Bahmani Sultanate
1347 – 1527 CE
Overview
The Bahmani Sultanate (1347–1527 CE) was the first independent Muslim sultanate of the Deccan, founded when Alauddin Hasan Bahman Shah revolted from the Delhi Sultanate in 1347. Ruling first from Gulbarga then Bidar, it was the principal Islamic power of medieval South India and a constant rival of Vijayanagara. The Mahmud Gawan Madrasa at Bidar (~1472) is its architectural peak. The sultanate fragmented into five successor states (the Deccan Sultanates — Bijapur, Ahmadnagar, Berar, Bidar, Golconda) between 1490 and 1527.
Bahmani Sultanate
The Bahmani Sultanate (1347–1527 CE) was the first independent Muslim sultanate of the Deccan, founded when Alauddin Hasan Bahman Shah revolted from the Delhi Sultanate in 1347. Ruling from Gulbarga then Bidar, it was the principal Islamic power of medieval South India and the constant rival of Vijayanagara. The Mahmud Gawan Madrasa at Bidar (~1472) represents its architectural peak. Fragmented into five successor states (the Deccan Sultanates) between 1490 and 1527.
Territory Phases
Bahmani Sultanate (Founding)1347 CE – 1397 CE
Alauddin Hasan Bahman Shah revolts from the Delhi Sultanate in 1347 and establishes the Bahmani Sultanate with its capital at Gulbarga (Ahsanabad). The founding phase sees early conflicts with Vijayanagara over the Raichur Doab and consolidation of the Deccan plateau.
Bahmani Sultanate (Middle)1397 CE – 1461 CE
Ahmad Shah I Wali (r. 1422–1436) moves the capital to Bidar (1432) and expands the sultanate. The Bahmani reaches the Konkan coast and parts of the Krishna-Godavari delta. Continued wars with Vijayanagara over the Raichur Doab define the era.
Bahmani Sultanate (Peak)1461 CE – 1482 CE
Under Muhammad Shah III (r. 1463–1482), the Bahmani Sultanate reaches its maximum extent under the de facto governance of the wazir Mahmud Gawan (in office 1461–1481). The Mahmud Gawan Madrasa at Bidar (~1472) is the era's landmark monument. Mahmud Gawan's execution in 1481 triggers fragmentation.
Bahmani Sultanate (Decline)1482 CE – 1527 CE
After Mahmud Gawan's execution five provincial governors progressively declare independence: Bijapur (1490), Ahmadnagar (1490), Berar (1490), Bidar (1492), Golconda (1518). The Bahmani sultans become nominal rulers. Krishnadevaraya captures the Raichur Doab (1520). Last effective sultan Mahmud Shah Bahmani; the sultanate is finally extinguished in 1527.
Key Rulers
Alauddin Hasan Bahman Shah
Also known as: Zafar Khan, Hasan Gangu
1347 CE – 1358 CE
★★★★★
Founder of the Bahmani Sultanate. A former governor under the Delhi Sultanate, he revolted in 1347, declared independence at Gulbarga (Ahsanabad), and established the dynasty named after the legendary Iranian hero Bahman. Capital established at Gulbarga.
Muhammad Shah I
1358 CE – 1375 CE
★★★
Second Bahmani sultan; successfully defended against Vijayanagara incursions. Fought intermittent wars over the Raichur Doab. Commissioned the Gulbarga Jama Masjid (designed by Persian architect Rafi).
Alauddin Mujahid Shah
1375 CE – 1378 CE
★★
Son of Muhammad Shah I; brief reign ended when he was murdered by his cousin Daud Khan.
Muhammad Shah II
1378 CE – 1397 CE
★★★
Long reign; maintained stability. Consolidated Deccan territory.
Taj ud-Din Firuz Shah
1397 CE – 1422 CE
★★★★★
The greatest Bahmani sultan of the early period. Captured the Raichur Doab from Vijayanagara (~1406); conquered Warangal; promoted learning and Sufi traditions; integrated Hindu nobles into administration. Founded city of Firozabad near Gulbarga. Known for multilingual scholarship (pen name Firozi).
Ahmad Shah I Wali
1422 CE – 1436 CE
★★★★
Known as 'Wali' (Friend of God) for his Sufi piety — venerated as a saint at his tomb in Bidar. Moved the capital from Gulbarga to Bidar (c. 1425–1432; fort reconstruction completed 1432). Invaded and annexed most of Warangal.
Alauddin Ahmad Shah II
1436 CE – 1458 CE
★★★
Extended Bahmani territory; continued conflicts with Vijayanagara over the Raichur Doab.
Humayun Shah (Humayun the Cruel)
1458 CE – 1461 CE
★★
Known for cruelty; briefly sought help from Gujarat Sultanate against Malwa. Short reign.
Nizam ud-Din Ahmad III
1461 CE – 1463 CE
★★
Brief reign; Muhammad Shah III (aged nine) succeeded him with Mahmud Gawan as effective regent.
Muhammad Shah III (Muhammad Shah Lashkari)
1463 CE – 1482 CE
★★★★
Nominal ruler who came to power at age nine in 1463. Under the effective administration of Mahmud Gawan, the sultanate reached its maximum territorial extent. Ordered Mahmud Gawan's execution in 1481 on the basis of a forged letter — an act he later deeply regretted. Died 1482.
Mahmud Shah Bahmani II (Shihab ud-Din Mahmud)
1482 CE – 1518 CE
★★★★
Last Bahmani sultan to have real power (though increasingly controlled by Amir Barid I). Witnessed the loss of Bijapur (1490), Ahmadnagar (1490), Berar (1490), Bidar (1492), and Golconda (1518).
