Aug 102012
 

Bidar in Karnataka is a sleepy, dusty town about 140 KM from Hyderabad. It has 2 claims to fame one is a visit by Guru Nanak Dev the founder of Sikhism about 500 years ago and other is as the former capital of the Bahmani Sultans, one of the first Islamic dynasties in Deccan. This post we will visit Bidar Fort and Gurudwara Nanak Jheera near the Bidar Fort.

langar at gurudwara Nanak Jheera Bidar
Gurudwara Nanak Jheera in Bidar
The legend is that first Sikh Guru Nanak Dev visited Bidar at a time when it was suffering through severe drought and on request of some locals pressed a small hillock leading to emerging of a waterfall. So a gurudwara which means home of the guru and is a holy place of worship for Sikhs was built at this spot and till today, even after more than 500 years, that small waterfall continues to give pure holy water year after year. Pilgrims visit the gurudwara from all parts of the world to pay respect and collect the water to take home as it is believed to have healing and protective powers. This makes Bidar gurudwara one of the oldest gurudwaras in the world.

Bidar started its journey as the capital of Bahmani Sultans and was one of the most formidable forts in India. It was used as a model for constructing and expanding the Golconda fort in Hyderabad. During the late Mughal period after the falling of Deccan, it lost its prominence but since the fort was not on a major route it has survived better than most of the other forts in the area.

boys playing outside school near Bidar Fort
Madarsa Of Mohammad Gawan near Bidar Fort
We visited the same our photography club TCPC  or twin city photography club under the leadership of Sumana. The weather gods were very kind to us and the whole day had a very nice cloud cover so we clicked pictures till our memory cards were full though we were still asking for more. We had our lunch at one of the AC dhabas outside the Gurudwara and had kadah Prashad at the Gurudwara.  The best of the halwais cannot make the kadah Prashad you get at gurudwaras. We visited some Mohammad Gawan’s madrasa, who was a Persian fugitive and built the madrasa for locals. It is still used by kids to play around. It has a very imposing tower, which you can climb with permission from the caretakers.

The highlight of the trip was the fort, which has a very exquisite and beautiful mosque with dozens of beautiful white pillars.
mosque in bidar Karnataka india
The Clock Tower  in Bidar
artisans working with tools to make Bidari work
Making Bidari Art Work 222
Today the city is famous for its metalwork knows as Bidari, which is made by using an alloy of zinc. We visited the market where some of the artisans were making and selling the same.  The town has a very imposing central clock tower that reminds you of the old movies. The whole town has a leisurely feeling, nobody has yet reached the cafe or the gate of the fort till 11 am when we reached there after checking the madrasa.

boy riding cycle inside the Bidar Fort
The Bidar Fort
We wound up our day after visiting the garden built around the tombs of the Barid Shahi Kings, I was getting a strange feeling surrounded by all the dead kings.
Overall a very satisfying day with lots of clicks that you can check here.
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Thanks For Reading
Bidar Fort

Bidar Fort, once the seat of Bahmani Sultans -now a playground of photographers

Overall a very satisfying day with lots of pictures and some good exercise walking in the precinct of the fort and climbing all the stairs. Highly recommended for my friends in Hyderabad

  5 Responses to “Bidar Fort and Gurudwara Nanak Jheera”

Comments (5)
  1. I really appreciate this post thank you for sharing these type of post. Visiting for these places you can take a help of Bharat Taxi.

  2. I went to Bidar this weekend, it was a mesmerizing experience. Loved every bit of it.

  3. Thanks Kranti Kumar, our photo club will be visiting it again I will forward the blog to the next group that is planning to visit Bidar in near future. I may also join on one of the trips to check other places you have mentioned.

  4. Thanks for visiting Bidar.
    though other few famous in bidar like series of ROyal Tombs in ASTUR, bidar, Narashimha Cave temple etc.

    From
    Kumar
    http://www.bidarinfo.blogspot.com

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