187

CHAPTER – VIII

CULTURAL SYNTHESIS

Hinduism:

In the number of Vaishnava temples constructed was not

very great. But this does not mean that the Vaishnava cult was

totally absent. Since it was a period of further development of

Shaivism, we found a number of Shaiva temples being

constructed. But some of the kings did construct Vaishnava

temples1.

During the reign of Vikramaditya-VI was probably

professing the Jaina faith in his early years. In later life, he

seems to have been a Shaivite. An inscription at Kalhattipura in

Chickmagalur district refers to Nijarudrapada as his guru.

Another inscription at Chinnatumbalam in Bellary district

mentions the Rajaguru, Someshwara Pandita one of his queens

caused certain grants to be made to the god Keshavadeva at the

Agrahara of Rudravadi in the Gulbarga district. When

Vikramaditya-VI was ruling at Kalyana, the Shaiva creed

received a further impetus. The Kalamukha ascetics gained more

and more royal favour and the gifts of land and villages made to

them increased their popularity. But it must be said that during

188

Vikramaditya’s time there was catholicity in religious outlook.

Jainism, Shaivism, Vishnavism and even Buddhism which still

claimed a few votaries; received support at his hands, and

several inscriptions of his reign testify to this fact. We have a

comprehensive picture of religious catholicity obtaining in those

days in an inscription of Belagave, the capital of Banavasi, which

was adorned by Vikramaditya-VI for some time2.

The Buddhist seems to have also held their place in that

city equally with the Jainas, Shaivas and Vaishnavas. The place

was a great centre for religious and philosophical training. The

vedantic schools had come into prominence, the Kalamukha

ascetics were spreading the tenets of the Pashupata faith and

the Vaishnavite faith was showing signs of gaining ground.

Kalyana was a city of great beauty at the time of Vikramaditya,

who was a liberal patron of the arts and learning3.

Veerashaivism has blossomed from Shaivism. After the

religious revolution at Kalyana enunciated by Basaveshwara,

many caste groups got converted into this religious movement,

which declared a casteless or creedless society. In the district of

Gulbarga, one can see the followers of Veerashaiva

Panchacharyas, as Shaivites even prior to Basaveshwara. They

are believers and devotees of one God. Among Veerashaiva

Jangamas, a boy in eighth year will undergo religious

189

consecration into becoming a guru (jangama). The boy will wear

a new linga. This ceremony and the ritual followed are known as

Acharya. A Jangama could be a renouncer (vrakta) or a person

belonging to Guruvarga. Vrakta is believed to have renounced the

family life and would live in a mutt (institution). There are many

Veerashaiva mutts in the district. Lingayats are purely

vegetarians4.

Buddhism and Jainism:

In the Deccan region, there are remains and evidences to

show the impact of Buddhism, even before the dawn of the

Christian era. Excavation conducted by the Department of

Archaeological Survey of India at Malkhed revealed that Sedam

and Sannathi were the centres of Buddhism. The Buddhist relics

and the inscriptions in Brahmi script acquired at Sannathi, are

the evidences to show the existence of Buddhism in Gulbarga.

Stupas and images of the Sathavahanas period were excavated

on the banks of the river Bhima. The construction of Stupas and

brick-structures are found at Hagargundagi and Anabi in

Gulbarga taluk and Kanagan Halli and Kollur of Chitapur taluk.

Broken images of soft stones are also acquired in sites at the

above places. They could be dated back to the early Christian

era. From Sannathi to Kanagan Halli, a stretch of three

190

kilometers abounded in the Stupas. Ayanika Pillars, rock plates,

Buddha in Vajrasana, his foot-marks, Bodhi Vriksha, Dwar-

yakshas and many other things including a number of

inscriptions. It is believed that all the above relics dare back to

the 1st century A.D to 3rd century A.D. numerous single line

inscriptions declaring the clarity given to Buddhist Stupas and

Sangharamas by prominent persons with their names are also

seen5.

Jainism of the several theories regarding the advent of

Jainism in south India, the Bhadrabahu theory seems to be the

popularly accepted one; Bhadrabahu was a disciple of Mahavira.

He led a great migration to the south and was thus responsible

for the spread of Jainism in Karnataka. The Jaina religion seems

to have enjoyed considerable patronage at the hands of the

Chalukya rulers who were quite tolerant towards the religious

also. Jainism rose to predominance during the time of the

Rashtrakutas. A good many literary works were composed

during the Rashtrakuta period. The Harivamsa of the Digambara

Jainas is said to have been composed by Jinasena during the

reign of Govinda-II. Amoghavarsha-I was one of the greatest

patrons of the Digambara Jainas. Besides Kavirajamarga which

is the earliest known Kannada work on rhetoric, the authorship

of Prashnattara Ratnamalika, a book on morality written in

191

Sanskrit, has also been assigned to him. The last verse of this

work says that Amoghvarsha voluntarily abdicated the throne.

This work is said to have been translated into the Tibetan

language also, which shows that his reputation had spread

beyond the confines of the country. Jainism, during the period of

the western Chalukyas revival, ceased to be the predominant

faith that it was once. The faith suffered a setback during the

later period. The several Jaina temples found in the Deccan

region bear testimony to the fact that the whole of the region was

under the influence of the Jaina faith once upon a time6.

Sufism:

Sufism may, in a way, be compared to the Bhakti cult

prevalent in Hinduism. The mystics were men of deep religious

feelings; they led ascetic lives and laid great stress on the

practice of self-discipline as preparing the human being for the

intuitive knowledge of God. This doctrine was not only widely

propagated in the Islamic world outside the country but was also

further developed on Indian soil. Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya was

one of the greatest Sufis in the country. He laid emphasis on the

element of faith as a means of the realization of god. It has been

suggested by some that the views, beliefs and practices of the

Sufi sect of Islam had some influence on Hinduism in the

192

Deccan. Among the similarities, may be mentioned the physical

exercises like the restraining of the breath, the service to the

Guru or teacher, the recitation of sacred words and the belief in

the union with the Supreme Being through Bhakti. But these

similarities ceased to be important in so far as the orthodox

sections of the Muslims and the Hindus were concerned. The

moderate wings of the two religious might perhaps have provided

a common meeting ground. Whatever might have been the

benefits from the moral, spiritual and philosophical points of

view, their historical importance was limited by the fact that the

number of Indians directly affected by them could not have been

very large7.

Sikhism:

Bidar has another unique distinction of having made a

memorable and lasting contribution to the development of the

dynamic Sikh movement which had been launched by Guru

Nanak in the 15th century and was reoriented by Guru Govind

Singh in the 17th century. One of the Five Beloved (Panch

Pyaras), with whom Guru Govind, the last apostle in the series of

Sikh Gurus, created the dauntless Khaka (purified) brother-hood

of men of action, went from the Bidar area which had been

earlier the pioneering karya-kshetra of the protestant reformist

193

movement of the sharanas. The Khalsa, as is well known, made

many sacrifices and played a heroic role in a crucial period of

Indian history when the people had been overawed and

demoralized by oppression.

Guru Govind Singh's highly revered father Guru Tegh

Bahadur, the ninth Guru, had been tortured and executed at

Delhi by the orders of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. This

senseless intolerance had shocked the conscience of the bulk of

the population. In this situation, Guru Govind resorted to sword

and organized his followers into a trained and disciplined body of

persons determined to stake their all and fight for emancipation

from the persistent tyranny. On the Baisakhi day of 1699 A.D he

held a special meeting of his followers at Anandpur, which was

attended by people from various parts of the country. Dressed in

uniform and armed he addressed the assemblage and gave a

stirring call.

Flourishing his sword, the Guru asked for five heads, one

after another, of those who were prepared to lay down their lives

then and there at the service of the cause he was espousing. In

response to this fervent call, five spirited persons, namely, (1)

Dayaram, a Khatri from Lahore, (2) Dharma Das, a jat from

Delhi, (3) Mohakam Chand, a washer man from Dwaraka, (4)

Sahib Chand, a barber from Bidar and (5) Himmat Rai, a water-

194

carrier from Jagannathpuri came forward. 'The Guru was

immensely pleased by their sense of dedication and readiness to

make the sacrifice of their lives at his behest. They were hailed

as the Five Beloved.

An iron vessel containing water was stirred by the Guru

with his two-edged sword while reciting holy verses. The Guru's

wife Mata Jito added some, sweets to the water. This formed the

Amrit (nectar of immorality). The five were asked to drink palm-

fulls of this Amrit. Then the Guru himself got likewise baptized

by the five. They were thenceforward surnamed Singhs (lions)

and were called upon to fight oppression, to help the poor to

work for righteous causes and to look upon all human beings as

equal. They were asked to keep long hair (i.e., not to cut hair), a

comb, a steel bracelet, short drawers and sword. Then about

twenty thousand people are stated to have been admitted into

the Khalsa fold on that day in n similar way. They, in their turn,

spread the message of the Khalsa to others, which caught the

imagination of a large number of people who were galvanized

and whose dormant energies were released and outlook on life

changed. They emerged as new men with a new spirit which

prepared them for heroic deeds of patriotism.

It is a significant fact that the Five Beloved hailed from five

different regions of India and thus symbolized the unity of the

195

whole country. All of them later dial fighting heroically. Bhai

Sahib Singh attained martyrdom in the battle of Chemkor in

1705 A.D. It is stated that this celebrated hero from Bidar was

the son of Gurunarayan and Ankamma and that he was born on

5th day of Magha of 1733 of the Vikrama Era (1675 AD.) at Bidar

and that he had gone on a pilgrimage with his parents to north

India. It may be recalled that according to tradition, Guru Nanak

had visited Bidar in the course of his extensive travels and that

Mai Bhago, an illustrious and devout Sikh lady, has stayed at

Janawada village which is situated about ten kms from Bidar.

Probably the original name of the Sikh hero from Bidar, was

different and it was localized in the north as Sahib Chand

(Singh). There are parallel examples of such localization of

names, e.g., Mahadeva, who came from Kashmir to Kalyana

during Basaveshvara's time, is well known as Marayya.

Secondly, the traditional occupation of Sahib Chand's family is

said to be that of a barber. It can be noted in this context that

earlier there were some famous sharanas in this district like

Hadapada Appanna and Hadapada Rechayya who were barbers

by profession8.

196

Christianity:

There are native Protestant Christians in the district. The

Protestant ev8ange1ic work in the district was begun by Rev.

A.E. Cook on April 2nd 1896 in Marjapur (Mirzapur) and since

then the work of proselytisation has been going on. In 1901,

there were four native Christians out of 15 Christians in a total

population of 7, 66,139 in the undivided bigger district of Bidar.

By 1971, the number of Christians in the smaller district of

Bidar was 32,746. A spacious new impressive building of a

church named St. Paul's Methodist Church was completed in

1964 at Bidar. There are other fifty three Protestant churches in

various places in the district. The Christian missions are

running a few educational and medical institutions in the area.

A Christian religious gathering is held annually during the

Easter week at Marjapur (Mirzapur) of Bidar Taluk. Divorce is

rare and widow marriage is prevalent among them. They bury

their dead9.