Kalimullah Shah (Ahmad Shah IV)
1524 CE – 1527 CE
★★
Last Bahmani sultan; the sultanate dissolved formally in 1527.
Key Events
Revolt from Delhi; Bahmani Independence1347 CE
Gulbarga (Ahsanabad), Deccan
Zafar Khan (Alauddin Hasan Bahman Shah) leads a revolt of Deccan amirs against the Delhi Sultanate and declares the independent Bahmani Sultanate at Gulbarga. Named the dynasty after the legendary Iranian hero Bahman.
Gulbarga Jama Masjid Construction1367 CE
Gulbarga Fort, Gulbarga
Commissioned by Muhammad Shah I; designed by Persian architect Rafi. Notable for its entirely covered interior (68 bays, 63 small domes) — no open courtyard. One of only two mosques in India with an interior resembling the Great Mosque of Córdoba.
Firuz Shah's Raichur Doab Conquest1406 CE
Taj ud-Din Firuz Shah captures the Raichur Doab from the Vijayanagara Empire, securing the agriculturally vital region between the Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers for the Bahmani Sultanate.
Construction of Bidar Fort; Capital Shift1432 CE
Bidar, Karnataka
Ahmad Shah I Wali builds the Bidar Fort and moves the Bahmani capital from Gulbarga to Bidar. The move began c. 1425; fort reconstruction completed 1432 per Firishta. The event is recorded as a monument — the fort construction — as the capital transfer itself has no clean schema fit.
Mahmud Gawan Madrasa1472 CE
Bidar, Karnataka
Mahmud Gawan commissions the madrasa at Bidar (completed 876 AH / 1471–1472 CE). Three-story structure; central courtyard surrounded by lecture halls, mosque, library (3,000+ manuscripts). Facade of Persian glazed tilework — turquoise, blue, white. One minaret survives; others damaged in a 17th-century gunpowder explosion. Landmark of Bahmani-Persianate architecture.
Execution of Mahmud Gawan1481 CE
Bidar, Karnataka
Muhammad Shah III orders the execution of Mahmud Gawan (5 April 1481) on the basis of a forged letter planted by rival Afaqi noble Malik Hasan Bahri. Gawan's execution eliminates the only unifying figure in the sultanate and triggers the collapse of central authority. The Sultan later regretted the order on discovering Gawan's humble life.
Bijapur Declares Independence1490 CE
Yusuf Adil Shah, governor of Bijapur, declares de facto independence and founds the Adil Shahi dynasty. First of the five Deccan Sultanates to break away from Bahmani authority.
Ahmadnagar Declares Independence1490 CE
Malik Ahmad Nizam Shah I (son of Nizam ul-Mulk Malik Hasan Bahri — who forged the letter against Gawan) declares independence and founds the Nizam Shahi dynasty of Ahmadnagar.
Golconda Declares Independence1518 CE
Sultan Quli Qutb-ul-Mulk declares independence at Golconda and founds the Qutb Shahi dynasty — the last of the five breakaways and the final end of Bahmani suzerainty.
Related Civilisations
Sources
- Firishta (Muhammad Qasim). Tarikh-i-Firishta (Gulshan-i-Ibrahimi), c. 1612. English tr. Briggs, J.: History of the Rise of the Mahomedan Power in India, 4 vols. London, 1829.(WorldCat OCLC 85209627 = Persian printed edition (Navil Kishore, Kanpur, 1884). WorldCat OCLC 642724059 = Briggs English translation. Internet Archive hosts the complete Briggs translation (all 4 vols). Foundation chronicle for Bahmani history; used by Sherwani and Eaton.)
- Yazdani, G. (ed.) (1960) The Early History of the Deccan, 2 volumes(Two-volume reference on the early history of the Deccan including detailed treatment of the Rashtrakutas and their predecessors. Standard reference for Deccan regional history.)
- Eaton, Richard M. (2005) A Social History of the Deccan, 1300–1761: Eight Indian Lives (New Cambridge History of India)(Chapter 1 "Pratapa Rudra (R. 1289–1323)" is directly on the Kakatiyas and independently confirms the single-reign chronology for Prataparudra II. ISBN 9780521716277 (pb) / 9780521514422 (hb).)
- Michell, George; Zebrowski, Mark. Architecture and Art of the Deccan Sultanates. The New Cambridge History of India, vol. I.7. Cambridge University Press, 1999.(ISBN 9780521563215. Confirmed via Cambridge University Press catalogue and Amazon. Covers the Gulbarga Jami Masjid (designed by Persian architect Rafi under Muhammad Shah I) and the Mahmud Gawan Madrasa at Bidar (~1472).)
- Sherwani, H.K. The Bahmanis of the Deccan: An Objective Study. Manager of Publications, Hyderabad-Deccan, 1953.(First edition 1953. Confirmed via AbeBooks (Prabhu Book Exports), Internet Archive (archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.68551), Amazon ASIN B0007KCR36. A later reprint appeared from Munshiram Manoharlal (New Delhi, ~1985). DISTINCT from Sherwani's 1974 book "History of the Qutb Shahi Dynasty." The standard monograph on Bahmani dynastic history.)
- Sherwani, H.K. Mahmud Gawan, the Great Bahmani Wazir. Kitabistan, Allahabad, 1942.(WorldCat OCLC 652177248. Confirmed via Internet Archive (DLI scan) and South Asia Commons catalog. Title page: "First Published in 1942"; preface dated 21 October 1941 — explains occasional "1941" citation in secondary literature, but the correct year to cite is 1942. The definitive biography of Mahmud Gawan.)