The Deccan sultanates were five Islamic late-medieval Indian kingdoms—on the

Deccan Plateau The large Deccan Plateau in southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the peninsular region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada river. To the north, it is bounded by th ...

between the Krishna River and the Vindhya Range—that were ruled by Muslim dynasties: namely Ahmadnagar, Berar, Bidar,

Bijapur Bijapur, officially known as Vijayapura, is the district headquarters of Bijapur district of the Karnataka state of India. It is also the headquarters for Bijapur Taluk. Bijapur city is well known for its historical monuments of architectural i ...

, and

Golconda Fort (Telugu: గోల్కొండ, romanized: ''Gōlkōnḍa'') is a historic fortress and ruined city located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It was originally called Mankal. The fort was originally built by Kakatiya ruler Pratāparu ...

. The sultanates had become independent during the break-up of the Bahmani Sultanate. In 1490, Ahmadnagar declared independence, followed by

and Berar in the same year.

became independent in 1518, and Bidar in 1528. Although the five sultanates were all ruled by Muslims, their founders were of diverse, and often originally non-Muslim origins: the Ahmadnagar Sultanate was of Hindu-Brahmin origins; the Berar Sultanate by a Kannadiga Hindu convert; the Bidar Sultanate was founded by a Georgian slave; the Bijapur Sultanate was founded by a Georgian slave purchased by Mahmud Gawan; and the Golconda Sultanate was of Turkmen origin. Although generally rivals, the sultanates did ally with each other against the

Vijayanagara Empire The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana and Mahar ...

in 1565, permanently weakening Vijayanagara in the Battle of Talikota. Notably, the alliance destroyed the entire city of Vijayanagara, with important temples, such as the Vitthala Temple, being razed to the ground. In 1574, after a coup in Berar, Ahmadnagar invaded and conquered it. In 1619, Bidar was annexed by Bijapur. The sultanates were later conquered by the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

: Berar was stripped from Ahmadnagar in 1596; Ahmadnagar was completely taken between 1616 and 1636; and Golconda and Bijapur were conquered by

Aurangzeb Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...

's 1686–87 campaign.

Ahmadnagar Sultanate

The Ahmadnagar Sultanate was founded by

Malik Ahmad Nizam Shah I Malik Ahmed Nizam Shah ( fa, ) was the founder of the Nizam Shahi dynasty and the Ahmadnagar Sultanate. Ahmed was the son of the Nizam ul-Mulk Malik Hasan Bahri, a Hindu Brahmin from Beejanuggar (or Bijanagar) originally named Timapa who conve ...

, who was the son of the Nizam ul-Mulk Malik Hasan Bahri, a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers ( ...

from Beejanuggar (or Bijanagar) originally named Timapa and converted to Islam. Malik Ahmad Nizam Shah I was the governor of Junnar. After defeating the Bahmani army led by general Jahangir Khan on 28 May 1490, he declared independence and established dynastic rule over Ahmadnagar. The territory of the sultanate was located in the northwestern Deccan, between the sultanates of Gujarat and Bijapur. Initially, his capital was in

Junnar Junnar (Marathi pronunciation: ͡ʒunːəɾ is a city in the Pune district of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The city has history dating back to the first millennium. The nearby fort of Shivneri was the birthplace of Maratha king Chatrap ...