197

References:

1. Chitranajan, H., Ed, Gazetteer of Gulbarga District, 2004,

p.118

2. Ibid

3. Ibid

4. Indian Antiquary, vol-XXVIII, p.155

5. Ibid

6. Ibid

7. Nizami, K.A., Politics and Society During the Early Medieval

Period

8. Brief History of Gurudwara Sri Nanak Jhira Saheb, Bidar

9. Gazetteer of Bidar District

198

CHAPTER – IX

ART AND ARCHITECTURE

Secular:

Palaces, Darbars and other Buildings:

In Bidar fort we have few royal palaces and remains of

other buildings. These shattered remains are suggestive of

remarkable architectural style which was definitely Iranian in

character, remarkable for their mass and out-line and modified

and adapted to the Deccan’s environment and requirements.

Colours over the surfaces have been used liberally. The remains

indicate stupendous effect that must have been produced by the

brilliant schemes of coloured tiles and mural paintings1. These

royal buildings in the Bidar fort are mainly in the form of a series

of halls which were designated differently according to the

purpose for which they were meant. These palaces and royal

buildings within the Bidar fort are; the Rangeen Mahal, the

Trakash Mahal. The Gagan Mahal, the Takht Mahal, the Diwan-

i-Aam, Octagonal pavilion, Royal pavilion, the Shahi Matbakh,

the Shahi Hammam etc,. Besides these building there are other

underground apartment; Hazar Kothri, the Naubat Khana, Gun

powder magazine, etc.

199

Rangeen Mahal:

In Bidar Fort, the shattered remains of the beautiful palace

buildings now cleared of the debris in to which they had fallen,

must have been remarkable for their substantive architectural

style which was definitely Persian in character, remarkable for

their mass and outline and modified and adapted to local

requirements. There is a liberal use of colours over surfaces, and

the brilliant schemes of which have survived to give an idea of

the stupendous effect it must have then produced.

These buildings were chiefly composed of a series of halls

each known by a different name depending upon its purpose or

the use to which it was put, such as Takht Mahal, Diwan-i-Aam,

Gagan Mahal, Tarkash Mahal and Rangeen Mahal. The beautiful

of there was the Rangeen Mahal literally means “Coloured

Palace”, and this name was apparently given to it on account of

its walls being originally decorated with tiles of different hues,

traces of which still exist on the façade of the eastern halls. Near

the Gumbad Darwazaa royal tower has existed perhaps since the

time when Ahmed Shah Wali Bahmani built the Fort. From this

tower, which is mentioned as the Shah Burj in contemporary

history, the Bahmani Sultans often reviewed their troops, which

assembled outside the gate of the fort. In 1487 A.D when a party

of Afaquis and Deccanis revolted against Mahmud Shah

200

Bahmani and tried to murder him, he took refuge in the Shah

Burj. The rebels were subsequently punished, but as the Sultan

had despaired of his life he considered the shelter afforded by

the Shah Burj as auspicious, and he had a lofty palace built in

its close vicinity2. The southern apartments of this palace were

built by Ali Barid, who adorned them with wood-carving and

mother of pearl work3. During Nizam’s times the palace has been

used as the court of the First Taluqdar of Bidar4, and a veranda

and several partition walls have been built, which not only mar

the general appearance of the building, but make it difficult to

trace its original plan.

Access to the building is now obtained by two flights of

steps which lead to a landing from which, by passing through

some rooms, the interior of the palace is reached. One of these

rooms opens on a veranda which is modern, but there are two

halls at its back towards the east, which from the style of their

architecture appear to be of the Bahmani period. The hall at the

north-east and is square in plan, but has a high-vaulted roof

which is supported by squinches in corners. The hall measures

25 feet 4 inches each way at the base, and the domical ceiling is

23 feet 9 inches above the centre of the floor. The hall has a

rectangular projection towards the east, and a window at the

extreme end which opens in the south-eastern wall of the fort

201

and commands views of the ramparts and the part of the city

that is situated on that side. The walls of the hall are extremely

thick, and the general style of the building gives an effect of

heaviness5.

To the south of this hall there is another which was

originally connected with it by an opening in the wall on that

side. The latter hall also is square in plan, but is smaller than

the former. It measures 18 feet each way, and has a pentagonal

projection towards the east with a window at the end which

opens upon the ramparts. This hall is entered from the veranda

by an arch, the proportions of which are rather squat, the span

being 11 feet 5 inches and the height up to the apex 13 feet 5

inches. This hall also seems to be of the Bahmani period, and

may be added by Mahmud Shah Bahmani after the revolt of

1487 A.D. it has a rectangular extension towards the south,

which has also an arched opening to the veranda. This narrow

room was utilized either as a toilet chamber or as a wardrobe.

There are three small rooms at the southern end of the veranda

and two at the northern end. To the west of the latter there is a

double room which opens on the court and had also a door

towards the steps. All of these six rooms are of small

dimensions, and their architecture is such that they may belong

to any period, Bahmani, Baridi, or even later.

202

From the court a view of the upper walls of the palace may

be had. These were once richly adorned with tile work arranged

in arched shaped and rectangular panels. The colour scheme

now visible consists of white patterns on a dark blue

background. There may have been other colours also, but as the

tiles have been exposed to the in- clemencies of the weather for

several centuries, they have completely faded. The designs

consist of floral and calligraphic devices exhibiting a highly

developed technique and refined taste. Among the religious texts

inscribed on the walls an invocation (Du’a) may still be read;

“And provide him (the Sultan) through the grace of our

prophet, Muhammad, with an abode which may be everlasting,

exalted, and delightful”6.

The court had a water channel with fountains and a cistern

in the middle, the dimensions of the cistern are: length 9 feet 6

inches; breadth 6 feet 10 inches; depth 2 feet 6 inches. These

were filled up with rubbish in the course of time, but the

Department of Archaeological Survey of India has cleared them.

At the southern end of the court is the hall and pavilion

built by Ali Barid who was the first of the Baridi dynasty to

assume the regal title after his two predecessors had carved out

a territory for themselves from the Bahmani dynasty. Today the

hall has been disturbed by the insertion of some modern walls

203

and doors, but originally it had two apartments, each containing

five bays. The total length of the hall is 52 feet and the width 20

feet. The divisions are arranged by means of columns, which are

of wood and most beautifully carved. The designs are both

Muslim and Hindu. An interesting feature is presented by the

ornamental scalloped arches arranged by means of struts, which

appear to be the forerunners of the cusped arches of the

Mughals in later times. The walls of the hall were originally

decorated with tile work which unfortunately has been destroyed

in the course of repairs made in comparatively recent times, but

specimens of it may be seen in the spandrels of the doorway

which leads to the royal pavilion. This doorway is built at the

back of the hall and consists of two arches, one at the outside

and the other inside, with a passage between them. The outer

arch is a little larger in size, its span being 6 feet and its height

up to the apex 8 feet 3 inches. This arch has a black stone

moulding above the doorway imposts, while below are tiny shafts

most elegantly carved. The moulding is of the rope pattern type.

In the spandrels are lovely floral designs worked out on tiles, and

above the doorway is a Persian verse inscribed on the same. The

verse because of its appropriateness is worthy of being quoted

here:

204

“Since in my eye (lit.’the royal chamber of my eye’) always

rests the image, It is my prayer (oh Sultan!), that my sight may

remain only as long as that vision”7.

While the inner arch is decorated by mother of pearl work,

inlaid in black stone, inside are several rooms of various

dimensions. The room has beautiful decorations of mosaic tiles,

mother of pearl work and Dadhu work etc8.

Adjacent to the court, on its western wall there is another

palace whose walls were decorated by encaustic tiles, traces of

which are still seen on the walls. The hall has a vaulted roof and

consists of three divisions with arches. It appears dignified. It is

of Bahmani period as evident from the architectural style.

Another hall and two rooms are to the east of the previous hall.

The vault above the steps has a shape similar to that of a

lantern. The hall on the roof measures 29 feet 2 inches by 11

feet 56 inches and is flanked on either sides by another two

rooms9.

Tarkash Mahal:

A passage in front of the Solah Khamb mosque, goes

towards, the south and leads to the Tarkash Mahal and the

Gagan Mahal. This palace was built for the Turkish wife of the

Bahmani Sultan, and hence styled Tarkash Mahal. It is now in

205

ruins. Roof of the apartments have collapsed. Only walls are

remaining which gives an idea of the plan of the palace. The

central hall measured 28 feet 6 inches length and 14 feet 6

inches in width. Its arched openings are with beautiful

decorations with tiles and stucco work. The walls of the hall have

numerous arched niches. There are several smaller rooms on

either sides of the central hall. The upper parts of the walls and

the ceiling are decorated with-cut-plaster work. The square room

has corridors in its front and at the back.

There in long terrace, with a projection, in front of these

apartments. On the terrace is a water fountain, hexagonal is

shape. There is a story below this apartment. The main

apartment has a hall consisting eight bays by the insertion of

massive arches. Solidarity and picturesque are evident from the

style of these apartments. Behind this hall, in the north, are two

halls of this same length and below this storey is the ground

floor comprising several rooms. To the east of the hall is a double

hall of size 35 feet 6 inches length 23 feet 6 inches in width. In

its front is another hall. Adjacent to this hall are several rooms

with vaulted ceilings, which originally constituted eastern wing

of the palace. On the roof of this palace may be seen the traces of

a parlour with fountain in front for running water10.

206

Gagan Mahal:

This palace situated back of the Tarkash Mahal has two

extensive court yards. The outer one was for the male staff and

the royal guards. The style of the architecture is massive. Its

entrance is at the back of the Solah Khamba Masjid. It

comprises four centered arch of span 12 feet and height 13 feet 5

inches and 16 feet 10 inches to the apex. Several vaulted halls

and rooms in rows are behind the other, are located in the south

of this court. They have eight arched openings. They are 125 feet

long and width of the first floor rows is 52 feet 6 inches. The

inner court is 135 feet in length and 96 feet 3 inches in breath.

On its three sides are arcades. The northern arcades of Gagan

Mahal have been incorporated in the basement rooms of the

Tarkash Mahal as the former was built earlier. There are twenty

openings towards the court. Ten each for the eastern and

western arcades. The principal building of the palace is towards

the south with rooms on the ground floor as well as on the roof.

The plan of the Gagan Mahal, which indicates the organization of

the rooms on the ground floor. The main doorway has a pointed

arch adorned with beautifully carved stone margin of trefoil

creeper. On entering there is a double hall divided by massive

arches in six bays of each 18 feet 3 inches square. They have a

shallow vault ceiling. On its either sides are rooms. Behind this

207

double hall is a corridor with recessed windows opening on the

moat. There are several apartments in the ground floor and the

first floor of the building. The corridor runs along the sides and

at the back. From the windows of the back corridor a good view

of the moat and the ground beyond and it can be seen11.

