At Mudgal:
169-814: At Kauthal: At Mudgal: At Kauthal: The Bahmani–Vijayanagar war , also known as the First Bahmani–Vijayanagar War , spanning from 1362 to 1367, was a significant period of conflict between the Bahmani Sultanate and the Vijayanagar empire in Deccan India during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. It began due to disputes over the acceptance of coins in both states, with Bahmani ruler Muhammed Shah I banning Vijayanagar coins in his dominions. This move prompted Vijayanagar's Bukka Raya I to forge an alliance with Musunuri Nayakas ,
338-484: A Bada (village). A Mandala was under a member of the royal family, a trusted feudatory or a senior official. Tailapa II himself was in charge of Tardavadi province during the Rashtrakuta rule. Chiefs of Mandalas were transferable based on political developments. For example, an official named Bammanayya administered Banavasi-12000 under King Someshvara III but was later transferred to Halasige-12000. Women from
507-520: A caste system . In his Vachanas (a form of poetry), Basavanna appealed to the masses in simple Kannada and wrote "work is worship" (Kayakave Kailasa). Also known as the Lingayats (worshipers of the Linga , the universal symbol of Shiva), these Virashaivas questioned many of the established norms of society such as the belief in rituals and the theory of rebirth and supported the remarriage of widows and
676-736: A necropolis known as the Bahmani Tombs . The exterior of one of the tombs is decorated with coloured tiles. Arabic, Persian and Urdu inscriptions are inscribed inside the tombs. The Bahmani Sultans built many mosques, tombs, and madrasas in Bidar and Gulbarga, the two capitals. They also built many forts in Daulatabad , Golconda and Raichur . The architecture was highly influenced by Persian architecture , as they invited architects from Persia, Turkey and Arabia. The Persianate Indo-Islamic style of architecture developed during this period
845-653: A battle with Western Chalukya Emperor Satyashraya at Donur in Bijapur district of Karnataka. According to an inscription of Satyasraya from Dharwad, Rajaraja Nittavinoda Rajendra Vidyadhara, ornament of the Chola race, Nurmudi-Chola (one-hundred-crown Chola) invaded the Western Chalukya Empire in 1007 AD with an army of 900,000 soldiers, carrying fire and sword throughout the region. The invading troops advanced as far as Donur in Bijapur district on their way to
1014-429: A center of religious as well as secular education, as well as achieving the sultanate's greatest extent during his rule. He also increased the administrative divisions of the sultanate from four to eight to ease the administrative burden from previous expansion of the state. Gawan was considered a great statesman, and a poet of repute. Mahmud Gawan was caught in a struggle between a rivalry between two groups of nobles,
1183-532: A combination of factional strife and the revolt of five provincial governors ( tarafdars ), the Bahmani Sultanate split up into five states, known as the Deccan sultanates . The initial revolts of Yusuf Adil Shah , Malik Ahmad Nizam Shah I , and Fathullah Imad-ul-Mulk in 1490 and Qasim Barid I in 1492 saw the end of any real Bahmani power, and the last independent sultanate, Golkonda , in 1518, ended
1352-520: A grudge on the Sultan for the latter's refusal to appoint him as a governor. He had lured the Sultan into putting himself in the former's power, using the beauty of his daughter, who was accomplished in music and arts, and had introduced her to the Sultan at a feast. He was succeeded by Shamsuddin, who was a puppet king under Taghalchin. Firuz and Ahmed , the sons of the fourth sultan Daud , marched to Gulbarga to avenge Ghiyasuddin. Firuz declared himself
1521-495: A language of literature and poetry, impetus to which came from the devotional movement of the Virashaivas (called Lingayatism ) who expressed their closeness to their deity in the form of simple lyrics called Vachanas. At an administrative level, the regional language was used to record locations and rights related to land grants. When bilingual inscriptions were written, the section stating the title, genealogy, origin myths of
1690-556: A lower price, despite them being the finest horses reserved for the Bahmani Sultan. Haroon Khan Sherwani suggests that the narrative of horse reservation might have been fabricated by the horse traders themselves. Muhammed Shah resolved to punish Vinayak for his actions. While Vinayak was at Palmet, Shah dispatched some of his fighters disguised as destitute individuals who had lost their possessions. Chaos erupted in Palmet, when