. In 1494, the foundation was laid for the new capital of Ahmadnagar. Malik Ahmed Shah, after several attempts, secured the fortress of Daulatabad in 1499. After Malik Ahmed Shah's death in 1510, his son Burhan, a boy of seven, was installed in his place. Burhan Shah I died in Ahmadnagar in 1553. He left six sons, of whom Hussain succeeded him. After the death of Hussain Shah I in 1565, his son Murtaza (a minor) ascended the throne. While Murtaza was a child, his mother, Khanzada Humayun Sultana, ruled as a regent for several years. Murtaza Shah annexed Berar in 1574. On his death in 1588, his son Miran Hussain ascended the throne; but his reign lasted only a little more than ten months, as he was poisoned. Ismail, a cousin of Miran Hussain was raised to the throne, but the actual power was in the hands of Jamal Khan, the leader of the Deccani group in the court. Jamal Khan was killed in the battle of Rohankhed in 1591; and soon Ismail Shah was also captured and confined by his father Burhan, who ascended the throne as Burhan Shah. After the death of Burhan Shah, his eldest son Ibrahim ascended the throne. Ibrahim Shah died only after a few months in a battle with the Bijapur Sultanate. Soon,

Chand Bibi Sultana Chand Bibi (1550–1599 CE) was an Indian ruler and warrior. She acted as the Regent of Bijapur Sultanate during the minority of Ibrahim Adil Shah II in 1580-1590, and regent of Ahmednagar Sultanate during the minority of her great ...

, the aunt of Ibrahim Shah, proclaimed Bahadur, the infant son of Ibrahim Shah, as the rightful Sultan; and she became regent. In 1596, a Mughal attack led by Murad was repulsed by

. After the death of Chand Bibi in July 1600, Ahmadnagar was conquered by the Mughals, and Bahadur Shah was imprisoned. But Malik Ambar, and other Ahmadnagar officials, defied the Mughals and declared Murtaza Shah II as sultan in 1600 at a new capital, Paranda. Malik Ambar became prime minister and ''Vakil-us-Saltanat'' of Ahmadnagar. Later, the capital was shifted first to Junnar and then to a new city Khadki (later Aurangabad). After the death of Malik Ambar, his son Fath Khan surrendered to the Mughals in 1633 and handed over the young Nizam Shahi ruler Hussain Shah, who was sent as a prisoner to the fort of Gwalior. But soon

Shahaji Shahaji Bhonsale (Pronunciation: �əɦad͡ʒiː c. 1594 – 1664) was a military leader of India in the 17th century, who served the Ahmadnagar Sultanate, the Bijapur Sultanate, and the Mughal Empire at various points in his career. As a membe ...

with the assistance of Bijapur, placed an infant scion of the Nizam Shahi dynasty, Murtaza, on the throne but acted as regent. In 1636, Aurangzeb, the Mughal viceroy of Deccan, finally annexed the sultanate to the Mughal empire, after defeating Shahaji.

Rulers

(1490–1510) #

Burhan Nizam Shah I Burhan Nizam Shah I ( fa, ) was ruler of the Ahmednagar Sultanate, in Central India. He ascended the throne on the death of his father Ahmad Nizam Shah I in 1508 or 1510 when he was seven years old. He died in 1553 and was succeeded by Hussa ...

(1510–1553) # Hussain Nizam Shah I (1553–1565) #

Murtaza Nizam Shah I Murtaza Nizam Shah I ( fa, ), the eldest son of Hussain Nizam Shah I, succeeded him in 1565 after his death. Reign During the first six years, his mother Khunza Humayun controlled the affairs of kingdom, but her repeated military failures ag ...

(1565–1588) # Miran Nizam Hussain (1588–1589) # Isma'il Nizam Shah (1589–1591) #

Burhan Nizam Shah II Burhan Nizam Shah II (ruled 1591–1595) was the ruler of Ahmadnagar Sultanate in the Deccan. He was the second son of Hussain Nizam Shah I and Khunza Humayun Begum. During his reign, he ruled from the capital city of Ahmednagar. Burhan Nizam S ...

(1591–1595) # Ibrahim Nizam Shah (1595–1596) # Ahmad Nizam Shah II (1596) #

Bahadur Nizam Shah Bahadur Nizam Shah was the Sultan of Ahmadnagar from 1596 to 1600. Only a small child when he gained the throne, he spent almost his entire reign under the regency of his great-aunt Chand Bibi. Life Born in 1593, Bahadur was the only son of Su ...

