The width of the moat between the glacis and the first partition wall is 32 feet 6 inches, between the first and second partition-walls 36 feet 4 inches, and between the second partition wall and the scarp 41 feet 9 inches. To the north and east, steep cliffs provide natural protection to the moat and the glacis elsewhere,įacing Bidar city, from the south-east to the south-west, the walls are protected by a unique triple-channeled moat, described by Yazdani (1995) as follows: The fort walls measure 2.5 km (1.6 mi) on the outside, and include within numerous buildings, arches, pavilions, mosques, gateways and gardens. Constructed on the edge of the plateau, Bidar fort has a haphazard rhombus-shaped layout. The present-day Bidar fortress was rebuilt using red laterite stone around the old fort in 1428 by Ahmed Shah Bahmani. In 1956, when the state of Hyderabad was partitioned, Bidar fort became part of the newly formed Mysore state (now Karnataka). The old name for Bidar, "Mohammedabad" refers to the rule of Salabath Jung. Nawab Mir Sa'id Muhammad Khan (also known as Salabath Jung), who was the third son of Asaf Jah I (the first Nizam of the dynasty), ruled from Bidar fort from 1751 to 1762, till his brother Mir Nizam Ali Khan, also known as Asaf Jah II, imprisoned him and later killed him in the fort on 16 September 1763. In 1724, Bidar became a part of the Asaf Jahi Kingdom of the Nizams. īidar fort was captured by the independent Bijapur Sultanate in 1619–20 but fell to then Mughal viceroy Aurangzeb in 1657, and was formally absorbed by the Mughal Empire in 1686.
As gunpowder had not yet been introduced into peninsular India, long and winding fort walls were constructed out of stone and mortar by Persian and Turkish architects, the stone being provided from the moat, which was excavated by Hindu masons. Firishta records that the reconstruction began in 1429 CE and ended in 1432 CE. Under Ahmed Shah's rule, the old Fort was rebuilt, and beautiful madrasas, mosques, palaces and gardens were raised. During the rule of Ahmad Shah I (1422–1486), Bidar was made the capital city of Bahmani Kingdom. With the establishment of the Bahmani Sultanate (1347), Bidar was occupied by Sultan Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah.
The old fort of Bidar was captured in 1321-22 AD by Prince Ulugh Khan of the Tughlaq dynasty from the Kakatiya dynasty, who later on became Sultan Muhammad bin Tughluq of Delhi. This is confirmed in historical record in Tarikh-i Firishta, by the Persian scholar Firishta (1560-1620 CE), which states that the Government House or Darul Imara, today known as Takht Mahal, was built on the site of the old fort. Folklore suggests that the old fort was located in the western portion of the fort's present-day extent, from the Takht Mahal to the Kalmadi gate and the promontory on which Virasangayya's temple was built, with the old water tank at the base of its walls. History īidar fort was built by Ahmad Shah Wali Bahman the exact layout of the old fort, with its double lines of defensive fortifications, is no longer discernible. The ancient capital Kalyani ( Basavakalyan) of the Western Chalukya Empire is situated about 40 miles (64 km) to the west of Bidar. Bidar fort is built in the form of an irregular rhombus on the edge of the plateau with sheer walls built along the North and the East. The plateau encompasses a total area of 190 square kilometres (73 sq mi). The plateau has an altitude of 2,200 feet (670 m), and measures 22 miles (35 km) in length and 12 miles (19 km) in width at its broadest. Geologically, Bidar district is predominantly Deccan Trap with underlying layers of gneiss emerging along the eastern boundary. Bidar district comprises the only part of the Godavari basin in Karnataka.
The Karanja River, a sub-tributary, drains the surrounding low-lying areas and feeds into the Manjiri River. The plateau area, comprising low laterite hills, ends to the north at the Manjira River, a major tributary of the Godavari River. Bidar city and fort are located on the edge of the Bidar plateau, the northernmost in Karnataka state.