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{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2018}}
{{Infobox military installation
| name = Gulbarga Fort
| partof = [[Kalaburagi]]
| location = [[Kalaburagi]], India
| image = [[File:Gulbarga Fort..jpg|300px]]
| caption = Gulbarga Fort
| map_type = India#India Karnataka
| map_size = 300
| map_caption =
| type = [[Fort]]
| coordinates = {{coord|17.3405|N|76.8311|E|region:IN_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes = [http://wikimapia.org/152092/Bahamani-Fort-Gulbarga]
| code =
| built = Fourteenth century
| builder = Sultan [[Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah|Al-ud-din Bahmani]] of [[Bahmani Sultanate]] in 1327 and [[Yusuf Adil Shah|Adil Shah]]
| materials = [[Granites]] and lime mortar
| height =
| used =
| demolished =
| condition = Ruins
| open_to_public = Yes
| controlledby = [[Government of Karnataka]]
| garrison =
| current_commander =
| commanders =
| occupants =
| battles =
| events =
| image2 = [[File:Great Mosque in Gulbarga Fort.gif|300px]]
| caption2 = Great Mosque (Jami Masjid) in Gulbarga Fort
}}

The '''Gulbarga Fort''' is located in [[Kalaburagi]] in the [[Kalaburagi district]] of [[North Karnataka]]. It was subsequently significantly enlarged in 1347 by [[Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah|Al-ud-din Hasan Bahmani]] of the [[Bahmani Sultanate|Bahmani Dynasty]] after he cut off his ties with the [[Delhi Sultanate]]; [[Islamic]] [[monuments]] such as [[mosques]], [[palaces]], tombs, and other structures were also built later within the refurbished fort. The Jama Masjid built later, within the fort, in 1367, is a unique structure built in [[Persian Architecture|Persian architectural style]], fully enclosed, with elegant domes and arched columns, which is unlike any other mosque in India. It was built to commemorate the establishment of the dynastic rule of the [[Bahmani kingdom]] at Kalaburagi fort between 1327 and 1424. It remained the capital of the [[Bahmani Kingdom]] till 1424 where after the capital was shifted to [[Bidar Fort]], as [[Bidar]] had better climatic conditions.<ref name=archnet>{{Cite web|url=http://archnet.org/library/places/one-place.jsp?place_id=6898&order_by=title&showdescription=1|title=Gulbarga|access-date=2009-10-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604202126/http://archnet.org/library/places/one-place.jsp?place_id=6898&order_by=title&showdescription=1|archive-date=4 June 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=monu>{{Cite web|url=http://www.indiaprofile.com/tourist-attractions/karnataka/monuments/gulbarga-fort.html|title= Gulbarga Fort|access-date=2009-10-02}}</ref><ref name=district>{{Cite web |url=http://karnatakaonline.in/Profile/Districts/Gulbarga.asp |title=Gulbarga |access-date=2009-11-04 |publisher=Karnataka Online}}</ref>

==History==
The early history of the region dates back to the 6th century when the [[Rashtrakuta]]s ruled over the external areas, except Gulbarga. The [[Chalukya]]s won back their domain and ruled for over two hundred years. The [[Kalachuris of Kalyani]] succeeded them and ruled till the 12th century. At the end of the 12th century, it came under the reign of the [[Yadavas of Devagiri]] and the [[Hoysala Empire|Hoysalas]] of [[Halebid]]. During this period, the [[Kakatiya dynasty]], kings of [[Warangal]] were also powerful and took control of the present-day Kalaburagi district and [[Raichur district]].<ref name=History>{{Cite web|url=http://gulbarga.nic.in/|title=Gulbarga|work=History (link page)|access-date=2009-11-10|publisher=National Informatics Centre, Gulbarga}}</ref><ref name=Brittanica>{{Cite web|url=http://www.karnataka.com/tourism/gulbarga/|title=Gulbaraga|access-date=2009-11-10}}</ref>

The Kakatiya power was subdued in 1321, and the northern [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]], including the district of Gulbarga, passed under the control of the [[Sultanate of Delhi]].<ref name=History/><ref name=Brittanica/>

In the early 14th century, the [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]] was occupied by [[Muhammad bin Tughluq]] of the [[Delhi Sultanate]], which included Gulbarga. The revolt of the Muslim officers appointed from Delhi resulted in the founding of the [[Bahmani Sultanate]] in 1347 by Alauddin Hassan, who chose Gulbarga (named as 'Ahsenabad' during this period) to be his capital. Gulbarga was the capital of the Bahmani kingdom (1347–1527) (with headquarters at the Gulbarga Fort), a newly founded independent state, 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 Plateau|Deccan]]. Ahmad Shah Wali Bahmani 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.<ref name=archnet/><ref name=History/><ref name=Brittanica/><ref>Joshi p.35-36</ref><ref name=online>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/photocoll/g/019pho0000430s6u00044000.html|title= Gulbarga Fort|access-date=2009-11-07|publisher=British Library On-Line gallery}}</ref>

