The Bahmani Kingdom -Challenge to Muslim rule in Deccan
A Sunni Deccani Muslim state known as the Bahmani Sultanate governed the Deccan Plateau in South India. It was the first autonomous Muslim state in the Deccan and was well-known for its ongoing conflicts with Vijayanagara, a competitor that would live longer than the Sultanate.
Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah created the Sultanate in the year 1347. Later, it broke up into five successor states known as the Deccan Sultanates.
Origin and Rise of the Bahmani Kingdom
The dynasty's founder, Hasan Gangu, was likely born into poverty, however, his origins are unknown for sure. Hasan Gangu was "born in very humble circumstances," according to Barani. He was only a farm labourer for the first thirty years of his life. The Sultan, who was satisfied with his honesty, appointed him as commander of 100 horsemen. In this period of Muslim India, sudden ascents in the military and socioeconomic ladder were not uncommon.
He served as the governor of Deccan and a commander for Tughlaq before the founding of his country. The elderly Nazir Uddin Ismail Shah (Ismail Mukh), who had rebelled against the Delhi Sultanate, willingly resigned on August 3 in favour of Delhi native Bahman Shah. After a successful uprising, he created an independent kingdom on the Deccan inside the southern regions of the Delhi Sultanate, with its capital at Hasanabad (Gulbarga) and all of its coins being struck there. Indian Muslims from North India who spoke Urdu made up the majority of the Bahmanid army that invaded the Deccan. He was given the title "Alauddin Bahman Shah Sultan - Founder of the Bahmani Dynasty" with the backing of the powerful North Indian Chishti Sufi Shaikhs.
The Bahmani Reign
Major conquests were carried out between 1347 and 1422. Several states were conquered, including Kotgir in Andhra Pradesh, Qandahar in Maharashtra, Kalyani in Karnataka, Bhongir in Telangana, Sagar, Khembhavi, Malkher, and Seram in Gulbarga (Karnataka), Manram, Akkalkot, and Mahendri in Maharashtra, and Mandu in Malwa (Madhya Pradesh). Mandu in the north, Raichur in the south, Bhongir in the east to Dabhol, and Goa in the west were all under Bahmani authority.
The primary adversaries of the Bahmanis at this time were the Rayas of Telangana and the Raya of Vijayanagar. Golconda was given over to the Bahmanis during one encounter with the Raya of Telangana. The Tungabhadra Doab, however, remained to be split between the two empires and the conflict with Vijaynagar did not prove to be decisive.
In the late 14th century, Vijayanagara quickly displaced the Bahmanis from Goa. The Vijaynagara, Malwa, and Khandesh kings pushed the Raja of Kherla to revolt against a man, but the Bahmanis began a war against him, and he was eventually compelled to submit. Two opposing Andhra factions—Vema of Rajahmundry and Velama of Telangana—were supported in Telangana by Vijayanagara and Bahmani, respectively. The Vemas repelled the Bahmanis' attempts to invade Telangana. To acquire territory, the Bahmanis continued to support one Andhra faction over the other. The fact that the Velamas, who had previously backed the Bahmanis, had turned against them was a significant element in the Bahmani defeats in the fight against Vijaynagar in the early 15th century.
The capital was moved from Gulbarga to Bidar during the years 1422–1538. It was deliberately placed in the middle. The Marathi, Kannada, and Telugu languages came together at this location. This period saw the continuation of the Vijayanagara and Bahmani war for domination. During this time, Warangal was incorporated into the Bahmani kingdom. The majority of the Bahmani authority also had to be borne by the autonomous kingdoms of Malwa and Gujarat. Malwa turned out to be vulnerable, but the Sultanate of Gujarat resisted the Bahmanis despite two significant wars. The creation of an alliance between the Sultanate of Khandesh and the Bahmanis to combat the danger from Gujarat was a significant outcome of the latter clash.
Two conflicts between the Bahmanis and the Vijaynagara took place between 1436 and 1444. The Bahmanis had to concede defeat in the first. However, the Bahmanis ultimately gained from the second one, according to Ferishta. They ruled over the Rajas of Khandesh and Sangameshwar. The internal fighting between the two aristocratic factions, the Deccanis and the Afaqis, in the Gujarat campaign was a crucial factor in the Bahrnanis' defeat (you can read more about this in the next section). The Bahmani cause has been betrayed by the Deccanis.
Bahmani's wars against the Vijayanagara Empire were a failure, and by 1538 the Bahmani dynasty had ended. The kingdom was divided into five states: Berar, Bidar, Ahmadnagar, Bijapur, and Golconda.
Administration in the Bahmani Kingdom
The Bahmanis appear to have imitated the Delhi Sultans' governmental setup. The monarch was in charge, and next came wakil, wazir, bakhshi, and qazi. There was also a secretary, a mufti who interpreted the law, a kotwal, and a muhtasib who censored public statements. In addition to being assigned in every region of their realm, munihians (spies) were reportedly also placed in Delhi during the reign of Muhammad. The Bahmani kingdom was split into four atraf or provinces, namely Daulgltabad, Berar, Bidar, and Gulbarga, each administered by a tarafdar, during the reign of Mutiammad I.