Takht Mahal:

The name Takht Mahal is modern, for it is not mentioned

in contemporary history, although the magnificence of the royal

palace built by Ahmad Shah al- Wall at Bidar is extolled by

Sayed Ali Tabataba in his work entitled, Burhan-i-Maasir. This

author mentions a palace and a forecourt Qasr-wo-Peshgah but

does not give any name of the palace. J The name was

apparently given by the literati of Bidar who had read glowing

accounts of the splendor of the royal throne, as given by

Ferishtah and Sayed Ali Tabataba, and who did not find a more

appropriate edifice among the ruins of Bahmani buildings which

according to their conception of things could be associated with

the throne. The audience hall, where the throne was really

placed, was a mass of debris, as stated above, and nothing could

be made out of its plan or of the rich decorations of its walls and

pillars. however, agrees in its general outline and decorative

features with that of the 'palace and fore-court' built by Ahmed

208

Shah Wali for his residence, and it should not be confused with

the audience hall where the royal throne was kept and the

remains of which have been discovered in the course of

excavations conducted by the Archaeological Department within

the fort area in recent years and described above.

The palace adjoins the audience hall towards the north,

and has an imposing entrance facing the east. The fagade is

much damaged, but such arches as are intact show strength

combined with beauty in the style of their architecture. They

differ in span and also in shape, indicating the architect's love of

variety. The stilt of the apex shows Persian influence, which is

also apparent in the decorative schemes of the building which

will be discussed later in this account. The outer arch has a

span of 8 feet 2 inches, whilst its height from the floor to the

apex is 17 feet 4 inches. Behind it is another arch which is four

pointed in design and resembles a Tudor arch. The span of the

latter is 9 feet 7 inches and its height up to the apex 16 feet.

Between the outer and inner openings of the entrance there is a

covered passage, measuring 70 feet in length and 15 feet 6

inches in width. The ceiling was supported by massive arches,

three of which stood across the width of the passage between the

inner and outer openings of the entrance. On either side of the

passage towards the north and the south are halls for the

209

accommodation of the guards, these being 62 feet in length and

18 feet 4 inches in depth. The roofs of the covered passage and

of the two side-halls have fallen down. The massive proportions

of the arches supporting the ceiling of the passage may be

judged from the arch behind the inner opening of the entrance.

The dimensions of the latter arch are: span, 15 feet 6 inches,

height up to the apex, 22 feet 4 inches.

On passing through the entrance the forecourt (peshgah) of

the palace is reached, which measures 320 feet 6 inches from

east to west and 239 feet from north to south. The latter hall

originally had nine domes in its ceiling, five of which are intact

whilst four have fallen down. The domes are rather flattish in

shape, resembling their prototypes in Northern India, built by

the early Sultans of Delhi during the fourteenth and fifteenth

centuries A.D. The arches of the hall, but for the stilt at their

apex, would have looked rather squat on account of their

dimensions, which are: span, 9 feet 2 inches, and height 10 feet.

The hall itself measures 35 feet 6 inches in length and 29 feet 7

inches in depth. The excavations have revealed the traces of a

small court also in front of the hall.

In selecting the site for the palace and its forecourt the

architect has observed extreme care regarding the safety of the

inmates against an attack by disloyal members of the garrison of

210

the fort, or by the enemy from outside. The site abuts upon

lowlands towards the north and west and is defended by a

massive wall, varying from 50 to 120 feet in height, and further

strengthened by bastions at the corners. A good view of the wall

and bastions is obtained from the gateway leading to the

lowlands of the fort, built towards the north-west of the palace.

The epithet (strongly defended) given by Adhari to the palace

seems appropriate when one contemplates the height and the

solid construction of its enclosure wall.

The inner entrance of the palace is at the north-west

corner of the forecourt. Its side walls are solidly built, but to

relieve them of the monotony of a uniform surface, arches of

elegant proportions have been designed on the exterior. The

masonry of the walls was originally plastered over and traces of

tile-decoration have also been found in the spandrels and side

walls of the arches. The span of the arches designed on the

facade of the southern walls of the inner entrance is 12 feet 9

inches and their height up to the apex 24 feet. Access is

arranged through an arch of slimmer proportions, the span of

which is 7 feet 4 inches and its height up to the apex 19 feet. On

entering through the latter arch a small court is reached which

is open, but flanked with halls for the accommodation of guards

towards the north and the west. The dimensions of the court are:

211

length 63 feet, width 27 feet. The hall on the western side has

three arched openings towards the court and measures 40 feet 6

inches lengthwise and has a depth of 19 feet. The arches of the

openings have a distinct stilt at the apex, although their

proportions are pleasing to the eye, the span being 9 feet 4

inches and the height up to the apex 16 feet 6 inches. The hall

on the northern side of the court has only two arched openings,

and its inner measurements are: length 27 feet 6 inches, depth

15 feet 10 inches. From the small court the passage turns

towards the left (west), and the visitor before entering the inner

court of the palace has to pass through two more arches. The

passage between these two arches is roofed and the ceiling is in

the form of a cone with eight facets. The dimensions of the latter

two arches are not uniform, the span of the outer arch being 7

feet 6 inches and its height 16 feet, while the span of the inner

arch is considerably wider, that is, 10 feet 3 inches, and its

height up to the apex 15 feet 6 inches. The position of these two

arches in the plan of the inner entrance of the palace provides

privacy in the interior, and also that stricter control over the

egress and ingress which a turn in a passage generally offers to

the watchmen.

The arches of the main building of the Takht Mahal are

stilted, which fact, combine with the style of the decoration,

212

braves no doubt that the palace was designed by an Iranian

architect12.

The Diwan-i-Aam:

This building was called the Jdli Mahall, on account of

some screens of trelliswork which were visible at the top of the

huge pile of debris lying on the site until some twelve years ago.

Since then excavations have been conducted on an extensive

scale by the Archaeological Department of Hyderabad, and they

have disclosed not only the plan of the building but also such

remains as reveal, in their architectural and decorative features,

the original grandeur of the whole.

The building is situated to the west of the Zenana

enclosure, and it is approached by a road which proceeds

straight from the latter enclosure. The outer wall of the Diwan-i-

Aam is preserved up to a considerable height on the southern

side, but on the remaining three sides it rises only a few feet

above the plinth and has been exposed to view by recent

excavations. The building has two entrances, one through the

eastern wall and the other through the western, but they do not

face each other. The excavations have exposed to view the

original pavement of the eastern entrance, but the masonry of its

outer and inner gateways, which must have comprised large

213

blocks of carved stone, has all disappeared, perhaps carted away

for use in modern buildings. The entrance on the outer side

measures 9 feet in width, but on the inner side it has become

wider, apparently owing to the decay of the side walls at this

end.

Passing through the entrance, we approach the court of the

building, which measures 166 feet from east to west and 133

feet from north to south. In the latter direction it is, however,

divided into two parts. The southern part is paved and has a

width of 96 feet 3 inches. The northern part is some 16 inches

lower than the former and has a width of 36 feet 9 inches only.

The principal hall of the building, which was probably used

for public audiences, is on the southern side and approached by

five steps from the pavement. The steps extend along the entire

length of the hall and are built of a black stone of close texture

(hornblende?) which has kept its beautiful polish to this day. The

steps are, however, not comfortable to climb, being high and also

narrow. But this defect is found in all Indian buildings, whether

Buddhist, Brahmanical, or Muslim, down even to the eighteenth

century A.D.

The hall is divided into three apartments by rows of pillars,

six of them being arranged in each row. These pillars also divide

the hall breadth wise into seven avenues, the interspacing

214

between the pillars in all the avenues being uniform (13 feet),

except, in the middle avenue, the fourth from each aide, where it

measures 15 feet 9 inches. The total length of the hall is 109 feet

and depth 52 feet 6 inches.

In the hall was placed the Takht-i-Firoza, Turquoise

Throne, which according to Ferishtah, exceeded in splendor and

intrinsic value every other in the world. In this hall were

celebrated the accessions of Bahmani kings, with a magnificent

display of their opulence and power; and in this hall foreign

embassies bringing rare and costly presents from their respective

countries waited on the sovereigns of this dynasty13.

The Royal Bath:

The road near the north-eastern corner of the Shahi

Matbakh enters through an arch in the enclosure of the Royal

Seraglio, locally called the Zenana Mahalat, and passes by the

steps of the Shahi Hammam, which is situated within the

enclosure. The building was, some time ago, used as the Civil

Court and afterwards as the office of the Inspector of Schools,

but on the representation of the Archaeological Department it

has recently been made over by the Government to the latter

department for preservation as an ancient monument. During

the occupation of the building by the Civil Court and the office of

215

the Inspector of Schools the platform in front of the building was

extended towards the east and west, and a veranda with round

columns was also constructed in front of the middle part of the

building. The platform rises to a height of 4 feet from the road,

and has a length of 67 feet from east to west and a width of 61

feet from north to south. In front of the middle part of the

building there is a pavement a little higher than the platform,

measuring 29 feet by 23 feet. Behind the pavement was a double

hall with five bays in each half, the four corner bays being larger

than the middle ones. The divisions are arranged by means of

arches which have wide spans and low imposts, a common

feature of the architecture of Bidar. The total length of the hall is

63 feet and the depth 27 feet. The ceiling is divided into vaults.

The hall extends towards the south in the form of two wings,

each consisting of a double apartment with vaulted ceiling.

The middle part of the building was apparently used as the

waiting-hall, from which those who wanted to take the bath

proceeded to the intermediate stage, which consists of three

apartments, as shown in the plan, adjoining the hall towards the

east. The original roof of the southern two apartments of this

stage fell down some time ago, and the present roof is modern.

These three apartments were used for dressing. Beyond this

stage was another towards the east, consisting of a single domed

216

chamber. Here, the temperature being warmer, the bathers

waited for a few minutes to prepare themselves for the still

warmer atmosphere of the interior. Those who came out of the

bath here laid aside their wet clothes and were provided with

towels. The dadoes of this chamber were once adorned with

encaustic tiles, but they have disappeared, and now only the

black stone margins, indicating the outlines of the tile panels,

are to be seen.

The plan of the innermost hall consists of a middle

apartment, measuring 8 feet 9 inches each way, with a narrow

corridor 3 feet 8 inches wide all round. Towards the east, at the

ends of the corridor, there was a more spacious apartment,

measuring 5 feet 6 inches in width and 22 feet 2 inches in

length. This apartment was purposely made broader for the

accommodation of the bath attendants, who had to resort to it

freely for drawing water from the hot and cold tanks which

adjoined it on the east. The rectangular tank apparently

contained the hot water, and the square one the cold. The doors

in the back and side walls of these reservoirs have been opened

recently with the object of utilizing the building for modern

purposes. The ' passage from the hot and cold water cisterns to

the middle apartment, where the bath was taken, is also wide,

measuring 8 feet 9 inches.

217

The ceiling of this hall is vaulted, being divided into

compartments and having a variety of forms, hemispherical,

barrel-type, and dish-shaped. The arches are also of two types,

wide and squat, and narrow and slim. The contrasts and variety

in forms have added to the picturesqueness of the architecture of

the hall.

Corresponding to the eastern apartments of the building

there are rooms on the western side, but their plan is different,

and they were apparently used as retiring rooms or for other

social purposes. They consist of two halls, each divided into

three apartments. The total length of each hall is 22 feet 6

inches, and the breadth 12 feet. The ceiling is vaulted, being

divided into compartments with hemispherical and casket-like

forms.

