Vijayanagara and

Bahmani
Sultanate
 Sources
❑ Nicolo Conti
→ The Italian traveller

→ visited Vijayanagara in 1420

→ had left us a graphic account of it.

❑ Ferishta
❑ Abdur Razzaq:
→ The Persian traveller

→ who had travelled widely in and outside India,

→ visited Vijayanagara in the reign of Deva Raya II.

→ considers Vijayanagara to be one of the most splendid cities anywhere in the world which he had seen or heard
of.
 The Vijayanagara Empire
❑ The Vijayanagara kingdom was founded by Harihara and Bukka who belonged to a family of five brothers.

❑ It governed the territories encompassing present-day

→ Karnataka,
→ Andhra Pradesh,
→ Tamil Nadu,
→ Kerala,
→ Goa, and
→ parts of Telangana and Maharashtra.

❑ Vijayanagar Empire was ruled by four important dynasties and they are:
→ Sangama

→ Saluva

→ Tuluva

→ Aravidu
 Vijayanagara Theories of Origin
❑ One suggests that the founders, Harihara I and Bukka I,
→ were Kannadigas and commanders in the Hoysala Empire’s army
→ stationed in the Tungabhadra region to repel Muslim invasions from Northern India.
❑ According to another legend
→ they had been the feudatories of the Kakatiyas of Warangal
→ and later became ministers in the kingdom of Kampili in modern Karnataka.
→ When Kampili was overrun by Muhammad Tughlaq for giving refuge to a Muslim rebel, the two
brothers were imprisoned, converted to Islam, and appointed to deal with the rebellions there.
→ The Muslim governor of Madurai had already declared himself independent, and the Hoysala ruler
of Mysore and the ruler of Warangal were also trying to assert their independence.
→ After a short time, Harihara and Bukka forsook their new master and their new faith.
→ At the instance of their guru, Vidyaranya, they were re-admitted to Hinduism and established their
capital at Vijayanagar.
→ Some modern scholars do not accept the tradition of their conversion to Islam, but consider them to
be among the nayaks of Karnataka who had rebelled against Turkish rule.
 Harihara I
⎯ The date of Harihara's coronation is placed at 1336.
⎯ had to contend:
→ Hoysala ruler of Mysore
o He had defeated the Hoysala ruler,
o and executed him in a barbarous manner.
o Its dissolution enabled the brothers to expand their tiny principality.

o By 1346, the whole of the Hoysala kingdom had passed into the hands of the Vijayanagara rulers.

→ and the sultan of Madurai:

⎯ In this struggle, Harihara and Bukka were aided by their brothers and by their
relations who took up the administration of the areas conquered by their efforts.
⎯ The Vijayanagara kingdom was, thus, a kind of a cooperative commonwealth at
first.
 Vijayanagar And Bahmani Sultanate
• The interests of the Vijayanagara rulers and the Bahmani sultans clashed in three separate and distinct areas:
1. Tungabhadra doab:

o was the region between the rivers Krishna and Tungabhadra consisted of 30,000 square miles. On account of its wealth and economic resources, it had been the bone of
contention between the western Chalukyas and the Cholas in the earlier period, and between the Yadavas and the Hoysalas later on.
2. Krishina-Godavari delta:

o was very fertile and which with numerous ports, controlled the foreign trade of the region was often linked up with the struggle for the Tungabhadra doab.
3. Marathwada country:

o In the Maratha country the main contention was for the control of the Konkan and the areas which gave access to it.

o The Konkan was a narrow strip of land between the Western Ghats and the sea. It was extremely fertile and included within it the port of Goa which was an important
outlet for the products of the region, as well as for the import of horses from Iran and Iraq, as good quality horses were not bred in India. The import of horses from Goa
was, thus, of great importance to the southern states.

→ Military conflicts between the Vijayanagara and the Bahmani kingdom were almost a regular feature and lasted as long as these kingdoms continued.

→ These military conflicts resulted in widespread devastation of the contested areas and the neighbouring territories, and a considerable loss of life and property.

