Table of Contents
Introduction: Bahmani Kingdom
The Bahmani Kingdom was a significant medieval Indian state that emerged in the Deccan Plateau region in the mid-14th century. Founded by Ala-ud-din Bahman Shah, the Bahmani Sultanate was a formidable power in South India.
Stretching across present-day Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh, the Bahmani Sultanate played a crucial role in the political landscape of the Deccan. The kingdom’s capital shifted several times between Gulbarga, Bidar, and Bijapur as different rulers came to power.
The Bahmani Sultanate was known for its rich cultural heritage, with a blend of Persian, Turkish, and indigenous Indian influences evident in its art, architecture, and language. It fostered a cosmopolitan society, attracting scholars, poets, and artisans from various parts of the Islamic world.
Despite internal conflicts and external pressures from neighboring kingdoms and later the Vijayanagara Empire, the Bahmani Sultanate persisted for over two centuries before eventually fragmenting into five smaller successor states known as the Deccan Sultanates in the early 16th century.
Rebellion of Ismail Mukh
- The rebellion of Ismail Mukh is a significant event in the early history of the Bahmani Sultanate. It played a crucial role in the foundation of the Sultanate under Ala-ud-din Bahman Shah.
- Ismail Mukh was a nobleman and a powerful governor in the Delhi Sultanate, holding significant influence in the Deccan region. However, he rebelled against the Delhi Sultanate’s authority in between 1346 and 1347 and declared independence.
- Ismail Mukh’s rebellion marked the beginning of the Bahmani Sultanate’s emergence as a distinct political entity in the Deccan.
- Ala-ud-din Bahman Shah, one of Ismail Mukh’s generals, joined the rebellion and played a key role in its success. After defeating the forces of the Delhi Sultanate, Ala-ud-din proclaimed himself the Sultan of the newly founded Bahmani Sultanate in 1347, with its capital initially established at Gulbarga.
Notable Rulers
Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah
- The sultanate was founded in 1347 by Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah, whose original name was Hasan Gangu.
- He established his capital at Gulbarga. Gulbarga was the capital of the Bahmani kingdom until about 1422 AD.
- He was a noble in the court of Muhammad bin Tughluq.
- Firishta mentioned that he called himself Hasan Gangu as he was a servant of a Brahmin astrologer named Gangu.
Mahmud Shah I (1358-75)
- His reign was remembered for battles between Bahmanis and Vijayanagara and the Warangal under Kapaya Nayaka.
- The Takht-e-firoza (a jewel-studded royal throne) was gifted to him by Musunuri Nayaka (king of Warangal).
Later Sultans
- Taj ud-Din Firuz Shah was a poet and wrote under the name of Firozi.
- Ahmad Shah Wali (1422-35) transferred the capital from Gulbarga to Bidar.
- Humayun Shah Zalim (1458-1461) is described as a cruel ruler for executing people barbarically.
Mahmud Gawan
- During the time of Mujahid Shah (1355-1356), the recruitment of foreign troops began on a large scale. They were known as ‘newcomers‘.
- During the reign of Alauddin Ahmad Shah (1436-58) a Persian “newcomer” named Mahmud Gawan rose to prominence.
- He was appointed Prime Minister under Humayun Shah (1458-1461).
- According to a contemporary history book “Burhan-e-Masir,” Gawan was able to capture many forts and cities of the Konkan region.
- In the fifteenth century, the Bahmani court became a hotbed of conspiracy. The royal court was divided into two factions of nobles – The Deccanis (of local origin) and Afaqis (of Foreign origin). Mahmud Gawan was an Afaqi. Muhammad III executed Mahmud Gawan (1481) for the conspiracy of the Deccanis.
- The Bahmani kingdom was divided into five independent sultanate –
- Barid Shahi at Bidar,
- Adil Shahi at Bijapur,
- Imad Shahi at Berar,
- Qutub Shahi at Golconda and
- Nizam Shahi at Ahmadnagar.
Administration
| Vakil-us-Sultanat | Equivalent to the Naib Sultan of the Delhi Sultanate served as regent also |
Architecture: Bahmani Kingdom
| Gulbarga Fort |  It is said to have originally been built by Raja Gulchand of Warangal |
| Haft Gumbaz (Built during the 14th and 15th centuries) | The Haft Gumbaz group of tombs of the Bahmani sultans. It is situated in Kalaburagi in the state of Karnataka.  |
| Jama Masjid (Gulbarga) | |
| Chand Minar | The Chand Minar was built in 1445 C.E. by Sultan Ala-ud-din Bahmani to commemorate his capture of the fort of Daulatabad. It is located near the Daulatabad-Deogiri Fort complex.  |
| Bidar Fort |  |
| Madrasa of Mahmud Gawan | The Madrasa was built in the 1460s by Mahmud Gawan in Bidar. |
| Bahmani tomb complex at Bidar | In 1432, Ahmad Shah I Wali shifted the capital from Gulbarga to Bidar. He was buried here. The sultans after him are also buried here.  |
In 1470, the Russian merchant Athanasius Nikitin visited Bidar, the capital of the Bahmani kingdom.