1859-542: A regular feature and lasted as long as these kingdoms continued. Military slavery involved captured slaves from Vijayanagara whom were then converted to Islam and integrated into the host society, so they could begin military careers within the Bahmanid empire. Ghiyasuddin succeeded his father Muhammad II at the age of seventeen in April 1397, but was blinded and imprisoned by a Turkic slave called Taghalchin, who had held
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#17327827602132028-401: A siege. Bukka emerged from Vijayanagar to engage in battle, but suffered another heavy defeat, losing his remaining ten thousand soldiers. He then retreated once more behind the walls of Vijayanagar and shut himself inside. Muhammad Shah, realizing that his victory alone couldn't resolve matters, began to ravage Vijayanagar and plunder its riches. He initiated a massacre of civilians, resulting in
2197-704: A stylised lion, Sri in Kannada, a spearhead, the king's title, a lotus and others. Jayasimha II used the legend Sri Jaya , Someshvara I issued coins with Sri Tre lo ka malla , Someshvara II used Bhuvaneka malla , Lakshmideva's coin carried Sri Lasha , and Jagadhekamalla II coinage had the legend Sri Jagade . The Alupas, a feudatory, minted coins with the Kannada and Nagari legend Sri Pandya Dhanamjaya . Lakkundi in Gadag district and Sudi in Dharwad district were
2366-521: A suggestion. They pointed out that the massacres committed by the Sultan were entirely against the precepts of Islam, as many women and children were also put to death by those claiming to follow that noble faith, which Islam neither allows nor enjoins. Shah was deeply moved by this appeal and ordered that in any future campaign undertaken on behalf of the Bahmanis, only actual combatants should be killed, and no prisoner of war should ever be harmed. A treaty
2535-853: A wound from a musket ball . The execution of Vinayak Deva set the stage for a war between the two states. Kanhayya appealed to Firuz Shah Tughlaq , the Delhi emperor, for assistance, offering to become his vassal in return. However, Firuz Shah differed greatly from his predecessor, Muhammad Bin Tughlaq , and preferred peaceful pursuits over military endeavours. Perhaps his orthodoxy also deterred him from aiding Hindus against fellow co-religionists. Consequently, he did not respond to their pleas. Meanwhile, these negotiations, coupled with his recent setback, fueled Muhammad Shah I's determination to fully conquer Telangana. Subsequently, Muhammad Shah summoned Safdar Khan Sistani and Azam-i Humayun to his capital. Entrusting
2704-527: Is a metal handicraft from the city of Bidar in Karnataka . It was developed in the 14th century during the rule of the Bahmani Sultans. The term "bidriware" originates from the township of Bidar, which is still the chief center of production. The craftspersons of Bidar were so famed for their inlay work on copper and silver that it came to be known as Bidri. The metal used is white brass that
2873-663: Is blackened and inlaid with silver. As a native art form, Bidriware obtained a geographical Indications (GI) registry on 3 January 2006. The Bahmani Sultans patronized many architectural works, although many have since been destroyed. The Gulbarga Fort , Haft Gumbaz , and Jama Masjid in Gulbarga, the Bidar Fort and Madrasa Mahmud Gawan in Bidar, and the Chand Minar in Daulatabad are some of their major architectural contributions. The later Sultans were buried in
3042-550: Is dated 957, during the rule of Tailapa II when the Western Chalukyas were still a feudatory of the Rashtrakutas and Tailapa II governed from Tardavadi in present-day Bijapur district , Karnataka . The genealogy of the kings of this empire is still debated. One theory, based on contemporary literary and inscriptional evidence plus the finding that the Western Chalukyas employed titles and names commonly used by
3211-653: Is unclear. Nonetheless, there is enough evidence to demonstrate that a number of nobility at the Bahmani court identified as Shi'ites or had significant Shi'ite inclinations. Alauddin was succeeded by his son Mohammed Shah I . His conflicts with the Vijayanagar empire were singularly savage wars, as according to the historian Ferishta , "the population of the Carnatic was so reduced that it did not recover for several ages." The Bahmanids' aggressive confrontation with
3380-407: Is well known. Contemporary records indicate some royal women were involved in administrative and martial affairs such as princess Akkadevi, (sister of King Jayasimha II) who fought and defeated rebellious feudals. Inscriptions emphasise public acceptance of widowhood indicating that Sati (a custom in which a dead man's widow used to immolate herself on her husband's funeral pyre ) though present
