Home > Indian History > History of India > Bahamani Dynasty
Bahamani Dynasty
Bahmani Dynasty was one of the great medieval Indian Kingdoms founded by bahamani Shah.

Share this Article:

Bahmani Dynasty has added an important dimension in Indian history. The Turkish governor Ala-ud-din Bahman Shah revolted against the Delhi Sultanate. Muhammad Bin Tughluq was the Sultan at that time. Muhammad failed to defeat the revolt and Bahman established an independent state within the Delhi Sultanate`s southern provinces, on the Deccan. It was one of the great medieval Indian Kingdoms. Bahman Shah conquered large part of the Deccan. By 1358 the Bahmani Empire extended to the areas near the west coast, the ports of Goa and Dabhal. He conquered the Hindu rulers of Vijaynagar and Warangal. The Bahmans were responsible for the destruction of Vijaynagar Empire. Many temples and south Indian Hindu population became their target. They accumulated vast treasures from there. The Bahmani Dynasty lasted for two centuries. In 1527 it fragmented into five small states - Bijapur, Golconda, Ahmednagar, Berar and Bidar.

Ala-ud-din Bahman who was definitely an important name of the Bahmani Dynasty, renamed Daulatabad as Fatahabad. Ala-ud-din Bahman Shah was advised by a group of eight ministers. Mohammed Shah succeeded Ala-ud-din Bahman Shah in 1358. He was better known as organizer of Bahmani Kingdom. He renovate the Silver throne with `Takht-e Firoza`, the Turquoise. He constructed "Jama Masjid" in Gulbarga Fort and "Shah Bazaar Masjid" in Gulbarga town. He invaded Tilangana and thus took Bahmani Dynasty to the further level of maturity.

Aladdin Mujahid Shah ascended the throne in1375 He only ruled for three years. He was murdered Masud Khan and Daud Khan. From 1378 to 1422 the Bahmani Empire was under the rule of Daud Shah, Mohammed Shah II, Ghiyath ud-din, Shams-ud-din and Taj ud-din Firuz Shah. Mohammed Shah II`s reign of 19 years was one of the peaceful periods in the whole Bahmani history. Ghiyath-ud-din was blinded and imprisoned. After shams-ud-din Firuz Shah ascended the throne. He started construction of an Observatory on the chain of hills Balaghat. Ahmad Shah, son of Bahman Shah ascended the throne in 1422. Ahmed Shah attacked Vijaynagar and over powered Vijayaraya. He also fought against the Sultan of Malwa, Gujarat and the Hindu rajas of the Konkon. During his reign the capital of Bahmani kingdom was shifted to Bidar, now called Ahmedabad. He constructed a Tomb in the name of Gesu Daraz, the Sufi saint deeply related to the Bahmani kingdom at Gulbarga.

His eldest son Alauddin II succeeded Ahmed Shah in 1435. He proved himself as the successful Sultan. The next ruler Humayun Shah was a very cruel man. On Humayun`s death his son Ahmed as Nizam-ud-din Ahmed III succeeded the throne. It was during the tenure of Shams-ud-din Muhammad Shah III, the famine of Bijapur spreaded over the Deccan. Mahmud Gawan was the prime minister during this period. He was one of the first ministers to order a systematic measurement of land, fixing boundaries of villages and towns and making a thorough enquiry into the assessment of revenue in medieval India. 1463 to 1482 this long tenure ship of Muhammad Shah Bahmani, the Bahmani Empire started weakening its strength. During his tenure the Deccan divided into five parts.