The fort was razed to the ground by the [[Vijayanagar Emperor]] but was subsequently rebuilt by the [[Yusuf Adil Shah|Adil Shah dynasty]] or [[Bijapur Sultanate]], when the Vijayanagar empire was defeated in battle of talikota. <ref>{{Cite book |last=B. |first=Kodad, S. |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/85026116 |title=The battle of Talikota |date=1986 |publisher=Sri Ramachandra Publication |oclc=85026116}}</ref>

== World’s longest cannon at Bahmani Fort ==
The [[Bahmanis]] ruled over most of the Deccan until the late 15th and early 16th century, when the kingdom was divided into five independent states.<ref name=Brittanica/><ref name=online/><ref name=Asuf>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/photocoll/a/019pho0000430s6u00045000.html|title= Asuf Gunj, Gulbarga| access-date=2009-11-10|publisher=British Library On Line gallery}}</ref><ref name="sen2">{{Cite book |last=Sen |first=Sailendra |title=A Textbook of Medieval Indian History |publisher=Primus Books |year=2013 |isbn=978-9-38060-734-4 |pages=106–108}}</ref>

The [[Mughal Emperor]] [[Aurangzeb]] (1658–1707) captured the fort in the 17th century (1687) and appointed [[Qamar-ud-din Khan, Asif Jah I|Asaf Jah I]] ("Nizam-ul-Mulk") as the governor of the Deccan. In the early part of the 18th century, when [[Mughal Empire]] was declining, the Nizam became independent in 1724, and formed the [[Hyderabad State]], of which Gulbarga area was a part.<ref name=History/><ref name=Brittanica/><ref name=Asuf/>

The fort and the Gulbarga district were a part of [[Hyderabad State|Kingdom of Hyderabad]] under the [[Nizam]]s rule. After India became independent in August 1947, Hyderabad state was annexed to the Indian union in 1948. In 1956, the Indian state of Hyderabad was partitioned among neighbouring states along linguistic lines and renamed as [[Andhra Pradesh]] (now [[Telangana]]). Most of the Gulbarga district became part of the then [[Mysore State]], later renamed [[Karnataka]], excluding two taluks, which were given to [[Andhra Pradesh]].<ref name=district />

==Geography==
It is located on a plateau land in the northeastern part of Karnataka. [[Krishna River]] and [[Bhima River]] drain the district. The soil formation in the region is predominantly of black cotton soil.<ref name=district/><ref name=History/><ref name=Kalburgi>{{Cite web|url=http://kannadasiri.kar.nic.in/heritage/heritage_areas.htm|title= Heritage Areas|access-date=2009-11-10|publisher=National Informatics centre, Karnataka}}</ref>

Fort is in the [[drought]] prone district and experiences a meagre average rainfall of {{convert|777|mm|in}} with only 46 normal rainy days.<ref name=History/>

Climate is dry and cold in the winter but summer is hot. South west [[monsoon]] brings rains. Temperature during summer is a high of {{convert|45|C|F}}, the minimum recorded in winter is {{convert|5|C|F}}.<ref name=district/><ref name=History/><ref name=Kalburgi/>

==Structures==
With the establishment of the Bahmani Kingdom in the Deccan from 1347, the architectural styles of the [[Persian architecture]] of [[Persia|Iran]] 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.{{clarify|date=February 2014|reason=What kind of arches or palaces were built outside the fort? Any specific names for the palaces?}} Within the fort, the buildings built are impressive with Indo-Persian architecture that evolved in the Deccan. Professor Desai has observed: <blockquote>
''A distinct Indo-Persian architectural style of Deccan came into existence after the establishment of the Bahmani dynasty in 1347.''
</blockquote>
Some of the important structures built are elaborated.<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|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=81-7154-579-3 }}</ref>

=== Fort ===
The fort was originally built by and was subsequently substantially fortified in [[West Asia]]n 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 {{convert|57|acre|ha}} and periphery length of {{convert|3|km|mi}}. It is well fortified with double fortification. A {{convert|30|ft|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 {{convert|8|m|ft}} long and is still well preserved.<ref name=archnet/><ref name=online/><ref name=tour>{{Cite web|url=http://karnatakatourism.org/gulbarga_what_to_see.htm|title=Gulbarga|access-date=2009-11-10|publisher=Karnataka Tourism|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091001140001/http://www.karnatakatourism.org/gulbarga_what_to_see.htm|archive-date=1 October 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>

It is said that the Bahmani Sultanate claimed lineage of the [[Sassanid Empire|Sasanians]] and the [[motif (visual arts)|motifs]] on their buildings, particularly the crowns of the arches that they built depicted an emblem of the [[crescent]] 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.<ref name=fort>{{Cite web|url=http://www.archnet.org/library/pubdownloader/pdf/4232/doc/DPC0996.pdf |title=Sasanian Royal Emblems and their Reemergence in the Fourteenth-Century Deccan |access-date=2009-11-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040905135929/http://www.archnet.org/library/pubdownloader/pdf/4232/doc/DPC0996.pdf |archive-date=5 September 2004 }}</ref>

