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LURE - THRU THE AGES
Eternal India
encyclopedia
Overview
*
The Adilshahis (one of the five
kingdoms
of the Deccan after the fall of Bahmanis)
appeared after the decline of Bahmani
sultans, ruling from Bijapur, consolidated
their position after the fall of Vijayanagar
empire.
*
The Persian literature - the writings of
Far-
ishta and contemporary writers are the
main sources of information.
*
The first ruler was Yusuf Adilkhan, a
Turkish noble and commander of the
Bahmani rulers. Ibrahim II was the great-
est.
*
The capture of Bijapur by Aurangzeb in
1686 ended their rule.
*
Their notable contribution is in the field
of - Hindu-Muslim architecture (Gol-
Gumbaz and Ibrahim Rauza).
Advent
Taking advantage of the feuds and civil
war within the Bahmani kingdom, Yusuf
Adilkhan, a Turkish noble and commander
of the Bahmani kingdom, revolted and de-
clared himself as the Shah of Bijapur in 1489
A.D.; they consolidated their position in the
Deccan after the fall of the Vijayanagar
empire.
Chronology
*
Yusuf
Adilkhan
*
Ismail
*
Mallu
*
Ibrahim I
*
Ali I
*
Ibrahim II
*
Muhammad
*
Ali II
*
Sikandar
Wars
1510 Capture of Goa by the Portuguese
from Yusuf Adilkhan.
1522 Invasion of Krishnadevaraya and
capture of Bijapur during the rule of
Ismail.
1529 Capture of Bidar.
1530-31 Capture of Raichur and Mudugal.
1551 Capture of Raichur doab from
Ibrahim I (by Ramaraya of Vijay-
anagara).
1568 Ali I s capture of the fort of Adavani
(the Viajayanagara forts).
ADILSHAHIS
1489-1686 A.D.
1600 Invasion of Bijapur territory by the
Mughal troops during the reign of
Ibrahim II.
1619 Ibrahim II's capture of Bidar.
1631-35 Mughal invasion of Bijapur during
the reign of Muhammad, capture
of Veiluru (1646) andJingi.
1686 Conquest of Bijapur.
Ibrahim II
He
is
the
greatest
among
the
Adilshahis; came to throne at the age of 9; was
the nephew of Ali I; the Mughal army de-
feated him in 1600 A.D. and collected tribute;
he captured Bidar in 1619, defeated the Hindu
subordinates of Vijayanagara; his rule was
very prosperous, trade and commerce flour-
ished; was a tolerant ruler and honoured Hindu
scholars, poets and musicians, his coins bear
the name of
'Jagairdar',
built the temple of
Narasimha; wrote a music book
'Kitaf-e-Nau-
ras'
in Urdu; patronised historians like Fer-
ishta and Shirazi; responsible for the con-
struction of Ibrahim Rauza, a great building at
Bijapur, Sat Malika Jahan masjid, Ananda
Mahal and Tajbavadi; he died in 1625 and
was succeeded by his son Muhammad.
Administration
The king was the supreme head, fountain
head of justice, symbol of power, the defender
of people, the unbeaten conqueror and the
only saviour and benefactor of his people; had
4 wings of administration under a council of
ministers; the Prime Minister was called
Vakil,
Sadar-jahan —
minister of justice,
Shahifarz -
minister in charge of military;
Kotwal
was in
charge of the capital city; the kingdom was
divided into
tarafs
(12) under
tarafdar
(governor); one-sixth of the land output was
collected as tax; Karwar, Dabhol, Hubli,
Athani and Bijapur were important centres of
inland trade; had well-organised postal service;
Persian was the official language, Kannada
and Marathi were also used, Urdu literature
also flourished. Important Urdu writers were
Abdul Mani, Abdur Razak, Abdul Kadir,
Abdul Latif, Mulla Nusrati (Sikander Nama);
Naraharakavi wrote
Torave Ramayana
in
Kannada (16th C); Bijapur was the centre of
their art. Their buildings are 'Hindu-Muslim'
monuments; Gol Gumbaz built by them is a
unique architecture in South India; they mainly
built palaces, mosques and mausoleums;
perhaps they excelled in the construction of
mausoleums (eg. Gol-Gumbaz and Rauza);
famous palaces are Gagan Mahal (1561), Sat
Manzil and Anandmahal (of Ibrahim II), Asar
Mahal; main mosques of the period Jamimasjid
(Ali I), Malika Jahan Begum's mosque, Kali
Masjid (fine synthesis of Hindu-Muslim
workmanship). And a Masjid, Ibrahim Rauza
(the Taj Mahal of the Deccan-Dr. Cousens),
Gol Gumbaz (18,000 sq. feet) has the second
biggest dome in the world (90 feet deep) and
considered one of the architectural wonders of
the world.
Decline
The Mughal expansion and Maratha inva-
sions weakened the kingdom of Adilshahis.
The rule of the Adilshahis came to an end with
the capture of Bijapur by Aurangzeb, the
Mughal emperor, in October 1686. The last
ruler was Sikander and he was taken a pris-
oner.
Malika Jahan Begam's Mosque (Bijapur):
Typical of the Bijapur style, built in A.D.
1586 by Ibrahim II, in memory of his wife
Malika Jahan, daughter of Qutb Shah; chief
feature of the Mosque is the accentuation of the
central arch by a cusped contour.
(1489-1510)
(1510-1534)
(1534-1535)
(1535-1557)
(1557-1580)
(1580-1625)
(1625-1656)
(1656-1672)
(1672-1686)