Next set of rulers of the Bahmani Dynesty like the Shihab-ud-din Mahmud, Ahmed Shah IV, Ala-ud din Shah, Wali-ul-Lah Shah and the last ruler of Bahmani Kingdom Kalim-ul lah Shah spent much of their time indulging in entertainments. Shihab-ud-din spent so much money that he had to extract jewels from the famous Turquoise throne. Qasim Barid forced Shihab-ud-din to make him prime minister. Qasim Barid was entitled with Barid-ul-mumalik during Shihab-ud-din`s reign. Malik Ahmad Nizamul-mulk revolted during this time and he named his newly made capital Ahmadnagar after himself. As Ahmad Nizam died Amir Barid, son of Qasim Barid put Ahmad Shah on the throne. Amir Barid indeed was a very clever person. Amir was very careful that king should not leave the palace. He actually set about to spoil the life and morals of Ahmad Shah. Ahmad Shah was forced to breakup the ancient crown of the Bahmanis. A ray of hope has opened on Amir Barid`s wish to become the king after the death of Ahmad Shah. But Ala-ud-din son of Ahmad Shah was crowned. He was dethroned with the conspiracy of Amir Barid.

Amir Barid put Waliullah son of Mahmud shah on the throne. He was imprisoned and lived on bread and cloths given to him. As Amir Barid began to make love with Waliullah`s queen, Waliulla resisted. He was poisoned soon after.

Kalimullah son of Mahmud Shah was the last king of Bahmani Dynasty. Amir Barid closely guarded him. A new political force appeared as Zahir-ud-din Babur came to India. After Kalimullah his son Ilhamullah proceeded to Mecca.

Thus the Bahmani Dynasty came to an end. Amir Barid has played an influential role in the decline of the Bahmani Dynasty.


Share this Article:

Subscribe to Newsletter
Learn unknown facts about India from a curated list of informative articles.

