Gulbarga, Karnataka, India (June 2025)
Gulbarga, officially Kalaburagi, is a historically significant city in northern Karnataka. Once the capital of the Bahmani Sultanate—the first independent Muslim kingdom in the Deccan—Gulbarga is home to a remarkable legacy of Indo-Persian monuments. Chief among them is the Gulbarga Fort, a massive complex housing the impressive Jama Masjid, with its Persian-style domes and arched corridors. Scattered across the city are the tombs of Bahmani rulers and Sufi saints, including the revered Hazrat Khwaja Bande Nawaz Dargah, a prominent pilgrimage site known for its annual urs festival that draws devotees from across the region. Gulbarga also offers a glimpse into the cultural fusion of the Deccan, where Hindu and Islamic traditions have long coexisted. For those interested in history, Sufism, or medieval architecture, Gulbarga is a rewarding and offbeat destination.
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Gulbarga Fort and Jamia Masjid (info) |
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Fort entrance
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Outer ramparts (more)
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Outer wall + moat (more)
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Entrance, from inside
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Bala Hisar (info)
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A fortress within (more)
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Two layers of ramparts
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Fort walls
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"Large canon bastion"
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Large canon on top
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View of the mosque
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Two layers of fortification
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Flowering tree
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A butterfly
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Frontal view (more)
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Mihrab (more)
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Arches inside
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Arches inside
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Arches inside
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Arches inside (1, 2)
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Designed by a Persian
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Arches inside (more)
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Distant view
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A village mosque
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Dargah of Syed Muhammad ibn Yousuf al-Hussaini, aka Bande Nawaz or Gisu Daraz |
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Famed Sufi shrine (more)
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Saint of the Chishti order
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600 year old mausoleum
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Bookstore on site
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Vicinity of dargah
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A research academy
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Path to the dargah (more)
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Haft Gumbaz (info) |
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Tombs of the Bahmanis
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From 14-15th centuries
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Seven tombs (more)
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Interior of one (more)
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Mixed influences
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Tombs set in a garden
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Interior
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Indo-Islamic architecture
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Dead men's chambers
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Exterior of a tomb
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Tombs on a cloudy day
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A butterfly
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Dargah of Khwaja Syed Shah Hisamuddin Mohammad Mohammd Al Hussaini (signboard) |
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Small shrine
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Interior (more)
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Women at the back
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Woman with child
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Shor Gumbad |
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Bahmani era structure
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Modern graffiti
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Four minarets & a dome
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Interior
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Interior (more)
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Interior
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Interior
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Interior (more)
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State Archaeological Museum |
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Museum, in a Bahmani
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Fragments of the past
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Adinath,
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Bhairava,
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Neminatha,
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Uma Maheshwar,
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Hero Stone,
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Hero Stone,
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Hero Stone,
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Hero Stone,
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Nayika
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Nayika,
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Nayika,
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Nayika,
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Bahmani Eidgah |
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An open-air mosque
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Bahmani era minarets
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In a peaceful setting
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A place for community
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