| Bidar was the capital of the Bahmani
kings from 1428 till it later passed into the hands of the Barid Shahi dynasty. There are
some beautiful specimens of typical Muslim art and architecture here. |
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Fragments of old colourful
mosaics, grand old tombs of the Bahmani and Barid kings and an impressive 15th century
fort that still encircles the town give Bidar its days-of-yore charm. It is a quiet place
and not on most tourist itineraries.
Bidar is famous for being the place where
Bidriware, a form of silver filigree art, originated. Bidriware is silver filigree done in
Islamic motifs and set against a dark background of blackened zinc, tin, copper and lead
to create the most striking ashtrays, boxes, bangles and such.
Near Bidar is the town of Gulbarga, which was the
Bahmani capital before the honour shifted to Bidar. The old fort at Gulbarga still stands,
as do some beautiful mausoleums and mosques.
Getting there: Bidar is well connected by public road transport to many places in
South India including Gulbarga (near Bijapur), Bijapur, Bangalore and Hyderabad (the
capital of Andhra Pradesh). There are direct trains to Bidar from places on the main
Mumbai - Secunderabad - Chennai route (i.e. Bombay-Hyderabad-Madras). There are no direct
trains from Bangalore though.
The nearest airport is at Hyderabad, which is 136
km from Bidar. There are direct buses to Bidar from the Hyderabad airport.
Accommodation: Since Bidar is not on the
well-beaten path there are few hotels, and the ones that there are, aren’t anything
to write home about. You will find a few budget hotels; some even have rooms with
air-conditioning. The prices range between Rs. 100 for a single non air-conditioned room
with attached bath to Rs. 500 for a double air-conditioned room with an attached bath.
For a complete picture of the Northern Circuit also
see Hampi, Bijapur and Badami.
For
detailed state and visitor information, see Karnataka.
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