(1596–1600) #

Murtaza Nizam Shah II Murtaza Nizam Shah II ( 1580–1610) was the Sultan of Ahmadnagar from 1600 to 1610. His rule was dominated by the powerful regent Malik Ambar, under whom he was an effective puppet ruler. Life Born 1580, he was originally given the name Al ...

(1600–1610) # Burhan Nizam Shah III (1610–1631) # Hussain Nizam Shah II (1631–1633) #

Murtaza Nizam Shah III Murtaza Nizam Shah III, was a Nizam Shahi boy prince who in the year 1633 became the nominal Sultan of Ahmednagar. He was subjected to the authority of the Maratha leader Shahaji. The Maratha Mughal general Sardar Ranoji Wable attacked Ahmed ...

(1633–1636).Michell, George & Mark Zebrowski. ''Architecture and Art of the Deccan Sultanates'' ('' The New Cambridge History of India'' Vol. I:7), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1999, , p.274

Berar Sultanate

The Berar Sultanate was founded by Fathullah Imad-ul-Mulk, who was born a

Kannadiga The Kannada people or Kannadigaru IAST">nowiki/>IAST:_Kannadadavaru_or_Kannadigas_(English_term).html" ;"title="IAST.html" ;"title="nowiki/>IAST">nowiki/>IAST: Kannadadavaru or Kannadigas (English term)">IAST.html" ;"title="nowiki/>IAST">nowik ...

, but was captured as a boy by Bahmani forces, which were on an expedition against the Vijayanagara empire, and reared as a Muslim. In 1490, during the disintegration of the Bahmani Sultanate, Imad-ul-Mulk, then governor of Berar, declared independence and founded the Imad Shahi dynasty of the Berar Sultanate. He established the capital at

Achalpur Achalpur, formerly known as Ellichpur and Illychpur, is a city and a municipal council in Amravati District in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the second most populous city in Amravati District after Amravati and seventh most populou ...

( Ellichpur), and

Gavilgad Gawilghur (also, Gavalgadh, Gawilgarh or Gawilgad, Pronunciation: �aːʋilɡəɖ was a well-fortified mountain stronghold of the Maratha Empire north of the Deccan Plateau, in the vicinity of Melghat Tiger Reserve, Amravati District, Mahara ...

and Narnala were also fortified by him. Upon his death in 1504, Imad-ul-Mulk was succeeded by his eldest son, Ala-ud-din. In 1528, Ala-ud-din resisted the aggression of Ahmadnagar with help from Bahadur Shah, Sultan of Gujarat. The next ruler of Berar, Darya, first tried to ally with Bijapur, to prevent the aggression of Ahmadnagar, but was unsuccessful. Later, he helped Ahmednagar on three occasions against Bijapur. After his death in 1562, his infant son Burhan succeeded him; but in 1574 Tufal Khan, one of Burhan's ministers, usurped the throne. In the same year, Murtaza I, Sultan of Ahmadnagar, annexed Berar to his sultanate. Burhan, Tufal Khan, and Khan's son Shamshir-ul-Mulk, were taken to Ahmadnagar and confined to a fortress where all of them subsequently died.Majumdar, R. C. (ed.) (2007). ''The Mughul Empire'', Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, , pp. 463–466

Rulers

# Fathullah Imad-ul-Mulk (1490–1504) #

Aladdin Imad Shah Aladdin Imad Shah ( fa, ) was the second Sultan of Berar. He reigned between 1504 and 1529. Family In 1528, Aladdin Imad Shah married Khadija Sultana, the sister of Ismail Adil Shah.Thomas William Beale, Henry George Keene , ''An Oriental Bio ...