→ Both sides sacked and burnt towns and villages, imprisoned and sold into slavery men, women and children, and committed various other barbarities.
 Bukka I
⎯ Bukka succeeded his brother
⎯ in 1356
⎯ ruled till 1377.
⎯ Conflicts: The rising power of the Vijayanagara empire brought it into clash with many powers:
o In the south:
→ its main rivals were the sultans of Madurai.
→ lasted for about four decades.
→ By 1377, the Sultanat of Madurai had been wiped out.
→ The Vijayanagara empire then comprised the whole of south India upto Rameshwaram, including the Tamil country as well as that of the
Cheras (Kerala).
o To the north:
→ faced a powerful enemy in the shape of the Bahmani kingdom.
 Bukka I and Bahmani
→ In 1367
Bukka 1 assaulted the fortress of Mudkal in the disputed Tungabhadra doab, he slaughtered the entire
garrison, except one man. When this news reached the Bahmani sultan, he was enraged and, on the
march, vowed that he would not sheath his sword till he had slaughtered one hundred thousand Hindus
in revenge. In spite of the rainy season and the opposition of the Vijayanagara forces, he crossed the
Tungabhadra, the first time a Bahmani sultan had in person entered the Vijayanagara territories. The
Vijayanagara king was defeated in the battle and retreated into the jungle. For the first time, of the use
of artillery by both sides during this battle. The victory of the Bahmani sultan was due to his
superior artillery and more efficient cavalry. The war dragged on for several months, but the Bahmani
sultan could neither capture the raja nor his capital. In the meanwhile, wholesale slaughter of men,
women and children went on. Finally, both the side were exhausted, and decided to conclude a treaty.
This treaty restored the old position whereby the doab was shared between the two. Even more
important, it was agreed that since the two kingdoms would remain neighbours for a long time, it was
advisable to avoid cruelty in war. It was, therefore, stipulated that in future wars, helpless and unarmed
inhabitants should not be slaughtered. Although this accord was not fully implemented, it helped to
make warfare in south India more humane.
• Climax of the Vijayanagara Empire and it's disintegration
⎯ As mentioned earlier, there was confusion in the Vijayanagara empire after the death of
Deva Raya II (1446).
⎯ Since the rule of primogeniture was not established in Vijayanagara, there were a series
of civil wars among the various contenders to the throne.
⎯ Many feudatories assumed independence in the process.
⎯ The ministers became very powerful, and began to exact presents and heavy taxes
from the people, causing considerable distress to them.
⎯ The authority of the Raya shrunk to Karnataka and to some portions of the western
Andhra region.
⎯ The rulers were sunk in pleasures and neglected the affairs of the state.
⎯ After some time, the throne was usurped by the king's minister, of the Saluva dynasty.
⎯ The earlier dynasty, thus, came to an end.
⎯ Saluva restored internal law and order, and founded a new dynasty.
⎯ This dynasty too soon came to an end.
⎯ Ultimately, a new dynasty (called the Tuluva dynasty) was founded by Krishna Deva.
→ Krishna Deva Raya (1509-30) was the greatest figure of this dynasty.
⎯ Some historians consider him to be the greatest of all the Vijayanagara rulers.
⎯ Krishna Deva had not only to re-establish internal law and order, he had also to deal with
the old rivals of Vijayanagara, viz., the successor states of the Bahmani kingdom and the
state of Orissa which had usurped many Vijayanagara territories.
⎯ In addition, he had to contend with the Portuguese whose power was slowly growing.
⎯ They were using their control over the seas to browbeat the smaller vassal states of
Vijayanagara in the coastal areas in order to gain economic and political concessions.
⎯ They had even offered to buy the neutrality of the Raya by promising him assistance in
recovering Goa from Bijapur and giving him a monopoly in the supply of horses.
⎯ In a series of battles lasting seven years, Krishna Deva first compelled the ruler of Orissa
to restore to Vijayanagara all the territories up to the river Krishna.
⎯ Having thus strengthened himself, Krishna Deva renewed the old struggle for the control
of the Tungabhadra doab.
