Karnataka - Gulbarga

Gulbarga Fort to be developed as a tourist centre

GULBARGA: The 14th century Gulbarga Fort is set to get the focus to become one of the important tourist spots in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region when its hosts a three-day mega cultural event, “Gulbarga Utsav”, from March 15.

The fort, which was built by Raja Gulchand, was later strengthened by the Bahamani Kings who made Gulbarga their capital.

The capital city of the empire was shifted to Bidar in the 15th century. The Gulbarga Fort, which withstood the ravages of time, is one of the examples of architectural expertise of the past.

It had 15 towers with 26 guns to keep the enemies away. One of the major highlights of the fort is the famous Jama Masjid within its ramparts.

The three-day cultural event, including performances by well-known artistes such as Praveen Godkindi, would be held on the ground adjacent to the masjid.

The 216 ft. x 176 ft. masjid is the replica of the famous Mosque of Cardova in Spain. Deputy Commissioner Pankajkumar Pandey told The Hindu that a decision to host the event at the fort had been taken to showcase the past glory of the region and develop the fort as a major tourist centre.

Mr. Pandey said since cultural programmes would be held in the evening, efforts were being made to install focus lights on important monuments, including the masjid, inside the fort. Permissions had been obtained from Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for holding the event in the fort, which was a protected national monument.

The district administration would clean the fort premises and the moat which is full of weeds. Roads leading to the fort were being rebuilt and special bus services from different parts of the district and other places in the State had been arranged for the people participating in the three-day event, he said.

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