Vijayanagar and Bahmani Kingdoms: A Comparative History of South India
Timeline of the Vijayanagar and Bahmani Kingdoms
- 1336: Vijayanagar kingdom established
- 1347: Bahmani kingdom established
- 1397–1422: Reign of Firoz Shah Bahmani
- 1509–1530: Reign of Krishna-Dev Raya
- 1537: End of the Bahmani kingdom
The Pandyas, the Hoysalas, the Kakatiyas and the Yadavas had come to dominate the vast region of South India after the decline of the Chalukya and Chola kingdoms. However, as a result of repeated campaigns on Deccan and South India by the Sultans of Delhi, their power started to weaken and ultimately they came under the domination of the Sultanate of Delhi. But the Sultanate too failed to keep them under control for long and two independent kingdoms, namely, the Vijayanagara and Bahmani kingdoms rose to power in AD 1336 and AD 1347 respectively.
Vijayanagara Kingdom: The City of Victory and Its Dynasties
When Muhammad-bin-Tughluq campaigned in Warangal, he also captured two brothers, Harihara and Bukka, sons of Sangama, who was the ruler of Kampili. Harihara had earlier converted to Islam but reconverted to Hinduism. His brother and he were later sent back to Kampili to crush a revolt there. Harihara and Bukka asserted their independence and in AD 1336, they founded the independent kingdom of Vijayanagara (City of Victory). They followed the Shaivite tradition. In military technology the two brothers were influenced by the Delhi Sultanate and further extended their empire. It became a great kingdom of the south, consisting of Madras and Mysore, up to Cape Comorin.
Sixteen rulers from four dynasties—the Sangama, Saluva, Taluva and the Arvinda—ruled over the Vijayanagara Empire for 230 years (AD 1336–1565).
Krishnadeva Raya (AD 1509 – 1530): The Greatest Ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire
The greatest ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire was Krishnadeva Raya who ruled from AD 1509 to 1530 and belonged to the Taluva Dynasty. A brave general and a good administrator, he attacked the Bahmani kingdom, which had broken into five parts. He also suppressed the feudatory chiefs and conquered the Raichur Doab. The kings of Bijapur and Orissa were defeated and captured by him. The ruler of Udayagiri was also compelled to yield.
He constructed dams for irrigation, which brought prosperity to the state. In order to promote trade, he established friendly relations with the Portuguese and allowed them to settle along the west coast and build a fortress.
He also built a number of beautiful palaces and temples. He was a great scholar of Sanskrit and Telugu. He patronised men of learning and gave liberal grants to Brahmins. During his rule the Vijayanagara Empire reached the zenith of its glory. He died in AD 1530 and was succeeded by weak rulers like Sada Siva and Ramaraya. Ramaraya was, at the age of 96, defeated by the Bahmani king in the battle of Talikota in AD 1565.
Administration of the Vijayanagara Empire: Kottams, Nadus, and Land Revenue System
Hampi, in the present day Bellary district of Karnataka was the capital of Vijayanagara. The Vijayanagara rulers were efficient administrators which revolved around the assessment and collection of the land revenue. The king was the supreme authority in civil, military and judicial matters. He ruled with the assistance of a council of ministers, who were helped by a number of officials. The Portuguese traveller, Domingo Paes, was struck by the magnificence of the court, which was adorned by a number of distinguished scholars, artists and foreign visitors.
For administrative efficiency, the empire was divided into a number of kottams which were further divided into nadus. Each kottam was under the charge of a governor, who generally belonged to the royal family. The governor had both military and judicial powers. The nadus were further divided into a number of villages. They paid a part of the revenue to the king and also rendered military service. The village headman managed the affairs of the village with the help of a panchayat.
Economy and Trade of the Vijayanagara Kingdom: Agriculture and Maritime Commerce
The administration was geared towards more efficient collection and generation of revenues. Land revenue and trade were the chief sources of state income. Farmers paid between one-third and one-sixth of the produce as taxes after assessment of the quality of the land. The rulers constructed dams and tanks for irrigation. Other sources of revenue were customs duty, grazing tax, import and export duties. Most of the money was spent on welfare schemes and in the maintenance of a large army, consisting of infantry, cavalry and elephants. Good quality horses were one of the most important items imported by the king.
Fact File
By 1498, when Vasco da Gama landed in Calicut, the process of Europeans coming to trade with India and settling down here had already started.
Industry and Trade: Vijayanagara’s Flourishing Commerce with the Portuguese and Beyond
Vijayanagara kingdom had a flourishing trade first with the Portuguese and later with the British and the Dutch. They also did brisk trade with countries in the West like Persia, Arabia and the south-east Asian countries like Burma, China and Sri Lanka. Ships carried cotton cloth, rice, iron, sandalwood, sugar and spices to these countries. The main items of import included ivory, horses and silk. There were 300 seaports, the most important being Calicut in Malabar.
Art and Architecture of the Vijayanagara Empire: Temples, Sculptures, and Literature
Vijayanagara rulers were great builders and the period saw the revival of regional art, architecture and literature. The rulers built many temples and palaces, the most famous being the Vithalaswami Temple and the Hazara Rama Temple.