⎯ This led to a hostile alliance between his two main opponents, Bijapur and Orissa.
⎯ Krishna Deva made grand preparations for the conflict.
⎯ He opened the hostilities by overrunning Raichur and Mudkal.
⎯ In the battle which followed, the Bijapur ruler was completely defeated (1520).
⎯ He was pushed across the river Krishna, barely escaping with his life.
⎯ In the west, the Vijayanagara armies reached Belgaum, occupied and sacked Bijapur for a number of days and destroyed Gulbarga before a
truce was made.
⎯ Thus, under Krishna Deva, Vijayanagara emerged as the strongest military power in the south.
⎯ However, in their eagerness to renew the old feuds, the southern powers largely ignored the danger posed to them and to their commerce by
the rise of the Portuguese.
⎯ Unlike the Cholas and some of the early Vijayanagara rulers, Krishna Deva seems to have paid scant attention to the development of a navy.
⎯ The conditions in Vijayanagara during this period are described by a number of foreign travellers.
⎯ Paes, an Italian who spent a number of years at Krishna Deva's court, has given a glowing account of his personality.
⎯ But he remarks: 'He is a great ruler and a man of much justice, but subject to sudden fits of rage.'
⎯ He cherished his subjects, and his solicitude for their welfare became proverbial.
⎯ He also tried to create a more centralized administration by ousting all the nayaks from the Tungbhadra doab, and bringing it under direct
administration.
⎯ Krishna Deva was also a great builder.
⎯ He built a new town near Vijayanagara and dug an enormous tank which was also used for irrigation purposes.
⎯ He was a gifted scholar of Telugu and Sanskrit.
⎯ Of his many works, only one in Telugu on polity and a drama in Sanskrit are available today.
⎯ His reign marked a new era in Telugu literature when imitation of Sanskrit works gave place to independent works.
⎯ He extended his patronage to Telugu, Kannada and Tamil poets alike.
⎯ Foreign travellers like Barbosa, Paes and Nuniz speak of his efficient administration and the prosperity of the empire under his sway.
⎯ The Vijayanagara rulers are considered great protectors of Hinduism.
⎯ Under their patronage a large number of temples, schools and maths were built.
⎯ In this period, temples became very elaborate in structure and organization; even old temples were amplified by the addition of pillared halls,
pavilions and other subordinate structures.
⎯ However, speaking of the broad toleration that prevailed in the empire of Krishna Deva, Barbosa says: "The king allows such freedom that
every man may come and go and live according to his own creed, without suffering any annoyance, and without enquiry whether he is a
Christian, Jew, Moor or heathen.'
⎯ Barbosa also pays tribute to Krishna Deva for the justice and equity prevailing in his empire.
⎯ After the death of Krishna Deva (1530), there was a struggle for succession among his relations since his sons were all minors.
⎯ Ultimately, in 1543, Sadashiva Raya ascended the throne and reigned till 1567.
⎯ But the real power lay in the hands of a triumvirate in which the leading person was Rama Raja.
⎯ Rama Raja was able to play off the various Muslim powers against one another.
⎯ He entered into a commercial treaty with the Portuguese whereby the supply of horses to the Bijapur ruler was stopped.
⎯ In a series of wars he completely defeated the Bijapur ruler, and also inflicted humiliating defeats on Golconda and Ahmadnagar.
⎯ It seems that Rama Raja had no larger purpose than to maintain a balance of power favourable to Vijayanagara between these three powers.
⎯ At length, they combined to inflict a crushing defeat on Vijayanagara at Bannihatti, near Talikota, in 1565.
⎯ This is also called the battle of Talikota or the battle of Rakshasa-Tangadi. Rama Raja was surrounded, taken prisoner and immediately
executed.
⎯ It is said that 1,00,000 Hindus were slain during the battle. Vijayanagara was thoroughly looted and left in ruins.
⎯ The battle of Bannihatti is generally considered to mark the end of the great age of Vijayanagara.
⎯ Although the kingdom lingered on for almost one hundred more years, its territories decreased continually and the raya no longer counted in
the political affairs of south India
Battle of Talikota