3549-471: The Prabhu Gavunda (lord of Gavundas). They served the dual purpose of representing the people before the rulers as well as functioning as state appointees for tax collection and the raising of militias. They are mentioned in inscriptions related to land transactions, irrigation maintenance, village tax collection and village council duties. The organisation of corporate enterprises became common in
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#17327827602133718-733: The Alupas , the Hoysalas, the Kakatiya, the Seuna, the southern Kalachuri and others were allowed to rule their autonomous provinces, paying an annual tribute to the Chalukya emperor. Excavated inscriptions record titles such as Mahapradhana (Chief minister), Sandhivigrahika , and Dharmadhikari (chief justice). Some positions such as Tadeyadandanayaka (commander of reserve army) were specialised in function while all ministerial positions included
3887-614: The Deccan Plateau and Central India for over two centuries. In 973, seeing confusion in the Rashtrakuta empire after a successful invasion of their capital by the ruler of the Paramara dynasty of Malwa , Tailapa II , a feudatory of the Rashtrakuta dynasty ruling from Bijapur region defeated his overlords and made Manyakheta his capital. The dynasty quickly rose to power and grew into an empire under Someshvara I who moved
4056-626: The Deccan plateau in India. The first independent Muslim sultanate of the Deccan, the Bahmani Kingdom came to power in 1347 during the rebellion of Ismail Mukh against Muhammad bin Tughlaq , the Sultan of Delhi . Ismail Mukh then abdicated in favour of Zafar Khan , who established the Bahmani Sultanate. The Bahmani Kingdom was perpetually at war with its neighbours, including its rival to
4225-518: The Delhi Sultan , Muhammad bin Tughluq , who was pleased with his honesty. This sudden rise in the military and socio-economic ladder was common in this era of Muslim India. Zafar Khan or Hasan Gangu was among the inhabitants of Delhi who were forced to migrate to the Deccan, to build a large Muslim settlement in the region of Daulatabad . Zafar Khan was a man of ambition and looked forward to
4394-639: The Lilavati , Bijaganita on algebra, Goladhaya on the celestial globe and Grahaganita on planets) Bijjada Bida (modern Bijapur ) was his native place. Manasollasa or Abhilashitartha Chintamani by king Someshvara III (1129) was a Sanskrit work intended for all sections of society. This is an example of an early encyclopedia in Sanskrit covering many subjects including medicine, magic, veterinary science, valuing of precious stones and pearls, fortifications, painting, music, games, amusements etc. While
4563-894: The Mallikarjuna Temple at Kuruvatti ( Bellary district ), the Kallesvara Temple at Bagali ( Davangere district ), the Siddhesvara Temple at Haveri ( Haveri district ), the Amrtesvara Temple at Annigeri ( Dharwad district ), the Mahadeva Temple at Itagi ( Koppal district ), the Kaitabheshvara Temple at Kubatur, and the Kedareshvara Temple at Balligavi are the finest examples produced by
4732-572: The Maratha region , and Bukka Raya I , who ruled over Hampi and Dwarasamudra . Their two younger brothers held minor posts, while Bukka's son Kampana served as the doorkeeper of the Hoysala king. These five brothers and their nephew were the founders of the Vijayanagar empire in the fourteenth century. Meanwhile, the Bahmanis had consolidated their power in the Deccan and were closely monitoring
4901-587: The Persian language , culture and literature , and some members of the dynasty became well-versed in the language and composed its literature in the language. The first sultan, Alauddin Bahman Shah , is noted to have captured 1,000 singing and dancing girls from Hindu temples after he battled the northern Carnatic chieftains. The later Bahmanis also enslaved civilian women and children in wars; many of them were converted to Islam in captivity. Bidriware
5070-572: The Tamil country came to the fore in the 11th century over the acutely contested fertile river valleys in the doab region of the Krishna and Godavari River called Vengi (modern coastal Andhra Pradesh ). The Western Chalukyas and the Chola dynasty fought many bitter wars over control of this strategic resource. The imperial Cholas gained power during the time of the famous king Rajaraja Chola I and
5239-594: The Western Chalukyas and Cholas , as well as the Yadavas and Hoysalas , who previously ruled over the territories later claimed by the Bahmanis and Vijayanagar. When the Bahmanis and Vijayanagar emerged from the remnants of these empires, history repeated itself. Moreover, the unique circumstances surrounding the formation of these two states made frequent warfare between them a common occurrence. During their inception, each state acquired only certain parts of