(1504–1530) # Darya Imad Shah (1530–1562) # Burhan Imad Shah (1562–1574) # Tufal Khan (usurper) (1574)

Bidar Sultanate

Bidar was the smallest of the five Deccan sultanates. The Sultanate was founded by Qasim Barid I, who was Georgian enslaved by Turks. He joined the service of Bahmani ruler Mahmud Shah Bahmani () as a ''sar-naubat'' (commander), and later became a ''mir-jumla'' (governor) of the Bahmani Sultanate. In 1492, he became de facto ruler of Bahmani, although Sultan Mahmud Shah Bahmani remained as the nominal ruler. After Mahmud Shah Bahmani's death in 1504, his son Amir Barid controlled the administration of the Bahmani Sultanate. In 1528, with the flight of the last Bahmani ruler, Kalimullah, from Bidar, Amir Barid became practically an independent ruler. Amir Barid was succeeded by his son Ali Barid, who was the first to assume the title of ''shah''. Ali Barid participated in the Battle of Talikota and was fond of poetry and calligraphy. The last ruler of the Bidar Sultanate, Amir Barid Shah III, was defeated in 1619, and the sultanate was annexed to the Bijapur Sultanate.Majumdar, R. C. (ed., 2007). ''The Mughul Empire'', Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, , pp.466–468

Rulers

# Qasim Barid I (1492–1504) # Amir Barid I (1504–1542) #

Ali Barid Shah I Ali Barid Shah I was the third ruler of the Barid Shahi dynasty at Bidar. He succeeded his father in 1540, and ruled until his death in 1580. He was considered a man of letters, and invited scholars and craftsmen from all over the Indian subco ...

(1542–1580) # Ibrahim Barid Shah (1580–1587) # Qasim Barid Shah II (1587–1591) # Ali Barid Shah II (1591) # Amir Barid Shah II (1591–1600) # Mirza Ali Barid Shah III (1600–1609) # Amir Barid Shah III (1609–1619)

Bijapur Sultanate

Located in southwestern India, straddling the Western Ghats range of southern

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdi ...

and northern

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO 15919, ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reor ...

, the Bijapur Sultanate was ruled by the Adil Shahi dynasty from 1490 to 1686. The founder of the dynasty, Yusuf Adil Shah, may have been a Georgian slave who was purchased by Mahmud Gawan from Iran. The Adil Shahis were originally provincial governors of the Bahmani Sultanate; but with the break-up of the Bahmani state after 1518, Ismail Adil Shah established an independent sultanate. Ismail Adil Shah and his successors embellished the capital at Bijapur with numerous monuments. The Adil Shahis fought the

, which lay to the south, across the Tungabhadra River, but fought the other Deccan sultanates as well. However, four of the five sultanates combined forces to decisively defeat Vijayanagar at the Battle of Talikota in 1565, after which the empire broke up, Bijapur seizing control of the Raichur Doab. In 1619, the Adil Shahis conquered the neighbouring sultanate of Bidar, which was incorporated into their realm. Later in the 17th century, the

Maratha The Marathi people ( Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed a ...

s revolted successfully under Shivaji's leadership, captured major parts of the sultanate, and its capital, Bijapur. The weakened sultanate was conquered by

in 1686 with the fall of Bijapur, bringing the dynasty to an end.

Rulers

# Yusuf Adil Shah (1490–1510) #

Ismail Adil Shah Ismail Adil Shah (1498–1534; reigned 1510–34) was the king of Bijapur who spent most of his time extending his territory. His short-lived reign helped the dynasty establish a stronghold in the Deccan. Early years Ismail Adil Shah succeeded h ...

(1510–1534) #

Mallu Adil Shah Mallu Adil Shah, of the Adil Shahi dynasty, was the king of the Bijapur Sultanate of modern-day southern India. He ruled for a short period in 1534, before being deposed and blinded. Reign Mallu Adil Shah succeeded his father Ismail Adil Sh ...

(1534–1535) # Ibrahim Adil Shah I (1535–1558) #

Ali Adil Shah I Ali Adil Shah I ( fa, ; 1558–1579) was the fifth Sultan of Bijapur Sultanate. On the day of his coronation Ali abandoned the Sunni practices and reintroduced the Shi’ah Khutbah and other practices. The Persian doctors of religion were g ...