• The Battle of Talikota, fought on January 26, 1565, near the town of Talikota in present-day Karnataka, India, was a significant event in South Indian history.
• It marked the decisive confrontation between the Vijayanagara Empire and a coalition of Deccan Sultanates.
• The battle had far-reaching consequences, leading to the decline of the Vijayanagara Empire.
• Context:
⎯ By the mid-16th century, the once-mighty Vijayanagara Empire was facing internal conflicts, political instability, and external threats from the Deccan Sultanates
Ahmednagar, Bijapur, Golconda, and Bidar.
⎯ The empire’s internal strife, along with issues of succession and leadership, created a vulnerable situation.
• Participants:
⎯ On one side was the Vijayanagara Empire, led by Aliya Rama Raya.
⎯ On the other side, the Deccan Sultanates formed a coalition, united in their goal to challenge the Vijayanagara dominance in the region.
• Course of the Battle:
⎯ The battle began with both sides engaging in fierce combat
⎯ Initially, the Vijayanagara forces had the upper hand, but internal dissension and betrayal played a crucial role in turning the tide.
⎯ Some reports suggest that certain nobles within the Vijayanaga. Camp switched sides during the battle, aligning with the Deccan Sultanates.
⎯ Of the turning point came when the artillery of the Deccan Sultanates, including the effective cause of powder, caused havoc among the Vijayanagare additionally,
strategic errors and misjudgements further weakened the Vijayanagara army.
• Outcome:
⎯ The Battle of Talikota resulted in a decisive victory for the coalition of Deccan Sultanates.
⎯ The victorious forces went on to sack and plunder the Vijayanagara capital, Hampi, inflicting significant damage on the once-great city.
• Consequences:
⎯ The aftermath of the Battle of Talikota had profound consequences for the Vijayanagara Empire.
⎯ The defeat led to the fragmentation of the empire, as it broke up into smaller states.
⎯ The last remnants of Vijayanagara power were diminished, and the empire ceased to be a dominant force in the Deccan region.
• So, the Battle of Talikota is often considered a turning point in South Indian history.
• It marked the end of the Vijayanagara Empire’s prominence and paved the way for the rise of the Deccan Sultanates.
• The once-mighty Vijayanagara Empire, which had flourished culturally and economically, faced a rapid decline after this crucial battle.
 Bahmani Sultanate
• The Bahmani kingdom had come into existence in 1347
• They governed the Deccan Plateau in South India
• The Deccan nobles driven to desperation, towards the eccentric policies of Muhammad Bin
Tughlaq, rose in rebellion and seized the fort of Daulatabad
• The revolters proclaimed, Ismail Mukh, an Afghan, the king of Deccan, under the title Nasir- ud-
din Shah.
• He was an old man and found himself unequal for the task
• He voluntarily abdicated in the favour of a more energetic and younger leader, Zafar Khan
• Throughout the rule, the dynasty would continue aggressive confrontations with kingdoms like
Warangal and Vijayanagar in the southern Deccan
• Wars over control of the Godavari basin, Tungabhadra Doab, and Marathwada became regular
features
 Alauddin Hasan
⎯ was Zafar Khan or Alauddin Hasan, an Afghan adventurer.
⎯ He was an official in the service of Muhammad bin Tughlaq
⎯ fixed his capital at Gulbarga and renamed it as Hasanabad
⎯ two theories of the Dynasty’s name:
1.
→ He had risen in the service of a Brahman, named Gangu, and is, therefore, known as Hasan Gangu.
→ According to a popular legend mentioned by Ferishta, the word Bahman Shah was meant to be a tribute to his
Brahman patron.
→ In any case, it is from this title that the kingdom was called the Bahmani kingdom

