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Situated in Bidar,
the colourful palace called as Rangin Mahal is near the Gumbad Darwaza.
The shifting of the royal palace from the main palace to this small set of
rooms is attributed to the abyssinian attempt to seize power from Mahammad
Shah Bahamani in 1487 AD.
The fleeing king took refuge from the rebels by taking shelter in the
'Shah Burz' adjoining the gumbad until saved by loyalists. The king felt
it was auspicious to stay there and so the rooms were built into the
Rangin Mahal.
This was later improved by Ali Barid who was responsible for the woodwork
and the mother-of-pearl inlay work. The tile work and the granite with
mother-of-pearl inlay work are the unique features of the palace walls.
The outer hall with intricately carved wooden pillars was meant for the
purpose of giving audience. A Persian couplet worked out in encaustic
tiles sums up the king's wisdom and pious philosophy.
While the Rangin Mahal gives an indication of the fine artistic taste of
the rulers, yet it shows that the kingdom was no longer at its zenith.
Shrunken revenues from a shrinking empire dictated the size of palaces and
the tombs.