(1558–1580) # Ibrahim Adil Shah II (1580–1627) # Mohammed Adil Shah (1627–1656) # Ali Adil Shah II (1656–1672) # Sikandar Adil Shah (1672–1686)

Golconda Sultanate

The dynasty's founder, Sultan Quli Qutb-ul-Mulk, migrated to Delhi from

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

with some of his relatives and friends in the beginning of the 16th century. Later he migrated south to the Deccan and served the Bahmani Sultan

Mohammed Shah I Mohammed Shah I (reigned 1358–1375) was the second ruler of the Bahmani Sultanate, a late medieval kingdom of India. He succeeded his father Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah. His reign was marked by a series of wars between his kingdom and two neigh ...

. Quli Qutb-ul-Mulk conquered Golconda and became the governor of the Telangana region in 1518, after the disintegration of the Bahmani sultanate. Soon after, he declared his independence and took the title of ''Qutb Shah''. The dynasty ruled for 171 years, until the Mughal emperor

's army besieged and conquered Golconda in 1687.

Rulers

Sultan Quli Qutb-ul-Mulk Sultan Quli Qutb-ul-Mulk, more often though less correctly referred to in English as Quli Qutb Shah (1485–1543), was the founder of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, which ruled the Sultanate of Golconda in southern India from 1518 to 1687. Of Turkmen ...

(1518–1543) #

Jamsheed Quli Qutb Shah Jamsheed Quli Qutb Shah (also transliterated in different ways) was the second ruler of the Sultanate of Golkonda under the Qutb Shahi dynasty. He ruled from 1543 to 1550. His father, Sultan Quli Qutb-ul-Mulk, had established the dynasty and h ...

(1543–1550) #

Subhan Quli Qutb Shah Subhan Quli Qutb Shah (1543–1550) was 7 years old, when he became Sultan of Golconda, after the death of his father Jamsheed Quli Qutb Shah, in 1550. Saif Khan, also known as ''Ainul Mulk'', was sent from Ahmednagar for the performance o ...

(1550) # Ibrahim Quli Qutub Shah (1550–1580) # Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah (1580–1611) # Sultan Muhammad Qutb Shah (1611–1626) #

Abdullah Qutb Shah Abdullah Qutb Shah (also transliterated in different ways) was the seventh ruler of the kingdom of Golconda in southern India under the Qutb Shahi dynasty. He ruled from 1626 to 1672. Abdullah, son of Sultan Muhammad Qutb Shah, was a polyglot, a ...

(1626–1672) # Abul Hasan Qutb Shah (1672–1687)Michell, George & Mark Zebrowski. ''Architecture and Art of the Deccan Sultanates'' (''The New Cambridge History of India'' Vol. I:7), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1999, , p.275

Decline

The dynasty ruled for 171 years, until the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's army besieged and conquered Golconda in the siege of Golconda in 1687.

Cultural contributions

The rulers of the Deccan sultanates made a number of cultural contributions in the fields of literature, art, architecture, and music. An important contribution was the development of the Dakhani language, which, having started development under the Bahamani rulers, developed into an independent spoken and literary language during this period by continuously borrowing from Arabic-Persian, Marathi, Kannada, and Telugu. Dakhani later became known as Dakhani Urdu to distinguish it from North Indian

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Charminar and Gol Gumbaz belong to this period. A number of monuments built by the Deccan Sultanates are on a tentative list for nomination as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The religious tolerance displayed by the Nizam Shahi, Adil Shahi, and Qutb Shahi rulers is also worthy of mention.

