In front of a gate of Bidar Forte
It was almost more than a month since I went on any ride; the last ride was the Srisailum ride. So it was expected that I would try to go somewhere. A few weeks back I tried to go for a ride to Bidar but was unsuccessful since none of the riders turned up. After a lot of planning finally I was able to make this trip. Thanks to Raghu and Riyaz who responded positively for the trip.
Bidar is about 136 Km from Hyderabad in the state of Karnataka. It has some of the magnificent historical structures like Forte, mosque, madrasa, tombs of historical importance, a famous Gurudwara and mandir in addition to the picturesque landscape. So reading about it in internet caught my interest to visit the place as early as possible.
We started our journey at 6:30 AM on 6th July 2008. Initially it was Raghu and I with our heavier halves (our Royal Enfield’s). We started from Begumpet and rode through Ameerpet and NH9 towards B.H.E.L where Riyaz joined us with his friend. He came with a brand new RE which had done only 150 Km so it was decided that we are not going to cruise beyond 60Km/Hr.
The road was awesome and it was only because of the new baby that we restricted ourselves to 60Km/Hr. Even riding at that speed we reached Zahirabad, our last stop in the state of AP at 9:00 AM and had our breakfast. Then we moved on towards Bidar. It was just a rope in the middle of the road on a check post that marked the boundary of the two states of AP and Karnataka. We reached Bidar shortly after 10 AM. The entrance to Bidar was through a gate of ancient forte.
History of the Bidar Fort:
In the year 977 AD, the Chalukyas established their kingdom in the South and their capital was Kalyani. It was 57 Kilometer from the Bidar Fort which belonged to them. Later on however, the fort went into the hands of the Yadavas of Devagiri, and then into the hands of the Kalyanas of Warangal in 1322. But the real charm and elegance of the Bidar Fort rose to its zenith in the hands of the Muslims.
The Bidar Fort is at a height of 2,200 feet from the sea level and overlooks the Manjira River Valley. The main gateway of the Bidar Fort is the contribution of the great Sultan Ahmed Shah Wali of the Bahmani Kingdom. This was constructed in the year 1429 and afterwards further renovations were made.
Mahmud Gawan Madrasa
On entering Bidar through one of the gates of the forte (stopped by a traffic constable for entering through a wrong way) we came across a Clock tower which was a huge structure and we could not resist ourselves to stop and to take pictures. Riding a short distance we found the Mahmud Gawan Madrasa. The building is huge and has a tall minar which contained ceramic tiles in its outer walls. Constructing such a magnificent structure must have taken years to complete. The building primarily got destroyed due to a lightening strike but what remains shows the grandeur of the structure.
We moved on towards the main forte, which was a huge structure and made up of stone walls. The gate through which one needs to enter is strategically built so as to repel any enemy attack. The fort consists of a museum where different artifacts are displayed. A very long rifle is kept in the museum and I am sure one can’t find any rifle longer than that. I don’t have any idea how it was loaded or fired. Cannon balls of large size did arouse our interest and we wondered what may be the size of the cannon which would have fired such a cannon ball. It was just the beginning of our admiration. The palace and the garden associated with it is fabulous and one can see the beautiful valley under the forte. The garden contained fountains and water path which were beautifully decorated and the architecture of the palace is something that amazes everyone. Though the palace is in ruins but the shear structure shows its grandeur and workmanship that involved in building such a magnificent structure. The fountain was build by artisans from Persia. The garden is well maintained and one can spend a considerable time in it.
Riding a few hundred meters we reached the 16 pillar mosque. The pillars are non existent as they must have been destroyed long ago, but the mosque is a huge building and contained rooms and hallways whose ruins still stand tall against the tide of time. We took a few snaps inside the mosque.
Then it was time for our biggest surprise and admiration for the technology of those generations which built and secured the forte. We came across a large cylindrical structure and on its top we discovered huge cannon. The size of the cannon mesmerized us and we wondered how such an awesome gun fired, and how was it mounted at such a height. The barrel of the cannon is at least 20ft and one can easily crawl inside the barrel of the cannon. The cannon must have rained havoc on the enemies. It was mounted in such a manner in which it could be rotated at any direction. The gun mount provided a wonderful view of the valley underneath and we were spellbound by the view. While riding out of the forte we found two more large cannons and many other small ones which used to be mounted on the walls of the forte.
After we satisfied our eyes inside the forte we went to visit the famous Gurudwara Nanak Jhira Sahib. It is a beautiful gurudwara and kirtan was being sung when we reached there. We entered the gurudwara with our heads covered with handkerchief. The gurudwara carries the tale that Guru Nanak - the first guru of the Sikhs visited this place and got rid of the scarcity of drinking water in the region. Near the temple fresh crystal clear spring water appears from nowhere. Inside the gurudwara we prayed for a while. It was a good place to rest since we were feeling tired. Hunger was burning in our stomach and it was not long before we found ourselves in the 'langer' of the gurudwara. Food was good and we really gobbled up whatever was served. The langer room could house many thousands at a time. It was a nice experience since many of us did pay a visit to any gurudwara for the first time.
After the grand lunch and a short rest in gurudwara we visited the Papanaash temple, a Shiva temple a few Km from the gurudwara. While returning from the temple we came across the tombs of Badri Shahi rulers. We tried to enter the campus but it was closed and restoration work was underway. We were told that it remains open for public only after 5 PM. Due to time constraints we could not see the smaller tombs.
A gush of shower stopped us from moving any further but that removed the dust and the surrounding became even greener. We could see two large dome structure at the other side of the road and nothing could resist us to have a closer look at them.
We entered the area in our bikes and riding a few hundred meters through the mud road amidst forest we came in front of a huge tomb. But nowhere was it written in whose memory was it built any by whom. I guess it was of Bahamani rulers. The tomb had graves which were well preserved but the surrounding of the tomb needs restoration. The dome of the structure had inscription from the holy Quran.
Leaving the tombs behind we went towards Narasimha Jheera, a temple of Lord Narasimha. To visit the Narasimha Jheera, you have to tread for at least a furlong inside a cave with waist deep water (and countless bats hanging from the roof!) to seek a view of Lord Narasimha. Due to time constraints (and the thought of water filled with bat droppings) we decided against going inside the cave.
It was now that we started our journey back home. The new bird’s fuel tank went on reserve and Riyaz went to fill it up only to find that due to some issues all Petrol Bunks of Bidar were closed. But he managed to get a few liters. We decided that we won’t stop till Sadashivpet. The road was good but windy and we rode at constant speed of 60Km/hr for almost two hours before we stopped at a HP Petrol Bunk crossing Sadashivpet. We took fruit juice and then again carried on the journey. Since the NH-9 was a good road the ride became a boring one and we resisted the temptation of cruising at higher speeds as we had no intension of leaving one of our fellow riders behind.
Before the neon lights took over the job of the mighty sun we were in Hyderabad and bid goodbye to a new found friend Riyaz in B.H.E.L. I and Raghu did some cruising while we rode through Kondapur towards Mehdipatnam.
It was a ride that will remain in my memory for a long time. We resisted our cruising temptation in this ride and never wanted one of our fellow riders to feel lonely. While on some other rides we did cruise but many riders fell back and we had to wait for them. It was a ride that unexpectedly turned out to be a good one even when some others gave feedback that the place of visit was not worth riding. We were able to nullify that negative feedback. It was a weekend to be remembered.
More pictures avaliable at http://picasaweb.google.com/bodhisattva24/BidarVisit
