Canberra, 4 August 2018 Burhan Nizam Shah was only seven years old when his father, Ahmad Nizam Shah the founder of the dynasty, died. Ahmad had elicited an oath of allegiance towards the young prince from his nobles. They were true to the oath and the business of governance was undertaken by nobles loyal to […]
Continue reading
Tag Archives: Bijapur
Indian History Part 67 The Nizam Shahis of Ahmadnagar Section I: The Founding of a Kingdom
July 29, 2018 
0 Comments
Canberra, 29 July 2018 During one of his frequent wars, Ahmad Shah Bahmani took a Brahmin boy captive and converted him to Islam, renaming him Malik Hussein. The boy proved to be extremely intelligent and endowed with considerable all-round ability. The Sultan had him educated along with his eldest son and heir apparent, Muhammad. Hussein […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 66 The Adil Shahis of Bijapur, Section VI: A Concluding Evaluation
July 7, 2018 0 Comments
Canberra, 7 July 2018 The Adil Shahi kingdom of Bijapur was centred on modern Bijapur district in Karnataka, in the western region of the Deccan Plateau. Earlier it had been a province of the more extensive Bahmani kingdom. The Bijapur kingdom was established in 1489 and ceased to exist as an independent entity on […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 66 The Adil Shahis of Bijapur, Section V: The Final Collapse
July 1, 2018 0 Comments
Canberra, 1 July 2018 The fall of Daulatabad and end of Malik Amber’s rule also heralded the beginning of the end of the Deccani Muslim kingdoms. (Malik Amber’s foray into the Deccan and his eventful rule is described in a later chapter in the section dealing with the Nizam Shahi kingdom of Ahmadnagar.) By the […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 66 The Adil Shahis of Bijapur Section III Growing Strength
May 28, 2018 0 Comments
Canberra, 28 May 2018 On Ibrahim Adil Shah’s death, even though the succession was trouble free, the Bijapur kingdom was thrown into a brief period of confusion. Taking advantage of this limited time of uncertainty the ruler of Ahmadnagar, Hussein Nizam Shah invaded Bijapur. He was assisted by the Qutb Shahi ruler of Golconda. Ali […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 66 The Adil Shahis of Bijapur Section II Entrenching the Dynasty
May 18, 2018 0 Comments
Canberra, 18 May 2018 When Yusuf Shah died, his son Ismail Shah was only 13 or 14 years old (some reports state his age as 9 years). On his deathbed, Yusuf appointed a trusted noble, Kamal Khan to be the guardian of the young prince and also the regent till Ismail achieved majority. He […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 66 The Adil Shahis of Bijapur; Sect I: Yusuf Adil Shah Establishes a Kingdom
April 25, 2018 0 Comments
Canberra, 25 April 2018 The death of Muhammad Shah in 1482 was the virtual end of the Bahmani dynasty, although a few more Bahmani sultans nominally ruled from Bidar. On Muhammad Shah’s death, Mahmud Shah his 12-year old (only eight years old according to some reports) son was placed on the throne. He was rapidly […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 65 The Bahmani Kingdom Section IV Last Days and Break-Up
April 8, 2018 0 Comments
Canberra, 8 April 2018 The Divisions in Court The Tarafdari system that was instituted by Hasan did not take long to become entrenched in the socio-political structure of the kingdom. Gradually, the tarafdars, the governors of the tarafs or provinces, started to acquire local prestige. This trend invariably led to greater separatist tendencies that […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 65 The Bahmani Kingdom Section III The Bidar Sultans
April 2, 2018 0 Comments
Canberra, 2 April 2018 Ahmad Shah Bahmani After Firuz abdicated, Ahmad Shah ascended the throne without any opposition. His minister and other supporters advised him to kill Hasan Khan, Firuz’s son, since they felt that he would be a threat to the new Sultan; even if not immediately but definitely in later times. This […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 62 The Deccan – A Broad Overview
February 3, 2018 1 Comment
Canberra, 3 February 2018 The Deccan Plateau forms part of the Indian Peninsula bounded by the Vindhya Mountain Ranges and the River Godavari to the north and the Rivers Tungabhadra and Krishna to the south. The Eastern and Western Ghats, mountain ranges that skirt the sea coast on both sides of the peninsula serve […]
Continue reading
Recent Comments