Bahmani Dynasty was established as an independent Muslim State in south India by Ala-ud-din Hasan Bahman Shah after revolting against the
Delhi Sultanate in 1347. To stabilize his position, Ala-ud-din Hasan waged wars to annex the two neighboring Hindu kingdoms of
Warangal and Vijayanagar. He occupied the area up to the
Tungabhadra River in 1358, and shifted his capital from
Daulatabad to
Gulbarga. The empire of the Bahmanis roughly consisted of the present day areas of
Maharashtra,
Karnataka and
Andhra Pradesh.
Their reign lasted for almost two centuries. In terms of tax collection and administration, the Bahmanis employed the policies devised by the Delhi overlords. But this was later dominated by domiciled Muslim immigrants and foreigners. In 1518, the Bahmani sultanate was partitioned into five states including
Ahmednagar, Berar, Bidar, Bijapur and Golconda, and these were jointly known as Deccan Sultanates. There existed strong rivalry between the neighbors which resulted in bloody battles.
By the end of the 15th century the Bahmani rule was plagued with faction fights and there came into existence the five Shahi kingdoms, the Nizam Shahis of Ahmadnagar, the Adil Shahis of Bijapur, the Imad Shahis of Berar, the Qutub Shahis of Golconda and the Barid Shahis of Bidar. The rule of the Bahmani dynasty ended in 1527. Of the five Shahi dynasties, the Qutub shahi dynasty played a significant and notable role.
After the disintegration of Bahmani Sultanate, the king Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagar conquered Bijapur in 1520. But in 1565, the Muslim sultanates succeeded in defeating Vijayanagar army in Talikota. Ultimately, the Bahmani rulers were defeated by Aurangazeb, and their kingdoms were joined to the
Mughal Empire.
