The Sultanate of Delhi, 711–1526 A.D. c23.s2.t2: The Bahamani kingdom

The Sultanate of Delhi, 711–1526 A.D. c23.s2.t2

Language: English

The Bahamani kingdom

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During the reign of Muhammad bin Tughluq some of the Dakhin nobles rose in rebellion against his oppressive policy, seized the city of Daultabad and proclaimed one of themselves, named Ismail Mukh, king under the title of Nasir-ud-din Shah. Being a man of advanced age and unfit to be the ruler of a new kingdom which needed greater ability and exertion than that he could command, Nasir-ud-din resigned the throne. The nobles now chose Hasan who became king under the title of Abul Muzaffar Ala-ud-din Bahaman Shah on the 3rd August, 1347. The story, related by Farishta, that Hasan was in his early days the menial servant of a Brahman, named Gangoo, who treated him well and prophesied his rise to power, whence in gratitude he assumed the title of Bahamani, has been rejected by modern research as gossip. Hasan claimed descent from the famous Persian hero Bahaman, son of Isfandiyar, and that was why he took up the title of Bahaman Shah, and not from the name of his so-called Brahman master and benefactor.

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Hasan proved to be a powerful ruler. He was determined to extend the boundaries of his small principality. As the result of incessant warfare, he succeeded in extending its limits from the Wainganga river in the north to the Krishna in the south, and from Daultabad in the west to Bhongir in the east. He established an efficient administration at his capital, Gulbarga, and divided his kingdom into four provinces (*tarafs*), namely, Gulbarga, Daultabad, Barar and Bidar. Each province was under a governor who had an army and appointed his civil and military officers. Hasan died on 11th February, 1358. He was just to his co-religionists and a propagator of Islam. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Muhammad Shah I (1358-77). To this ruler belongs the credit of organising the administration of the new kingdom on a sound basis. His foreign policy was marked by hostility to the Hindu kingdoms of Vijayanagar and Warangal with whom he fought almost throughout his reign. He defeated the rulers of these States and compelled them to yield a huge war indemnity. Muhammad was fond of wine and other pleasures. He died in 1371. His son, Mujahid Shah, now became ruler. He continued his father’s policy of waging war against Vijayanagar. He besieged that city, but failed to capture it, made peace and returned to Gulbarga. A conspiracy was formed against his life as the result of which the throne passed to one of his near relatives, named Daud Khan. Daud himself was murdered in May, 1378. The nobles now raised Muhammad Shah, a grandson of Hasan, to the throne who ruled from 1378 to 1397. He was a man of peace-loving disposition and a patron of scholars. He built mosques and gathered men of learning at his court. His reign was marked by a period of peace with Vijayanagar. The last days of this monarch were embittered by intrigues of his sons who aspired to the throne. He died in April, 1397. Then followed two weak rulers whose reigns lasted for a few months each. In November, 1397, Firoz, a grandson of Hasan, seized the throne and assumed the title of Taj-ud-din Firoz Shah. His reign lasted from 1397 to 1422. He was a brave ruler and was fond of the society of shaikhs and learned men. At the same time, he was addicted to sensual pleasures and was a narrow-minded Muslim. He took up the threads of the foreign policy from his predecessors and fought three wars with Vijayanagar, the first two of which were successful. In the last war he was defeated. He fled in confusion, but was pursued. The Vijayanagar troops obtained possession of the southern and eastern districts of the Bahamani kingdom. Firoz felt humiliated and neglected his administration. After this defeat he was deposed by his brother, Ahmad, in 1422.

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The reign of Ahmad Shah (1422-35) is famous, for it was marked by two important events. Firstly, he transferred his capital from Gulbarga to Bidar which had a better situation and more salubrious climate. Secondly, the rivalry between the parties at his court, namely, the Dakhin party and the foreign party, became accentuated. The Dakhin party consisted of local Muslim nobles and was supported by the Africans who did not enjoy high posts in the kingdom. The other party, known as the foreign party, consisted of the Turks, the Persians, the Arabs and held important places at the court and in the provinces. The Dakhinis were jealous of them. Moreover, religious differences added to the political rivalry. The Dakhinis were Sunnis, while the foreigners were mostly Shias. Owing to the dissension at court the administration was much weakened. Ahmad Shah, nevertheless, pursued a vigorous foreign policy. In order to avenge the losses of his brother’s time, he attacked and besieged Vijayanagar. The raja was reduced to great distress and had to pay a huge indemnity. In 1424-25 Ahmad conquered Warangal and slew its ruler. The independent kingdom of Warangal, thus, came to an end. Next, Ahmad defeated Husang Shah of Malwa and inflicted great loss on him. He fought with Gujarat, too, but did not succeed. His last achievement was the victory against the chiefs of Konkan. He died in 1435.