Related Articles

More Articles in History of India

History of Indian Drama
History of Indian Drama is rich with Vedas and Indian epics and has gradually changed with time and remains unaffected by any foreign influence.
History of Khajuraho Temple
Located in the Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh, Khajuraho is country’s most magnificent groups of temples.
History of Ayurveda
History of Ayurveda dates back to 5,000 years old and is widely considered to be the oldest form of health care in the world.
History of Uttar Pradesh
The state was the heart of Mahabharata war and the history of Uttar Pradesh is very much the history of India. The place finds its mentions in Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata.
History of Indian Photography
An overview of the development of photography, through the various stages in India.
History of Delhi
History of Delhi began with the advent of Indian regal dynasties. Delhi witnessed the rise and fall of Hindu dynasties, Muslims and the British as well.
History of Indian Radio
History of Indian Radio dates back to late 1930s with the first establishment of All India Radio in 1936 that improved further after independence.
History of Punjab
History of Punjab dates back to the 16th century; however its formation is traced in the great epic Mahabharata.
History Of Archaeology In India
History of archaeology in India contributes a lot to define the past history and the social life of India.
History of Maharashtra
Maharashtra, the land of charismatic Marathas, unfolds the legend of diverse culture and tradition, keeping in pace with the modernity. The gallant history of Maharashtra is still echoed amidst its historical relics and archeological wonders.
History of Kerala
History of Kerala can be interpreted from the inscriptions of Ashoka, Mauryan Emperor. History of Kerala is as interesting as its wide-ranging geographical features that make the land a place of versatile appeal.
History of Bihar
History of Bihar goes back to the very dawn of the human civilizations. Many eminent personalities and leaders from Bihar contributed for India’s freedom struggle.
History of Assam
In the ancient Indian epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata, Assam was known as `Kamarupa` or `Pragjyotish`. In the Mahabharata, the Puranas, the Tantras there are references of Assam as Kamrupa kingdom.
History of Andaman and Nicobar Islands
History of Andaman and Nicobar Islands dates back to the settlement of the East India Company in the territory of the Islands.
History of West Bengal
History of West Bengal is rooted in richness and is an important episode in the history of India. The history of Bengal played an important role in shaping the history of India.
History of Jharkhand
One of the fairly newer states, Jharkhand was carved out of the southern portion of Bihar in 2000. The history of Jharkhand is seeped with a variety of cultural significances starting from the Vedic era to Mughal period and finally the British administration.
History of Sikkim
History of Sikkim declares the pre historic culture and the colonial era hilly politics and the rules of Sikkim.
History of Nagaland
The history of Nagaland mainly revolves around and deals with the customs and economic activities of the Naga Tribes and how the state has evolved since the Indian Independence.
History of Mizoram
History of Mizoram includes the various historical events and incidents which occurred during the various ages, right from before the age of the Mughals.
History of Jammu & Kashmir
History of Jammu and Kashmir involves a series of political and geographical transformations from every ancient era to the modern times also. Even now, Jammu and Kashmir has its political tension between Pakistan and India.
History of Puducherry
Puducherry was invaded by different invaders in different times. The invaders include Pallava Kingdom of Kanchipuram, dynasties of the South, Cholas of Thanjavur, Pandyas and Muslim invaders.
History of Chandigarh
In 1947, the British India was partitioned into India and Pakistan. Punjab was also included in this partition. So, there was a need for a new capital for Punjab, as the old capital Lahore became part of Pakistan during the partition. So, in 1948, under the leadership of chief architect Mr. P.L. Verma the construction of Chandigarh city began.
History of Daman and Diu
During the early stage, i.e. from 8th to 13th century, Daman and Diu was part of Goa.
History of Lakshadweep
History of Lakshadweep defines the first settlement on these islands under the Union Territory of India that was ruled by Cheraman Perumal, who was the last king of Kerala.
History of Karnataka
History of Karnataka comprised of the different rulers of different dynasties of various religions like Hindus, Buddhists, and later the Muslims.
History of Goa
History of Goa dates back to the 3rd century BC and reflects the rule of the mighty rulers and gained its independence under Jawaharlal Nehru.
History of Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh possesses a rich historical heritage of culture of the ancient tribes. Being a bordering state of India, Arunachal Pradesh also has a history of military unrest since ancient Indian age.
History of Andhra Pradesh
History of Andhra Pradesh traces its origin back to the 5th century BC. According to the inscriptions, Kuberaka, the oldest Kingdom in South India had an empire in the coastal Andhra during that period.
History of Himachal Pradesh
History of Himachal Pradesh narrates about the various settlements and dynasties that emerged in the region over time.
History of Uttarakhand
History of Uttarakhand finds mention in the early Hindu scriptures as Kedarkhand, Manaskhand and Himavat. Uttarakhand is called as the Land of the Gods (Dev Bhoomi) because of its various holy places and shrines.
History of Rajasthan
The history of Rajasthan is dotted with tales of valor, chivalry, camaraderie and romance.
History of Tamil Nadu
History of Tamil Nadu reveals that this ancient place in South India was ruled by various kingdoms like the Pandyas Dynasty, Cholas Dynasty, Nayakas Dynasty and Pallavas Dynasty.
History of Haryana
History of Haryana depicts various events and influences that have cast a profound effect on the culture and people of the district. The place gained statehood on 1st of November 1966
History of Odisha
History of Odisha goes back a rather long way. Most of the history of the state is replete with the dynastic as well as tribal struggle for territorial superiority. Odisha is a place where one can find the religion, culture and history flow in away that lead to cultural amalgamation of early India.
History of Manipur
History of Manipur can be traced back to the prehistoric ages and this was followed by a number of rulers who reigned the land from age to age till it came under British rule and later joined the union of India.
History of Gujarat
History of Gujarat can be dated back to the 14th century that later witnessed the supremacy of many powerful dynasties.
History of Tripura
History of Tripura is dealing with the early mythological history and the history of British rule in North eastern part of India.
History of Meghalaya
The history of Meghalaya predominantly comprises of the three tribes of the state- Garo, Khasi and Jaintia tribes. Later on Meghalaya was formed by carving out two districts from the state of Assam.
History of Chhattisgarh
History of Chhattisgarh dates back to the era of epics and traces through the reign of powerful dynasties in India like Marathas. The area developed a rich cultural heritage during British era.