Karnataka - Gulbarga   

Priceless monument crumbling

T.V. Sivanandan

IN DISREPAIR: The crumbling tomb where the founder of the Bahamani dynasty, Hasan Gangu, is buried, in Gulbarga.

GULBARGA: The tomb of Sikandar-i-Sani Alauddin Hasan Bahman Shah-al-Wali, founder of the Bahamani dynasty in the 14th Century, is in a state of neglect.

The State Department of Archaeology has declared the obscure tomb on the outskirts of Gulbarga a historical monument. But no board has been put up to inform visitors about who is buried there.

The tomb is crumbling due to exposure to the elements and lack of maintenance. There is no approach road, and all the roads leading to the tomb have been encroached upon. Buildings and shops have come up all around the monument.

Thorny bushes block the narrow path leading to the tomb, and officials of the Archaeology Department have not broached the issue of removing the encroachments with either the district administration or the city corporation.

The title Bahman Shah was given to Hasan Gangu and his offspring who ruled the region for more than seven decades, and this is mentioned in one of the inscriptions found in the Gulbarga mosque and also inscribed on coins issued by the rulers.

Hasan Gangu, who rose to power at Daulatabad, now in Maharashtra, chose Gulbarga as the capital and spent most of his 11-year rule waging wars and annexing territory.

According to historians, Hasan Gangu constructed a number of buildings in Gulbarga and was an able administrator. He divided the territory under him into four provinces, each of which had a Governor. The province of Gulbarga, which included Bijapur, was considered to be the most important of the four.

Hasan Gangu, who ascended the throne in 1347, died in 1358 leaving the throne to his son Mahmud I, who was also considered to be a sound administrator. Hasan Gangu's great grandson Firoz Shah ruled for 25 years and carried out three campaigns against the Vijayanagar empire in 1399, 1407 and 1417. He built a new city, Firozabad, on the outskirts of Gulbarga.

The 77-year rule of the Bahamani kings came to an end because of squabbles and conflicts with the Moghuls and neighbouring Hindu rulers.

Hasan Gangu's tomb is an important historical monument, since he was responsible for declaring Gulbarga the capital of the Bahamani kingdom and making it one of the most beautiful cities with all basic amenities. If it is to be preserved, immediate action must be taken by the Department of Archaeology to renovate the structure and remove the encroachments around it.

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