Long Drive to Bidar from Hyderabad

I was pretty excited as this was the first long drive with my son. Prior to this, I had only gone to Vikarabad which was a mere 70 km from Hyderabad. Bidar, about 115 km from Hyderabad is famous for the historical significance. It was ruled by the Bahmani kings and hence remains of the kingdom still exists here. One of the main attractions being Bidar Fort.

The road to Zaheerabad is moderate, some places it is pretty good while in other places it is not that great. Entry from Zaheerabad to Bidar was closed and hence we had to take the bypass which was not very pleasing though.

Gumbaz Darwaza

Gumbaz Darwaza: The place fort complex could be entered from the city through two main gates on the south eastern side by a zig-zag passage and well protected gateways. The Sharza Darwaza and Gumbaz Darwaza are main entrance gates to palace complex.

 Tarkash Mahal

Entering the fort area, one can see the beautifully decorated garden with Tarkash Mahal and Solah Khamba Mosque. Tarkash Mahal is said to be built for a Turkish wife of one of the Bahmani kings. Entry to the Mahal is now restricted for public.

Solah Khamba Mosque

Solah Khamba Mosque is said to the oldest Islamic building in Bidar and one of the largest mosques in India. As the name states it is derived from the sixteen pillars (or Khamba) in the middle portion of the Prayer Hall. Entry to this is also restricted to the public now.

Old Fort entrance

Diwan-I-am and Diwan-I-Khass are present inside the Old Fort entrance.

Leaving Bidar Fort, other areas of attraction in Bidar includes Jharani Narasimha Cave Temple, Nanak Jhira Sahib, Bahamani Tombs etc

Specialty of Jharani Narasimha Cave Temple is that in order to view the idol of Lord Narasimha, you will have to go through waist deep cave water for about 300 hundred meters.There are lots of stories connected with the temple.

Nanak Jhira Sahib

Nanak Jhira Sahib is a historical Sikh shrine. This is very popular and hundreds of devotees come here every year during Guru Nanak Jayanti. The Gurudwara stands beside a sweet water fountain carrying stories of how Guru Nanak gave relief to the people of Bidar who were suffering from the scarcity of water. A small Amrit–Kund is constructed in white marble and this accumulates the water flowing from this fountain.

Closed Tomb Besides Gurudwara

After spending around an hour or so, we started our way back as it was almost getting dark and also started to drizzle.

Below is a wonderful documentary from Karnataka Tourism about Bidar.