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5408-419: The de facto rulers. After 1518 the sultanate formally broke up into the five states of Ahmednagar, Berar, Bidar, Bijapur, and Golconda. They are collectively known as the Deccan sultanates . Modern scholars like Haroon Khan Sherwani and Richard M. Eaton have based their accounts of the Bahmani dynasty mainly upon the medieval chronicles of Firishta and Syed Ali Tabatabai. Other contemporary works were
5577-475: The 11th century. Almost all arts and crafts were organised into guilds and work was done on a corporate basis; records do not mention individual artists, sculptors and craftsman. Only in the regions ruled by the Hoysala did individual sculptors etched their names below their creations. Merchants organised themselves into powerful guilds that transcended political divisions, allowing their operations to be largely unaffected by wars and revolutions. Their only threat
5746-419: The 12th-century Chinese fleets were frequenting Indian ports. Exports to Song dynasty China included textiles, spices, medicinal plants, jewels, ivory, rhino horn, ebony and camphor. The same products also reached ports in the west such as Dhofar and Aden . The final destinations for those trading with the west were Persia, Arabia and Egypt. The thriving trade center of Siraf , a port on the eastern coast of
5915-591: The 13th century, recorded that the breeding of horses never succeeded in India due to differing climatic, soil and grassland conditions. The fall of the Rashtrakuta empire to the Western Chalukyas in the 10th century, coinciding with the defeat of the Western Ganga dynasty by the Cholas in Gangavadi , was a setback to Jainism . The growth of Virashaivism in the Chalukya territory and Vaishnava Hinduism in
6084-610: The 13th century. The art of the Western Chalukyas is sometimes called the " Gadag style" after the number of ornate temples they built in the Tungabhadra River-Krishna River doab region of present-day Gadag district in Karnataka. The dynasty's temple building activity reached its maturity and culmination in the 12th century with over a hundred temples built across the Deccan, more than half of them in present-day central Karnataka. Apart from temples,
6253-720: The Afaqis were looked upon as heretics by the Sunnis as the former were Shi'as. Eaton cites a linguistic divide where the Dakhanis spoke Dakhni while the Afaqis favored the Persian language. Mahmud Gawan had tried to reconcile with the two factions over his fifteen-year prime ministership, but had found it difficult to win their confidence; the party strife could not be stopped. His Afaqis opponents, led by Nizam-ul-Mulk Bahri and motivated by anger over Mahmud's reforms which had curtailed
6422-631: The Amirs of the Deccan , Ismail Mukh, the leader of the rebellion (whom the rebel amirs of the Deccan placed on the throne of Daulatabad in 1345), abdicated in favor of Zafar Khan, resulting in the establishment of the Bahmani Kingdom. The Sultan of Delhi had besieged the rebels at the citadel of Daulatabad. As another rebellion had begun in Gujarat , the Sultan left and installed Shaikh Burhan-ud-din Bilgrami and Malik Jauhar and other nobles in charge of
6591-528: The Bahmani Sultanate led by Mohammed Shah I used a train of artillery against the Vijayanagara Empire who was led by Harihara II . Following the initial use of gunpowder weapons in 1368, they became the backbone of the Bahmani army. The scholar Iqtidar Alam Khan claims, however, that based on a differing translation of a passage of medieval historian Firishta 's text Tarikh-i Firishta , in which he describes early use of gunpowder weapons in
6760-470: The Bahmanis and Vijayanagar took place on July 20, 1366. The battle occurred near a place called Kauthal, with Musa Khan commanding the right side of the Bahmani army, Isa Khan leading the left side, and Khan Muhammed commanding the center. However, both Musa Khan and Isa Khan were killed by musket balls, resulting in their demise. This turn of events left the Bahmani army on the brink of being routed. However, Muhammad Shah arrived with three thousand cavalry at
6929-469: The Bahmanis defeated the forces of Warangal and pursued them all the way to the gates of Warangal. Kanhayya was forced to pay a ransom of one lakh gold Huns and surrender twenty-five war elephants to the Bahmanis. Bahadur Khan then returned to Gulbarga , the capital of the Bahmanis, after securing the ransom. Shortly after the conflict with Kanhayya, Muhammed Shah learned that Vinayak Deva, Kanhayya's son, had allegedly compelled horse traders to sell horses at
