Tag Archives: Allauddin Hasan Gangu Bahamani

Fort museum opened in Bidar

January 7, 2018Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Karnataka (under research project), Leaders, Travel & Tourism, World OpinionAbdul Samad Bharati, Allauddin Hasan Gangu, Allauddin Hasan Gangu Bahamani, Bahaman Shah or Allauddin Hasan Gangu, Founder of Bahman Dynasty, Hassan Gangu Behman, Historian Abdul Samad Bharati, Rangeen Mahal, Rangeen Mahal - Bidar, Turkash Mahal, Turkash Mahal - Bidarmpositiveone@gmail.com

Bidar, KARNATAKA :

An amazing collection of artefacts, inscriptions and photographs are on display at the refurbished tourist information centre and museum opened by the Archaeological Survey of India on the fort premises here on Wednesday.

The museum had been closed for two years for restoration.

The old museum housed in the Royal Bath room inside the Turkash Mahal complex has been moved to the Awwal Talukdar office near the front gate, opposite Rangeen Mahal.

It has tools used by hunters in Neolithic times that were found in 11 archaeological sites in Bidar district. Stone tablets dating from the 1st century; inscriptions that speak of the genealogy of Hassan Gangu Behman, the founder of the Bahmani dynasty; and a space saving tablet that has an inscription on one side and a design on the other, are among the exhibits.

The weapons section is full of guns of various shapes and sizes, cannon balls and thorns and grenades. Metal armour, swords, and khanjars are on display.

Of special interest are implements used by doctors in the 14th century, ornaments made from sea shells, terracotta tiles and painted wall hangings.

It also has artefacts found in neighbouring sites of Sannati, Maski, Kalaburagi, Vijayapura and Basavakalyan.

Archaeologist Prasanna Kumar took visitors and students around the museum and explained the significance of the artefacts. He spoke of sculptors used soap stone to carve female figurines to symbolise that beauty fade away over time, like the rock it was carved on. Abdul Samad Bharati read Persian and Arabic inscriptions to the delight of young visitors.

A.M.V Subrahmanya, Superintending Archaeologist, ASI, pointed out that some Madanika busts found in Basavakalyan and other sites in Bidar district were older than those found in Belur and Halebid.

A 30-minute audio guide about Bidar would be prepared to help tourists, he said. He also said work would start on an interpretation centre and sound and light show in Bidar fort.

The ASI is working with various government departments to draft a proposal to be sent to the UNESCO seeking heritage city status to Bidar- Kalaburagi and Vijayapura, he said.

Hanchate Sanjiv Kumar inaugurated the museum and asked youth to take pride in their history. Prakash Nikam, Superintendent of police, asked youth to desist from defacing monuments. “If we don’t etch on the walls at home, why should we do so on the walls of monuments that are national treasures?” he said

source: http://www.thehindu.com/ The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Rishikesh Bahadur Desai / Bidar – February 05th, 2016

Inscription traces genealogy of Bahmani Kingdom founder

January 7, 2018Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Karnataka (under research project), Leaders, Travel & Tourism, World Opinion'Historic Monuments of Bidar', Abdul Samad Bharati, Allauddin Hasan Gangu, Allauddin Hasan Gangu Bahamani, Bahaman Shah or Allauddin Hasan Gangu, Bahmani Kingdom, Bijapur Adil Shah, Book 'Historic Monuments of Bidar', Esfandiyar Goshtap, Farishta, Farishta - Court Historian of Bijapur Adil Shahi's, Founder of Bahmani Dynasty, Historian Abdul Samad Bharati, King Ahmed Shah Bahmanimpositiveone@gmail.com

Bidar, KARNATAKA :

Historian Abdul Samad Bharati showing the stone inscription to visitors in the Bidar ASI museum.— File Photo: T. Gopichand

History textbooks in the State say that Allauddin Hasan Gangu, founder of the Bahmani dynasty, began his life as the slave of a Brahmin in New Delhi. However, other versions of history strongly claim that he hailed from Iran and served in the army of the medieval Delhi kings.

The latest evidence that argues against the slave-to-king theory is a stone inscription unveiled at the Archaeological Survey of India museum in Bidar that opened last month.

