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Gulbarga

Gulbarga

About:
The small town of Gulbarga is famous for its association with the erstwhile medieval kingdom of Bahamani (1347-1526). It was the capital of the Bahamani rulers from 1347 to 1428. A number of monuments dating from 13th to the 15th century can be seen here. These monuments reflect the architectural skills of the Bahamani rulers.

Location info:
Address:Gulbarga is located in the northeastern part of the state of Karnataka, in the southern region of India. It is 663 km from Bangalore city and 214 km from Hyderabad city.
District:Gulbarga District
Nearest City:Badami
Best time to visit: The best time to visit Gulbarga is between October and March.

Climate/Weather of Gulbarga:
he climate of Gulbarg is temperate with summers (April-June) being moderately hot and winters are cool (November-February). It experiences southwestern monsoon rains in the months of May to July.

History of Gulbarga:
Gulbarga and the area around it was a part of the ancient Chalukyan kingdom of Badami. The origin of the town of Gulbarga goes back to the local Kakatiya rulers of Warangal. It witnessed a lot of turmoil in the early medieval period. In the early part of the 14th century, it became the part of the Delhi Sultanate. It was captured by Ulugh Khan, one of the generals belonging to the Tughlaq dynasty of Delhi Sultanate, and later captured by Mohammed bin Tughlaq, the Sultan of Delhi. It remained a part of the Delhi Sultanate until the death of Mohammed bin Tughlaq. Later it became a part of the Bahamani kingdom. The Bahamani kings made it their capital from 1347 to 1428. In the 17th century, it was annexed by Aurangzeb, the last great Mughal ruler and inducted into the Mughal Empire. In the 18th century, Gulbarga came under the erstwhile rulers of Hyderabad.

Interesting things to do:
FAIRS & FESTIVALS: The annual Urs festival, held at the tomb of Khwaja Bande Nawaz to commemorate his death anniversary, is an important festival of Gulbarga. Thousands of pilgrims throng Gulbarga during the Urs festival.

Interesting things to Visit:
The main tourist attractions in the town of Gulbarga are the monuments belonging to the erstwhile Bahamani rulers. Gulbarga fort is an important tourist spot. This fort has 15 towers. Though the fort is in ruins, it still reflects some of its past glory. The fort includes the Jama Masjid, said to have been built by a Moorish architect from Spain in the late 14th century on the lines of the great Cordoba Mosque in southern Spain. Other places of interest within the town are the imposing tombs of the Bahamani rulers, the Haft Gumbaz, the tomb of Khwaja Bande Nawaz (an important local Muslim saint) and the Sharana Basaveshwara temple.

The Fort It is a magnificent structure with 15 towers and 26 guns. To the southern entrance of the fort is a group of royal tombs. Inside the fort is the Jumma Masjid, built on the lines of the great Mosque of Cardova of Spain.
Sharana Basaveshwara Temple A 19 Th century Shiva linga temple is built in Maratha style.
Khwaja Bande Nawaz Durgah The tomb of the great Sufi Saint, Khwaja Syed Mohammed Gesu, is built in the Indo-saracenic style.
Durgah Library Houses almost 10000 books on Urdu, Persian and Arabic.

Mobile range info:
 

How to reach Gulbarga?
Nearest Railway Station:BY RAIL - As Gulbarga is on the main Mumbai-Bangalore line, a number of express trains are available from here. There are number of trains for Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kochi.
Nearest Airport:Gulbarga does not have an airport of its own. The nearest airport is in Hyderabad (220 km). Now Govt of Karnataka has sanctioned new Airport to the Gulbarga City. The construction at the site had started in July 2008 and shall be completed in two years time.
Road Transport:BY ROAD - Gulbarga is well connected with different parts of Karnataka. There is good bus service from Gulbarga to Bidar (3 hours) and Bijapur (3 hours). Night buses are available for Bangalore and Hyderabad.

Nearest Visiting places in Gulbarga:
Jevargi It is a popular Jain piligrim Centre, about 40 kms from Gulbarga. It is situated on the bank of the Bheema River and has many Jain basadis
Sannathi It is known today for Chandralamba temple dedicated to a Devi, this 11C shrine is visited by a large numbers of piligrims. This place is of considerable archaeological importance, being the largest Buddhist site in Karnataka.
Narayanapura Dam It is 120 kms from Gulbarga. The Krishna River cascades down here and is known as the Jaladurga Falls.

evargi, 40 km from Gulbarga, is an important religious place on the banks of the Bhima River. It has important Jain temples. The Jaladurga Falls near Narayanpura Dam is 120 km from Gulbarga on the Krishna River. The historic town of Bidar is 110 km northeast of Gulbarga, while Bijapur is 150 km southwest of Gulbarga.

Nearest Petrol Pump:
Bidar

Hotels/Lodge/Accommodation nearby Gulbarga:
There are only a few hotels in Gulbarga. Whatever accommodation is available is of cheap and medium quality. Most of the hotels are on the main Station Road.

Things to carry:
 

Tips & Suggestions for Gulbarga:
The culture of Gulbarga is a mixture of Kannada, Marathi and Hyderabadi. Gulbargites take pride in Gulbarga culture and are seldom happy to stay away from their home town. The Gulbarga town was once the Bahamani capital from 1347 until it was transferred to Bidar in 1428. Thus, Gulbarga is a unique synthesis of those two cultures.

Help Line/Phone Number:
Police Station:Badami
Nearest Hospital:Badami
Society/Community Phone Number

Gulbarga Nearest Attraction
Gulbarga Archeology
The first to establish Islamic rule in the Deccan plateau was the Bahmini dynasty. Gulbarga was it's capital in 1347 but later shifted to Bidar. Many structures other than the fort still exist. These are tombs and mosques but the palace has been destroyed.....more
Bhima River
The Bhima River originates in Bhimashankar hills near Karjat on the western side of Western Ghats, known as Sahyadri, in Maharashtra state in India. Bhima flows southeast for 725 km through Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh states.....more