The short answer
Naubad Karez: what visitors should know first
Go if you are curious about engineering, not for scenery. The karez is a well and channel in a village setting, with little built around it. Allow 30 minutes, and ask a guide or heritage group to explain how it works.
History and context
The story behind Naubad Karez
Bidar's karez were built under Bahmani rule in the 15th and 16th centuries, with Persian engineering knowledge and the region's porous laterite. The Naubad karez was first documented in the 1920s by the archaeologist Ghulam Yazdani.
Rehabilitation began in 2015 under the Karnataka urban infrastructure finance corporation, with the Indian Heritage Cities Network Foundation as technical consultant. Water flowed again in September 2015 and, after good rains in 2016, the system has stayed wet.
Useful facts
Naubad Karez facts at a glance
- Location
- Naubad village, outskirts of Bidar
- Experience type
- Heritage water-engineering stop
- Known for
- Restored 15th-century karez with access shafts
- Origin
- Bahmani period, with Persian engineering knowledge
- Restored
- Work from 2015; water flowing since 2016
Why it matters
Why Naubad Karez is worth your time
The karez is a rare surviving example in India of a Persian water system, a sign of how Persian engineers worked for the Bahmani court. It was designed to bring water into a city on a plateau where digging wells in rock was hard. The article in The News Minute describes the Bidar karez as probably the first such system built in India, and the longest channel, the Shukla Tirtha karez, as close to 7 km.
It matters today as well because restoration since 2015 has shown that an old system can still serve a modern town in dry months. Visiting makes the fort's story concrete: this is where its water came from.
Highlights
What not to miss
- 01
The mother well
A grilled well among ancient stones marks the end of the system.
- 02
The engineering idea
A sloping underground channel through laterite, tapped by vertical shafts.
- 03
A working relic
Restoration means the karez again supplies water to locals in dry months.
Plan your visit
How to experience it
Ask your driver for Naubad and find the end of the karez beside a temple and farmland. The karez ends at a well covered with a grill and surrounded by ancient stones, and the visit is about understanding what lies beneath rather than what you see above ground.
The idea is simple and clever: a gently sloping underground channel taps water in the hill, with vertical shafts every so often for access and ventilation. Bidar's systems are cut through porous laterite, and the water supplied the fort and its settlements. Restoration work from 2015 desilted the channel, and today it again yields clean water for locals in dry months.
Walk around the well, look at the shafts and photographs if you can, and keep your expectations modest. This is best as a short add-on to a day of fort and tomb visits, ideally with someone from a local heritage group who knows the layout.
Plan with confidence
Small decisions that make the visit easier.
- Ask a local heritage group or guide to explain it
- Wear sturdy shoes; paths are uneven
- Respect the nearby farms and temple
- Do not litter; clean-up volunteers maintain the site
Know before you go
Timing, access and comfort
- Area
- Naubad village, on the outskirts of Bidar
- Time needed
- 30–45 minutes
- Best time
- Morning, in the dry season when water is visible
- Walking level
- Easy
- Senior comfort
- The site is an open village setting with short, uneven paths and little seating. Wear sturdy shoes and expect no shade.
- Tickets and access
- No formal ticketing is known. Access is through the village and heritage groups; ask locally and respect nearby farms and the temple.
Best for
Plan it with
Plan the practical part
Hotels near Naubad Karez
Staying close keeps journeys short — useful for early starts and for anyone who tires quickly.
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Travelling with parents?
The site is an open village setting with short, uneven paths and little seating. Wear sturdy shoes and expect no shade.
Raahzo can arrange an arrival or day companion who handles tickets, queues and pacing, and keeps the family updated.
See concierge supportFAQs
What is a karez?
An underground channel with vertical shafts that carries water from an aquifer; the idea came from Persia.
Is the Naubad karez working today?
Reports say restoration made it flow again, and it has supplied water in dry months. Check on site.
Is it worth a trip for older visitors?
Only if you care about the history; the site is simple and has little shade.
Sources and further reading
Timings, fees and access rules change. Recheck with the official source before you travel.