Deccan dreams
Deccan dreams
Mohammad Gawan's madrasa at Bidar
The fort's Sharaza Darwaza.
Mohammad Gawan's madrasa at Bidar
The fort's Sharaza Darwaza.
Well off the beaten track, Bidar surprises at every turn with its wealth of history and graceful monuments.
Maya Jayapal
Bidar is believed to have got its name from `Bidaru,' which means bamboo in Kannada although there is no bamboo or bamboo products in the town or its environs. It is also said that Vidura of the Mahabharata lived here and the place was earlier called Viduranagar.
The eighth Bahmani king shifted his capital from Gulbarga to Bidar in 1429. But in 1527 the Bahmani kingdom passed into the hands of the Barid Shahis. Later Aurangazeb and the Nizams ruled it.
Each spectacular monument in the erstwhile capitals of the Deccan Sultanates such as Bidar, Gulbarga and Bijapur is attributed to a particular person, his dreams and his personality. Unfortunately, Bidar is so off the beaten track that the local guides, even if you manage to get hold of one, do not know what lies in their historical backyard.
Almost at the centre of Bidar's Old Town stand the graceful buildings, which bear testimony to the genius and eclecticism of Mohammad Gawan. A linguist and a mathematician, he, together with carefully chosen scientists, philosophers and religious seers, created a distinguished religious school. His extensive library boasted of 3,000 manuscripts.
Mohammad Gawan first came to Delhi as a trader from Gilan in Iran and then to Bidar in 1453. He was very wise, and so enjoyed the confidence of the rulers. He was a diplomat of great elegance and initiated and maintained cordial relations with various foreign kingdoms.
Unfortunately, plots were hatched to topple him; the nobles forged a document purportedly from him, inviting a rival king to invade Bidar. In a drunken state the Sultan ordered him executed. Later the Sultan regretted his hasty decision and buried his Prime Minister with honours.
A Russian traveller, Athanasius Nikitin, who visited Bidar, has recorded that Mohammad Gawan's mansion was guarded by a hundred armed men and ten torchbearers.
His three-storey madrasa with a monumental minaret, a mosque, labs, lecture halls and students' cells overlooks an immense courtyard with arches on every side giving it a graceful facade. Many of the blue tiles on the mosque's outer walls have been pilfered. The minaret is elegant with Samarkhand-like domes here and there.
Today goats graze among the majestic ruins and the windows with exquisite jail-work look out like haunted eyes. During Aurangazeb's time it was used as a powder magazine, and some gunpowder was accidentally touched off. Lightning also struck at the same time, destroying the front and half of the south wing.
Nearby is the Chaubara, which could have been a watchtower, and all around are khanqahs or Muslim monasteries, which no doubt gave the city its reputation as a centre for religious learning and philosophy.
The Bahmanis built many impressive monuments here. The fort at Bidar, strengthened by Ahmed Shah I (1426-32), stands on the foundations of an old fort built by Hindu rulers.
The wall winds around for 10 km, and can be seen with its crenellation, bastions and towers from strategic sites along it. The rulers placed great emphasis on military might, bringing mounted archers from Persia and Turkey and relying on cannon and firearms. The mighty citadel has emplacements for all these.
From the ruined arches of the Diwan-i-am and the Diwan-i-khas or from the top of the Solah Khambh Mosque, the view is commanding. The striking black stone steps leading up to the buildings stand out against the red soil.
When entering through the Sharaza Darwaza past a deep moat, the sun catches the blue and green Ispahan tiles on its top facade and the two carved tigers, supposedly to protect the fort. There are seven gates in all; it is said that there were even arrangements for pouring hot oil on invaders from the top of the gates!
Inside the second gate presides an ancient banyan tree, and by the side is the once fabulous Rangeen Mahal with carvings of mother-of-pearl and wood.
But the piece de resistance is the magnificent Solah Khambh mosque, so called because of the 16 pillars in the prayer hall. Set amidst beautifully maintained gardens and the ruins of the Tarkash Mahal at the side, it is impressive.
Mausoleums and tombs dot the surrounding countryside and walks among these secluded ruins reveal tombs of the later Bahmanis and the Barid Shahis. Some tombs are of sculptured granite with plasterwork and calligraphic and floral tiles, with open archways that let in sunlight.
Some are melancholy like that of Ali Barid Shah, on a massive plinth, with space for the graves of his 68 concubines who came from all over the world. Young boys were playing cricket among this vast necropolis, under the trees, juxtaposing the dreams of the future with the shadows of the dead.
Nearby, in the village of Ashtur is the graceful octagonal mausoleum, which is visible from a distance, attracting the eye with its graceful proportions. Inside is the tomb of a saint advisor to one of the rulers.
One cannot come away from Bidar without shopping for the Bidriware, which is a type of encrusted metal ware. Its charm lies in the contrast of the metal inlay silver, brass and gold against the black background. It is a 600-year-old craft brought in from Iran and Iraq by migrants.
Pictures by the author
Fact file
How to get there By road: Take State Highway 19 to Bidar from Gulbarga. It is 120 km away and will take three hours. There are bus services from Hyderabad (136 km) and Bangalore (735 km).
By air: The nearest airport is Hyderabad.
Where to stay: There are only a few hotels. The prices range between Rs 100 for a single non air-conditioned room with attached bath and Rs 500 for a double air-conditioned room with attached bath.
When to visit: September to March.
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