Bahmani Double Tombs of Kalaburagi

A unique funerary architecture style of the Bahmani Shahs is contained within Karnataka's Kalaburagi, a style seen nowhere else but here in this Deccan region.

View of the Haft Gumbad complex, Kalaburagi. Source- MIT Libraries

The first independent Muslim kingdom of the Deccan region- the Bahmani dynasty lasted from 1347 to 1528 AD. Eighteen Muslim rulers or Shahs presided over the cosmopolitan court over varying periods, some even as puppets. The dynasty was spread across parts of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and even small portions of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

The tombs of these Shahs are located in three sites in present-day Kalaburagi (formerly known as Gulbarga) and Bidar. Kalaburagi, which was the Bahmani capital until 1423, has the tombs of the early Shahs of the 14th & 15th centuries while the later Shahs were buried in Ashtur, near Bidar. Between the two sites at Gulbarga, the Haft Gumbad or Haft Gumbaz, meaning Seven Tombs, is the later royal funerary complex. These seven tombs, on the eastern fringe of the city, are located on either side of a short avenue that formerly met a lake, which is now mostly dried up.

Five of the tombs are of the Bahmani Shahs, one tomb is possibly that of Feroze Shah's son and the last one remains unknown. The tombs are located in chronological order west-to-east, with the last one close to the lake.

Plan of the seven Bahmani tombs. Source- Navrang India

The first Shah to be buried here was Alauddin Mujahid (d.1378). Refused permission from Sheikh Junaidi on account of being obedient to another spiritual advisor, he was not allowed to build his mausoleum adjacent to his father. Hence his tomb became the first one at the Haft Gumbad. This is a simple single-domed structure, with unadorned sloping walls, and interior panels with geometric and floral motifs. There are a total of five cenotaphs in this tomb along with the mihrab, to signify the direction of Mecca, and is set within the echoing arches.

Alauddin Mujahid’s successor- Dawud I found his way to be in the second tomb here, in a rather gruesome and unfortunate manner. He was murdered while he was on his way to the Jami Masjid, in 1378, for Friday prayers! The murder was done at the instigation of Alauddin Mujahid’s powerful and influential sister- Ruparwur Agha.

Dawud I’s tomb is one of the two unique tombs here and this style of tombs is not seen anywhere else in India. The tomb is a double-tomb and a double-domed structure. A Timurid architectural style brought to India, this structure consists of one tomb for the Shah and one for his family members. The tombs are connected internally by a narrow passage, with the western tomb belonging to Dawud I and the eastern tomb having three unidentified cenotaphs.

Across the grassy avenue, opposite Dawud I’s tomb, are the third and fourth tombs. They are two separate tombs. They belong to the sons of Mahmud I, both of whom them reigned for an extremely short period of seven months cumulatively, in 1397. Ghiyathuddin ruled for a month and later his brother, Shamsuddin ruled for six months as a puppet ruler under Lachin Khan Turk. The interior elements are similar to the previous tombs and include rosettes, lotus foliations and the shahada.

Feroze Shah' s tomb- the largest one among the Bahmani tombs, Kalaburagi, Source- Wikipedia

The fifth tomb, located on the eastern end, is that of Feroze Shah (d.1422) and is the last one that belongs to a Shah here. This is again a double tomb and is the pinnacle of this early phase of Bahmani funerary architecture. Also known as Taj ud-Din Firoz Shah, he ruled from 1397-1422. He was known for engaging in cultural relations and diplomacy with the Vijayanagara Empire, Timurid Empire and other Middle East dynasties and was known particularly for his intellectual character. Thus, it was befitting that his tomb be the largest in this complex and a testament to his varied interests such as language and knowledge across a wide spectrum of subjects. Apart from the size, for the first time, vertical walls divided into two tiers of recessed niches were introduced here. Interiors have lotus motifs, jalis with geometric designs and various Quranic verses. Among the niches, is the larger five-sided niche, mihrab.

Behind Feroze Shah’s tomb, on the south side, is a tomb which possibly is that of Hassan Khan, his son. An unlucky lad, who was blinded and exiled to Firuzabad by Ahmad Shah, who succeeded Feroze Shah in 1422. After this tragic incident, the capital shifted to Bidar and so did the consequent tombs, thus ending the tomb timeline of the Seven tombs here.