Gulbarga, city in southern India, in northeastern Karnataka state, located on the Karnataka Plateau. Gulbarga is primarily a regional market and service center. The majority of the city's outbound shipments consist of food products and other agricultural items. Gulbarga is served by a major rail line and a national highway. The nearest airport is in Hyderabad. The city is home to Gulbarga Medical College (founded in 1963) and several other colleges.
From 1347 to 1422 Gulbarga was the capital of the Bahmani sultanate, a Muslim state that encompassed territory between the Krishna River in the south and the Tapi River in the north. The city was built around a stone fort (completed in 1367) that remains mostly intact today, although the walls and gateways are in bad condition. Other places of interest are the tombs of Bahmani sultans, a shrine of the Saint Banda Nawaz (1640), and a cross-shaped bazaar with 61 arches. After the Bahmani capital was moved to Bidar in 1424, Gulbarga became a provincial capital. In the 16th century the city became part of the Bijapur sultanate. By the second half of the 17th century the region was incorporated into the Mughal Empire. The city came under the rule of the princely state of Hyderabad in the early 18th century. Along with the rest of Hyderabad, it was annexed by India in 1948. In 1956 Gulbarga was made a part of Mysore state (renamed Karnataka in 1973). More than a third of the city's residents are Muslims. Most of the remainder are Hindus. Population (1991) 304,099.
