History
The recorded history of Kalaburagi dates back to the 6th century. The Rashtrakutas gained control over the area, but the Chalukyas regained their domain within a short period and reigned supreme for over two hundred years. The Kalaharis who succeeded them ruled until the 12th century. Around the end of the 12th century, the Yadavas of Devagiri and the Hoysalas of Dwarasamadra destroyed the supremacy of the Chalukyas and Kalachuris. Around the same period, the Kakatiya kings of Warangal came into prominence and the present Kalaburagi and Raichur districts formed part of their domain. The Kakatiya power was subdued in 1321 AD and the entire Deccan, including the district of Kalaburagi, passed under the control of the Emperors of Delhi.
The revolt of the officers appointed from Delhi resulted in the founding of the Bahmani Sultanate in 1347 AD by Zafar KhanHasan Gangu, who chose Kalaburagi(called Ahasanabad during this period) to be the capital. When the Bahmani dynasty came to an end in 1428, the kingdom broke up into five independent Sultanates, Bijapur, Bidar, Berar, Ahmednager, and Golconda. The present Kalaburagi district came partly under Bidar and partly under Bijapur. The last of these sultanates, Golconda, finally fell to Aurangzeb in 1687.
With the conquest of the Deccan by Aurangezeb in the 17th century, Kalaburagi passed under the Mughal Empire. In the early part of the 18th century, with the decline of the Mughal Empire, Asaf Jha, one of Aurangzeb's generals, formed the Hyderabad State, in which a major part of the Kalaburagi area was also included. In 1948, Hyderabad State became a part of the Indian Union, and in 1956, excluding two talukas which were annexed to Andhra Pradesh,Kalaburagi district became part of new Mysore State.
Gulbarga (Urdu) (city of flowers and gardens) was renamed Kalaburagi (Kannada) (Kala-Art/Bura-Bad, Strong Stone Fort) effective 1 November 2014
Tourism
There are many different attractions located in Kalaburagi: Bahmani fort, Tomb of first Bahmani Sultan Hasan, Government Museum, Holkonda fort, Ferozabad fort, Sharanabasaveshwar Temple, Shri Kshetra Ganagapur (Ganagapur), a well-known pilgrimage site of the god Shri Sadguru Dattatreya Narasimha Saraswati, Sri. Hulakantheshwar Temple (Herur. B), and the Ghathargi Bhagayavanti Temple (Afzalpur Taluk), located on the bank of the Bhima River. Places of religious importance in Gulbarga include the Khwaja Bande Nawaz Dargah, Sharanabasaveshwar Temple, Buddha Vihar and Sheikh Roza Dargah. Devotees from all over the world visit these places of worship every year.
Transport
Kalaburagi is 613 km north of Bangalore and well connected by road to Bangalore, Mumbai, Bijapur, Hyderabad and other major cities.
Local transport
Auto rickshaws are available for getting around the city at fairly reasonable rates. NEKRTC (Nrupatunga) city buses circulate within the city and also travel to the nearby towns and villages.
Long-distance bus routes
Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) runs a bus service to other cities and villages. There are also various private bus services. The Bidar-Srirangapatna state highway makes travel easy to Bangalore and the neighbouring states of Maharashtra and Goa. There are many private services running buses between Bangalore and Kalaburagi, and between Mumbai and Kalaburagi.
Railways
Kalaburagi railway station is served by the Solapur-Guntakal line, which is part of the Mumbai-Chennai line. It is well connected by trains to all major parts of India, such as Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Coimbatore, Trivandrum, Kanyakumari, Pune, Bhubaneswar, Bhopal, Gwalior and Agra. A project connecting Gulbarga to Bidar via rail is still in progress. Once completed, it will help to reduce travel time between Bangalore and New Delhi by 6–7 hours. But don't expect smooth ride out of the railway station, roads in perennial bad condition, government thinks that for these people this is enough . Kalaburagi railway station comes under the Central Railway.
Airport
A minor airport is being developed in Kalaburagi on a public-private-partnership basis and is expected to be operational by mid-2014.[4] It is under construction near the village of Srinivas Saradagi.