Only the most trusted nobles from the other provinces who were referred to as "hater on" as mir naib (viceroy)-distinct from the governors Yar, were selected since Gulbarga was the most significant province. As the limits of the kingdom increased, Muhammad Gawan split the empire into eight provinces. The Sultan was given direct power over several areas of the kingdom.
The Economy of the Bahmani Empire
Mahmud Gawan issued an order for the village's and towns' boundaries to be established by methodical land measurement. He was thus Raja Todar Mal's predecessor in this manner. The exchequer was immensely aided by all of this. First, it guaranteed the empire's income and made it known in advance. Second, it reduced the level of noble corruption, raising the state's revenue.
Trade and commerce were thriving inside the Bahmani empire. Russian explorer Nikitin, who was in the Deccan between 1469 and 1474, gives a wealth of details on Bidar's trade pursuits. He claims that the main exports were horses, textiles, silk, and pepper.
Dabul has excellent connections with both African and Indian ports. Horses were brought in from Turkestan, Khurasan, and Arabia. The Hindu merchants controlled the majority of trade and commerce. Further imported from China is Musk.
Society and culture
Even though the Bahmani rulers were primarily Sunnis, their society was cosmopolitan. The Muslims—both domestic and foreign—the Hindus, and the Portuguese made up the society. As a result of the society's multi-Jati makeup, various social groupings may be identified by the languages they speak, including Persian, Marathi, Dakhini, or proto-Urdu, Kannada, and Telugu. According to Nikitin, the Bahmani state's population may be roughly split into the wealthy nobility and the impoverished.
We observe the dominance of the Sufis of the Chisti, Qadiri, and Shattari orders throughout the Bahmani kingdom. One of the most significant hubs of the Qadiri order has evolved as Bidar. The very first Sufi to earn this accolade from the king was Sheikh Sirajuddin Junaidi.
In AD 1402-03, Syed Muhammad Gesu Daraz, a well-known Delhi Chisti saint, moved to Gulbarga. Sultan Firuz granted several villages for the upkeep of Gesu Daraz's Khanquah.
The Bahmani kingdom's Shia population grew along with the inflow of Afaqis. The blending of Muslim and Hindu customs is a fascinating aspect of communal life. During the Ursu ceremonies, the Jangam, a Lingayat wearing a Muslim hat blew the conch and presented flowers to the Muslim saint. As a result, the Bahmani culture was diverse and accepting.
The Gulbarga royal tombs may be divided into two categories:
- Single tombs
- Double tombs.
Single tombs are made consisting of plain square chambers that are roofed by a single dome, capped with battlements, and stand on a small square pedestal. Double tombs are essentially copies of single tombs. The square arches of its cloisters are one of the unique features of Bahmani architecture.
The Bahmani kingdom, which maintained strong ties with some of the most important nations in West Asia, such as Iran and Turkey, served as a cultural link between the North and the South. The culture that resulted from this had its own unique characteristics that were maintained by the seceding states and also had an impact on the growth of the Mughal culture.
The Five Kingdoms
There had become five distinct Muslim states as a result of the dissolution of the Bahmani empire. The Adilshahi kingdom of Bijapur was the most significant of the five. Yusuf Adil Shah started the organisation. He gained notoriety while working for Mahmud Gawan and has excellent talent and character. In 1489–1490, he established himself as the sole ruler of Bijapur. He tolerated everyone, However, he had a predisposition for the Shia religion. Even Hindus were employed by him without hesitation. He was kind and just. His court was visited by academics from Persia, Turkistan, and other Central Asian nations. His four immediate successors failed to do so, and intrigues occurred under their rule. Sixth in line to the throne, Ibrahim Adil Shah II reigned from 1579 until 1625. Meadows Taylor writes that "He was the greatest of all the Kings of the Adil Shahi dynasty and in most respects, except for its founder, the ablest and popular." He joined the kingdom of Bidar to Bijapur in 1618–1619. In 1686, Aurangzeb added Bijapur to the Mughal sphere of influence.
Malik Ahmad established the Ahmadnagar Nizamshahi Empire. His father, Niram-ul-Mulk Bahri, was the Bahmani kingdom's prime minister and a converted Hindu. In 1490, Malik Ahmed proclaimed his independence. He established Ahmadnagar as his capital after founding the city. He conquered Daulatabad in 1499. In 1508, his son Burhan-i-Nizam Shah succeeded him. The dynasty's third emperor, Husain Shah, joined the Muslim confederacy fighting Vijayanagar in 1565. The other monarchs of this realm lacked might. Ahmadnagar was defeated by Akbar in 1600. But in 1636, it became a part of the Mughal empire.
Fateh Ullah Imad Shah laid the foundation for the Imadshahi kingdom of Berar. In 1490, he achieved independence. In 1574, Ahmadnagar overran it and seized control of it.
Qutub Shah, a Turkish official of the Bahmani empire, formed the Qutubshahi kingdom of Golconda. He previously served as Telingana's governor while living in the Bahmani kingdom. In 1512 or 1518, he made his independence official. He held power until 1543. Jamshid, Qutub Shah's son, succeeded his father. The third ruler was commonly referred to as Ibrahim. It was under his rule that Vijayanagar and Golconda clashed. In 1687, Aurangzeb seized it and added it to the Mughal dynasty.
Amir Ali Barid established the Baridshahi kingdom of Bidar in 1526 or 1527. In 1618–1619, Bijapur annexed Bidar.
