The town of Bidar, some eighty miles from Hyderabad, flourished as the capital of the Bahmani kings during a hundred years from about the middle of the fifteenth century. It afterwards experienced sundry vicissitudes, and fell into complete decay in the later part of the nineteenth century, its once beautiful palaces and public buildings, formerly the envy of the great cities of India, becoming a neglected mass of debris. Dr. Yazdani, who visited Bidar for the first time in 1915, drew up a comprehensive programme for the thorough repair and conservation of the monuments at Bidar, and the work has been carried out through the enlightened policy of the Nizamís Government by whose authority the present magnificently illustrated record has been made available. It surveys the physical features, history, and architecture of Bidar in Chapters I-III and thereafter treats in detail the numerous historical monuments, which include rare masterpieces of architecture and ornament in the palace buildings, temples, mosques, and tombs.
Review 1:
''..the only comprehensive monography on the monuments of Bidar that still holds a singular position in the historical studies of Indian architecture. It is indeed a valuable treasure for libraries, museums and private collections...a detailed description of each of the surviving monuments of Bidar based on an extensive survey by Yazdani hardly left any room for scholars to say anything new, except appreciation of art forms and style that invited the attention of the later scholars. Needless to say, no serious attempt has been made in this direction till date.''
Source: - The Indian Historical Review
Review 2:
''...leads the mind inevitably to contemplate on the quirk of history that made India a country in southern Eurasia.''
Source: -The Hindustan Times
This book was added to South Asia bookstore on Tuesday 01 August, 2006.