DECCAN SULTANATES

Overview

• The Deccan Sultanates were five Muslim ruled kingdoms located in the Deccan plateau.
• They ruled south central India from 1527 to 1686.
• The Deccan Sultanates were established following the breakup of the Bahmani Sultanate in 1527.
• The five kingdoms of the Deccan Sultanates were
• Ahmadnagar (1490-1636)
• Bijapur (1490-1686)
• Berar (1490-1572)
• Golkonda (1518-1687)
• Bidar (1528-1619)
• The Deccan Sultanates were generally rivals but united against the Vijayanagara Empire in the Battle of Tallikota in 1565.
• An important cultural contribution of the Deccan Sultanates was the development of Dakhani Urdu – drawn from Arabic, Persian, Marathi, Kannada and Telugu.
• The period is also famous for the development of Deccani miniature paintings, which flourished in Ahmadnagar, Bijapur and Golkonda.

Ahmadnagar Sultanate

• The Ahmadnagar Sultanate was located in northwestern Deccan, between the Gujarat and Bijapur sultanate.
• The Sultanate was established by Malik Ahmad in 1490, who founded the Nizam Shahi dynasty.
• The capital city of the Sultanate was initially Junnar, which was later shifted to Ahmadnagar.
• The earliest examples of miniature paintings are found in the manuscript Tarif-i-Hussain Shahi (c. 1565).
• This period is also known for the encyclopaedia Nrisimha Prasada written by Dalapati.
• The Ahmadnagar Sultanate was annexed into the Mughal Empire by Aurangzeb (during the reign of Shah Jahan) in 1636.

Berar Sultanate

• The Berar Sultanate was established by Imad-ul Mulk in 1490.
• It was annexed by the Ahmadnagar Sultanate in 1572.

Bidar Sultanate

• The Bidar Sultanate was established by Qasim Barid in 1490.
• Bidar was sandwiched between the Ahmadnagar, Bijapur and Golconda sultanates.
• Bidar was annexed by Ibrahim Adil Shah II of the Bijapur Sultanate in 1619.
• An important type of metalwork called Bidri originated in Bidar. These metalworks were carried out on black metal (mainly zinc) with inlaid designs of silver, brass and copper.

Bijapur Sultanate

• The Bijapur Sultanate was established by Yusuf Adil Shah in 1490, who founded the Adil Shahi dynasty.
• The Bijapur Sultanate was located in northern Karnataka, with its capital at Bijapur.
• Under the Adil Shahi dynasty, Bijapur became an important centre of commerce and culture in India.
• The Begum Talab was a 234 acre tank constructed by Mohammad Adil Shah in 1651 in memory of Jahan Begum. Underground pipes, encased in masonry supplied water from the tank to the city residents.
• Ibrahim Adil Shah II wrote a book of songs in Dakhani urdu called Kitab-i-Navras. This work contains a number of songs set to different ragas.
• The Bijapur Sultanate was annexed into the Mughal Empire by Aurangzeb in 1686.

  

   Qutb Shahi Tombs, Hyderabad

Golconda Sultanate

• The Golconda Sultanate was established in 1518 by Qutb-ul-Mulk, who founded the Qutb Shahi dynasty.
• The Golconda Sultanate was located in northern Andhra Pradesh.
• The capital city was Hyderabad.
• The Qutb Shahi dynasty was responsible for the construction of the Jami Masjid (1518), Charminar (1591) and Mecca Masjid (1617).
• Another famous structure from the period is the fort of Golconda.
• The Shahi dynasty was instrumental in the development of Dakhani urdu.
• Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah wrote the Kulliyat-i-Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah in Dakhani urdu.
• Golconda was annexed into the Mughal Empire by Aurangzeb in 1687.