Bidar sits on the northern edge of Karnataka, closer in feeling to the Deccan plateau of Telangana than to the greener south of the state. It is a small, dry, workaday city, but its monuments are far better than its low profile suggests. If you are tracing the old Bahmani and Barid Shahi capitals after Gulbarga and Bijapur, Bidar is an essential stop.
The reason to come is the compact run of medieval Islamic architecture. Bidar Fort spreads across the old city with palaces, gates and the huge Solah Khamba Mosque inside its walls. In town, the ruined Mahmud Gawan Madrasa still shows flashes of blue tile and Central Asian ambition, while the Bahmani Tombs stand out in the open country east of town.
Bidar is not polished. Streets are dusty, distances are just awkward enough to make an auto-rickshaw useful, and summer heat can make sightseeing a test of will. Go early, carry water, and give the city a full day rather than treating it as a quick detour. The best approach is usually by road or rail from Hyderabad, about three to four hours away; Gulbarga is roughly 110 km southwest.