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7098-517: The Bahmanis with joining an alliance with the Delhi Sultanate to invade Deccan. Muhammad Shah, the Bahmani Sultan at the time, delayed his reply until he was prepared. When he finally responded, he questioned why his vassal of Vijayanagar had not sent him gifts upon his accession, stating that it should have been done at least once. The negative response from Muhammad Shah spurred the rulers of Vijayanagar and Warangal to form an alliance against
7267-474: The Bahmanis' 180 year rule over the Deccan . The last four Bahmani rulers were puppet monarchs under Amir Barid I of the Bidar Sultanate , and the kingdom formally dissolved in 1527. The Bahmani Kingdom was founded by Zafar Khan , who was of either Afghan or Turk origin. Encyclopedia Iranica states him to be a Khorasani adventurer, who claimed descent from Bahrām Gōr . According to
7436-497: The Bahmanis. In 1362, the King of Warangal dispatched his son Vinayak Deva from Warangal with a large army comprising infantry and cavalry towards the fortress of Kaulas. To assist Kanhayya, Vijayanagar sent twenty thousand troops. In response, Muhammad Shah dispatched Amirul Umara Bahadur Khan, the son of Ismail Mukh, Azam-i-Humayun, and Safdar Khan Sistani along with the armies of Bidar and Berar. The battle took place near Kaulas, where
7605-522: The Chalukya capital Manyakheta, where they were met by the Chalukya army under Satyashraya. The Tanjore big temple inscriptions and Hottur inscriptions state that Rajendra Chola I destroyed the Western Chalukya capital. The result of the battle was Cholas conquered Gangapadi and Nolambapadi. Satyashraya's successor, Jayasimha II , fought many battles with the Cholas in the south around c. 1020–21 when both these powerful kingdoms struggled to choose
7774-650: The Chalukya empire failed and the dynasty was ended by the Seuna rulers who drove Someshvara IV into exile in Banavasi 1189. After the fall of the Chalukyas, the Seunas and Hoysalas continued warring over the Krishna River region in 1191, each inflicting a defeat on the other at various points in time. This period saw the fall of two great empires, the Chalukyas of the western Deccan and the Cholas of Tamilakam. On
7943-581: The Chalukya empire in the western Deccan by subjugating the Paramara and other aggressive rivals and extending his control over the land between the Narmada River and Tungabhadra River. However, some inscriptions indicate that Balagamve in Mysore territory may have been a power centre up to the rule of Someshvara I in 1042. The intense competition between the kingdom of the western Deccan and those of
8112-526: The Chalukyas and the other claimants over their empire. He defeated Chalukya Someshvara IV and Seuna Bhillama V bringing large regions in the Krishna River valley under the Hoysala domains, but was unsuccessful against Kalachuris. The Seunas under Bhillama V were on an imperialistic expansion too when the Chalukyas regained Kalyani. Their ambitions were temporarily stemmed by their defeat against Chalukya general Barma in 1183 but they later had their vengeance in 1189. The overall effort by Someshvara IV to rebuild
8281-673: The Cholas. This victory in Vengi reduced the Chola influence in the eastern Deccan and made him emperor of territories stretching from the Kaveri River in the south to the Narmada River in the north, earning him the titles Permadideva and Tribhuvanamalla (lord of three worlds). The scholars of his time paid him glowing tributes for his military leadership, interest in fine arts and religious tolerance. Literature proliferated and scholars in Kannada and Sanskrit adorned his court. Poet Bilhana, who immigrated from far away Kashmir , eulogised
8450-605: The Cholas. After the battle, Someshwara I due to incurable illness drowned himself in the Tungabhadra River ( Paramayoga ). Despite many conflicts with the Cholas in the south, Someshvara I had managed to maintain control over the northern territories in Konkan, Gujarat, Malwa and Kalinga during his rule. His successor, his eldest son Someshvara II , feuded with his younger brother, Vikramaditya VI , an ambitious warrior who had initially been governor of Gangavadi in
8619-456: The Dakhanis and the Afaqis. The Dakhanis made up the indigenous Muslim elite of the Bahmanid dynasty, being descendants of Sunni immigrants from Northern India, while the Afaqis were foreign newcomers from the west such as Gawan, who were mostly Shi'is. The Dakhanis believed that the privileges, patronage and positions of power in the sultanate should have been reserved solely for them. The divisions included sectarian religious divisions where
