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.
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. The 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.
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.
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.
The best time to visit Gulbarga is between October and March.
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.
Jevargi, 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.