Ahmadnagar

The Nizam Shahi rulers of Ahmadnagar enthusiastically patronised miniature painting, the earliest surviving of which are found as the illustrations of the manuscript ''Tarif-i-Hussain Shahi'' (c. 1565), which is now in the

Bharat Itihas Sanshodhak Mandal Bharat Itihas Sanshodhak Mandal, popularly known as Itihas Sanshodhak Mandal or just ‘Mandal’, is an Indian institute providing resources and training for historical researchers. It is located at Pune in Maharashtra state. The institute was ...

, Pune. A miniature painting of Murtaza Nizam Shah (c. 1575) is in the Bibliothèque Nationale of Paris, while another one is in the Raza Library in Rampur. The ''Running Elephant'' is in an American private collection, the ''Royal Picnic'' is in the India Office Library in London, and the ''Young Prince Embraced by a Small Girl'', most likely belonging to the Burhan Nizam Shah II period, is in the Edwin Binney 3rd Collection of South Asian Works in the San Diego Museum of Art. The earliest notable architecture of the Nizam Shahi rulers of Ahmadnagar is the tomb of Ahmad Shah I Bahri (1509), at the centre of Bagh Rouza, a garden complex. The Jami Masjid also belongs to the same period. The Mecca Masjid, built in 1525 by Rumi Khan, a Turkish artillery officer of Burhan Nizam Shah I, is original in its design. The Kotla complex was constructed in 1537 as a religious educational institution. The impressive Farah Bagh was the centrepiece of a large palatial complex completed in 1583. Other monuments in Ahmednagar of the Nizam Shahi period are the Do Boti Chira (tomb of Sharja Khan, 1562), Damri Masjid (1568), and the tomb of Rumi Khan (1568). The Jami Masjid (1615) in Khirki ( Aurangabad) and the Chini Mahal inside the Daulatabad fort were constructed during the late Nizam Shahi period (1600–1636). The tomb of Malik Ambar in Khuldabad (1626) is another impressive monument of this period. The Kali Masjid of Jalna (1578) and the tomb of Dilawar Khan (1613) in Rajgurunagar also belong to this period. During the reign of Ahmad Shah I Bahri, his keeper of imperial records, Dalapati, wrote an encyclopedic work, the ''Nrisimha Prasada'', where he mentioned his overlord as ''Nizamsaha''. It is a notable instance of the religious tolerance of the Nizam Shahi rulers.

Berar

The ruined palace of ''Hauz Katora'', west of

, is the only notable surviving Imad Shahi monument.

Bidar

The main architectural activities for the Barid Shahi rulers were building garden tombs. The tomb of Ali Barid Shah (1577) is the most notable monument in Bidar. The tomb consists of a lofty domed chamber, open on four sides, located in the middle of a Persian four-square garden. The ''Rangin Mahal'' in Bidar, built during the reign of Ali Barid Shah, is a complete and exquisitely decorated courtly structure. Other important monuments in Bidar from this period are the tomb of Qasim II and the Kali Masjid. An important class of metalwork known as

Bidriware Bidriware is a metal handicraft from the city of Bidar in southern India. It was developed in the 14th century C.E. during the rule of the Bahmani Sultans. The term "bidriware" originates from the township of Bidar, which is still the chief cen ...

originated in Bidar. This metalwork consists of a black metal, usually a zinc alloy, inlaid with intricate designs in silver, brass, and sometimes copper.

Bijapur

The Adil Shahi rulers contributed greatly to architecture, art, literature, and music, as

developed into a cosmopolitan city under their rule and attracted many scholars, artists, musicians, and Sufi saints from Rome, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Turkestan. The Adil Shahi kings were known for their tolerance towards Hindus and non-interference in their religious matters. They employed Hindus to high posts, especially as officers overseeing accounts and administration, whose documents were maintained in Marathi. Amongst the major architectural works in the Bijapur Sultanate, one of the earliest is the unfinished

Jami Masjid A congregational mosque or Friday mosque (, ''masjid jāmi‘'', or simply: , ''jāmi‘''; ), or sometimes great mosque or grand mosque (, ''jāmi‘ kabir''; ), is a mosque for hosting the Friday noon prayers known as ''jumu'ah''.* * * * * * * ...

