Presiding over the dark-soiled plains from atop a sheer-faced laterite escarpment, this majestic and enticing fort was founded by the Hindu Chalukyas and later strengthened by the Bahamani dynasty in the 15th century.

This fort has witnessed a number of repeated sieges; by the Mughals and the British and despite the various attacks the fort still remains largely intact. The fort is encircled and protected by 10 km. of ramparts that drop away in the north and west to 300-meter cliffs. Man-made defences, which comprise of gigantic fortified gates and a triple moat, which was formerly crossed by a series of drawbridges, protect the main southern entrance.

Once inside, the first building of note is the exquisite RanginMahal (coloured palace). In 1487 Mahmud Shah built this modest "Coloured Palace" after an unsuccessful uprising of Abyssinian slaves forced him to relocate to a safer site inside the citadel. The palace's relatively modest proportions reflect the Bahamanis' declining fortunes, but its interior comprises of some of the finest surviving Islamic Art of the Deccan, with superb wood carvings above the door arches and Persian-style mother-of-pearl inlay on polished black granite surfaces.

The ASI Museum located nearby houses a missable collection of Hindu temple sculpture, weapons and Stone Age artifacts. Opposite the museum, an expanse of gravel is all that remains of the royal gardens. This is overlooked by the austere Solah Khamb Mosque built in 1327. Being the oldest Muslim monument in Bidar, its outstanding feature is the intricate pierced stone jali calligraphy around its central dome.

Continuing west from here one would come across the ruins of the former royal enclosure, which is a rambling complex of half-collapsed palaces, baths, zenanas (women's' quarters) and assembly halls - to the fort's west walls. One can take a complete walk of the ramparts in ninety minutes, and at the same time enjoy the picturesque views over the red cliffs and across the plains.