From being a Hindu city to becoming the capital of one of the great Muslim kingdoms to dominate the Deccan, the city of Gulbarga is steeped in rich history. Gulbarga is a unique confluence of Hindu and Muslim cultures and contains some of the earliest examples of Islamic architecture in Karnataka. Gulbarga tourism has capitalized on these historic monuments.

Gulbarga derives its name from the word Kaliburgi which stands for stony land in Kannada. The Chalukyas of Badami and the Hoysalas of Dwarasamudra were the major Hindu dynasties to have ruled Gulbarga. The first Muslim kingdom came up with establishment of the Bahmani Sultanate in 1347 by Hassan Gangu, who chose Gulbarga to be his capital.

When the Bahmani dynasty eventually collapsed, the kingdom broke up into the five independent Deccan sultanates, Bijapur, Bidar, Berar, Ahmednagar and Golconda. The present Gulbarga district came partly under Bidar and partly under Bijapur. In 1956 when the state of Hyderabad was partitioned among neighboring states along linguistic lines, most of Gulbarga district became part of Mysore state, later renamed Karnataka, excluding two taluks which were annexed to Andhra Pradesh.

A supreme example of Hoysala temple architecture, the Chennakeshava temple in Belur, Karnataka leaves one spellbound with its exquisite structure. The temple was constructed in 1117 AD by Hoysala king Vishnuvardhan to celebrate his victory over the Cholas at the battle of Talikad. A culmination of over hundred years of painstaking craftsmanship, the Chennakeshava temple is decorated with stories from the Puranas, the Upanishads and the epics of Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

The worshipped deity of the temple is Chennakeshava or Vishnu and the sanctum contains a 2 m high Keshava image of touchstone. The star-shaped temple also has images of the 10 incarnations of Vishnu accompanied by those of his two wives- Bhu (earth) and Lakshmi (goddess of wealth). Friezes of charging elephants, mythological figures, military scenes, musicians, and elaborate decorative motifs adorn the walls of the Channakeshava temple.

A number of bracket figures portraying celestial nymphs or Madanikas singing, dancing or executing daily chores are sculpted on the walls of this temple. All these nimble figures are said to have been inspired by the sublime beauty of Shantala Devi, queen of Kind Vishnuvardhana. The winged figure of Garuda, Lord Vishnu's carrier, stands at the entrance facing the temple, palms touching in homage.