Bidar its History and Monuments

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About the Book The town of Bidar, some eighty miles from Hyderabad, flourished as the capital of the Baihmani kings during a hundred years from about the middle of the fifteenth century. It afterwards experienced sundry vicissitudes, and fell into complete decay in the later part of the nineteenth century, its once beautiful palaces and public buildings, formerly the envy of the great cities of India, becoming a neglected mass of debris. Dr. Yazdani, who visited Bidar for the first time in 1915, drew up a comprehensive programme for the thorough repair and conservation of the monuments at Bidar, and the work has been carried out through the enlightened policy of the Nizam's Government by whose authority the present magnificently illustrated record has been made available. It surveys the physical features, history, and architecture of Bidar in Chapters I-III and thereafter treats in detail of the numerous historical monuments, which include rare masterpieces of architecture and ornament in the palace buildings, temples, mosques, and tombs.

About the Author Dr. Gulam Yazdani served in the Hyderabad Government as Director of Archaeology, for over thirty years from 1904 to 1943. During this period, he organised the Department on sound scientific lines-by taking measures for the preservation of monuments and exploration and excavation of sites- which earned him reputation not only in India but also in Europe and United States.

Besides being a scholar, Dr. Yazdani did yeoman service to the Archaeology of Hyderabad, by undertaking thorough repairs to the world renowned caves of Ellora and several other temples and tombs. He received several honours like Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society, Member of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, and Honorary Fellow of Islamic Research Association, Bombay.

In 1936, he was conferred the honour of "Officer of the Distinguished Order of the British Empire" (Ο.Β.Ε.).

He also received several honorary Doctorates from a host of universities.

Finally in recognition of his glorious literary services, the Government of India conferred the award of Padma Bhushan in 1959.

Dr. Yazdani, breathed his last in 1962.

Preface IN 1915 I visited Bidar for the first time. Motor-cars were costly, and further they I had not come much into vogue in Hyderabad by that time. The roads were also not so good as they are now. Bidar was a two-days' trek from Hyderabad by the pony tonga. There were no arrangements for relays, and it would have been cruel to use a pair for more than forty miles a day. In such conditions it is apparent that there was little opportunity for the ordinary student or the 'globe-trotter' to visit Bidar. Government also had not taken any action in regard to the repair of 'a mass of ruin', however glorious, which was not easily accessible. The measures recommended by me for the conservation of monuments after my first visit were therefore not very elaborate, and they affected only those remains which were not in an advanced stage of decay. The fort, which is now a great attraction to the tourist, was almost left out, and in the case of the Madrasa only the clearance of its plinth and the setting up of a few props were recommended. But even in my first note I had suggested the construction of roads and footpaths as a preliminary measure to facilitate access to these monuments.