Bidar was important under the medieval Hindu dynasties. It was captured in 1324 by the Muslim prince Muḥammad ibn Tughluq, who became the sultan of Delhi the following year. In 1347 the Deccan region broke away from the sultanate's control under the leadership of the Bahmanis (Bahmanī sultanate), whose ruler Aḥmad Shah Bahmanī moved the site of his capital from Gulbarga to Bidar about 1425. He rebuilt and extended the fort that still dominates the city's layout. Bidar became an independent sultanate in 1531 under the Barīd Shāhī dynasty. The city was annexed by the sultanate of Bijapur in 1619–20 but was captured by the Mughal viceroy Aurangzeb in 1657 and formally annexed to the Mughal Empire in 1686. Upon that empire's breakup, Bidar fell to the nizam of Hyderabad in 1724. When Hyderabad state was partitioned in 1956, Bidar was transferred to Mysore (now Karnataka) state.

The fortress that Aḥmad Shah Bahmanī rebuilt about 1428 at Bidar has a triple moat and walls built of red laterite. Within the fortress complex is the Rangin Mahal (“Painted Palace”), so called because of its elaborate decoration with coloured tiles; the Takht Mahal, or throne room; and several other palaces. Elsewhere in Bidar are the Jami Masjid (“Great Mosque”) and the Sola Khamba (“Sixteen-Pillar”) mosque; these are typical Bahmanī buildings without minarets or prominent domes. Another notable Bahmanī monument is the great madrasa, an Islamic college, that was built in 1472–81 and is now a massive ruin. East of the town are the domed tombs of eight Bahmanī kings, while to the west lies the royal necropolis of the Barīd sultans.

Since the 14th century, Bidar has been noted for its production of Bidri ware (Bīdrī ware)—metal articles damascened (ornamented with wavy lines) in floral and geometric designs with silver wire. Several colleges in the city, including schools of law and commerce, are affiliated with Gulbarga University, which was established in 1980. Bidar is reached by northward branches of the Hyderabad-Mumbai road and railway.

The surrounding lowland area is drained by the Karanja River and produces millet, wheat, and oilseeds. Kalyani, about 40 miles (65 km) west of Bidar, was the capital of the second Chalukya dynasty (10th–12th century). Pop. (2001) 172,877.