The inscription of two sets of seven lines, with neatly carved rectangular borders, starts with hailing King Ahmed Shah Bahmani and how his rule brought prosperity to the region. It speaks of how he was the ninth king of the Bahmani Sultanate founded by Allauddin Hasan Gangu Bahmani . It identifies Hasan Gangu as a descendant of the legendary warrior Esfandiyar Goshtap. It describes him as a proud son of a Bahmani village in Iran. “Experts have dated this tablet between 1350 and 1550,” said Prasanna Kumar, archaeologist with the Bidar ASI office.

“For long, scholars have argued with evidence that Allauddin was a general in Mohammad Bin Tughlaq’s army. He founded the Bahmani Kingdom in Kalaburagi, after rebelling against the Delhi kings in 1347. But, we continue to teach the legend that Allauddin was a slave who became a king by chance. This is unfortunate,” said Abdul Samad Bharati, historian and author of the book ‘Historic monuments of Bidar’. He hoped the Bidar inscription would help change the minds of history writers. “There are two other documents that refute the theory about Allauddin’s humble beginnings, a book published by University of Dhaka that speaks of the life and contribution of the hero and medieval era historian Abdul Mallik Esami, who said Allauddin was an Iranian, who joined the Delhi army,” he said.

International scholars also feel the same. “The whole story of Hasan Gangu being a slave to Gangadhar Shastri is a legend that is not supported by any primary source,” said Sara Mondini, art history scholar from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, who is on a tour of Ashtur near Bidar. Helen Philon, historian of the Deccan Heritage Foundation, says history books need to accommodate changes over the years. “Farishta, a court historian of the Bijapur Adilshahis accorded legitimacy to such legends and hearsay in the 17 th century. Most historians and writers seemed to have believed Farishta, without considering theories that offered alternative explanations,” she said.

Ashwath Narayana, professor of history in Bangalore University, and a member of the Karnataka state textbook review committee, said history textbooks should change with the emergence of new sources. “If history is an attempt at truth-telling, new research should prompt us to change the way it is written. We will study this inscription and make suitable changes to the history of the Deccan, if need be,” he said.

A stone inscription unveiled at the ASI museum in Bidar is evidence that negates the slave-to-king theory in history textbooks.

source: http://www.thehindu.com/ The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Rishikesh Bahadur Desai / Bidar – April 04th, 2016

A story in pictures

April 1, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Travel & TourismAfzal Khan, Ailshahis, Aiwan-e-shahi, Allauddin Hasan Gangu Bahamani, Bahaman Shah or Allauddin Hasan Gangu, Bahamani kingdom, Bahamani Sultanate, Bahamani Sultans, Baragazi Toop, BOOK Monuments of Gulbarga, Chand Bibi Gumbad, Chor Gumbad, Dargah Hazarath Kamal-e-Mujarrad, Dargah Hazarath Shaik Sirajuddin Junaidi, Dargah Khabullah Hussaini, Dargah of Hazarath Mohamad Mashaq Sahib, Dargah of Khaja Bande Nawaz Gesudaraz, Daud Shah, Ferozabad fort, Feroze Shah Bahamani, Ghiyat-al-din Shah, Gulbarga Fort, Hirapur, Ibrahim Adil Shahi Jama Masjid, Jaccha Bibi, Kali Gumbad, Kanchini Mahal, Mohammad Shah Bahamani, Mohammed Ayazuddin Patel, Mohammed Shah, Monuments of Gulbarga, MSK Mills, Mujahid Shah, Osmania Intermediate College, Patel-President- President of National Graduate Art and Photographers Association., President of National Graduate Art and Photographers Association., Shahbazaar - Gulbarga, Shahi Jama Masjid, Shams-al-din, Siddi Ambar Gumbad, Tomb of Feroz Shah, Treasure House of Islamic Architecture, Upli Gumbadmpositiveone@gmail.com

BOOK Monuments of Gulbarga is a book that captures ancient art and architecture through photographs.

Domes, tombs, minars , forts, moats and off-course masjids . Are you thinking of Delhi? Why travel thousands of kilometres to experience the reminiscences of the sultanate? Prefer going to Gulbarga, a night’s journey from Bangalore. Instead, feel every bit of Gulbarga’s history by just turning the pages of a book. “Monuments of Gulbarga, Treasure House of Islamic Architecture”, a photo-book authored by Mr. Mohammed Ayazuddin Patel gives you this experience.

