Gulbarga Fort

En un regard

Le château en bref

At the heart of Kalaburagi, the former Gulbarga, the fort bears witness to the early days of the Bahmani Sultanate, the first independent state of the Deccan, which established its capital here in 1347. The enclosure, roughly three kilometres in circumference, is doubled and separated by a moat some thirty feet wide; fifteen towers and bastions punctuate it, and twenty-six cannons are still mounted there, including one piece of nearly eight metres. At its centre stands the Bala Hisar, a massive keep with six circular towers and walls of about 19 m, whose summit platform carries artillery emplacements. The jewel of the site remains the Jama Masjid, completed in 1367: its 250 arches resting on 140 pillars form an entirely roofed hall, with no open-air courtyard, a layout unique in India. The crescent emblems visible on several buildings evoke the Bahmanis' claims to Sassanian heritage. Although most of the interior buildings have disappeared, the fort remains a major visitor attraction in the city.