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A History of Agriculture in India v2.c66.s4: Dissolution of Bahmani Kingdom and the Rise of Sultanates

A History of Agriculture in India v2.c66.s4

Language
English

Contents

Dissolution of Bahmani Kingdom and the Rise of Sultanates

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During the reign of Mahmud Shah (A.D. 1482-1518) the provincial governors of Bahmani kingdom declared their independence, and set up five Sultanates, viz. the Imad Shahi dynasty of Berar, the Nizam Shahi of Ahmadnagar, the Adil Shahi of Bijapur, the Barid Shahi of Bidar, and the Qutb Shahi of Golkonda.

Golkonda-Qutb Shahi Dynasty

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Golkonda kingdom was founded in A.D. 1518 by a Turki officer, who assumed the title of Sultan Quli Qutb Shah. Golkonda fort was constructed by the Hindu Raja of Warangal, who ceded it in A.D. 1364 to Muhammad Shah Bahmani. In A.D. 1512 it passed from Bahmanis to the Qutb Shahis. It is surrounded by a strong crenellated stone wall, over 3 miles (4.8 km) in circumference, with 87 bastions at the angles. The river Musi flows south of the fort. In A.D. 1589 the capital was shifted to Bhagnagar, now called Hyderabad. The Sultans left a number of tombs with fantastic domes at Golkonda.

Bijapur-Adil Shahi Dynasty

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The Adil Shahi dynasty of Bijapur was founded by Yusaf Adil Shah, a Shia, in A.D. 1489. Firishta describes him as ‘a wise and handsome prince, a good judge of human nature, eloquent, well-read and an accomplished musician.’ He was a broad-minded monarch, who employed Hindus in responsible posts, and encouraged use of Marathi language for accounts and State business. He invited scholars and artists from Iran, Turkistan and Rum to his court.

Ibrahim Adil Shah (A.D. 1584-1626)

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Ibrahim Adil Shah was the patron of the historian Firishta, whose real name was Kasim Hindu Shah. Ibrahim was an able administrator and a broad-minded person who enjoyed the confidence of his Hindu subjects. He also encouraged painting. Meadows Taylor thus describes his interest in revenue administration, and art and architecture: ‘Ibrahim Adil Shah died in A.D. 1626, in the fifty-sixth year of his age. He was the greatest of all the Adil Shahi dynasty, and in most respects, except its founder, the most able and popular.

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‘Without the distraction of war, he applied himself to civil affairs with much care; and the land settlements of the provinces of his kingdom, many of which are still extant among district records, show an admirable and efficient system of registration of property and its valuation. In this respect the system of Todar Mull introduced by the Emperor Akbar seems to have been followed with the necessary local modifications.

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‘Although he changed the profession of the State religion immediately upon assuming the direction of State affairs from Shia to Sunni, Ibrahim was yet extremely tolerant of all creeds and faiths. Hindus not only suffered no persecution at his hands, but many of his chief civil and military officers were Brahmans and Marathas. With the Portuguese of Goa he seems to have kept up a friendly intercourse. Portuguese painters decorated his palaces, and their merchants traded freely in his dominions. To their missionaries also he extended his protection; and there are many anecdotes current in the country that his tolerance of Christians equalled, if it did not exceed, that of his contemporary Akbar. He allowed the preaching of Christianity freely among his people, and there are still existent several Catholic churches, one at Chitapur, one at Mudgal, and one at Raichur, and others, endowed by the king with lands and other sources of revenue, which have survived the changes and revolutions of more than 300 years. Each of these churches now consists of several hundred members and remains under the spiritual jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Goa.’²

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² Meadows Taylor, *Manual of Indian History*, quoted by V. A. Smith in the *Oxford History of India*, p. 300

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Asad Beg, an officer at the Court of Emperor Akbar, who paid a visit to the city of Bijapur, thus describes its bazar, shops, merchandise and people. ‘While the countryside was poor, towns were prosperous. ‘All round the gate of my residence were lofty buildings with houses and porticos; the situation was very healthy and airy,’ states Asad Beg. ‘It lies in an open space in the city. Its northern portico is to the east of a bazar of great extent, as much as thirty yards wide and about two *kos* long. Before each shop was a beautiful green tree, and the whole *bazar* was extremely clean and pure. It was filled with rare goods, such as are not seen or heard of in any other town. There were shops of cloth-sellers, jewellers, armourers, vintners, bakers, fishmongers, and cooks. To give some idea of the whole *bazar*, I will describe a small section in detail.

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‘In the jewellers’ shops were jewels of all sorts, wrought into a variety of articles, such as daggers, knives, mirrors, necklaces, and also into the form of birds, such as parrots, doves and peacocks, etc., all studded with valuable jewels, and arranged upon shelves, rising one above the other. By the side of this shop will be a baker’s, with rare viands, placed in the same manner, upon tiers of shelves. Further on a linendraper’s, with all kinds of cloths, shelved in like manner. Then a clothier’s. Then a spirit-merchant’s, with various sorts of valuable china vessels, crystal bottles, and costly cups, filled with choice and rare essences, arrayed on shelves, while in front of the shop were jars of double-distilled spirits. Besides that shop will be a fruiterer’s, filled with all kinds of fruit and sweetmeats, such as pistachio-nuts, and relishes, and sugar-candy, and almonds.

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'On another side may be a wine-merchant’s shop, and an establishment of singers and dancers, beautiful women adorned with various kinds of jewels, and fair-faced choristers, all ready to perform whatever may be desired of them. In short, the whole bazar was filled with wine and beauty, dancers, perfumes, jewels of all sorts, palaces, and viands. In one street were a thousand bands of people drinking, and dancers, lovers, and pleasure-seekers assembled; none quarrelled or disputed with another, and this state of things was perpetual. Perhaps no place in the wide world could present a more wonderful spectacle to the eye of the traveller.'³

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³ Asad Beg, Wikaya, in Elliot and Dowson, The History of India..., Vol. VI, pp. 163, 164

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The Golgumbaz or great tomb of Muhammed Adil Shah (A.D. 1626-1656) has an enormous dome covering an area of 2,500 square feet (232 m²). Thrusts are provided for the dome by use of massive pendentives, hanging the weight, inside. Its internal height is 178 feet (54.26 m). An ornamental gate-way called Mihtar Mahal, Gagan Mahal (A.D. 1561), Asar Mahal and Ibrahim rauza and mosque (A.D. 1580-1627) are other notable buildings.