Gulbarga

Gulbarga, which its Bahmani rulers called Hasanabad, was the first capital of the Deccan sultanate that broke away from Delhi. Its fort contains a congregational mosque whose interior is entirely roofed, divided by arches into many small domes. Outside the walls stands the shrine of the Sufi saint Gesu Daraz, whose tomb became a centre of pilgrimage and royal patronage.

In 1347 Alauddin Bahman Shah, leader of the officers who had revolted against Delhi, made Gulbarga his capital. Eight sultans resided in the city, and the fort, the great mosque and the royal tombs date from their reigns. Gesu Daraz arrived from Delhi around 1400, and after his death in 1422 Sultan Ahmad Shah built him a mausoleum. Ahmad Shah moved the court to Bidar around 1427, and Gulbarga then passed through the hands of Bidar, Bijapur and the Mughals. The shrine kept the patronage of rulers and the devotion of pilgrims.