[Mysore]] state (now Karnataka).<ref name=Britannica/>

==Architecture==
[[File:Protected Walls.JPG|thumb|right|300px|The triple moat of Bidar fort.]]
[[File:Bidar-Fort-Large-Gun.png|thumb|right|300px|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.<ref name=Britannica/> Constructed on the edge of the plateau, Bidar fort has a haphazard [[rhombus]]-shaped layout. The fort is {{convert|0.75|mi|km|abbr=on}} long by {{convert|0.5|mi|km|abbr=on}} in breadth.{{citation needed|date=April 2015}} The fort walls measure {{cvt|2.5|km|mi}} on the outside,<ref name="Yazdani1995"/> and include within numerous buildings, arches, pavilions, mosques, gateways and gardens.<ref name=areas/> 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:<ref name="Yazdani1995"/>
{{quote|''The width of the moat between the glacis and the first partition wall is {{convert|32|ft|6|in|m|disp=sqbr}}, between the first and second partition-walls 36 feet 4 inches, and between the second partition wall and the scarp {{convert|41|ft|9|in|m|disp=sqbr}}. 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 {{convert|43|ft|disp=sqbr}}''. }}
The seven gates of the fort are named from East to West as follows:<ref name="Yazdani1995"/>
* Gate 1 - The Mandu Darwaza, the main gate
* Gate 2 - The Kalmadgi Darwaza,
* Gate 5 - The Delhi Darwaza,
* Gate 6 - The Kalyani Darwaza,
* Gate 7 - The Carnatic Darwaza,
* Gates 3 and 4 are without a name.

There are 37 bastions on the fort wall,<ref name="Yazdani1995"/> with cannon made of bars of metal welded together and held together by metal hoops were mounted on the bastions.<ref name="Imperial Gazetteer"/> The Munda Burj is the most prominent bastion, and the heaviest guns were placed here to dominate the approaches.<ref name=areas/>

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).<ref name=Britannica/>

With the establishment of the Bahmani Kingdom in the [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]] from 1347, the architectural styles of the [[Persian architecture]] of [[Persia|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.<ref name=areas/><ref name=Joshi>{{Cite book |last=Joshi |first= P.M. |author2=M.A. Nayeem |author3=Teotonio R. De Souza |title= Mediaeval Deccan history: commemoration volume in honour of Purshottam ... |work=Art and Architecture of Bidar |pages=44–45 of 316 |access-date=2009-11-07 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=O_WNqSH4ByQC&q=Gulbarga+Fort&pg=PA44|publisher= Popular Prakashan |year=1996 |isbn=978-81-7154-579-7}}</ref> Innovative systems of water management are seen in and around the fort and city of Bidar.<ref>Sohoni, Pushkar and Klaus Rötzer, ‘Nature, Dams, Wells and Gardens: The Route of Water in and around Bidar’ in Daud Ali and Emma Flatt (ed.), ''Garden and Landscape Practices in Pre-Colonial India'' (New Delhi: Routledge, 2011), pp. 54-73.</ref>

The influence of Persian culture was distinct in Bidar in the Deccan, during the 15th and 16th centuries.<ref name=Iran>{{Cite web |publisher=Encycopaedia Iranica |title= Bidar| url= http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/bidar-indian-city |date=15 December 1989 |access-date=17 April 2015}}</ref>

===''Karez'' water supply system===
[[File:Karez System In Bidar.jpg|thumb|Entrance to the Karez system in Bidar]]
One of the most unusual features of Bidar is the historic water supply system, called ''[[karez]]'',<ref name="Karez">{{cite web |title=The Karez System in Bidar |url= http://www.gounesco.com/karez-system-bidar |website=[[GoUNESCO]] |date=October 2014 |access-date=17 April 2015}}</ref> (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.

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 {{convert|2|km|mi}}. A few ''karez'' shafts have been closed by builders and developers, leaving only 17 visible today.

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="160px" heights="190px" perrow="4">
File:Entrance to the Bidar Fort.JPG|Bidar Fort near the entrance.
File:Rangeen Mahal Hall.jpg|Rangeen Mahal
File:Frescoed calligraphy.jpg|Frescoed calligraphy
File:Arches Arches everywhere.jpg|Archways in the fort
File:Front_view_of_Bidar_Madrasa.jpg|Front view of Bidar Mahamud Gawan
File:Bidar_Fort_Entrance.jpg|fountains at the entrance
</gallery>

==Access==
Bidar is well connected by road, rail and air links. Bidar city is situated about {{cvt|740|km}} north of [[Bangalore]] India on [[National Highway (India)|NH]] 7, {{cvt|116|km}} northeast of Gulbarga and {{cvt|130|km|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.

==In popular culture==
Parts of Kannada cinema [[Bara (film)|''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==
* [[Bahmanid dynasty]]
* [[Forts of Karnataka]]
* [[Raichur Fort]]
* [[Gulbarga Fort]]
* [[Bellary Fort]]
* [[Basavakalyana Fort]]
* [[Mudgal|Mudgal Fort]]
*[[Golconda Fort]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Bidar Fort}}
* [http://www.deccanherald.com/content/44855/bidar-fort-stands-test-time.html Bidar fort stands the test of time].
* [http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/a-platform-to-gaze-upon-moonlit-skies/article581599.ece A platform to gaze upon moonlit skies].
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100309113601/http://www.hindu.com/2010/03/06/stories/2010030657990800.htm Escape route near royal harem found at Bidar Fort].
* [https://www.karnatakatourism.org/tour-item/bidar-fort/ For More About Bidar Fort (Tourism Official Website)].

{{Forts in Karnataka}}
{{Forts in India}}
{{Tourism in India}}
{{Historical Places in Karnataka}}
{{Historical Places in North Karnataka}}
{{Bidar topics}}

[[Category:Forts in Karnataka]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Bidar district]]
[[Category:Former capital cities in India]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Bidar]]
[[Category:Bahmani architecture]]

Bidar Fort - Revision history

Bot at 22:51, 15 October 2022