Gulbarga's past is dotted with various dynasties ruling it - from the Rashtrakutas to the Hoysalas, the Bahamani Sultanate and finally,the Mughal rule under Aurangzeb.

Rashtrakutas, Chalukyas, Hoysalas and the Kakatiyas - 6th Century AD to 12th Century AD 

History of Gulbarga dates back to the 6th century when the Rashtrakutas ruled the region. But it is the Chalukyas who ruled for over two hundred years.

The Kalachuri succeeded them and ruled till the 12th century. Around the close of the 12th century the Yadavas of Devagiri and the Hoysalas of Halebidu took control of the district.

About the same period the Kakatiya dynasty kings of Warangal came into prominence. The present Gulbarga District and Raichur District formed part of their domain.

Bahamani Sultanate

The Kakatiya power was subdued in 1321, and the northern Deccan, including the district of Gulbarga, passed under the control of the Muslim rulers of Delhi.

After founding of the Bahamani dynasty in 1347 by Hassan Gangu, the baton passed on to them and they chose Gulbarga to be the capital.

When the Bahamani dynasty came to an end, the kingdom broke up into the five independent Deccan sultanates, Bijapur, Bidar, Birar, Ahmednagar and Golconda.

Mughal Rule

The present Gulbarga district came partly under Bidar and partly under Bijapur. With the conquest of the Deccan by Aurangzeb in the 17th Century, control of Gulbarga passed to the Mughal Empire. 

In the early part of the 18th Century, when Mughal Empire was declining, Asaf Jah I, a general of Aurangzeb, became independent and formed state of Hyderabad in which a major part of Gulbarga area was also included.

Post - Independence

In 1948 Hyderabad state was annexed to Indian Union, and in 1956 the Indian 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.

References:
Wikipedia - the online encyclopedia
History of Karnataka 

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