, which was begun by Ali Adil Shah I in 1576. It has an arcaded prayer hall, with fine aisles, and has an impressive dome supported by massive piers. One of the most impressive monuments built during the reign of Ibrahim II was the Ibrahim Rouza which was originally planned as a tomb for queen Taj Sultana, but was later converted into the tomb for Ibrahim Adil Shah II and his family. This complex, completed in 1626, consists of a paired tomb and mosque. Ibrahim II also planned to construct a new twin city to Bijapur, Nauraspur, whose construction began in 1599 but was never completed. The greatest monument in Bijapur is the Gol Gumbaz, the mausoleum of Muhammad Adil Shah, which was completed in 1656, and whose hemispherical dome measures across. The other important architectural works from this period are the ''Chini Mahal'', the ''Jal Mandir'', the ''Sat Manzil'', the ''Gagan Mahal'', the ''Anand Mahal'', and the ''Asar Mahal'' (1646), all in Bijapur, as well as the ''Kummatgi'' ( from Bijapur), the Panhala Fort ( from

Kolhapur Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarter of the Kolhapur district. In, around 2 C.E. Kolapur's name was 'Kuntal'. Kolhapur is ...

), and Naldurg Fort ( from

Solapur Solapur () is a city located in the south-western region of the Indian state of Maharashtra, close to its border with Karnataka. Solapur is located on major highway, rail routes between Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad, with a branch ...

). Persian artists of the Adil Shahi court have left a rare treasure of miniature paintings, some of which are well preserved in Europe's museums. The earliest miniature paintings are ascribed to the period of Ali Adil Shah I. The most significant of them are the paintings in the manuscript of '' Nujum-ul-Ulum'' (Stars of Science) (1570), kept in the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin, which contains about 400 miniature paintings. Two other illustrated manuscripts from the period of Ali Adil Shah I are ''Jawahir-al Musiqat-i-Muhammadi'' in the British Library, which contains 48 paintings, and a Marathi commentary of Sarangadeva's '' Sangita Ratnakara'' kept in the museum of

City Palace, Jaipur The City Palace, Jaipur was established at the same time as the city of Jaipur, by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, who moved his court to Jaipur from Amber, in 1727. Jaipur is the present-day capital of the state of Rajasthan, and until 1949 the C ...

, which contains 4 paintings. But the most miniature paintings come from the time of Sultan Ibrahim Adil Shah II. One of the most celebrated painters of his court was Maulana Farrukh Hussain. The miniature paintings of this period are preserved in the Bikaner Palace, the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the sec ...

in Oxford, the British Museum and

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

in London, the Muśee Guimet in Paris, the Academy of Sciences in St. Petersberg, and the Náprstek Museum in Prague. Under the Adil Shahi rulers many literary works were published in Dakhani. Ibrahim Adil Shah II himself wrote a book of songs, '' Kitab-i-Nauras'', in Dakhani. This book contains a number of songs whose tunes are set to different ''ragas'' and ''raginis''. In his songs, he praised the Hindu goddess Sarasvati along with Muhammad and Sufi saint Khwaja Banda Nawaz Gesudaraz. A unique ''tambur'' (lute) known as Moti Khan was in his possession. The famous Persian poet laureate Muhammad Zuhuri was his court poet. The ''Mushaira'' (poetic symposium) was born in the Bijapur court and later travelled north.

Golconda

Abdullah Qutb Sháh on a Terrace with Attendants

Qutb Shahi rulers appointed Hindus in important administrative posts. Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah appointed Murari Rao as ''Peshwa'', second to only ''Mir Jumla'' (prime minister). One of the earliest architectural achievements of the Qutb Shahi dynasty is the fortified city of Golconda, which is now in ruins. The nearby Qutb Shahi tombs are also noteworthy. In the 16th century, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah decided to shift the capital to

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern Indi ...