=== Jami Masjid ===
The mosque, one of the first in [[South India]], was built to commemorate Gulbarga as the capital of the Bahmani Sultanate.<ref name=archnet/> 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 {{convert|216|ft|m}}x{{convert|176|ft|m}} and was built on the lines of the [[Great Mosque of Córdoba]] in Spain. The masjid, which was in ruins, has been well tended now.<ref name=Cumming>{{cite book|last=Cumming|first= Sir John|title= Revealing India's Past|pages=424|work=Gulbarga Fort|access-date=2009-11-08|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ygg3vZvUoDIC&q=Gulbarga+Fort&pg=PA258|publisher=Read Books|year= 2006|isbn=1-4067-0408-3 }}</ref><ref name=Sathyan>{{Cite book|last=Sathyan|first= B. N. Sri|title= Karnataka State Gazetteer: Gulbarga|work= Gulbarga fort|pages=218 and 462|access-date=2009-11-10|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uZkBAAAAMAAJ&q=Gulbarga+Fort|publisher= The Director of Print., Stationery and Publications at the Govt. Press, Government of Karnataka|year=1965}}</ref>

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 by [[pendentives]]. The front yard in front of the [[mihrab]] 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 cubic [[clerestory]]. 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.<ref name=district/><ref name=tour/><ref name=Michell>{{Cite book|last= Michell|first= George|author2=Mark Zebrowski|title= Architecture and art of the Deccan sultanates, Volume 1|work=Solah Khmaba Mosque|pages=66–67|access-date=2009-11-07|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aHcfv6zkJgQC&q=Gulbarga+Fort&pg=PA68|publisher= Cambridge University Press|year=1999|isbn=0-521-56321-6 }}</ref>

=== Tomb of Khaja Bande Nawaz ===
[[File:Dargah of Banda Nawaz, Gulbarga..jpg|right|thumb|250px|Dargah of Khaja Banda Nawaz]]
Apart from the above monuments the other building of interest is the tomb of the [[Sufi]] saint Syed Mohammad Gesu Daraz, popularly known as Khwaja Bande Nawaz, built in the [[Indo-Saracenic]] style. It is a large complex where the tomb of the Sufi saint, who came to Gulbarga in 1413, exists. The tomb walls have paintings; the arches of the [[Dargah]] are in Bahmani architecture while the paintings on the walls and ceiling have a fusion of [[Turkish people|Turkish]] and [[Persia|Irani]] influence. The Mughals also built a mosque close to the tomb. An annual fair or [[Urs]] is held here in November, which attracts large number of devotees of all religious communities.

According to painter and scholar Rehman Patel, who provided the photograph and other details of the Feroze Shah lake, says that this rare photograph finds a place in the album that was made for the Nizam.

A study of the 19th Century photographs in India would be incomplete without a study of the prolific works of photographs by Raja Lal Deen Dayal. At a time when the world of the photograph was dominated by British and European photographers, Mr. Dayal was the sole Indian who photographed extensively and was immensely sought-after.

The sixth Nizam [[Mir Mahboob Ali Khan]] had conferred the prestigious ‘Musawwir Jung Raja Bahadur’ or ‘Bold Warrior of Photography’ title on Mr. Dayal.<ref name="Brittanica"/><ref name=Kerala>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kerala-tourism.net/karnataka/gulbarga-hampi-hassan-travel.html|title=Gulbarga travel|access-date=2009-11-10|publisher=Kerala and South India Tourism|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100210034804/http://www.kerala-tourism.net/karnataka/gulbarga-hampi-hassan-travel.html|archive-date=10 February 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.shubhyatra.com/karnataka/gulbarga-cityguide.html|title=Gulbarga|access-date=2009-11-10}}</ref>

==Access==
Kalaburagi is well connected by railway lines and roads.<ref name=district/> It is an important rail head on the Central [[Southern Railway zone]] line connecting to [[Bangalore]], [[Mumbai]], [[Delhi]] and [[Hyderabad]].

It is well connected by [[National Highway (India)|National Highway]]s with Bangalore and Hyderabad, which are {{convert|610|km|mi}} and {{convert|225|km|mi}} away respectively, from Kalaburagi. Road distances to other cities within the state are: [[Basavakalyan]]-{{convert|80|km|mi}}, [[Bidar]] -{{convert|120|km|mi}}, [[Raichur]] - {{convert|155|km| mi}} and [[Bijapur]] - {{convert|160|km|mi}}.<ref name=district/>

[[Kalaburagi Airport]] is the nearest airport.

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="160" heights="190" perrow="4">
File:Archs@Jama Masjid.jpg|Arches Inside the Jama Mosque
File:Arches@Jama Masjid.jpg|Arches Inside the Jama Mosque
File:Gulbarga Jami Masjid interior 2.jpg|Jama Masjid interior
File:Gulbarga Jami Masjid interior.jpg|Long interior architectural view of the Jama Masjid
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Gulbarga Fort}}

{{Forts in Karnataka}}
{{Forts in India}}
{{Gulbarga topics}}

[[Category:Forts in Karnataka]]
[[Category:Kalaburagi]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Kalaburagi district]]

Gulbarga Fort - Revision history

Bot at 06:29, 29 November 2022