The exterior of the building is somewhat inconspicuous,

perhaps owing to the alterations which have been made in recent

times for utilitarian purposes. On the roof of the building there

was originally a parapet of pleasing design representing

overlapping arches. As this design is generally found in the later

Bahmani and Baridi buildings it appears that the Hammam was

built either by the later Bahmani kings or by the rulers of the

Baridi dynasty. Portions of this parapet still exist above the

western and northern walls14.

218

The Royal Kitchen:

This adjoins the Rangeen Mahal towards the west and is

situated to the left of the road, a few steps from the venerable

banyan tree. The building at one time may have been used for

the royal kitchen, but it is too large to have been originally built

for that purpose, and from its plan it would appear to have been

the residence of a prince or of some court dignitary. After the

annexation of Bidar to the Bijapur kingdom in 1619 A.D, Malik

Marjan, an Abyssinian general in the service of the latter

kingdom, was appointed governor of Bidar, and he resided in the

fort, apparently in this palace, for there is an inscription on the

inner entrance which mentions Malik Marjan's name.

The building is entered from the roadside by an arched

gateway which leads to an open court measuring 70 feet 6

inches by 81 feet 8 inches. Along the eastern, western, and

northern sides of this court runs a modern colonnade with

masonry piers and semicircular arches. The south wing of the

court is, however, old and comprises an inner gateway and seven

rooms with double apartments. The arches of these rooms are

extremely squat in their proportions, each having a span of 11

feet 2 inches with a height of 11 feet 7 inches only. The arch of

the inner gateway, however, shows a better sense of proportion,

its span being 8 feet and its height up to the apex 14 feet 2

219

inches. The passage of this gateway is 11 feet wide and 32 feet 9

inches long, and on either side of it are rooms for guards. The

ceiling of the gateway consists of a single vault. The arches of the

guards' rooms are again very squat in their proportions, the

span being 18 feet 2 inches, the height from the floor up to the

apex 14 feet 9 inches, and the height of the columns up to the

springing-points 5 feet 8 inches. The rooms themselves measure

22 feet 3 inches by 14 feet 10 inches, and they have vaulted

ceilings which are almost flat.

On passing through the inner gateway a court is reached

which measures 180 feet 5 inches from east to west, and 67 feet

5 inches from north to south. At the southern end of the court is

a spacious platform, five steps higher than the court level,

measuring 51 feet 7 inches in width and 162 feet 2 inches in

length. There is a small cistern in the middle of the platform, and

it appears that originally there were fountains and water-

channels in this palace as well. The main building of the palace

faced north, and comprised a series of rooms and chambers with

two domical halls, one at the eastern and one at the western

end. The two domical halls are still standing, but the rooms and

chambers in between have been replaced by some modern halls

which were erected when the building was used as the District

220

Jail. The new halls are not in alignment with the old rooms, and

the plan of the building has thus been considerably disturbed.

The domical halls are very massively built. The interiors

are star-shaped in plan, comprising a square space in the middle

with projections on all four sides. The middle space measures 21

feet 2 inches each way. There are spacious arches on all four

sides from which the projections start, the span of the arches

being 20 feet 10 inches and the height up to the apex 17 feet 6

inches. There are squinches at the corners which make the plan

of the hall octagonal above the arches, and higher up there are

niches, three in each corner, which make it twenty-four sided,

thus passing easily into the circular base of the dome above. The

shape of the latter gives an impression of heaviness. It is

probable that this palace was originally built by the Bahmani

kings.

At the northern end of the courtyard is a modern veranda

with a tiled roof, and on the western side is the office of the

Excise Department; these modern accretions have spoiled the

effect which the decayed remains of the palace, by their grey

masonry and soft outline, would otherwise have produced.

Marks of beauty may, however, still be traced here and there ;

for example, the proportions of the arches outlined on the

western and eastern walls are extremely fine, and there is some

221

delightful stucco work in a room in the upper storey behind the

dome at the northwestern corner.

There are traces of several other rooms and of a cistern in

the upper storey, and it appears that there were rooms on the

southern side as well, as the vaults which served as their base

are still to be seen. There is a series of these vaults with low

squat arches which continue up to the ramparts. The vaults

were evidently utilized for the accommodation of palace guards

and for storing provisions and royal paraphernalia.

Behind the western enclosure wall of the palace is a large

well, which is approached by a ramp on the left side of the road.

The masonry work of the well has been raised to a great height,

so that the water when drawn to that level might flow into the

cistern and fountains in the upper storey of the palace15.

Religious:

The Solah Khamb Masjid:

The Solah Khamb Masjid or Zenana Masjid, both these

names have been given in comparatively recent times; the first

on account of the building being situated in the Zenana

enclosure, adjoining the Lal Bagh towards the west, and the

second on account of the presence of sixteen columns solah

khamb in the middle part of the prayer-hall, which was screened

222

off from the rest of the building after the latter had fallen into

ruin. Originally it was the principal mosque, Masjid-I Jami*, of

Bidar, and the Friday prayers, as well as State functions of a

religious character, were held here. In A.D. 1656 when

Aurangzeb, as Viceroy of the Deccan from the Imperial Court at

Delhi, conquered Bidar, he hastened to this mosque to have the

khutba recited in the name of his father Shah Jahan, as a

proclamation of his sovereignty in the newly acquired territory.

Muhammad Salih, the contemporary historian of Shah Jahan's

reign, who has recorded this event, describes the building as two

hundred years old, having been built by the Bahmani kings.

Khafi Khan also, who visited the Deccan during Aurangzeb's

reign and stayed for many years there, does not give the exact

date of the building, but writes that it was constructed by Khan

Jahan. As this title was enjoyed by several ministers of the

Bahmani kings, it is difficult to say precisely which of them

erected the mosque. Luckily the Archaeological Department of

Hyderabad, while clearing the debris and earth from the decayed

part of the mosque, has found an inscription which not only

gives the exact date of the building but also the name of the

prince in whose regime the mosque was constructed16.

223

Jami Masjid:

Retracing our footsteps to the Chaubara and proceeding

towards the Path Darwaza, the Jami' Masjid, or the Assembly

Mosque of the town, is approached. It is situated on the west

side of the road, being enclosed by a modern wall with a gate in

the front. The visitor has to ascend four steps in order to reach

the inner court.

The courtyard has a path in the middle with a pair of

flower-beds on either side of it and another pair near the water

cistern, which is close to the northern end of the court. 1 The

dimensions of the entire court are 144 feet 4 inches from north

to south and 141 feet 8 inches from east to west. At the head of

the court is a pavement two steps higher than the court itself

and having a depth of 41 feet 3 inches. Votaries can approach

the cistern for ablutions from the pavement as well as from the

court side. The cistern has a masonry margin 3 feet 4 inches

wide all round, and in the middle, the area which is filled with

water measures 30 feet 8 inches by 28 feet.

The prayer-hall has an imposing facade towards the court,

being divided into seven arches, the middle one of which is

slightly larger in dimensions than those on each side. The span

of the middle arch is 17 feet in contrast to the 16 feet 2 inches of

the others, and its height up to the apex is 18 feet 9 inches as

224

opposed to the 18 feet 2 inches of the latter. The arch-heads rest

on low but massive columns and support the ceiling, which is

divided into twenty-one vaults. The prayer-hall contains several

rows of arches across both its length and its breadth, and

comprises three apartments from east to west and seven from

north to south. The architectural effect of the interior of the

building on account of the rows of arches and the squinches,

which support the vaults of the ceilings, is extremely pleasing to

the eye. The hall has no decorative features, but the

arrangement of the arches and their fine proportions have given

the building certain elegance in spite of its plain style. The hall

has a length of 144 feet with a depth of 65 feet.

The mihrab as usual projects from the hall and has a

pentagonal plan at the base. The apartment of the prayer-hall,

adjoining the mihrab, whence the Imam conducts the service

and recites the holy texts, has a domed ceiling of considerable

height, in the style of the lantern shaped vaults of the Jami' al-

Zaituna at Tunis and of several other early mosques in North

Africa. But the dome-shaped ceiling at Bidar has another dome

over it, which springs from an octagonal base built on the roof of

the building. Each side of the base measures 12 feet in length;

thus the total girth of the base is 84 feet, and its walls rise to a

height of 10 feet 6 inches above the roof. The dome itself has a

225

circumference of 76 feet at its springing-point on the top of the

base, and rises 19 feet above that. The height of the dome

including its finial is 32 feet 9 inches from the level of the roof

and 66 feet from the floor of the prayer hall. The object of

building a high-vaulted ceiling for the apartment adjoining the

mihrab was to produce an impressive resounding effect for the

chantings of the Holy Quran by the Imam, perhaps the same aim

as that kept in view in building the high-vaulted roofs of

cathedrals in Europe so as to fill the hall with the echoes of

organ music and the recital of sacred hymns.

The front wall of the prayer-hall has a parapet of trefoil

pattern at its top which is interspersed with tiny minarets. The

shape of the latter has been considerably changed during

modern repairs. The chain and pendant device which is a

prominent decorative design of Baridi architecture may also be

noticed in the spandrels of the arches of the front wall. This

device may have been added in the repair or restoration of the

building carried out during the rule of the Baridi kings, but from

the shape of its main dome and the style of its arches it can

probably be assigned to the Bahmani period. Its general

appearance, however, shows it to be of a much later date than

the Bahmani mosque in the fort17.

226

The Idgah:

At its eastern end the court of Qasim Barld II's tomb

adjoins the back wall of the Idgah. This latter is situated due

north of 'All Band's tomb and a motor able road has recently

been constructed from the latter monument to it. This building

has no inscription, but as Idgahs are always constructed outside

the town in Muslim countries, and as there are no level lands

outside Bidar except towards the west, this Idgah, which is the

only place of worship of its kind outside the town of Bidar, may

well have been built by Bahmani kings. The building comprises a

wall facing the Kaaba with a court in front, 175 feet 6 inches

from north to south and 169 feet from east to west. A low

enclosure wall has been built in modern times on three sides of

the court, towards the north, east, and south. The old wall facing

the Kaaba has seven arched niches, the middle one of them

being the mehrab in front of which the Imam stands when

conducting public prayers. Close by there is also a pulpit which

possesses no architectural or artistic merit. The only

architectural features of the building worthy of notice are the

cylindrical pillars, one at each end of the back wall of the Idgah.

They are reminiscent of the cylindrical madhanas of the mosque

at Sammarra, but pillars and towers of this shape are frequently

to be seen in the monuments of the early Sultans of Delhi, and

227

in the Deccan they were first built by the masons who came with

Muhammad Tughluq from Delhi, and a typical example of them

may be noticed in the mosque of Mubarak Khilji in the

Daulatabad Fort. In the Idgah at Bidar as well as in the mosque

at Daulatabad they serve more or less the purpose of buttresses,

standing as they do at the ends of walls which have a series of

arches each with an outward thrust18.

