GULBARGA

city, northeastern Karnataka (formerly Mysore) state, India. Originally included in the territory of the Kakatiyas of Warangal, the city was annexed to the sultanate of Delhi in the early 14th century, first by the general Ulugh Khan and then by the sultan Muhammad ibn Tughluq. After the sultan's death, it fell to the Bahmani kingdom (of which it was the capital between 1347 and c. 1424) and, upon the breakup of that power, to Bijapur. With the conquest of the Deccan by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in the 17th century, it was again included in the sultanate of Delhi, but it was separated from Delhi by the establishment of Hyderabad state in the early 18th century. There are many ancient monuments in the city. In the eastern quarter are the tombs of the Bahmani kings; the most notable building is a mosque said to be modeled upon that of Crdoba in Spain. Its colleges of arts, commerce, education, engineering, law, medicine, science, and a women's college all are affiliated with Gulbarga University. Gulbarga lies along the main rail line from Bombay to Madras and is a centre of the cotton trade, with ginning and pressing factories and spinning and weaving mills. It also has flour and oil mills and paint factories. The majority of the population in the surrounding area is engaged in agriculture. The chief crops are millet, pulses, cotton, and linseed. Pop. (1991 prelim.) 303,139.