Kamat's Potpourri: Bahamani Kings of Gulbarga and Bidar

The Bahamani Kings

Bahamani Kings of Gulbarga and Bidar
by Dr. (Mrs) Jyotsna Kamat
Page Last Updated: August 20, 2024

According to Islamic historians, a rebel chieftain of Saulatabad (an area around Ellora) which was under Muhammad Bin Tughalaq, founded the Bahamani kingdom. Allauddin Hassan, a man of humble origin assumed the name of Gangu Bahamani in memory of his patron, a brahmin. His kingdom comprised of Deccan plateau, including parts of presenet day Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Andhta Pradesh. Bahanamis of Deccan left a important heritage of Indo-Islamic art, language, and spread of Islamic tradition in South India.

About eighteen kings ruled during the nearly 200 years after which the kingdom got divided into four smaller ones like Barishahi (Bidar), Kutbshahi (of Golkonda), Adamshahi( of Ahmadnagar), and Adilshahi (of Bijapur).

In the field of architecture, the Bahamanis paved way for the distinct style by inviting architects from Persia, Turkey, and Arabia and blended it with local styles.

Hazrat Banda Nawaz (1321 - 1422 CE) the great Sufi saint was patronized by the Bahamani kings and his Dargah of Gulbarga is a place of pilgrimage for Hindus and Muslims alike.

Mahmud Gawan arrived in Bidarfrom Persia in 1453. A great scholar of Islamic lore, he founded the Madarassa (college) from his own funds on the line of Universities of Samarkhand and Khorasan. A selefless worker, he became a prime-minister of Bahamani king Mahmud III (1462- 82) whom he tutored in earlier days. But Gawan became a victim of the palace intrigue and was beheaded by the drunkern king. The later kings of the Bahamani dynasty were too weak to keep the kingdom in tact, and this led to the breakup.