Madrasah of Mahmud Gawan:

Proceeding about 350 yards from the Chaubara towards

the fort the visitor will notice on the left side of the road a time

worn but magnificent structure styled the Madrasah of Mahmud

Gawan. It is not only the most imposing building of the Bahmani

period, but in its plan and in the general style of its architecture

it is a unique monument of its kind in India. In the descriptions

of the Takht Mahal and the Rangeen Mahal it has been already

shown that the Persian architects employed by the Bahmani

kings often copied in their Indian work buildings with which they

had been associated in their motherland, and the Madrasah is a

notable example of that tendency. Mahmud Gawan, the founder

of the Madrasah, had himself come from Gilan, and as even

during his stay in the Deccan he was continually in

correspondence with eminent personages hi Persia, it is not

228

unlikely that he brought engineers and craftsmen from that

country to design this building. The plan, however, for such

institutions in Islamic countries had become stereotyped in the

beginning of the fourteenth century A.D., if not earlier; for the

Madrasas at Marrakesh, Fez, Rabat, and other places in north

west Africa, have almost the same plan, although they do not

possess either the stately round minarets which existed here, or

such grand entrances as that which once adorned the eastern

facade of the Madrasah of Bidar. The latter features evidently

came into the Deccan from Persia, and a striking resemblance

may be noticed between the plan, the architectural style, and the

decorative detail of this building and those of the Madrasah of

Khargird near Meshhed. The latter was built in A.D. 1444 by

order of Abul- Muzaffar Khan Son of Shahrukh Mirza, and the

mosaic workers were two artisans from Shiraz. The Madrasah of

Mahmud Gawan was built in A.D. 1472, that is, twenty-eight

years after the Madrasah at Khargird, which, according to the

authorities who have visited the school, in its palmy days was

the finest building of its kind in Khurasan. Another school which

enjoyed a high reputation both for the beauty of its architecture

and for the high standard of its learning, particularly

mathematical studies, was Ulugh Beg's Madrasah at Samarqand

built in 828 H. (A.D. 1425). According to Ferishtah, Mahmud

229

Gawan was a great scholar and 'in Mathematics he had few

equals. That he was familiar with the college of Ulugh Beg at

Samarqand is thus extremely likely, and this surmise is

strengthened when we learn further that Mahmud Gawan

remitted annually valuable presents to several learned men in

Khorassan',4 some of whom apparently were on the staff of

Ulugh Beg's College. Mahmud Gawan, under the aegis of the

Bahmani kings, who were enthusiastic patrons of learning and

architecture, was thus able to found a college at Bidar on the

same magnificent lines as its prototypes in Khurasan and other

Islamic countries, and he not only staffed it with eminent

divines, philosophers, and scientists, but also equipped it with a

library of 3,000 valuable manuscripts.

In 1107 H. (A.D. 1696) the building suffered great damage

from lightning which deprived it of half of its front and half of its

southern wing, 6 and it deteriorated further subsequently

through neglect and climatic conditions, so that in 1914 when

the Archaeological Department took it in charge the building

presented a miserable spectacle of decay and vandalism. The

inner court was blocked with heaps of debris, the walls were

overgrown with rank vegetation, the upper band of the surviving

portion of the facade had developed a large crack and threatened

to fall any moment, all the roofs leaked, and the land in front of

230

and surrounding the building was littered with piles of filth,

since the Madrasah in its ruinous condition had been found by

the people of the locality to be a convenient place for dumping all

kinds of rubbish.

The building has now been thoroughly cleaned, and an

enclosure wall built with a view to stopping the encroachments

of undesirable visitors. The roofs have been made water-tight,

the gaping cleft in the facade repaired in such a way as to show

no signs of patching, the decayed trellis-work of the arches has

been appropriately restored, the interiors of the halls and the

inner court have been cleared of debris and silt, and the plinth of

the building has been fully exposed. Further, a lightning

conductor has been fixed to the top of the surviving minaret with

a view to protecting it against another stroke of lightning. As the

left half of the entrance arch of the southern hall had perished,

either in a thunderstorm or in the gunpowder explosion, alluded

to above, the masonry of the right half of the arch has been

propped up by a massive pier, but as this looks incongruous it

has been proposed to the Government that the arch and some of

the rooms adjoining it on the left should be restored.

Notwithstanding the extensive decay and destruction of the

building it still retains enough of the original architectural

features and decorative work to afford some notion of its pristine

231

splendor and beauty. The building has a high basement, but to

make the approach convenient two terraces have been built in

front of it, each about 4 feet high, the total height of both being 8

feet. The main entrance has vanished, but its floor has been

exposed by excavations carried out in recent times and the plan

shows that the whole comprised an outer arch 21 feet in span

and an inner arch 10 feet 5 inches in span, with a recess 5 feet

deep between the two arches which corresponded to the

thickness of the walls flanking the entrance on either side. The

height up to the .apex of the outer arch must have been more or

less the same as the average height of the three main arches in

the interior of the building that is some 45 feet from the floor

level. Beyond the entrance there was a portico, square in plan at

the base, measuring 15 feet 4 inches each way. But as the

corners of the square are cut by masonry projections, the plan at

the floor level looks almost octagonal. The portico above its roof

probably had a dome similar to those above the roofs of the semi

decagonal projections in the northern, western, and southern

wings of the building. These latter rises to a height of 90 feet

approximately from the floor level. From the portico two

passages, each 8 feet 8 inches wide, lead to the interior of the

building. The roofs of the passages have perished, but the

pavements and the remains of walls still exist.

232

The minaret at the northern end of the facade and the wall

adjoining it towards the south are comparatively the best

preserved portions of the Madrasah, although their tile-

decoration and trellis-work have survived only in fragments. The

minaret has an octagonal base, 67 feet 4 inches in girth at the

ground level, but as it has a round shape at the point whence it

springs, five bands of carved masonry have been built above the

octagonal base, these gradually decreasing in dimensions in

order to fit in with the circumference of the tower, which is 46

feet immediately above the uppermost band of the basement.

The tower has three storey’s, the first and second having

balconies which project from the main body of the tower in a

curvilinear form but have no brackets to support them such as

are generally noticed below the balconies of Indian minarets. The

absence of brackets again shows that the architect was a

Persian, for the balconies of towers in Persia have a curvilinear

form without any struts. The lower part of the Madrasah tower

was originally decorated with encaustic tiles arranged in a

chevron pattern, the colours being yellow, light green, and white.

Owing to rain-water which percolated through fissures in the

lime beds into which the tiles were fixed many of them have

fallen down, but a considerable number of them are still intact,

and these convey a clear idea of the decorative scheme of the

233

tower. For the purpose of variety in each storey at the neck point

there was a band of calligraphic devices containing religious

texts. These were reproduced in mosaic tiles, the letters being

white fixed to a deep blue background, on which some floral

designs in green and yellow were also worked out. Above this

band immediately below the balcony are horizontal courses of

light green tiles, apparently to- give the eye some relief after

looking at the intricate pattern of the calligraphic motifs. The

balconies in their present condition are denuded of any kind of

decoration, nor have they any trace of the parapets which

originally must have been an attractive feature of the

ornamentation of the tower. The height of the tower up to the

balcony of the first storey is 78 feet 8 inches.

The tile-work of the second storey of the tower has almost

completely perished, and it is difficult to determine the designs

of the lower two bands. The third band probably, like the neck

band of the first stage, contained religious texts reproduced in

an ornamental style of writing, while the portion immediately

below the balcony of this stage would have contained horizontal

courses of tiles of a single colour only (green?). The height of the

second balcony from the first is 29 feet, and from the ground

level 107 feet 8 inches. The tower has a tapering form, gradually

decreasing in girth as it rises.

234

The third storey of the tower looks still more naked, for its

tile-decoration has completely disappeared. The height of the

tower from the second balcony to the base of the dome is 12 feet;

the latter rises some 8 feet higher still and is crowned with a

pinnacle 3 feet high. The total height of the tower is thus 131

feet from the ground level. As regards architectural effect, the top

of the tower looks somewhat dumpy, possessing neither the

grace of the slender apexes of Turkish minarets nor the

picturesqueness of the pillared kiosks of the Mughal minarets of

India19.

Defence:

Fort and Bastions:

At the new capital a fort was built by Ahmad Shah

Bahmani to make it secured and safe from external attacks. The

fortification, walls, bastions, gates, barbican etc., are some of the

most sophisticated in India.

Bidar fort is an irregular rhomboid in shape, built on the

brink of the plateau with steep sides towards the north and the

east. A moat has been excavated in the form of a triple channel

with partition walls horn out of the solid rock. These rock

partitions are the special feature of the Bidar fort. The width of

the moat between the glacis and the three partition walls are: 32

235

ft 6”, 36 ft 4” and 41 ft 9”, respectively from the first to the third

partition walls. The depth of the most is 30 ft and the height of

the scarp above the rock-base on which it is built varies for 32 ft

8” to 43 ft. the most and glacis encircle the fort on all sides.

The fort walls are six miles round and are 40 ft high on the

town side, and doubled in some places are up to 50 ft thick. It

has thirty-seven bastions and five gates, besides the main

entrance, Gumbad Darwaza, from the city side. The names of

the gates from the east to west are as follows: (1) The Mandu

Darwaza; (2) The Kalmadgi Darwaza; (3) and (4) are Anonymous;

(5) Delhi Darwaza; (6) Kalyani Darwaza and; (7) Karnatic

Darwaza, which is connected to the Bidar Fort.

The bastions are generally round or octagonal in shape

and some are most massive. Some are square in shape. The

parapets are honey-combed with matchlock providing for firing

muskets as well as cannon, both at close and long range. The

draw bridge over the moat facing the first gate’s main entrance

has now been replaced by a road by filling the moat. The first

gate’s height is 36 ft, and its arch is 19 ft high with a span of 12

ft 4”. Spikes and knobs of iron are fitted to the door of the

gateway to prevent battering of elephants.

The first gateway serves the purpose of barbican for

another gateway. Between them is court with arched guard

236

rooms on either side. The second gateway is called Sharza

Darwaza as it bears the effigies of two tigers carved on its façade.

It is decorated with encaustic blue tiles bearing geometrical and

calligraphic devices. The Sharza Darwaza is of larger dimensions

than the first gateway. Its parapet has a long panel of black

stone with Persian inscription recording that the gateway was

built in 1503 A.D, during the reign of Mahmud Shah Bahmani,

by Khan Kotwal Bek. The Sharza Darwaza has a naqqr khana

for drum beating at regular intervals, four times a day.

The Gumbad Darwaza to the north-west is most massive

structure and is a landmark. Its hemispherical dome, battering

walls, low arch-shaped parapet, fluted corner turrets, etc. are

influenced by the Delhi Sultanate’ architecture of 14th-15th

century. However, Iranian influence is evident from the shape of

its outer arch with its significant stilt and the proportions of its

span and its attitude. The span of the arch is 29 ft and the

height up to the apex is 39 ft 8”. From the style of the

architecture, this gateway seems to be of earliest period when

Ahmad Shah laid the foundation of the fort in 1429. However the

bastions adjoining the front of this gateway seem to be later

additions20.

