Haft Gumbad, Gulbarga (Kalaburagi)

Royal Tombs of the Bahamani Dynasty

Also see: Gulbarga (Kalaburagi) Travelogues

Gulbarga (now Kalaburagi) is the former capital of the Bahamani Kingdom from its inception in 1347 until 1424. It served as the capital for the first 8 Bahamani rulers. The 9^th ruler, Ahmed Shah Wali Bahmani, shifted the capital to Bidar, which served as the capital till the disintegration of the Bahamani kingdom in 1527.

Collage of tombs in Haft Gumbad complex
Top row left to right: Firoz Shah Bahamani’s Tomb; Open graves next to Firoz Shah Bahamani’s Tomb; Ghiyath-ad-din Shah and Shams-ud-Din Shah’s Tombs
Bottom row left to right: Ghiyath-ad-din Shah and Shams-ud-Din Shah’s Tombs; Panoramic view of the Haft Gumbad complex; An unmarked open air tomb in Haft Gumbad complex

Since November 1, 2014, Gulbarga (Persian for “city of flowers and gardens”) has been known as Kalaburagi (Kannada for “land of stones and thorns”). The move was part of a larger initiative to rename several cities in Karnataka to reflect their local history and Kannada heritage.

Google map showing different tombs of Haft Gumbad complex, Gulbarga (now Kalaburagi)
Click to get the: Google map location

Today, Kalaburagi is a busy, unplanned town with chaotic traffic. But the town still retains medieval elements, with the bastions and walls of the Gulbarga Fort dominating the town’s skyline.

Panoramic view of the Hafta Gunbad complex

The Haft Gumbad (or Haft Gumbaz) complex, located near the fort, serves as the royal tomb complex of the Bahamani royals. Scattered across the town are several other structures dating back to the Bahamani period, which include Shor Gumbad, an isolated, unknown tomb.

Mujahid Shah’s Tomb

Today, Haft Gumbad complex is a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

The area around the Hafta Gumbad complex is heavily encroached with new construction coming up inches from the boundary wall of the complex.

In spite of the surrounding encroachment, the walled Haft Gumbad complex is very well maintained.

The area around the tombs are laid out with a garden with manicured lawns dotted with flower beds. Paved paths lined with hedges provided access to the tombs of Haft Gumbad complex.

Double-chambered tomb of Dawood Shah, Gulbarga (Kalaburagi)

Hafta Gumbad literally translates into seven tombs (hafta=seven and gumbad=dome) and the complex does have seven tombs, but out of the seven tombs two have twin domes, thus the number of domes totals to nine.

Ghiyath-ad-din Shah’s Tomb

Out of the seven tombs of the Haft Gumbad complex in Kalaburagi, five house the mortal remains of the 5 sultans of the Bahamani Kingdom.

Tombs of Bahamani Sultans in Hafta Gumbad:

Mujahid Shah
Daud Shah Bahamani
Ghiyath-ad-din Shah
Shams-ud-din Shah
Firoz Shah Bahamani

The other two tombs house the mortal remains of unknown persons. Apart from these, the complex houses a few other scattered graves under the open sky.

Shams-ud-din Shah’s Tomb

The entrance of the Haft Gumbad complex is on the western side. From the entrance, a path leads eastwards with tombs on either side.

Tomb of Mujahid Shah (reign: 21 April 1375 – 16 April 1378): His short rule of 3 years ended with his assassination by Dawood Shah. Just on the right of the entrance lies the tomb of Mujahid Shah, the third ruler of the Bahamani Sultanate. The tomb of Mujahid Shah stands on a square base and is topped with battlements and crowned with a single dome.

Tomb of Dawood Shah (reign: 16 April 1378 – 21 May 1378): Dawood Shah (or Daud or Dawud) had a turbulent rule of just over a month and he also ended with an assassination. His tomb lies east of the Mujahid Shah Tomb and with an open space in between. The tomb is a double-chambered tomb crowned with twin domes. The tomb also has its share of battlements and corner turrets. These double-chamber domes are a common feature in Bahamni Sultanate, where the king is buried in one chamber, while his close associates are buried in the adjoining chamber.

Firoz Shah’s Tomb

Tomb of Ghiyath-ad-din Shah (reign: 20 April 1397 – 14 June 1397): Ghiyath-ad-din Shah (or Giyasuddin Shah) also had a short rule of less than 2 months. Today, his tomb stands bang opposite the tomb of Dawood Shah. It is a single-chambered square tomb topped with a dome.

Unknown tomb south of Firoz Shah Bahamani’s tomb

Tomb of Shams-ud-din Shah (reign: 14 June 1397 – 15 November 1397): Shams-ud-din Shah also had a short rule of 5 months and served as a puppet under Lachin Khan Turk. His tomb stands next to the tomb of Ghiyath-ad-din Shah. It is similar in appearance and shares a common elevated platform.

Tomb of Firoz Shah Bahamani (reign: 24 November 1397 – 1 October 1422): Firoz Shah Bahamani, officially known as the Taj ud-Din Firoz Shah, was the most important of the Bahamani rulers with a reign extending over a quarter of a century. No wonder he has the most spectacular tomb of the Haft Gumbad complex. It lies east of Dawood Shah’s tomb, with an open space separating the two. Like Dawood Shah’s tomb, it is also a double-chambered tomb. The single-storied tomb looks two-storied from the exterior. The tomb also has its share of ornamentation with lattice screens, extended balconies and stucco ornamentation.

Unknown tomb east of Firoz Shah Bahamani’s tomb

Unknown tombs of Haft Gumbad Complex: Apart from the five tombs of the Bahamani kingdom, the Haft Gumbad complex also has a share of two unknown tombs.

One of the unknown tombs is located south of Firoz Shah Bahamani’s tomb, while the other is on the east.

Both the tombs follow the typical single-chambered plan of the other tombs in the complex. These single-domed tombs have their share of battlements and corner turrets.

The one on the east of Firoz Shah Bahamani’s tomb has a plaster and white coat of paint, while the other to the south is devoid of any plaster and paint.

Three open air graves in between Dawood Shah’s tomb and Firoz Shah’s Tomb, with Firoz Shah’s Tomb in background

Open air graves of Haft Gumbad complex: Apart from the seven tombs of Haft Gumbad complex there are a handful of open air graves. There such graves stand in the open space between Dawood Shah’s tomb and Firoz Shah’s Tomb. A lone grave can be found in front of Shams-ud-din Shah’s Tomb. Another one stands next to the unknown tomb south of Firoz Shah’s Tomb.

Collage of ornate gateways of Haft Gumbad tombs
Left to right: Firoz Shah’s Tomb, Ghiyath-ad-din Shah’ Tomb and Mujahid Shah’s Tomb

Ornamentation of the tombs of Haft Gumbad complex: Apart from the Firoz Shah Bahamani’s tomb, the other six tombs of the Haft Gumbad complex are all almost devoid of any sort of ornamentation. Some of the doors of the other tombs do have ornamentation, including ornate arches, decorative pillars and stucco designs. Sadly, during my visit, the tombs were under lock and key and this prevented me from exploring the interiors of the tombs.

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