The temples were adorned with beautiful sculptures. They also repaired some temples built by the Cholas. According to Domingo Paes, Vijayanagara was surrounded by seven walls covering an area of about 96 kms. Inside the city, there were beautiful gardens, lakes, palaces, temples and other buildings. People were fond of jewellery. Diamonds, rubies, emeralds and pearls were sold in the bazaar. Paes compared Vijayanagara to the city of Rome.
The Vijayanagara rulers were great patrons of learned men. Telugu, Kannada and Sanskrit languages flourished. Works on religion, philosophy and law were rewritten. Amuktamalyada, a long poem in Telugu, which explains how a king should rule, was composed by Krishnadeva Raya. His court had eight great Telugu scholars or the Ashtadiggaja of whom Tenali Rama, Peddana and Madhava were some. The Vijayanagara rulers also patronised saints like Jnandeva and Namadeva. Painting, music and dance also flourished.
Social and Religious Customs in the Vijayanagara Kingdom
The Vijayanagara rulers followed Hinduism with all its Vedic customs. They were governed by religious norms and gave a lot of importance to the brahmins. The caste system was followed. They were however, tolerant of other religions and did not discriminate between Christians, Jews, Muslims and Hindus.
Women were respected and some even occupied high positions in political life. But their freedom was restricted. Sati was practised and also polygamy and child marriage. Sacrifices were made almost routinely.
Bahmani Kingdom: The Rise of an Independent Deccan Sultanate
The Bahmani kingdom was established in AD 1347 by Hasan Gangu who took the name Ala-ud-din Bahman Shah as his title. He brought the rebellious nobles under his control and established peace and an efficient administration. The kingdom, which extended from the Arabian Sea in the West to the Bay of Bengal in the East, was divided into four provinces, each under the charge of a governor. There were eighteen rulers of the Bahmani kingdom who ruled from AD 1347 to 1537. Bahman Shah, Muhammad Shah I, Muhammad Shah II, Firoz Shah, Ahmed Shah and Alauddin II were some of the important rulers of the Bahmani kingdom.
Muhammad Shah I: The Warrior Sultan of the Bahmani Dynasty
Muhammad Shah I was the eldest son of Zafar Khan. He waged wars against the Vijayanagara and Warangal kingdoms, and defeated them. He also put down lawlessness with a heavy hand.
Firoz Shah Bahmani (AD 1397-1422): The Eighth Ruler and His Conflicts with Vijayanagara
He ruled from AD 1397 to 1422 and was the eighth ruler of the dynasty. He defeated the Vijayanagara kings in two major battles but when he lost the third in AD 1420, he was forced to step down from the throne in favour of his brother Ahmed Shah. Ahmed Shah not only avenged his brother’s defeat but ransacked the city of Vijayanagara. He also transferred the capital from Gulbarga to Bidar.
Mahmud Gawan (AD 1463-1481): The Reformer Prime Minister of the Bahmani Kingdom
Mahmud Gawan, a Persian merchant, came to India in AD 1460. He took service under the Bahmani ruler Alauddin II in AD 1453. He became the Prime Minister when Muhammad Shah III, was crowned Sultan at the age of 9. He served his master with devotion and loyalty. A man of few needs, he helped the poor with his savings. He defeated the ruler of Konkan and Orissa and captured Dhabol and Goa from Vijayanagara. He also defeated the ruler of Warangal. An efficient administrator, he introduced several reforms.
The kingdom was divided into eight provinces or tarafs, each under a tarafdar. The revenue system was also reorganized to be able to generate enough money to enable them to maintain a strong army. Madrasas were built for Islamic learning in Bidar.
The Deccan nobles disliked Gawan and were jealous of him so they conspired against him and got him executed in AD 1481. Soon after this, the Bahmani kingdom began to decline. It was divided into five independent states namely, Berar, Bijapur, Bidar, Ahmadnagar, and Golconda. They were constantly at war with each other and were later absorbed by the Mughals.
A Story… How Was Mahmud Gawan Killed?
Some of the Deccani nobles bribed Gawan’s secretary to affix his master’s seal to a sheet of blank paper. They then wrote on it a treasonable letter to the Raja of Orissa and showed it to the Sultan. Gawan admitted that the seal was his but denied writing the letter. Sultan asked Gawan what punishment should be announced for a traitor. Gawan replied, ‘Death’. The Sultan ordered him to be executed. When Gawan was being beheaded, he cried out to the emperor that the death of an old man was of little importance, but it would mean the loss of the Sultan’s character and the ruin of the empire.
Contribution of the Bahmani Kingdom: Art, Architecture, and the Gol Gumbaz
The Bahmani rulers were patrons of art and architecture, language, literature and music. The Urdu language developed under their patronage. Many scholars lived in their courts. In the field of architecture, the Gol Gumbaz at Bijapur, which is the tomb of a Bijapur ruler, is famous. It has a dome which is 53.4 metres high, and is the largest one in Asia. The Golconda rulers built the Charminar at Hyderabad.
