GULBARGA TOURISM KARNATAKA Location : North East of Karnataka Famous For : Gulbarga Fort, Sannathi Distance : 220 kms from Hyderabad Best Time to Visit : October to March (Urs Festival in November)

Gulbarga – Melting Pot of Cultures

Gulbarga, located in the north east part of Karnataka, is an important travel destination in Karnataka. At a distance of 613 kms north of Bangalore, Gulbarga is a small town with a lot of monumental attraction. It was primarily a Hindu city before the conquest of the Muhammadan, thus making it a potpourri of both the cultures. Retaining its histrionic charm is the Gulbarga fort that forms the main attraction of the city.

Lying in the divisional head quarters of the four district of Karnataka, i.e. Bidar, Bellary, Raichur, and Gulbarga, this city is filled with beautiful mosques, grand palaces and flourishing bazaars. Karnataka tourism highlights Gulbarga tours that includes a magnificent sojourn in the cultural land of Gulbarga.

Famous Attractions of Gulbarga – Carrying the Historic Emblem

The most popular tourist spot in Gulbarga is the Momentous Gulbarga fort, built by the Bahamani rulers. It has 15 towers and exquisite carvings adorn the walls and ceilings. Though this fort is presently in ruins, it has not lost its past glory. Forming a major tourist attraction, Gulbarga fort houses an imposing mosque called Jama Masjid. This mosque is said to be an imitation of Cordoba Mosque in southern Spain, and highlights the Moorish architect.

To add to the list of attractions is the Khwaja Bande Nawaz Dargah, an important pilgrim site in Gulbarga. The tomb of the Syed Mohammed Gesu Daraz in the dargah is built in the Indo – Saracenic style. This famous shrine for Muslims is also known for its architecture splendour. While the arches of the Dargah are in the Bahmani architecture the paintings on the walls and ceiling represent the Turkish and Irani influence.

Excur to the Largets Buddhist Site in Karnataka – Sannathi

At a distance of 40 kms from Gulbarga lies the largest Buddhist site in Karnmatak called Sannathi. The main highlight of Sannathi is the Chandralamba temple which is dedicated to goddess Durga. Having a great archaeological importance, this small town is situated on the banks of river Bhima and has various number of slabs that were then used as steps for a bathing ghat near the temple.

Getting There – Reaching the Cultural City of Gulbarga

Though Gulbarga does not have its own airport, one can avail the nearest airport of Hyderabad, 220 kms away. Indian Airlines and Jet Airways operate frequently between Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata. Approximately 5 hours are required to reach Gulbarga from Hyderabad via road transport.
Gulbarga has its own railway station. The city falls on the main Mumbai-Bangalore line, and a number of express trains are available from here. A considerable number of trains for Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kochi are passes through Gulbarga.
To reach Gulbarga by road tourists can avail the bus service from Bidar or Bijapur, that are just 3 hours away. Overnight buses are also available from Gulbarga for Bangalore and Hyderabad. Local transport in Gulbarga includes auto rickshaws and tourist buses.