History Quiz: Kingdoms of Vijaya Nagar and Bhamini Sultanate and other regional kingdoms |12 May, 2021

Zafar Khan who declared independence in 1345 at Devagiri shifted his capital to Gulbarga in northern Karnataka.

• He took the title, Bahman Shah and the dynasty he inaugurated became known as the Bahmani dynasty (1347– 1527).
• A few years earlier, in 1336, the Vijayanagar kingdom was inaugurated by the Sangama brothers Harihara and Bukka at Vijayanagara (presentday Hampi) on the south bank of Tungabhadra.

• During the next two centuries these two states fought continually and bitterly, to control the rich Raichur doab, and also the sea ports of Goa, Honavar, etc. on the west coast, which were the supply points of the horses needed for their army.

Source: Tamil Nadu state board.

Rivalry with the Vijayanagar kingdom over the fertile Raichur doab, lying between the Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers, not only marked the early history of the Bahmani kingdom, but continued to be an enduring feature over two centuries.

• Bahman Shah had also to contend in the east with the rulers of Warangal and Orissa.

• Mohammed I succeeded Bahman Shah. There was a decade-long war with Vijayanagar, most of which related to control over the Raichur doab.
• Neither side gained lasting control over the region, in spite of the huge fatalities in battles. Two bitter wars with Vijayanagar gained him nothing.
• But his attack on Warangal in 1363 brought him a large indemnity, including the important fortress of Golkonda and the treasured turquoise throne, which thereafter became the throne of the Bahmani kings.

Source: Tamil Nadu state board.

In order to facilitate smooth administration, as followed in the Delhi Sultanate, Bahman Shah divided the kingdom into four territorial divisions called tarafs, each under a governor.

Each governor commanded the army of his province (Gulbarga, Daulatabad, Bidar, and Berar) and was solely responsible for both its administration and the collection of revenue.

Mohammed I appointed a council of eight ministers of state:

1. Vakil-us-saltana or lieutenant of the kingdom, the immediate subordinate of the sovereign.
2. Waziri-kull, who supervised the work of all other ministers;
3. Amir-i-jumla, minister of finance;
4. Wasir-i-ashraf, minister of foreign affairs and master of ceremonies;
5. Nazir, assistant minister for finance;
6. Peshwa who was associated with the lieutenant of the kingdom;
7. Kotwal or chief of police and city magistrate in the capital, and
8. Sadr-i-jahan or chief justice and minister of religious affairs and endowments.

Source: Tamil Nadu state board.

It is now generally accepted, on the basis of contemporary inscriptions, that the two brothers Harihara and Bukka, the eldest sons of one Sangama, earlier serving the Hoysala rulers of Karnataka, asserted their independence and laid foundation for a new kingdom in about 1336.

• Initially the capital was in or near about Anegondi on the north bank of the Tungabhadra river.

• But soon it was shifted to the Hoylsala town Hosapattana (near Hampi) on the south bank.
• The capital was expanded and renamed Vijayanagara, the city of Victory. Thereafter, they proclaimed themselves the rulers of Vijayanagara or of Karnata-Vijayanagara.
• Harihara celebrated his coronation in 1346 at this city. Historians call this dynasty started by Harihara as Sangama after the name of his father or forefather.
• Vijayanagara rulers adopted the emblem of the Chalukyas, the boar, or varahaas their royal insignia.

Source: Tamil Nadu state board.

The Vijayanagar kingdom was successively ruled by four dynasties over a period of more than three hundred years:

• the Sangama dynasty (1336–1485),
• the Saluva dynasty (1485–1505),
• the Tuluva dynasty (1505–1570) and

• the Aravidu dynasty (1570–1650).

Source: Tamil Nadu state board.

Madura-vijayam, a Sanskrit work written by Kampana’s wife, Gangadevi mentions about Kumara Kampana slaying the Madurai Sultan and bringing to an end that Sultanate in about 1370.

• Firdausi wrote Shah Nama which described about Turquoise throne as one of the bejewelled royal seats of Persian kings.

• Krishnadevaraya is considered a great scholar and is author of the famous poem Amuktamalyada (the story of Andal).

Source: Tamil Nadu state board.

Krishnadevaraya had to fight almost continuously on two fronts, one against the traditional enemy, the Bahmani Sultans and the other against the Orissa king Gajapati.

There are several inscriptions graphically describing his seizure of many forts like Udayagiri, under the control of Gajapati, during the course of this eastern expedition. Finally, he put a pillar of victory at Simhachalam.

Source: Tamil Nadu state board.

Contemporary foreign visitors like Dominigo Paes, Duarte Barbosa and Fernao Nuniz, who visited Vijayanagar left glowing tributes to Krishnadevaraya personality, and the grandeur and opulence of the city.

Source: Tamil Nadu state board.

The king was the ultimate authority in the kingdom. He was also the supreme commander of the army.

• He was assisted by several high-ranking officers. The chief minister was known as the mahapradhani.
• He led a number of lower-ranking officers, like Dalavay (commander), Vassal (guard of the palace), Rayasam (secretary/ accountant), Adaippam (personal attendant), and Kariya-karta (executive agents).
• As Harihara I and his immediate successors consolidated their territorial acquisitions, they tried to organize the territory by creating administrative divisions called rajyas or provinces each under a governor called pradhani.
• Chiefs controlled production within their Nayaktanam territories by creating commercial centres (pettai) and markets, by encouraging settlement of cultivators and artisans with tax concessions, by creating and maintaining irrigation facilities, etc.

Source: Tamil Nadu state board.

The Raja Krishna Dev of the Kakatiya dynasty with Warangal as capital constructed the Golkonda Fort on a granite hill. During 1495–1496 the fort was handed over to Sultan Kali Kutub Khan as a Jagir (land grant).

• He reconstructed and rechristened the mud fort into a granite fort and called the place Muhammed Nagar.
• Later, the Golkonda fort came into the possession of the Bahmani dynasty. Still later, the Qutub Shahi dynasty took over and made Golkonda its capital. Golkonda fort owes much of its present grandeur to Mohammad Quli Qutub Shah, the fifth sultan of Qutb Shahi dynasty.

• The subsequent generations saw Golkonda being fortified further with several additions and the formation of a beautiful city within.
• By the 17th century, Golkonda was famous as a diamond market. It gave the world some of the best-known diamonds, including the ‘Kohinoor’.

Source: Tamil Nadu state board.