Bahmani Kingdom of the Deccan

At a Glance

• Founded 1347 by Hasan Gangu
• Capitals Gulbarga, then Bidar
• Cultural peak Firuz Shah Bahmani (1397 to 1422)
• Territorial peak Mahmud Gawan’s ministry
• Breakup Five sultanates after 1482
• Exam link UPSC Prelims, Medieval History: Regional Kingdoms

Where Does It Fit?

This is the first topic of the category on regional kingdoms. The previous category ended with the decline of the Delhi Sultanate, whose south Indian provinces produced the Bahmani and Vijayanagara states. The next topic covers the Bengal Sultanate. Previous topic: Muhammad bin Tughlaq, up to Madurai Turning point Rebellions and the plague in the south Weakening policy Hereditary…">Causes for the Decline of the Delhi Sultanate.

How Was the Bahmani Kingdom Founded?

In short: the Bahmani kingdom arose in 1347, when the Afghan adventurer Hasan Gangu broke away from the Delhi Sultanate and took the title Alauddin Hasan Bahman Shah.

Hasan Gangu rose in the service of a Brahman named Gangu, hence the name. After his coronation he took the title Alauddin Hasan Bahman Shah. He is said to have traced his descent to a half-mythical Iranian hero, Bahman Shah, but a legend mentioned by Ferishta says Bahman was a tribute to his Brahman patron. The kingdom took its name from this title. The ruler of Warangal had helped Hasan Gangu in his struggle against Delhi.

Why Did the Bahmanis Fight Vijayanagara?

Their interests clashed in three areas: the Tungabhadra doab, the Krishna-Godavari delta and the Marathwada country with the Konkan. The doab, about 30,000 square miles, was wealthy and had been fought over by earlier dynasties. The Krishna-Godavari basin had fertile land and many ports that controlled foreign trade. The Konkan included the port of Goa, through which horses from Iran and Iraq were imported, and good horses were not bred in India.

The wars were nearly constant and brought widespread destruction, enslavement and massacre. In 1367 Bukka I slaughtered the garrison of Mudkal, and the enraged Bahmani sultan crossed the Tungabhadra, the first Bahmani sultan to enter Vijayanagara territory. Artillery was used by both sides for the first time, and the Bahmani victory owed much to better artillery and cavalry. The sides finally made a treaty restoring the old position and agreeing that unarmed people should not be slaughtered in future wars, which made later warfare in the south somewhat more humane.

What Did Firuz Shah Bahmani Achieve?

Firuz Shah Bahmani (1397 to 1422) knew the religious sciences, natural sciences such as botany and geometry, calligraphy and poetry, and, according to Ferishta, spoke Persian, Arabic, Turkish, Telugu, Kannada and Marathi. He wanted the Deccan to be the cultural centre of India, and learned people came from Delhi, Iran and Iraq as Delhi declined. He inducted Hindus into the administration on a large scale, and from his time Deccani Brahmans came to dominate the revenue administration. He built an observatory near Daulatabad and looked after the ports of Chaul and Dabhol. He also defeated the Gond raja Narsing Rai of Kherla and married his daughter, and he married a daughter of Deva Raya I of Vijayanagara.

In 1419 Deva Raya I defeated Firuz, who then abdicated in favour of his brother Ahmad Shah I, called a wali for his link with the Sufi Gesu Daraz. Ahmad Shah attacked Warangal, killed its ruler, annexed most of its lands and shifted the capital from Gulbarga to Bidar.

What Did Mahmud Gawan Do?

Trade grew with Iran and Iraq through Goa and Dabhol. The pattern of conflict in the south did not follow religious lines, since political and strategic aims and control of trade were more important.

Why Did the Bahmani Kingdom Break Up?

Strife among the nobles was the hardest problem. They were divided into the long-established Deccanis and newcomers, called afaqis or gharibs, and Mahmud Gawan, a newcomer, struggled to win the Deccanis over despite a policy of conciliation. After his execution, party strife grew and governors became independent. The kingdom divided into five principalities: Golconda, Bijapur, Ahmadnagar, Berar and Bidar. Ahmadnagar, Bijapur and Golconda led Deccan politics until the Mughals absorbed them in the seventeenth century.

The Bahmani kingdom acted as a cultural bridge between north and south, and its distinct culture was continued by its successors and influenced Mughal culture.

Why Is This Topic Important?

• First Deccan sultanate Origin of the five Deccan sultanates
• Reforms Mahmud Gawan’s tarafs are a common fact
• Conflict Core of the Vijayanagara-Bahmani rivalry

What Came Next?

The next topic covers the Bengal Sultanate, which broke away from Delhi earlier in the north-east. Next topic: Bengal Sultanate.

Key People and Terms

• Hasan Gangu Founder, Alauddin Hasan Bahman Shah
• Taraf Province under Mahmud Gawan
• Afaqis Newcomer foreigners
• Deccanis Long-established nobles
• Malik-ut-Tujjar Title of Mahmud Gawan
• Khalisa Land for the sultan’s expenses

Exam Corner

Mains Angle

Questions on the Bahmanis ask about their rivalry and fall. These points add depth.

• Rivalry Doab, delta and Konkan
• Reform Taraf system and land measurement
• Decline Noble factions