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He was succeeded by his son, Ala-ud-din II (1435-54). Ala-ud-din suppressed his brother’s (Muhammad’s) rebellion and appointed him governor of the Raichur Doab where he remained loyal till the end of his life. Having overcome domestic dissension, he undertook an expedition against Konkan and reduced its chiefs to submission. He compelled the raja of Sangameshwar to give his daughter in marriage to him. Nasir Khan of Khandesh, his father-in-law, took up the cause of his daughter and invaded Barar, but was defeated. Ala-ud-din engaged himself in the traditional warfare with Vijayanagar and acquired huge booty and compelled the raja to give him tribute. Ala-ud-din founded a hospital which was handsomely endowed. He died in 1457. His successor was his eldest son, Humayun, who ruled from 1457 to 1461. He was a tyrant and was known as *zalim*. He died in 1461. Then came to the throne Nizam Shah, a minor son of Humayun. The queen mother, Maqdum-i-Jahan, became the regent. Taking advantage of the minority of the ruler, the rulers of Orissa and Telingana invaded the Bahamani kingdom, but they were repelled. Then Mahmud Khalji of Malwa came on the scene. He invaded Nizam Shah’s country; but owing to the intervention of Mahmud Begarha of Gujarat, he had to retire. The boy king died in 1463, and was succeeded by his brother, named Muhammad. He assumed the title of Muhammad Shah III (1563-82). Like other rulers of his dynasty, he was fond of drink and debauchery. The administration was carried on by his famous minister, Mahmud Gawan, who was given the title of Khwaja Jahan. This prime minister served the Bahamani kingdom with devotion and loyalty. He undertook a number of successful military operations and extended the boundaries of his master’s kingdom. His first work was to subdue the Hindu rajas of Konkan. He captured several forts. He compelled the raja of Sangameshwar to surrender the fortress of Khalna. He also conquered Goa which was one of the best parts of the Vijayanagar empire. One of his assistants seized the forts of Rajamundry and Kondavir. The most important military campaign was, however, against Vijayanagar. The raja was defeated and an immense booty fell into the hands of the victors. An expedition was undertaken against Orissa, from where a large booty, including some elephants, was brought to Bidar. But the Bahamani kingdom suffered from a terrible famine for want of rains, which lasted for two years. This calamity was followed by another, namely, the assassination of the prime minister, Mahmud Gawan. Muhammad Shah III, in his drunken mood, ordered the prime minister to be put to death, at the instigation of the Dakhini nobles who were jealous of his power and influence. They produced a forged letter before the Sultan and made him believe that Mahmud Gawan was in treasonable correspondence with the ruler of Vijayanagar. Mahmud Gawan was put to death on 5th April, 1481. This prime minister was a foreigner and had served the Bahamani kingdom during three successive reigns with ability and loyalty. He was a learned scholar and was fond of the society of learned men. He built a magnificent college at Bidar where he had collected a large number of extremely valuable books. His private life was simple and free from defects; but, like other high-placed nobles of his time, he was religious bigot and persecuted the Hindus and their religion. With his death “departed all the cohesion and power of the Bahamani kingdom.” The administration became weak. The drunken Sultan, Muhammad III, followed his prime minister and died on 22nd March, 1482.

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He was succeeded by Mahmud Shah, his younger son, who was devoid of ability and character. The quarrel between the Dakhini and the foreign nobles continued. Rival nobles and governors cared for their own interests as against the interests of the State. They seized power and asserted their independence. The kingdom was reduced in size and Mahmud's authority remained confined to a small area around the capital. On Mahmud's death he had three successors, one after another, who, like him, were mere puppets in the hands of Qasim Barid-ul-mamalik and, after his death, in those of his son, Amir Ali Barid. The last ruler of this dynasty was Kalimullah Shah. With his death, in 1527, the Bahamani kingdom came to an end. On its ruins sprang five independent kingdoms. They were: (1) The Adilshahi kingdom of Bijapur, (2) The Nizamshahi kingdom of Ahmadnagar, (3) The Imadshahi kingdom of Barar, (4) The Qutubshahi kingdom of Golkunda, and (5) The Baridshahi kingdom of Bidar.

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The Bahamani kingdom lasted for over a hundred and seventy-five years during which period the dynasty had eighteen kings. The history of the kingdom is full of intrigues, civil wars and constant struggle with its neighbours. Of the eighteen kings of the dynasty, five were murdered, three were deposed, two were blinded and two died of intemperance. We are told by a Russian traveller, named Athanasius Nikitin, who visited the Bahamani kingdom in 1417, that the country was populous, but the mass of the people were very poor. The nobles, on the other hand, were extremely rich and lived in luxury. Whenever a nobleman went out he was preceded by twenty horsemen and followed by three hundred soldiers on horseback and five hundred on foot and by a number of other people, such as, torch-bearers and musicians. But the lot of the common people was miserable.