Bidar Fort

Ahmad Shah Bahmani moved his capital to Bidar in 1427 and rebuilt the fort on a plateau edge with a triple moat cut into laterite, seven gates set at angles, and inside a set of palaces: Rangin Mahal with mother-of-pearl inlay and coloured tile, Takht Mahal, Solah Khamba mosque and the Gagan Mahal. The Persian influence is direct, brought by architects and craftsmen from Iran. Below the plateau runs a karez, an underground channel system of the kind used in Iran and Central Asia, with shafts across the ground, rediscovered and partly restored. Bidriware, a black metal inlaid with silver, is made in the town.

History

The old fort of Bidar was taken from the Kakatiyas in 1321-22 by Prince Ulugh Khan, later Sultan Muhammad bin Tughluq, and with the founding of the Bahmani Sultanate in 1347 it was occupied by Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah. In 1427 Sultan Ahmad Shah I moved the Bahmani capital here from Gulbarga and rebuilt the fort with madrasas, mosques, palaces and gardens, the work beginning in 1429 according to Firishta (Wikipedia, Bidar Fort).

The main sights

• Rangin Mahal - mother-of-pearl inlay and tilework in the painted palace.
• The triple moat - ditches cut into laterite around the walls.
• The karez - underground water channels with shafts across the plateau.
• Bidriware workshops - blackened metal inlaid with silver, made in town.

When to go

October to March; the Deccan is severely hot from March to June. Mornings are best for the palaces. The fort sees very few visitors at any time.

Good to know

Several palaces are locked or ruinous and interiors need a caretaker to open. Interpretation is minimal. Bidar is remote from the Karnataka circuit and closer to Hyderabad.

Nearby

Bidar's Bahmani tombs lie east; Hyderabad is southeast.

Key facts