Bidar Fort Historical Facts and Pictures

Bidar Fort, located in Bidar district of Karnataka, India, is spread over an area of 12 square miles. It lies 2,200 feet above sea level and faces the Manjira river valley. The fort, town and the district all are known by the name Bidar.

Earliest historical versions trace it to the year 1322 when it was still a small fort .The Muslims had invaded the region and Prince Ulugh Khan had captured the fort. This was followed by the Tughlaq dynasty which held control over the fort before Sultan Alla-Ud-Din Bahman Shah Bahmani of the Bahmani dynasty seized it. Ahmad Shah I (1422-1486) declared Bidar as the capital of the Bahmani kingdom before renovating the fort. A number of mosques, madrasas, palaces, gardens and other Islamic monuments were raised during this time. After the collapse of the Bahmani dynasty Bidar came under the control of the Barid Shahi dynasty before it was taken over by the Bijapur sultanate in 1619 only to be later seized in 1656 by the Mughal Viceroy of Aurangzeb. In 1724, Bidar became a part of the kingdom of the Nizams. Mir Nizam Ali Khan Asaf Jah III imprisoned his brother in this fort and took control in 1762. Post-independence Bidar became a part of Karnataka.

Impressive influence of Persian architecture is evident in the construction of Bidar Fort. It is a quadrangular structure with a length of 0.75 miles, breadth of 0.5 miles and outer walls measuring 2.5 miles in length. It is a massive structure characterized by bastions, barbicans and huge gates surrounded on all sides by a triple moat which serves as the preliminary defence.

Bidar Fort

Bidar Fort Images

Bidar Fort Photos

Bidar Fort Pictures

Bidar Fort

Bidar Fort Entrance

Bidar Fort Entrance Pictures

Bidar Fort Entrance

Entrance of Bidar Fort

Bidar Fort Inside

Bidar Fort Inside View

Bidar Fort Inside

Bidar Fort Ruins Inside

Inside View of Bidar Fort

There are six gates in the fort apart from the main gate namely Gumbad Darwaza, Sherza Darwaza, Fateh Gate, Talghat Gate, Delhi Gate and Mandu Gate. The ruins of the fort have been kept well preserved and are featured on the World Monument Watch (WMW) list released by the World Monument Fund (WMF).