237

The Gunpowder Magazine:

There were a large number of magazines in the fort for

storing arms and explosive materials, the remains of which may

still be noticed behind the ramparts near all the important

bastions (Map). The principal magazine, however, is situated on

the left side of the road which goes from the Gumbad Darwaza to

the Mandu Gate. In its present condition the magazine

comprises two blocks, with a terrace between, which has vaults

below it. The terrace measures 45 feet 6 inches by 26 feet 6

inches and has two circular apertures to give air and light to the

chambers below. The latter are two in number and measure 35

feet 6 inches by 19 feet 3 inches jointly. The walls of these

chambers are more than 3 feet in thickness, and as they are

built below the ground level, it appears that the vaults were

meant for storing gunpowder. The space between the western

and eastern blocks of the magazine is 100 feet approximately.

The former block is shaped, having two wings, the northern

being smaller than the western.

The western wing comprises seven vaults towards the

south and five double rooms towards the north. Three of the

latter have arches opening on to the court. These arches show a

good sense of proportion in their dimensions, the span of each

being 12 feet 6 inches and its height up to the apex 17 feet 3

238

inches. The depth of the double rooms measuring from the

western end of the court is 35 feet. Of the seven vaults, the five

adjoining the double rooms have bastion-like constructions

towards the court. Their inner plan is also circular, and each

vault on the floor level measures 29 feet 6 inches across. The

bastion-like shape was apparently adopted to make the building

adequately strong for the storage of high explosives. The

remaining two vaults of this wing, which are built at its southern

end, have a masonry wall towards the court, but their inner plan

and dimensions are the same as those of the five vaults

mentioned above. In the western wing there are also two

staircases leading to the roof, which has fallen down. One

staircase is between vaults 1 and 2, starting from the north, and

the other between vaults 3 and 4, following the same order. Until

quite recently remnants of old matchlocks, muskets, small

camion, and bullets could be seen in these vaults, but they are

now stored in other parts of the fort.

The northern wing of this block has a plan uniform with

that of the double rooms at the northern end of the western

wing, and it appears that both of them were built at the same

time, while the five bastion-shaped vaults were added

afterwards. The external dimensions of the northern wing are:

length 94 feet 3 inches, width 42 feet. This wing has five arched

239

openings towards the court and also a staircase leading to the

terrace. The staircase is built between the second and the third

arches, starting from the east.

Close to the northern wing, hi the open court, there are

steps leading to some underground chambers which have not

been cleared so far, and hence their plan cannot be described.

The eastern block of the magazine has a rectangular plan

externally and measures 170 feet from north to south, and 40

feet from east to west. The interior of the building is divided into

five apartments, which have a square plan at the floor level, 1

but are crowned by circular vaults, the transition from the

square 'plan being arranged by squinches and overlapping

arches built at corners. The plinth of this block is high, and

access to the-apartments is through doors of rather small size,

each being 6 feet 3 inches high and 4 feet wide. There are two

staircases leading to the roof in this block also. As the

architecture of the block is massive and the doors are small and

built at a considerable height from the ground level, it appears

that the building was designed for storing such articles as

rockets, shells, and other explosives of similar character,

specimens of which can still be seen in the fort.

For the purpose of defence the magazine had an enclosure

wall and a ditch all round, the remains of which may be noticed

240

at the back of the eastern block. The entrance was through an

arched doorway, still visible when one approaches the magazine

from the road towards the east21.

Cannon:

Bidar was a town of considerable strategic importance long

before the transfer to it of the seat of government by Ahmed

Shah Wali from Gulbarga in A.D 1429, a and as such it must

have been defended by a wall of the Hindu style of architecture,

similar to those to be noticed round pre-Islamic forts of the

Deccan. But as the requirements of the capital would have called

for a larger area within the defensive system, the old enclosure

wall of the Hindu period may have been demolished and new

fortifications built around the expanded town. The present

ramparts and bastions of the town are, however, of the later

Bahmani period, the last quarter of the fifteenth century A.D,

when cannons as war weapons came into vogue in the Deccan. A

gun placed on the Munda Burj, which will be described in its

proper place in this account, bears an inscription mentioning the

name of the gun as Top-i-Mahmud Ghazi. Mahmud Ghazi's Gun,

and thus confirming this view. There is also a strong tradition

that the parapets and batteries of Bidar town were built by

Baridi kings, which does not seem unlikely, for Bidar was not

241

only under a continuous menace from the rival kingdoms of

Ahmednagar, Bijapur, and Golconda, but it was actually

besieged by Ismail 'Adil Shah in 1529 A.D, by Murtuza Nizam

Shah in 1579 A.D, and by Ibrahim Adil Shah-II in 1619 A.D. The

last-mentioned ruler annexed it to his kingdom and appointed

governors to administer the territory attached to the conquered

town. The Bijapur governor, Sidi Malik Marjan, is also reported

to have repaired and extended the defenses of the town, and

inscribed tablets fixed to several gates show that Mughal

governors also, after the capture of the town by Aurangzeb in

1656 A.D, added to the fortifications of the place. The

strengthening of the defenses of the town appears to have been

maintained during the regime of early Asaf Jahi rulers, for a

record carved on the Mangalpet Darwaza states that during the

reign of Nawab Nasir-ud-Daula Bahadur, Asaf Jah-IV (1829- 57

A.D), a gateway .was built facing the Mahmud Ganj22.

242

References:

1. Nayeem, M.A., The Heritage of the Bahmanis and the

Baridis of the Deccan, p. 65

2. Muhammad Qasim Ferishtah, Tarikh-i-Ferishtah, part-I,

p.709-11

3. In the inscription of Ali Barid which was installed in the

same palace.

4. The Office of the first Taluqdar under the Nizam’s

Government is analogue to the office of Collector in British

India.

5. During Nizam’s period the landing been roofed over, and

round masonry pillars have been built to support the roof

towards the east.

6. Yazdani, Ghulam, Bidar: Its History and Monuments, p.49

7. Ibid, p.46

8. Ibid, p.47

9. Nayeem, M.A., The Heritage of the Bahmanis and the

Baridis of the Deccan, p.60

10. Ghulam Yazdhani, Bidar: Its History and Monuments, p.57

11. Ibid, p.60

12. Ibid, p.66

13. Ibid, p.62

14. Ibid, p.51

243

15. Ibid, p.49

16. Ibid, p.54

17. Ibid, p.103

18. Ibid, p.165

19. Ibid, p.91

20. Nayeem, M.A., op.cit., p.75

21. Ghulam Yazdhani, op.cit., p.81

22. Ibid, p.82

244

CONCLUSION

With the over emphasis on the cultural history of the

common people during the post independent era, there has been

a tendency to overlook the political history especially of the

Ancient and Medieval times.

The political history so far covered has raised certain

doubts and left certain gaps and has opened several new vistas

and avenues. The historian cannot forget the fact that history

could not be written at a single stretch as and when new sources

of information in the form of inscriptions and coins, documents

and chronicles come forth. History has to be written and

rewritten. Besides, during the recent years new dimensions have

been added to the study of history, that there is need for

reviewing and re-examining and rewriting with fresh look new

perspectives and new postulates. It is in this background an

attempt is made to study the history and culture of Bidar from

14th century to 1948 A.D to examine and compare with the

Bahmanis that once ruled the significant portion of the South

India known as Deccan, still better known as the history of

Hyderabad-Karnataka during the medieval times.

245

For the first time an attempt is made to study History and

Culture of Bidar. At the outset it is more fascinating to enquire

and examine, to probe and project the historical perspectives of

the cultural history of the Barid Shahis of Bidar. History and

cultural conditions from 1400 to 1948 cannot be studied in

isolation. Hence, a humble attempt is made to make a broad

study about the history and culture of Bidar from 1400-1948.

From the earliest time itself Gulbarga and Bidar and its

neighbouring regions were having great importance in the

Deccan. Later the Bahmani Sultan Ahmed Shah shifted the

capital from Gulbarga to Bidar. Gulbarga, Bidar and its regions

remained under the Hindu dynasties for many centuries with

their dim past. Under the early Muslim rulers, Gulbarga and

Bidar regions were formed into a greater administrative division.

Both the towns of Deccan, Gulbarga and Bidar where the seats

of Khilji governors later under Tughluqs. During Tughluqian

rule, in 1347 A.D when Alauddin Hasan Bahman Shah declared

himself as king, established Bahmani kingdom and selected

Ahsanabad that is Gulbarga as his capital. As a result the

Bahmani kingdom rose to power in Gulbarga, later during the

rule of Ahmed Shah it was shifted to Bidar as a new capital.

The extension of Bahmani rule at Bidar after the change of

capital from Gulbarga to Bidar. This will throw flood of light on

246

the political history of the Bahmani Sultanate at Bidar to its

disintegration.

Ahmed Shah Wali 1422-1436 A.D: Tajuddin Firoz Shah

was succeeded by his brother Ahmed Shah. He was able to

invade Telengana and to capture the fort of Warangal. After

entering an alliance with the Sultan of Khandesh, he invaded

Gujarat twice, but failed to achieve anything. In his wars against

Vijayanagara Ahmed Shah suffered reverses and in 1424 A.D he

shifted his capital to Bidar from Gulbarga because of its central

location and strategic position. As he was a ruler with saintly

temperament, he was called Wali or saint by his contemporaries.

He took delight in science and literature. During his reign many

foreigners like Arabs, Persians, Mongols and Turks migrated into

his empire and some of them were appointed to high posts.

The next Sultan Alauddin-II (1436-1458 A.D) became

unpopular because he surrounded himself with the foreigners.

The jealously and intrigues of Deccanis weakened the Bahmani

kingdom. Alauddin-II conducted two campaigns against

Vijayanagara, but he was not able to secure any territory. He led

a successful expedition to south Konkan.

Muhammad Shah-III 1463-1482 A.D: Muhammad Shah-III

was the last great ruler of the Bahmani sultanate and under his

regime the Bahmanis reached to the zenith of power further, the

247

kingdom expanded to an extent never witnessed before. He

enjoyed the services of Khwaja Imaduddin Mahmud Gawan, the

famous general and able administrator. But a conspiracy of the

Deccanis, resulted the execution of Khwaja Mahmud Gawan by

the Sultan Muhammad Shah-III in 1481 A.D. A large number of

efficient officials left the court even the foreigners, some of the

governors and nobles, deserted the sultan. The period of

Shihabuddin Mahmud (1482-1518 A.D) the successor of

Muhammad Shah-III witnessed the dismemberment of the

Bahmani kingdom. The provincial governors asserted their

independence and the political strife at the capital led to the

division of the kingdom into five sultanates; viz. Adil Shahis of

Bijapur, Barid Shahis of Bidar, Nizam Shahis of Ahmednagar,

Imad Shahis of Berar and Qutub Shahis of Golconda.

The genesis and growth of Barid Shahis in Bidar, which

throws light on the factor responsible for Barid Shahi rule and

the brief political history of Barid Shahis.

Qasim Barid, who had succeeded Nizam-ul-Mulk Bahri as

minister, in great power, and practically ruled over the kingdom.