Gulbarga, now a district headquarters in northern Karnataka, was the capital city of Bahamani Sultanate for two centuries. It was at its zenith in the 15{+t}{+h}century and was home to hundreds of monuments. The Sultanate was founded by Bahaman Shah or Allauddin Hasan Gangu. He shifted the capital from Daulatabad in the present-day Maharashtra to Gulbarga and laid the foundation for a magnificent city. The other great kings of the dynasty were Mohammed Shah and Mujahid Shah.

Resembles Spain`s Mezquita

The book provides a pictorial account of the history of the Bahamani kingdom. Beginning with a nostalgic photo of a tomb of Allauddin Hasan Gangu Bahamani, the founder of the dynasty, the book vividly portrays the beautiful Gulbarga fort, its ramparts, fine arches and abutments. The Jama Masjid, built within the fort, resembles the Great Mosque of Cordova (Mezquita) in Spain with grand corridors and lofty entrance. Various pictures of Shahi Jama masjid in the book unfurl a tableau in front of the onlooker. This masjid located in Shahbazaar was constructed for the members of the royal family. ‘It has a unique architectural style of Mughals and the Persian style’, the book says.

The mausoleums of Mujahid Shah, Daud Shah, Ghiyat-al-din Shah, and Shams-al-din resemble that of Hasan Gangu. Unique is the Tomb of Feroz Shah, with intricate jalis and twin domes. The pictures of 800-year-old Holkonda fort capture the Islamic culture and the simplicity of Tughlaq style aptly. This fort houses an idgah and a Dargah of Hazarath Mohamad Mashaq Sahib, a Sufi saint believed to have come to Gulbarga at the request of Bahamani Sultans.

Gulbarga is famous for the tombs of Sufi saints and Pirs . Noted among them is Dargah of Khaja Bande Nawaz Gesudaraz, built by Mohammad Shah Bahamani. It has a Bijapuri arch built by Afzal Khan, army general of the Ailshahis. Other Sufi tombs being Dargah Khabullah Hussaini with beautiful paintings and calligraphy, Dargah Hazarath Kamal-e-Mujarrad and Dargah Hazarath Shaik Sirajuddin Junaidi.

Majestic, but dilapidated is the Ferozabad fort, built by Feroze Shah Bahamani. He was known for his flair for fine-arts and architecture. This fort, on the banks of Bheema river, encompasses a huge mosque, Tosha khana , and palacial buildings. In spite of its beauty and historical significance, this fort is ill-maintained. Arrays of dung cakes adorn the walls of the sepulchral edifices. Weed-infested mahals are on the verge of collapse due to vagaries of nature. Crumbling structures like Kanchini Mahal, once magnificent and awe-inspiring narrate a story of wanton negligence.

The Chor Gumbad with floral designs, Chand Bibi Gumbad or Kali Gumbad with exquisite Chajjas andJalis , Upli Gumbad – incomplete, yet beautiful, the utterly neglected tomb of Jaccha Bibi, the Siddi Ambar Gumbad with a rectangular porch, are only a few identified among tens of such monuments wailing for attention.

Water conservation

The photos of Hirapur form an interesting set. Hirapur, a suburb of Gulbarga has Ibrahim Adil Shahi Jama Masjid, built in black stone decorated with immaculate designs.

The town has wells, embedded with finely crafted staircases, jharokas and of all, ingenious technology of water conservation to avoid excessive evaporation in soaring temperatures. The wells are still seen as an evidence of splendour, but grossly uncared for.

Strewn inside the fort and atop the bastions are numerous canons, cast in brass and other alloys, weighing several tons, flaunting an intimidating appearance. Famous among these canons is Baragazi Toop atop the Burj in the fort.

Gulbarga is dotted with tombs and mausoleums lost in history, beckoning the curious eyes with their regality. This book displays a tableau of medieval Islamic culture and gives a splendid account of the forgotten monuments. The author also gives an account of Hindu and Jain monuments and pilgrim centres. Patel dedicates quite a bit to the revered Sharanabasaveshwara Temple, Sannati Chandralamba Temple, Ganagapura Dattatreya Temple, and Mallinatha Basadi at Malkhed, but, there is no reference to the nearly 700 year-old-shrine of the Madhwa saint Jayateertha on the banks of river Kagina at Malkhed, a major pilgrim centre.

Patel, a national award winner, also records Aiwan-e-shahi, Osmania Intermediate College, MSK Mills established in 1884 by the Nizams. He is President of National Graduate Art and Photographers Association.

TAMRAPARNI R. RAGHAVENDRA

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Friday Review / by Tamraparni S. Raghavendra / March 28th, 2014