Bidar Fort

Bidar Fort, about 2.5 km from Bidar railway station, is the great stronghold of the Bahmani sultans. The site was first fortified under the Western Chalukyas, but its present form dates from 1430, when Sultan Ahmad Shah Wali made Bidar his capital and rebuilt the fort.

The quadrangular plan is ringed by about three miles of walls and a triple moat, and 37 large octagonal bastions once carried cannon. Inside lie the old city and a string of Bahmani-era buildings, among them Gagan Mahal, Rangin Mahal and Tarkash Mahal, along with gates, ramparts, royal baths, kitchens, gardens, pavilions and mosques. Much of the architecture shows strong Persian influence.