During time of Malik Ahmed Bahri Nizam-ul-Mulk, Fathullah

Imad-ul-Mulk, and Yusuf Adil Khan proclaimed their

independence in Ahmednagar, Berar, and Bijapur respectively,

founding the Nizam Shahi, the Imad Shahi and the Adil Shahi

248

dynasties. A little later Qasim Barid also proclaimed his

independence in Ausa and Qandhar, but the Sultan made terms

with him, and in 1492 A.D confirmed him as Amir-i-Jumla, or

Prime Minister.

Qasim Barid 1492-1504 A.D: According to Ferishtah,

Qasim Barid was a Turkish origin but domiciled in Georgia. He

was brought as a young boy to the Deccan by Khwaja

Shihabuddin Ali Yazdi and offered for service to Muhammad

Shah Bahmani-III. Qasim Barid was an expert in hand writing

and also played well on musical instruments. In the service of

Muhammad Shah-III he distinguished himself in subduing the

Marathas, and married the daughter of Sabaji to his son Amir

Barid. Qasim Barid obtained the office of Vakil (Administrator)

during the reign of Shihabuddin Mahmud Shah Bahmani, Qasim

Barid was the founder of the Barid Shahi dynasty, and although

he did not assume royal titles and called himself only the

minister, yet he was the de facto ruler of Bidar and the

neighbouring districts during the reign of Mahmud Shah

Bahmani. Qasim Barid died in 1504 A.D and was buried in the

suburb of Bidar by the side of the Bidar-Chidri road.

Amir Barid-I 1504-1543 A.D: Qasim Barid was succeeded

by his son Amir Barid-I, who obtained still greater control over

the members of the royal family of Bahmanis. Amir Barid-I was

249

constantly at war with the Bijapur Sultans. In 1529 A.D Ismail

Adil Shah marched with a large force to Bidar. Amir Barid,

entrusting the defence of the citadel to his eldest son (Ali Barid),

withdrew to the fortress of Itgir. After the blockade had lasted for

some time the besieged made a sortie, and a sharp engagement

ensued under the walls of the town. While the siege was still in

progress Alauddin Imad Shah came from Berar to intercede with

Ismail Adil Shah for Amir Barid, but was informed that the

injuries which the intriguer had inflected on Bijapur could not

be pardoned. Shortly afterwards Amir Barid was taken prisoner

while in a fit of intoxication, and sent to the Bijapur Sultan. He

begged that his life might be spared and promised to induce his

son Ali Barid Shah to give up the fortress of Bidar and the

treasurer of the Bahmani family. The Ali Barid Shah refused to

give up the fortress, upon which the Bijapur king issued orders

for Amir Barid to be trampled to death by an elephant. However,

his life was spared, and after a second discuss with his son Ali

Barid Shah the garrison evacuated the place and returned to

Udgir, taking a good deal of the Bahmani jewels with them.

Ismail Adil Shah now entered the fort and distributed the

treasurer amongst his nobles, troops, Alauddin Imad Shah, and

other neighbouring chiefs, reserving none for him, to show that

he did not make war for the riches of the Bahmani family.

250

Amir Barid was being present when Ismail Adil Shah at the

sieges of Raichur and Mudgal in 1530 A.D, and after the

conclusion of the campaign the Bijapur king restored Bidar to

him on condition that he should give up Kalyani and Qandhar to

Bijapur.

Amir Barid acquired still greater power than his father over

the last four Sultans of the Bahmani dynasty, whom he placed

one after the other on the royal throne, and poisoned or

murdered them as soon as he had any suspicion of their forming

an alliance with the nobles of the court with a view to curtailing

his authority. The first two puppet Sultans among these four

were Ahmed Shah and Alauddin the third being Waliullah, whom

he not only had the audacity to put into prison but whose royal

dignity the further injured by taking the married wife of this king

into his harem. The last victim of Amir Barid’s outrageous

behaviour was Kalimullah, who in order to save his life first fled

towards Bijapur; but as his maternal uncle Ismail Adil Shah

betrayed to him the regents sinister design of arresting him, he

went over to Ahmednagar to seek redress at the court of Burhan

Nizam Shah-I.

Ali Barid Shah 1543-1580A.D: After the death of Amir

Barid, his son Ali Barid Shah was succeeded. He was the first

Sultan to adopt the title of “Shah”. He was fond of poetry,

251

calligraphy, and architecture. He built his tomb at Bidar, which

was completed in 1576 A.D, three years before his death.

Another delightful building erected by this Sultan the Rangin

Mahal.

Ali Barid was the third chief of the dynasty and the first

two assume the royal titles, which appear in the following form,

as inscribed on his palace in the fort.

Translation; (The King) aided by divine help, the supreme

monarch, Al-Majlis-al-Mukkaram (of exalted seat), the august, the

most benevolent, Barid-i-Mumalik (the messenger of good news to

states) Ali.

He was the most powerful of all Barid Shahi Sultans, and

he also ruled for the longest period viz from 1542-1580 A.D.

Qasim Barid-II 1587-1591/92 A.D: In 1587 A.D Ibrahim Barid

was succeeded by Qasim Barid-II. After the battle of Talikota the

rival dynasties of Ahmednagar, Bijapur and Golconda became

much powerful for the Barid Shahi Sultans, who during their

later days led a precarious existence, and ultimately their

kingdom, which had dwindled to a small principality, was

absorbed in the Bijapur kingdom.

252

In 1591 A.D Qasim Barid-II was nominally succeeded by

his infant son, but a relative, Amir Barid-II, usurped the throne.

Some copper coins of this Sultan bear the regal title;

“Al-Muveed-ba-Nasr-ul-Mulk-al-Kavi-al-Ghani Amir Barid

Shah-al-Sultan Ghazi”, have recently been found by the

Archaeological Department, Hyderabad. Amir Barid was,

however, expelled in 1601 A.D, by Mirza Ali Barid, another

member of the family, and compelled to fly to Bhagnagar

(Hyderabad). Muhammad Qasim Ferishtah, who concluded his

account of the Barid Shahi Sultans in 1609 A.D, writes that

Mirza Ali Barid was reigning at Bidar in that year.

According to Basatin-us-Salatin he was succeeded by Amir

Barid shah, who was apparently the third sovereign of this name

in the dynasty. Fortunately an inscription of this Sultan has

recently been found at Bidar which gives the full name of the

Sultan as Mirza Wali Amir Barid Shah both in Persian and

Marathi languages, and the date 1018 A.H (1609 A.D) in which

he evidently ascended the throne. In 1619 A.D Ibrahim Adil

Shah-II marched against Bidar to punish Amir Barid, who had

maintained the family tradition of hostility to Bijapur. Bidar fell,

and Amir Barid and his sons were made captive by Ibrahim Adil

Shah-II, carried them to Bijapur, where they ended their days

253

under surveillance, Bidar was annexed to the Adil Shahi

kingdom of Bijapur.

Bidar remained a part of the Adil Shahi territory until;

Aurangzeb began to device plans for the subjugation of all the

kingdom of the Deccan. Early in 1656 A.D, this prince, then

viceroy of the Deccan Aurangzeb for his father, the emperor

Shah Jahan, taking with him his son, Muhammad Muazzam,

and his general, Mir Jumla and Iftikhar Khan marched from

Aurangabad to Bidar. The place was at that time governed by

Malik Marjan, an Abyssinian officer, who was appointed by

Ibrahim Adil Shah-II.

The details about the relations of Barid Shahis with other

neighbouring dynasties viz, Bidar-Bijapur relations, Bidar-

Vijayanagara relations, Aurangzeb;s conquest of Bidar, Asaf Jahi

rule in Bidar, status of Bidar under Nizams and the role of Bidar

in freedom movement.

During the rule of Barid Shahis period, the relations

between Bidar and Bijapur were not cordial; the Barid Shahis

were the old rivals of the Adil Shahis. When Yusuf Adil Khan had

come to the Bahmani court as a stranger, Qasim Barid had been

enjoying a position of power as a close associate of Nizam-ul-

Mulk Bahri. Yusuf Adil Khan was taken under protection by

Mahmud Gawan and as such he was ranged in the opposite

254

camp from the very beginning. On the execution of that

celebrated minister Mahmud Gawan, Yusuf Adil Khan came to

be recognised as the leader of the Afaquis. Nizam-ul-Mulk and

Qasim Barid had brought about the execution of Mahmud

Gawan and were out to destroy the Afaquis elements at the

Bahmani court could not excuse Yusuf Adil Khan. A clash came

about soon after the death of Muhammad Shah Bahmani.

In 1406-7 A.D the son of Harihara, Bukka-II was

succeeded by his younger brother Dev Raya-I, he developed

social relations between the Hindu and the Muslims.

The relation between Bidar and Vijayanagara was eventful

on account of the marriage of Firoz Shah with the daughter of

Devaraya and the marriage of the Prince Hasan with the

daughter of a goldsmith named ‘Parthal’.

In 1619 A.D. Ibrahim Adil Shah-II marched towards Bidar

to punish Amir Barid, who had maintained the family tradition

of hostility to Bijapur. Bidar fell, and Amir Barid and his sons

were made captive by Ibrahim Adil Shah-II, who carried them to

Bijapur, where they ended their days under surveillance, Bidar

was annexed to the Adil Shahi kingdom.

Bidar remained a part of the Adil Shahi territory until

Aurangzeb began to devise plans for the subjugation of all the

kingdoms of the Deccan.

255

In 1656 A.D Aurangzeb captured Bidar after a siege of

twenty seven days; Aurangzeb made a triumphal entry into the

fort. Bidar was included in the Mughal Empire, Aurangzeb,

jubilant at his success, proceeded to the great mosque in the

fort, and had the Khutba recited in the name of his imperial

father, Shah Jahan. Bidar was renamed as Zafarabad, and

Mughal coins were issued under this name from Bidar, they are

still found in the museum.

In 1724 the Hyderabad state was founded by Mir

Qamruddin Chin Qilich Khan, after defeating Mubariz Khan at

Shakar Khelda battle. But according to Dr. M.A. Nayeem, Nizam-

ul-Mulk established his supremacy in the Deccan in 19th June,

1720 after defeating Dilawar Ali Khan at the battle of Pandher.

He was the son of Aurangzeb’s general, Ghaziuddin Khan Firoz

Jung, who traced his ancestry to Abubakr, the first Caliphate of

Islam. In 1713 emperor Farukh Siyar mad Mir Qamruddin as

viceroy of the Deccan with the title of “Nizam-ul-Mulk” Firoz

Jung. Later, emperor Muhammad Shah conferred on him the

title of “Asaf Jah”, by which title the dynasty is still known. By

1724, Mir Qamruddin had made himself virtually independent,

although he had his successors continued to profess a nominal

allegiance to the Mughal emperor right up to 1858, when the

British crown assured the governance of Indian native rulers. In

256

1748 Nizam-ul-Mulk died, after his death the war of succession

began between his son Nasir Jung and his grandson Muzaffar

Jung in which French and British supported each other during

the Second Carnatica War, from 1749-1754. French supported

Muzaffar Jung while British supported Nasir Jung.

In this war of succession both Nasir Jung and Muzaffar

Jung were killed in different events. Eventually in 1751 Salabat

Jung, the third son of Nizam-ul-Mulk, with the support of the

French, came to power. He ruled till 1762.

