The Karnataka Waqf Board has identified 17 monuments inside historic Bidar Fort in Karnataka as its property. These properties are among the major landmarks of the fort located in the district headquarters town of Bidar.
Bidar Fort
- Bidar Fort is located in the city of Bidar, located in the northern plateau of Karnataka. The history of this fort is more than 500 years, whose foundation was laid during the reign of the Western Chalukya dynasty. Bahmani Sultan Ahmed Shah Wali rebuilt this fort in 1430 after making Bidar his capital, making it an impressive fort.
Architecture
- Bidar Fort is made of trap rock and stone and mortar have been used in the construction of the fort walls. Its entrance has a high dome, the interior of which is decorated with bright colors. Bidar Fort shows a blend of Islamic and Persian elements in architecture.
Its main features are
- Seven main entrance gates
- 37 octagonal bastions with metal shields for cannons
- Mosques and palaces
- More than 30 Islamic monuments
Bahmani Empire
- The Bahmani Empire was founded in 1347 when the Turkish governor Alauddin Hasan Bahman Shah revolted against Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq of the Delhi Sultanate and established an independent state.
- It was the first independent Islamic state to come to power in South India and included areas of present-day Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh.
- The capital of the Bahmani Empire was first at Ahsanabad (Gulbarga), which was later moved to Bidar.
- A total of 14 sultans ruled this state, prominent among whom were Alauddin Bahman Shah, Muhammad Shah I, and Firoz Shah.
- The Bahmani Empire reached its peak under the guidance of Mahmud Gawan. He was the Prime Minister of the Bahmani Sultans for about 23 years from 1458 to 1481.
- Gawan expanded the empire by conquering Goa, which was then under the Vijayanagara Empire.
- However, around 1518, the ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire, Krishnadeva Raya, defeated the last ruler of the Bahmani Empire.