, east of Golconda. Here, he constructed the most original monument in the Deccan, the Charminar, in the heart of the new city. This monument, completed in 1591, has four minarets, each . The construction of the Mecca Masjid, located immediately south of the Charminar, was started in 1617, during the reign of Muhammad Qutb Shah, but completed only in 1693. The other important monuments of this period are the Toli Masjid,

Shaikpet Sarai Shaikpet Sarai is a sarai (resthouse) in Hyderabad, India. History It was built by Abdullah Qutb Shah in the 17th century. It is a heritage structure and in need of restoration. Architecture The sarai had 30 rooms, stables for horses and ...

, Khairtabad Mosque, Taramati Baradari, Hayat Bakshi Mosque, and the Jama Masjid at Gandikota. The Qutb Shahi rulers invited many Persian artists, such as Shaykh Abbasi and Muhammad Zaman, to their court, whose art made a profound impact on the miniature paintings of this period. The earliest miniature paintings were the 126 illustrations in the manuscript of ''Anwar-i-Suhayli'' (c. 1550–1560) in the Victoria and Albert Museum. The illustrations '' Sindbad Namah'' in the India Office Library and ''Shirin and Khusrau'' in the Khudabaksh Library in Patna most probably belong to the reign of Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah. The 5 illustrations in a manuscript of the ''Diwan-i-Hafiz'' (c. 1630) in the British Museum, London, belong to the reign of Abdullah Qutb Shah. The most outstanding surviving Golconda painting probably is the ''Procession of Sultan Abdullah Qutb Shah Riding an Elephant'' (c. 1650) in the Saltykov-Shtshedrine State Public Library in St. Petersberg. Their painting style lasted even after the dynasty was extinct and evolved into the Hyderabad style. The Qutb Shahi rulers were great patrons of literature and invited many scholars, poets, historians and

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...

saints from Iran to settle in their sultanate. The sultans patronized literature in Persian as well as

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode ...

, the local language. However, the most important contribution of the Golconda Sultanate in the field of literature is the development of the Dakhani language. Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah was not only a great patron of art and literature but also a poet of a high order. He wrote in Dakhani, Persian, and Telugu and left an extensive ''Diwan'' (collection of poetry) in Dakhani, known as ''Kulliyat-i-Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah''. Apart from the praise of God and the Prophet, he also wrote on nature, love and contemporary social life.

Kshetrayya Kshetrayya ( Telugu:క్షేత్రయ్య) (–1680) was a prolific Telugu poet. He lived in the area of Andhra Pradesh in South India. He composed a number of ''padams'' and ''keertanas'', the prevalent formats of his time. He is c ...

and Bhadrachala Ramadasu are some notable Telugu poets of this period. The Qutb Shahi rulers were much more liberal than their other Muslim counterparts. During the reign of

, in 1634, the ancient Indian sex manual Koka Shastra was translated into Persian and named ''Lazzat-un-Nisa'' (Flavors of the Woman).

Citations

References

# Chopra, R.M., ''The Rise, Growth And Decline of Indo-Persian Literature'', 2012, Iran Culture House, New Delhi. Revised edition published in 2013. # # # # Rehaman Patel, ''Islamic Art of North Karnataka, Art & Architecture'', May, 2015 # #

External links

A website on Bijapur Sultanate

{{DEFAULTSORT:Deccan sultanates States and territories established in 1527 History of Maharashtra Former sultanates Medieval India Medieval Karnataka History of Andhra Pradesh History of Telangana Deccan Plateau

Ahmadnagar Sultanate

Rulers

Berar Sultanate

Rulers

Bidar Sultanate

Rulers

Bijapur Sultanate

Rulers

Golconda Sultanate

Rulers

Decline

Cultural contributions

Ahmadnagar

Berar

Bidar

Bijapur

Golconda

See also

Citations

References

External links