Gulbarga

Gulbarga Fort & Jami Masjid

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• published: 11 Sep 2014
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The Gulbarga Fort located in Gulbarga City in the Gulbarga district of North Karnataka, India. It was originally built by Raja Gulchand during the Warangal dynastic rule. It was subsequently substantially fortified in West Asian and European military architectural style by Alauddin Hasan Bahman Shah, the ruler of the Bahmani dynasty; Islamic monuments such as mosques, palaces, tombs, and other structures were also built later within the refurbished fort. The Jama Masjid built later, within the fort, in 1367, is a unique structure built in Persian architectural style, fully enclosed, with elegant domes and arched columns, which is unlike any other mosque in India; particular mention is made of the citadel that was added in the centre of the fort. The fort has an area of 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) and periphery length of 3 kilometres (1.9 mi). It is well fortified with double fortification. A 30 feet (9.1 m) wide moat surrounds the fort. The fort is a monumental structure highly fortified with 15 towers mounted with 26 guns; each gun located inside the fort is 8 metres (26 ft) long and is still well preserved. The mosque, one of the first in South India, was built to commemorate Gulbarga as the capital of the Bahmanid Sultanate. The mosque though simple in design but has a symmetrical plan with well organized constituent parts. The masjid, only one of its kind in India, has dimensions of 216 feet (66 m)x176 feet (54 m) . The masjid, which was in ruins, has been well tended now. The mosque has no open courtyard. The outer passageways surround the prayer hall on three sides and have low open arcades with arches.