Photos

The view is to the west and Bidar Fort. The tombs are on the north side of the narrow road.

The first tomb to the right is of the 11th Bahmani Sultan, Humayun Zalim Shah, (r. 1458 - 1461 CE). It is immediately west of his father's tomb, as seen in yesterday's upload. Most of the structure has collapsed, with only the northeastern corner and a section of the dome above remaining in place. Across the road, with only a glimpse in this photo, sits the tomb of his wife, known by her title Malika Jahan - Empress of the World. As with her husband's tomb, hers is square on plan, with a large dome, but suitably smaller in size. She took power on Humayun's death as the children were very young.

The next tomb on the right, and to the west, is that of the son of Humayun, Nizam-ud-din (Ahmad Shah) III, the 12th Bahmani Sultan, who succeeded his father at age 8 years. His rule extended only from 1461 - 1463 CE. He died on his wedding night. Then the younger brother took over as the 13th Sultan. He lasted longer, ruling from 1463 - 1482 CE as Muhammad Shah III Lashkari, taking the throne at only 12 years of age. I believe he is the ruler who built the madrassa in Bidar town.

Muhammad Shah III's son took over the throne as the 14th Sultan ruling from 1482 - 1518 CE. He was largely a puppet of all the politicos at court. It is believed that he arranged construction of his tomb, the fourth and tall dominant structure in the photo, early on in his life. It also is square on plan with a huge dome resting on an octagonal drum. With his death, as the saying goes, "the centre could not hold", and the Bahmani Sultanate broke up into 5 kingdoms.

Beyond the fourth tomb in the photo, and not seen here, are two small tombs of the 17th and the 18th Sultans: Walli-Allah Shah (r. 1522 - 1525 CE) and Kalim-Allah Shah (r. 1525 - 1527 CE). The latter's coffin actually rests in Bidar. These two tombs are small, and the word "mean" accurately describes them. They are square in shape, each with an octagonal drum and conical roof.

At the time the Bahmani Sultanate was breaking up, 120 kilometres southeast, the new Qutb Shahi kingdom was taking power, with Golconda as its capital.

For reference in Google Earth, the geo coordinates of the Bidar tombs are: 17.54.55.39 N and 77.33.37.14 E. Elevation is 583 metres.