On January 14, 2025. Through the cool breath of dawn Basava Express which departed from Mysuru on the noon of the 13th, pulled into Kalaburagi station at the still hour of 4:15 am. I boarded from Bengaluru along with two passengers from Yelahanka, and we got down together. The bond between us began with offering me a small space to sit on the Indian Express newspaper and a piece of cardboard they had brought along, it was in the middle section of the general coach where no seats were left. As they disappeared into their own busy worlds, I stood waiting in front of the gateway of Gulbarga railway station. The old Gulbarga railway station, written as ‘kalburgi’ in Kannada, Hindi, Urdu, and English languages. The sun rises over in the city of Sufis, Gulbarga…!

Islamic civilization reached the Deccan with the expansion of the Delhi Sultanate. In 1347, while consolidating the rule of Tughluq, Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah, governor of Muhammad bin Tughluq in Gulbarga, established the Bahmani Sultanate. While exploring the history of Gulbarga, Shahid Yamani, a teacher at the Rahmaniyya Institute in Gulbarga, arrived at the railway station and accompanied us directly to the institute. At the Rahmaniyya, we rested until noon. Our first visit was to a monument known as ‘Haft Gubz’. A cluster of ancient buildings with grand domes and even the graves of the Bahmani Sultanate. At first sight, these domes evoked memories of the Babri Masjid. This monument, long ignored, has now been transformed into a protected site. Records indicate that the graves of militiamen and sultans, from the 3rd ruler Mujahid Shah to the 8th ruler Firoz Shah, lay here. The name Haft Gubz literally means “Seven Domes” of the monument which was constructed in Indo-Persian style.

The name Gulbarga means “City of Flowers,” the Sufis and dargahs are the flowers here. The city flourishes with the presence of these Sufis and mazars. From Haft Gubz, our next stop was Gulbarga Fort. The Gulbarga Fort, spanning over 74 acres, served as the capital of the Bahmani Sultanate from 1347 to 1424. The fort, which features a 30-feet-deep tank and housed main administrative centres and a collection of weapons, including a 29-feet-long mace. There is a Jama Masjid in the fort, built in 1367, inspired by the Great Mosque of Cordoba in Spain. The mosque featuring a wide hall capable of accommodating five thousand worshippers at a time and 250 beautiful arches and housing 107 tombs, was designed by the Persian architect Rafi. This mosque is one of the rare structures built under a single roof, without any verandas is an integration of Indo-Persian architects. Besides the mosque, the fort also contains graves and shrines. This historical monument, once the centre of governance and civilization, now has several families living in small huts around it, almost like a slum.The fort’s outer elevations are public toilets.

Perhaps, these people who marginalized from the page of democracy seem to have found shelter among the relics of ancient kingdoms. The grandson of the celebrated Sufi master Junaid al-Baghdadi, a prominent spiritual figure affiliated with several Sufi orders, also has his grave in Gulbarga. The sultans had been provided every necessary facility to this noble figure, known as Sirajuddin Junaid al-Baghdadi. He resided in the elevation of large minaret, and his grave still remains there. From the fort we proceeded to this site. Besides the grave of Sirajuddin Shaikh there are many other tombs belonging to various Sufis. Near his shrine, there is also a spot associated with a well-known incident: it is said that Sirajuddin Shaikh once cooked khichadi for Khwaja Banda Nawaz, having foreseen his arrival. When he arrived, he ate the meal that had been prepared for him.

The “Hujrathu Swalath,” located next to the shrine, gave an unusual feeling. It means a room dedicated only to praise prophet Muhammed (saw). In the ambience of attar-smelling anyone can join the program by counting in seeds as a traditional way. There are no conversations inside the room, only the smoke of burning ‘ūd, whispering lips reciting swalat, and the soft sound of seeds being counted. We stepped out of the fort through another gateway, walking along the ancient royal pathways. Kaddu ka halwa, a halwa made by our local padavalanga, was the special of the day which was enjoyed with the tea from the roadside stall. The first day ended amidst the arriving crowd for prayer and shelter even at midnight, as listening the stories of Gulbarga from Shahid Yamani.

The second day began with a game session along with the students of Rahmaniyyah. After Subh namaz, we went up to the rooftop with the first-year students (equal to the 6th class in our locality). We spent at least an hour singing, talking, and dancing together. The energy and enthusiasm of those students made me active even in the early morning. I spent there until noon, taking lectures and leading activities in both classes whenever there were free periods. After noon, our journey was to Belur village, and on the way, we visited Khaja Banda Nawaz University. KBN University is a private university established under the highly profitable Khaja Banda Nawaz dargah. It includes departments such as Medical, Paramedical, Engineering, Law, M.A, B.A.M.S, B.Sc, and B.Ed. and also recognized by the UGC. Perhaps, this may be the only university here that functions efficiently. The impact it has created in the field of education is remarkable, especially for Muslim girls.

There are many villages named Belur in Karnataka, so the one we visited is commonly known as K. Belur. This naming system acts as identifying villages by the nearest town when several places share the same name. So, the Belur located nearest to Kalburgi referred as K Belur / Belur K. Gulbarga (Gulbaraga), meaning “City of Flowers,” is now officially known as Kalburagi, a name that translates to “City of Stones”. The abundant use of stones is the reason; even they build rooftops of house with the stones like rock. We can see many homes in kalburagi which stone-laid in front yard, walls, rooftops and even cowshed. This name ‘kalburagi’ suits this place perfectly even it’s made by the modern politicians. Gulbarga is also known as the “Land of Toor Dal,” because of the extensive cultivation of ‘Thoordal’ across the region.