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#17327827602138788-585: The Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana converting to Vaishnavism, a faith that his successors also followed. The impact of these religious developments on the culture, literature, and architecture in South India was profound. Important works of metaphysics and poetry based on the teachings of these philosophers were written over the next centuries. Akka Mahadevi , Allama Prabhu , and a host of Basavanna's followers, including Chenna Basava, Prabhudeva, Siddharama, and Kondaguli Kesiraja wrote hundreds of poems called Vachanas in praise of Lord Shiva . The esteemed scholars in
8957-416: The Hoysala court, Harihara and Raghavanka , were Virashaivas. This tradition continued into the Vijayanagar empire with such well-known scholars as Singiraja, Mallanarya, Lakkana Dandesa and other prolific writers of Virashaiva literature. The Saluva, Tuluva and Aravidu dynasties of the Vijayanagar empire were followers of Vaishnavism and a Vaishnava temple with an image of Ramanujacharya exists today in
9126-466: The Hoysala kingdom included Chalukyan architects who were natives of places such as Balligavi. The artistic wall decor and the general sculptural idiom was dravidian architecture . This style is sometimes called Karnata dravida , one of the notable traditions in Indian architecture. The local language Kannada was mostly used in Western (Kalyani) Chalukya inscriptions and epigraphs. Some historians assert that ninety percent of their inscriptions are in
9295-448: The Hoysala region paralleled a general decreased interest in Jainism, although the succeeding kingdoms continued to be religiously tolerant. Two locations of Jain worship in the Hoysala territory continued to be patronaged, Shravanabelagola and Kambadahalli . The decline of Buddhism in South India had begun in the 8th century with the spread of Adi Shankara 's Advaita philosophy. The only places of Buddhist worship that remained during
9464-424: The Indian Subcontinent, it can be inferred that both the Delhi Sultanate and non-Muslim Indian states had the gunpowder weapons that the Bahmani Sultanate began to use in 1368, and that the Bahmanis had acquired the weapons from the Delhi Sultanate. Contemporary evidence shows the presence of gunpowder for pyrotechnic uses in the Delhi Sultanate, and Alam Khan states that their usage in the Battle of Adoni in 1368
9633-414: The Kannada language while the remaining are in Sanskrit . More inscriptions in Kannada are attributed to Vikramaditya VI than any other king prior to the 12th century, many of which have been deciphered and translated by historians of the Archaeological Survey of India. Inscriptions were generally either on stone ( Shilashasana ) or copper plates ( Tamarashasana ). This period saw the growth of Kannada as
9802-425: The Kolar district. What followed was the Chola counter-attack popularly known as the Nangili episode. In the ensuing battle, the Chalukyan army was completely routed and chased by the Chola forces from the rocky roads of Nangili all the way to the Tungabhadra via Manalur. Vikramaditya is said to have retreated hastily and fled. The fifty-year reign of Vikramaditya VI, the most successful of the later Chalukya rulers,
9971-452: The Middle East. However, the society of the Bahmnanis was dominated prominently by Iranians, Afghans, and Turks. They also had considerable and social influence such as with the celebration of Nowruz by Bahmani rulers. This also comes as Mohammed Shah I ascended the throne on Nowruz. According to Khafi Khan and Ferishta , musicians flocked to the court from Lahore , Delhi , Persia and Khorasan . The Bahmani Sultans were patrons of
10140-546: The Persian Gulf, served an international clientele of merchants including those from the Chalukya empire who were feasted by wealthy local merchants during business visits. An indicator of the Indian merchants' importance in Siraf comes from records describing dining plates reserved for them. In addition to this, Siraf received aloe wood, perfumes, sandalwood and condiments. The most expensive import to South India were Arabian horse shipments, this trade being monopolised by Arabs and local Brahmin merchants. Traveller Marco Polo , in
10309-523: The Raichur Doab, yet as the political successors of their predecessors, both aspired to control the entire region. During Bahman Shah's reign, he forbade the circulation of Vijayanagar's gold coins within his kingdom. In response, Bukka Raya rebelled and, with the backing of Deccan bankers, melted down Bahmani coins. The Bahmanis warned the bankers against this, and by 1340, all bankers and money changers within Bahmani territory were captured and executed. Their descendants were barred from conducting business for
