Gulbarga

Gulbarga is an important Divisional Head Quarter in the Indian state of Karnataka. This district is situated between 76°.04'and 77°.42 Eastern Longitude, 16°.12'and 17°.46' North Latitude covering about 16,224 Sq. Kilometre. The population of the distirict is 25 lakh (2.5 million). The district comprises of 10 talukas. It has a maximum temperature of 46 degree Celsius in the summer and goes as low as 15 degree Celsius in the winters. Bajra, Toor, Sugarcane, Groundnut, Sunflower, Sesame, Castor, Black gram[?], Jowar[?], Wheat, Cotton, Ragi[?], Bengal gram[?], Linseed are grown in this district.

Attractions

1. Bande nawaz durga
2. Sharan Basveshwara temple
3. Sri Ram Mandir

More about Gulbarga

Gulbarga was known as 'KALBURGI' in former days which means stony land in Kannada. Gulbarga district is situated in the northen part of Karnataka State. In the earlier days, Gulbarga was a district of Hyderabad-Karnataka area and became a part of Karnataka State after re-organisation of states. Recorded history of this district dates back to the 6th Century A.D when the Rashtralitas gained control over the area but the Chalukyas[?] regained their domain within a short period and reigned supreme for over two hundred years. The Kalachuris who succeeded them ruled till the 12th Century AD. Around the close of the 12th century the Yadavas[?] of Devagiri and the Hoysalas of Dwarasamadra destroyed the supremacy of lthe Chalukyas and Kalachuris. About the same period the Kakatiya[?] kings of Warrangal[?] came into prominence. The present Gulbarga and Raichur[?] districts formed part of their domain. The Kakatiya power was subdued in 1321 AD and the entire Deccan[?] including the district of Gulbarga passed under the control of the Muslim Emperors of Delhi. The revolt of the Muslim officers appointed from Delhi resulted in founding of the Bahmani[?] kingdom in 1347 AD, by Hassan Gangu who chose Gulbarga to be his capital. When the Bahmani dynasty came to an end, the kingdom broke up into five independent Sultanates and the present Gulbarga district came partly under Bidar[?] and partly under Bijapur[?]. With the conquest of the Deccan by Aurangezeb[?] in the 17th century, Gulbarga passed back to the Mughal Empire. In the early part of the 18th century when Mughal Empire was declining, Asaf Jha, a general of Aurangzeb, became independent and formed the Hyderabad State in which a major part of Gulbarga area was also included. In 1948 Hyderabad state became a part of Indian Union and in 1956, excluding two talukus which were annexed to Andhra Pradesh the remaining talukus of Gulbarga district became part of New Mysore State.

Gulbarga is 613 Km north of Bangalore and well connected by road to Bijapur, Hyderabad and Bidar. Train from southern part of India to Mumbai and Delhi passes through Gulbarga. Shri Kshetra Gangapur an well known pilgrimage of God Shri Sadguru Dattarya, is very close from Gulbarga. The climate of the district is generally dry and healthy with temperature ranging from 5c to 45c and an annual rainfall af about 750mm. The entire district is situated in Deccan Plateau[?] and the general elevation ranges from 300 to 750 meters above msl. Two main river, Krishna and Bhima[?], flow in the district. The predomianant type of soil in the district is black soil. The district has a large number of tanks which in addition to the river irrigate the land. The Upper Krishna Project is major irrigational venture in the district. Jowar, groundnut, rice, and pulses are the main crops. Gulbarga an industrially backward district, but is presently showing signs of growth in the Cement, textile, leather and chemical industries sectors. Gulbarga has a University with Medical and Engineering Colleges.

This town was the Bahmani capital form 1347 until its transfer to Bidar in 1428. Later the kingdom broke up into a number of smaler kingdoms - Bijapur, Bidar, Berar[?], Ahmednagar[?] and Golconda[?]. The last of these, Golconda, finally fell to Aurangzeb in 1687. Gulbarga's old moated fort is in a much deteriorated state, but it has a number of interesting buildings inside including the Jama Masjid, reputed to have been built by a Moorish architect during the late 14th or early 15th century who imitated the great mosque in Cordoba, Spain. The mosque is unique in India, with a huge dome covering the whole area, four smaller ones at the corners, and 75 smaller still all the way around. The fort itself has 15 towers. Gulbarga also has a number of imposing tombs of Bahmani kings, a shrine to an important Muslim saint and the Sharana Basaveshwara Temple.