Bahmani and Vijayanagara Kingdoms

Bahmani  Kingdom

• The decline of the Sulthanate of Delhi gave birth to two mighty states in South India the Bahmani Kingdom of Gulbaraga and the Vijayanagara Empire.
• The Bahmanis were Muslim rulers, while the rulers of the Vijayanagar were Hindus.
• The Bahmani kingdom was founded by Zafar Khan (Hassan) who took the title of Alauddin Bahman Shah. He selected Gulbaraga as its capital and renamed itAhsanabad.
• There were total eighteen Sulthans and they ruled from 1347 to 1527.
• Muhammed Gawan was the famous minister of Bahmini kingdom.
• The last prince of the Bahmani Kingdom was Kalimullah.
• By 1527, the Bahmani kingdom was split up into five independent principalities.
• The Adil Shahis of Bijapur -founder – Yusuf Adilshah (1489 – 90)
• The Nizam Shahis of Ahamadnagar – founder – Malik Ahmad (1499)
• The Imadshahis of Berar – founder -Fateh Ulla Imadshanti (1490)
• The Qutubshahi kingdom of Golconda – founder – Qutabshah (1512)
• The Baridshahis of Bidar – founder – Amir Ali Barid (1527).
• Muhammad Adil Shah built Gol Gumbaz, a tomb with world’s second largest Dome at Bijjapur
• Muhammad  shah built the city of Hyderabad (Bhagyanagar)
• Berar stayed out of the Battle of Talikotta

Vijaya Nagara Empire

• The founders of Vijaya Nagar Empire were Harihara and Bukka Rai, the revenue officers of the Kakatiya ruler Pratap Rudra Deva II of Warrangal.
• They founded the dynasty in 1336 with the capital as Vijaya Nagara on the banks ofTungbhadra river with the help of Saint Vidyaranya.
• Vijayanagara kingdom lasted for 230 years and produced four dynasties.
• Sangama (1336 – 1485)
• Saluva – (1485 – 1505)
• Tuluva (1505 – 1565) and
• Aravidu (1565 – 1672)
• Krishna Deva Raya (1509 – 1529) belonged to the Tuluva dynasty. The Italian traveller Nicolocont visited his court.
• Krishnadeva Rayar is known as ‘Andhra Bhoja’ He wrote Ushaparinayam andAmuktamalyada
• Allasani Peddanna, a Telugu poet was a courtier of Krishna Deva Raya. He is considered as the ‘‘Andra Kavita Pitamaha’’ the Grand Father of Telugu poetry.
• ‘Ashtadiggajas’ was the famous Scholastic Assembly in the court of Krishna Deva Raya.

Vijayanagar Empire was visited by many foreign travellers:-

• Nicolo Conti – Venitian traveller, visited during the reign of Devaraya I.
• Abdur Razzak : Ambassador of Sulthan ShahRukh to the court of Devaraya II.
• Damingos Paes : He visited Krishna Devaraya’s court.
• Ferona Nuniz : A Portuguese who visited during Achyuta Raya’s reign.
• Durate Barbosa : A portuguese who visited Krishnadeva Raya’s court.
• Athenasius Nikitin (1415) : He was a Russian, who visited during Deva Raya I’s period He wrote, ‘Voyage to India’.