Nizam Ali Khan Asaf Jah-II: He was the fourth son of

Nizam-ul-Mulk. In 1762, he became a subedar of Deccan. He

made Vittal Sundar, a Brahmin as his Minister and gave him

title of Raja Pratabavant. In 1763, he transferred the capital from

Aurangabad to Hyderabad. Henceforth the glory of Hyderabad

began. He tried to take the advantage of internal conflict of

Marathas between Raghunath Rao and Madhav Rao Sindhia. In

1766 he concluded the treaty with the British, and put himself

under British protection.

In 1767 in quest of independence, he concluded treaty with

Hyder Ali of Mysore, after breaking the treaty of 1766, with

British. The joint forces of Nizam and Hyder Ali were defeated by

British and by the treaty of Masulipatanam of 1768, British

again re-imposed their military protection upon the Nizam. From

257

1778 onwards, a British resident and a subsidiary force were

installed in Hyderabad.

In 1790 Triple Alliance between the Nizam, the British and

the Marathas against Tipu Sultan took place, Nizam actually

wanted to form an alliance with Tipu Sultan. But Mir Abul

Qasim advised Nizam to rely on the British rather than Tipu

Sultan. Hence Nizam deputed Mir Qasim to Calcutta to consult

Lord Cornwallis. Hence the triple alliance emerged. Tipu Sultan

became martyred in fourth Anglo-Mysore war.

In 1798 Mir Qasim concluded the subsidiary treaty with

British. With this, the British stationed 5000 subsidiary troops

in an around of a village Hussain Shahpur. As a result a new

cantonment was renamed in 1806 as Sikanderabad.

Sikander Asaf Jah-III: He was the eldest son of the Nizam

Ali Khan. He succeeded the throne of Hyderabad in 1803, three

days after the outbreak of the Second Maratha war. In this war

Nizam supported the British. The war was won by the British

and they gained huge territory from the Marathas. The Nizam

also got the whole of Berar and all the districts to the south of

the Ajanta hills for the help he rendered to Britishers.

Nasirudaula Asaf Jah-IV: During his tenure the state was

relying under extreme financial crisis, in spite of the best effort

made by the Raja Chandulal. Raja Chandulal at last, resigned on

258

6th September, 1843. By 1852 the payment of the contingent had

fallen heavily into arrears. The officers and troops were reduced

to such state that the only way to relieve them was by making

direct payments to them from the company’s treasury. The

Governor General Lord Canning demanded territorial security

from the Nizam in return for these payments. By the treaty of

1853, the province of Berar, along with certain districts in the

Raichur Doab and on the western frontier of Hyderabad, were

assigned for this purpose, their administration was being taken

over by British officers under the control of the resident at

Hyderabad. The Nizam was so much mortified by the terms of

the treaty of 1853 of ceding Berar that he died on 11th March,

1857, three days after the execution of the said treaty.

Nizam Afzaludaula Asaf Jah-V: During the reign of Nizam

Afzaludaula Asaf Jah-V, the following important events took

place. His minister Sir Salar Jung brought tremendous

administrative reformation on the modern line, which gave a

great cause of anxiety for British, during the war of 1857. Hence,

the Britishers concluded a fresh treaty with Nizam in 1860, by

which, except for Berar all the other districts assigned in 1853,

were restored to Nizam. The confiscated territory of the rebellious

Raja of Shorapur was ceded to the Nizam, and a debt of Rs. 50

lakhs due to the government of India was cancelled.

259

In the war of 1857 Nizam Afzaludaula Asaf Jah-V was

supported to British. Otherwise course of war could have been

different as the Governor of Bombay presidency telegraphed to

the British Resident at Hyderabad during the war had said “if

the Nizam goes, all goes”. Nizam’s support to British in 1857 war

was applauded by the Governor General Lord Canning.

The power of the Mughals at Delhi vanished with the

execution of Bahadur Shah-II. According to Queen’s

proclamation of 1860, the Nizam of Hyderabad became

independent i.e. he ceased to be the Subedar of Mughal.

Mir Mahbub Ali Khan Asaf Jah: Mahbub Ali Khan was

proclaimed as Nizam of Hyderabad by his father. When he just

three years old. Therefore Nizam Afzaludaula arranged a formal

ceremony on 6th March 1969. The administration of the state

was carried out by the regency of Sir Salar Jung-I, and Shams-

ul-Umara-III till the age of attainment of the majority of Nizam-

IV.

Mir Osman Alik Khan Asaf Jah-VII: During his period the

following events took place.

Transfer of British capital from Calcutta to Delhi in 911.

Establishment of Osmania University in 1917.

Adaptation of new Constitution in 1919.

260

National Movement was at rising stage (Non-Co-operation and

Khilafat movement)

Communal based organisation in the state emerged. For

instance the “Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen” by Bahadur Yar Jung,

Dindar Chennabasaveshwar ki Bali by Hazrat Maulana

Siddique Fasth Khom (B. Shamsunder and B.S. Venkatrao

were its leaders)

Razakar Movement by Qasim Razvi between 1936-1948

Hyderabad State Congress 1935 by Swamy Ramanand Tirth

was formed

India got her freedom on 15th August, 1947

Nizam reluctant to cede his territory into Indian union and

tried to establish independent state, for that he sent a mission

to UNO (headed by Zafarullah Khan, B. Shamsunder and B.S.

Venkatrao were its members) for internationalising the

Hyderabad issue

Standstill agreement on 29th November, 1947was made

K.M. Munshi was appointed as Union Agent General in

Hyderabad.

Liberation Movement in Hyderabad took new dimension with

the “Police Action” from 13th September 1948 onwards

Hyderabad ceded into Indian Union, Nizam became Raja

Pramukh of the State

261

The contribution of Mir Osman Ali Khan to Bidar was

sanctioned with an amount of Rs. 36,000 in 1917 for

conservation of fort under Ghulam Yazdhani

Role of Bidar in Liberation Movement

In 1819-20 in Udgir under Shivalingayya Deshmukh revolt

took place against British.

In 1867 Ramrao urf Jungbahadur who got inspiration from

the Tatya Tope, declared himself as Chatrapati of Satara and

hoisted the ‘Kesari’ flag at Asti village in Bidar

Formation of Osmania University which became the centre for

movement as students from the Bidar went there for

education

Role of Arya Samaj

Arya Samaj was established by Maharushi Dayanand

Saraswati in 1857 at Bombay. Its first branch was opened at

Udgir (then taluka headquarter of Bidar) in 1924, Bhai

Bansilal and Bhai Shyamlal from Hallikhed became the

prominent leaders, Bansilal became martyr at the central jail

of Bidar in 16th December, 1938

The seed of liberation was started between 1914-18 by Pundit

Ramanand Tirth when he was serving as school teacher at

Bidar.

262

In 1939 on the day of Holi festival Osmania Gunj was burnt.

Basantrao Setkar was shot dead by Razakars

After the Bansilal and Shyamlal, Manikrao Bhandari,

Pundalikrao Paritar, Ramachandra Veerappa (later, M.P) and

host of other leader continued the movement

Humnabad was the centre for making Bombs (Manikrao

Bhandari, Pundalikrao Parit, Ramachandra Veerappa were

involved in making of Bombs)

Hyderabad State Congress: Mahatma Gandhiji visited

Hyderabad in 1934. With his inspiration the Hyderabad State

Congress was formed in 1935. The State Congress and the Arya

Samajist throughout the district under took the liberation

movement.

Communal Forces under Qasim Rizvi: Razakars under

Qasim Rizvi attacked looted, robbed, committed, atrocities on

Men and Women, in many parts of the district. Gorta massacre

on 5th May, 1948, was more than that of Jaliyanwalabagh in

Punjab in 1919. By hearing horrific story of the incident Acharya

Vinobha Bhave, K.M. Munshi, Swami Ramanand Tirth visited

the spot and the same has reported to the then Prime Minister

Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru, who wept, on hearing this news.

B. Shamsunder from Gulbarga and B.S. Venkatrao from

Andhra Pradesh were important leaders. This organisation

263

mainly consisted the Depressed Class (Harijans) who supported

Qasim Rizvi and vice versa.

Administration of Bidar

District

Municipality

Local

Revenue

Trade and Commerce

Religious Policies of Nizam

Assimilation of Shias, Sunnis, Sikhs, Jains, Hindus and

Christians

Education

Art and Architecture, monuments, Fort etc.

The details of economic conditions of Bahmanis of Bidar,

on various aspects such as Agriculture and Irrigation, Trade and

Commerce and Transportation.

The Bahmani bilingual stone inscription, Qualnama, in

Persian and kannada from the village of Mallabad in Raichur

taluka, dated 918 hijri gives details of the different types of

annual revenue the different village communities had to pay. The

Qualnama was issued by Malkush Sharq Malik Ambar granting

reductions in the levies on the village communities like farmers,

oil merchants, weavers, tailors, etc., and prohibiting collection in

264

excess of the rate fixed in this order. It also prohibits the practice

of forced labour, unreasonable demand, etc. The Qualnama

which was taken as an undertaking from the officials ends with

an imprecation against those officials who might seek to

disregard the order.

The Social conditions during the period of storm and stress

after the first Khilji raids in the Deccan and during the period of

disturbances in the days of Muhammad bin Tughluq disorder

prevailed in the Deccan and Social structure security was

threatened. Even earlier that, robbers, highway men and other

undesirable elements interrupted the even tenor of the life of the

people.

Alauddin Ahmed-II deserves special mention. He

established a hospital at Bidar and endowed it with some villages

the revenues of which were to be utilized for providing food to the

patients. Both Hindu and Muslim physicians were appointed to

look after his hospital. It is evident that this hospital catered for

patients of all communities. The Gurucharitra eulogies the Sultan

as one who though without caste was large hearted ruler who

showered generosity on his people without distinction of caste or

creed.

The reviews on cultural synthesis, the Brahmanical form of

Hinduism in the Deccan had other religious movements which

265

functioned within the frame work of the Hindu fold. The most

important of these was the Bhagwata cult of the Bhakti school of

thought of the Warkaris who were devotees of vithoba the deity

of Pandharpur. The deity was of Karnataka origin which had

gripped the minds of the people even before the days of

Jnaneshwara and whose devotees were spread all over Bahmani

Deccan. The Warkaris worshipped their deity with a

monotheistic zeal. The mystic teaching of this Bhakti school or

Bhagwata Dharma has its roots in the vedic concept of Bhakti or

Devotion, the Narada Bhakti sutras and other ancient texts. It

touched other mystic creeds like the Natha Sampradaya founded

by Adinath and the Dutta Sampradaya of Narsimha Saraswati,

and achieved a unique synthesis.

In various centres in the Deccan, the deity was an

instrument in bringing about a synthesis of devotional thought

among various communities of the people of the Deccan like the

Lingayats, the Muslims, the Sikhs, the Ananda Sampradayis and

the Giri-gosais.

The art and architecture in various aspects at Bidar, such

as secular, religious and defence are very beautiful and elegant

edifices.

266

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