2.

→ He is said to have traced his descent from a half-mythical hero of Iran, Bahman Shah, son of Isfandiyar
→ supported by Tabataba author of Burhan-i-Maasir and Nizam-ud-Din author of Tabaqat-i-Akbari
 Mohammad Shah I
⎯ succeeded Alauddin
⎯ Alauddin’s eldest son
⎯ Formally obtained the sanction for the use of Kutba and Sikka, that is the right of mentioning his name in
Friday prayer and of striking coins in his own name, from the Abbasis Caliph of Egypt.
⎯ engaged in exceptionally brutal conflicts with the Vijayanagar empire and Warangal/Telingana
⎯ resulting in severe depopulation of the Carnatic region
⎯ reduced Warangal to tributary status for the time being
⎯ a condition that endured for several ages, as noted by historian Ferishta.
⎯ The conflict:
→ Vijayanagara and Warangal allainced
→ Both sent ultimatums to Mohammad Shah I
→ Vijayanagar wanted Tugabhadra Doab, claiming traditionally it was there’s
→ Warangal wanted the fortress of Kaulas
 Mahmud Gawad
→ Served as the regent of Muhammad Shah III
→ known for his statesmanship and poetry,
→ set up the Mahmud Gawan Madrasa as a centre for religious and secular education.
→ He grappled with factional rivalries between Dakhanis and Afaqis, marked by religious and linguistic divides.
→ Despite being a foreigner, Mahmud Gawan attempted reconciliation but faced difficulties winning the confidence of Dakhanis
→ Enlarged the kingdom to the extent never achieved before
• The loss of Warangal to the Bahmani kingdom changed the balance of power in south India.
• The Bahmani kingdom gradually expanded, and reached its height of power and territorial limits during the prime minis
• The early life of Mahmud Gawan is obscure.
• He was an Iranian by birth and was at first a trader.
• He was introduced to the sultan and soon became a favourite,
• and was granted the title of Malik-ut-Tujjar.
• Soon, he became prime minister or Peshwa.
• For almost 20 years, Mahmud Gawan dominated the affairs of the state.
→ Military Acheivements:
o Recovered Goa from Vijayanagara
o Orissa was attacked and Rajamundury and Kondapalli were wrested from its Rajas
• In the East:
o Control of Goa and Dabhol led to further expansion of the Bahmani overseas trade with
Iran, Iraq, etc.
o Internal trade and manufacture also grew.
o The loss of these ports was a heavy blow to Vijayanagara.
• tried to settle the northern frontiers of the kingdom:
o Since the time of Ahmad Shah I,
o the kingdom of Malwa ruled by the Khalji rulers had been contending for the mastery of
Gondwana, Berar and the Konkan.
o In this struggle, the Bahmani sultans had sought and secured the help of the rulers of Gujarat.
o After a good deal of conflict, it had been agreed that Kherla in Gondwana would go to
Malwa, and Berar to the Bahmani sultan.
o However, the rulers of Malwa were always on the lookout for seizing Berar.
o Mahmud Gawan had to wage a series of bitter battles against Mahmud Khalji of Malwa over
Berar.
o He was able to prevail due to the active help given to him by the ruler of Gujarat.
• In the west:
o Malwa and Gujarat were drawn into the affairs of the Deccan;
o in the east, Orissa was involved in a struggle with Bengal and also cast covetous eyes on the
commercially rich Coromandel coast.
o The Orissa rulers made deep raids into south India after 1450, their armies reaching as far south
as Madurai and the territories of Orissa extended upto the river Krishna.
o Their activities further weakened the Vijayanagara empire which was passing through a phase
of internal discord following the death of Deva Raya II.
• Mahmud Gawan carried out many internal reforms:
o He divided the kingdom into eight provinces or tarafs.
o Each taraf was governed by a tarafdar.
o The salaries and obligations of each noble were fixed.
o For maintaining a contingent of 500 horses, a noble received a salary of 1,00,000 huns per year.
o The salary could be paid in cash or by assigning a jagir.
o Those who were paid by means of a jagir were allowed expenses for the collection of land
revenue.
o In every province, a tract of land (khalisa) was set apart for the expenses of the sultan.
o Efforts were made to measure the land and to fix the amount to be paid by the cultivator to the
state.
• Mahmud Gawan was a great patron of arts:
o He built a magnificent madarasa or college in the capital, Bidar.
o This fine building, which was decorated with coloured tiles,
o was three storeys high,
o and had accommodation for one thousand teachers and students who were given clothes and
food free.
o Some of the most famous scholars of the time belonging to Iran and Iraq came to the madarasa
at the instance of Mahmud Gawan.
• One of the most difficult problems which faced the Balımani kingdom was strife among
the nobles:
o The nobles were divided into the long-established Deccanis and the new-comers who were
foreigners (afaqis, also called gharibs).
o As a newcomer, Mahmud Gawan was hard put to win the confidence of the Deccanis.
o Though he adopted a broad policy of conciliation, the party strife could not be stopped.
o His opponents managed to poison the ears of the young sultan who had him executed in 1482.
o Mahmud Gawan was over 70 years old at the time.
o The party strife now became even more intense.
o The various governors became independent.
o Soon, the Bahmani kingdom was divided into five principalities:
1. Golconda,
2. Bijapur,
3. Ahmadnagar,
4. Berar and
5. Bidar.
o Of these, the kingdoms of Ahmadnagar, Bijapur and Golconda played a leading role in the Deccan politics till
their absorption in the Mughal empire during the seventeenth century.
• The Bahmani kingdom acted as a cultural bridge between the north and the south.
• The culture which developed as a result had its own specific features which were distinct from north India.
• These cultural traditions were continued by the successor states and also influenced the development of
Mughal culture during the