Mahmud Gawan built the madrasa at Bidar which is a three-storeyed building and could house a thousand students. Many students from Iran and Iraq came to study there. The other famous monuments are the Jama Masjid at Gulbarga, the fort of Golconda and the tomb of Ahmed Shah at Bidar.
The Gol Gumbaz has the second largest dome in the world, the largest being that of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The acoustic system is a marvel of engineering. The faintest whisper around the dome is carried around the dome and returns to the person nine times.
Conflict between Vijayanagara and Bahmani: Causes of the Deccan Rivalry
The rulers of Vijayanagara and Bahmani kingdoms were continuously at war with each other on account of the following reasons:
- Both the kingdoms wanted to possess the fertile Raichur Doab lying between the Krishna and the Tungabhadra rivers as it was a very fertile and productive land.
- Both wanted to control the Krishna-Godavari Doab as it was fertile and several important ports were located here.
- Both the powers coveted the narrow Konkan Coast because of its fertile land and seaport of Goa, through which trade with the West was possible.
- Both of them wanted to possess Golconda for its diamond mines. In the fierce battle of Talikota in AD 1565, the combined kingdoms of Bijapur, Golconda and Ahmadnagar defeated Vijayanagara and completely destroyed it.
Fact File
The nobles in the court of Bahmani kingdom were divided into two groups. The Decannis were immigrants into the region, who settled there for long and were the Indian converts to Islam. The other group was called Pardesis. These two groups were bitterly opposed to each other and did not hesitate to get each other killed. Mahmud Gawan was a Pardesi.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About the Vijayanagar and Bahmani Kingdoms
1. Who founded the Vijayanagara Kingdom and in which year?
The Vijayanagara Kingdom was founded in AD 1336 by two brothers, Harihara and Bukka, who were sons of Sangama, the ruler of Kampili. They asserted their independence after being sent by Muhammad-bin-Tughluq to crush a revolt in Kampili.
2. Who was the greatest ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire?
Krishnadeva Raya (AD 1509–1530) is considered the greatest ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire. He was a brilliant general, an able administrator, and a patron of art and literature. He expanded the empire, established friendly relations with the Portuguese, and composed the Telugu poem Amuktamalyada.
3. What were the main causes of conflict between the Vijayanagara and Bahmani kingdoms?
The two kingdoms fought continuously over three main issues: control of the fertile Raichur Doab between the Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers, domination of the Krishna-Godavari Doab with its strategic ports, and possession of the Konkan Coast including the seaport of Goa. They also fought over the diamond mines of Golconda.
4. What were the administrative reforms introduced by Mahmud Gawan?
Mahmud Gawan, the Prime Minister of the Bahmani kingdom, introduced several important reforms. He divided the kingdom into eight provinces or tarafs, each under a tarafdar. He also reorganized the revenue system to generate enough funds to maintain a strong army and built madrasas for Islamic learning at Bidar.
5. How did the Bahmani kingdom come to an end?
The Bahmani kingdom began to decline after the execution of Mahmud Gawan in AD 1481. It eventually disintegrated into five independent states: Berar, Bijapur, Bidar, Ahmadnagar, and Golconda. These states constantly fought each other and were later absorbed into the Mughal Empire.
6. What is the significance of the Battle of Talikota in South Indian history?
The Battle of Talikota, fought in AD 1565, was a decisive conflict in which the combined forces of Bijapur, Golconda, and Ahmadnagar (successor states of the Bahmani kingdom) defeated the Vijayanagara Empire. This battle led to the complete destruction of Vijayanagara and marked the end of its dominance in South India.
7. What are the famous architectural contributions of the Bahmani kingdom?
The Bahmani rulers and their successors contributed several magnificent structures. The Gol Gumbaz at Bijapur, which has the second largest dome in the world, the Charminar at Hyderabad built by the Golconda rulers, the madrasa at Bidar built by Mahmud Gawan, and the Jama Masjid at Gulbarga are among the most famous examples of Bahmani architecture.
Conclusion: The Enduring Legacy of the Vijayanagar and Bahmani Kingdoms
In conclusion, the Vijayanagar and Bahmani kingdoms were two of the most powerful and influential states that dominated the Deccan and South India for over two centuries. The Vijayanagara Empire, with its capital at Hampi, flourished as a center of Hindu culture, art, and architecture, reaching its zenith under Krishnadeva Raya, who promoted trade, literature, and irrigation works. The Bahmani kingdom, established as an independent Deccan sultanate, contributed significantly to the development of Indo-Islamic architecture, Urdu language, and administrative systems through reformers like Mahmud Gawan. Their constant rivalry over fertile lands, strategic ports, and diamond mines shaped the political landscape of medieval South India, culminating in the decisive Battle of Talikota in AD 1565. Despite their eventual decline and fragmentation, the cultural, architectural, and historical contributions of both kingdoms left an indelible mark on Indian history and continue to be celebrated in the monuments and traditions they left behind.