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#173278276021310478-451: The Sivatattva Chintamani, a Kannada language encyclopedia on the beliefs and rites of the Veerashaiva faith, and Guru Charitra . Afanasy Nikitin , a Russian merchant and traveler, traveled through the Bahmani Sultanate in his journeys. He contrasts the huge "wealth of the nobility with the wretchedness of the peasantry and the frugality of the Hindus". The Bahmani dynasty patronized Indo-Muslim and Persian culture from Northern India and
10647-450: The Sunni Dakhani nobles and their Sunni Abyssinian slaves. A few survivors escaped the massacre dressed in women's clothing and convinced the Sultan of their innocence. Ashamed of his own folly, the Sultan punished the Dakhani leaders who were responsible for the massacre, putting them to death or throwing them in prison, and reduced their families to beggary. The accounts of the violent events likely included exaggerations as it came from
10816-420: The Tungabhadra and captured the Mudgal fort , which was garrisoned by eight thousand people. Bukka Raya ordered the killing of everyone there, including men, women and children, sparing only one person to escape and narrate the story to the Bahmani Sultan. Disturbed by the report, the Sultan proclaimed his son, Mujahid, as the heir to the throne and granted his minister, Malik Saifuddin Ghori, full authority over
10985-601: The Tungabhadra. As the retreating forces were pursued by Bukka Raya, guerrillas entered from the sides, cutting down some of the Bahmani forces. The Sultan was forced to retreat to his own territory. Upon reaching his land, he ordered an attack on Bukka Raya's camp while they were engaged in music, dancing, and drinking. The Bahmanis launched an assault on the Vijayanagar camp, forcing Bukka Raya to retreat to his own capital with his full forces. Muhammad Shah pursued Bukka Raya, but Raya managed to retreat inside his capital and barricade himself in. Recognizing this, Muhammad Shah ordered
11154-472: The Vengi king. Shortly thereafter in c. 1024, Jayasimha II subdued the Paramara of central India and the rebellious Yadava King Bhillama. It is known from records that Jayasimha's son Someshvara I , whose rule historian Sen considers a brilliant period in the Western Chalukya rule, moved the Chalukya capital to Kalyani in c. 1042. Hostilities with the Cholas continued while both sides won and lost battles, though neither lost significant territory during
11323-493: The Vijayanagar. Upon reaching Adoni, Bukka established his headquarters there and began preparations for war. He dispatched his general Mallinatha to confront the Bahmanis. Meanwhile, Muhammad Shah spent the rainy season at Mudgal and then moved southwards with a large army, crossing the Tungabhadra and entering Vijayanagar territory. This campaign was notable for being the first instance of artillery being used in India. Bukka emerged from his fort and appointed his maternal nephew as
11492-503: The Vitthalapura area of Vijayanagara. Scholars in the succeeding Mysore Kingdom wrote Vaishnavite works supporting the teachings of Ramanujacharya. King Vishnuvardhana built many temples after his conversion from Jainism to Vaishnavism. The rise of Veerashaivaism was revolutionary and challenged the prevailing Hindu caste system which retained royal support. The social role of women largely depended on their economic status and level of education in this relatively liberal period. Freedom
11661-587: The Western Chalukya kings encouraged writers in their native language Kannada and in Sanskrit . Knowledge of Western Chalukya history has come through examination of the numerous Kannada language inscriptions left by the kings (scholars Sheldon Pollock and Jan Houben have claimed 90 percent of the Chalukyan royal inscriptions are in Kannada), and from the study of important contemporary literary documents in Western Chalukya literature such as Gada Yuddha (982 CE) in Kannada by Ranna and Vikramankadeva Charitam (1120) in Sanskrit by Bilhana . The earliest record
11830-413: The Western Chalukya rule were at Dambal and Balligavi . There is no mention of religious conflict in the writings and inscriptions of the time, suggesting that the religious transition was smooth. Although the origin of the Virashaiva faith has been debated, the movement grew through its association with Basavanna in the 12th century. Basavanna and other Virashaiva saints preached of a faith without
11999-405: The Western Chalukyas, they wasted no time in involving themselves politically and militarily in Vengi. When King Satyashraya succeeded Tailapa II to the throne, he was able to protect his kingdom from Chola aggression as well as his northern territories in Konkan and Gujarat although his control over Vengi was shaky. In 1007 Chola crown-prince Rajendra Chola I invaded Western Chalukyas and had
12168-489: The administration to his minister Malik Saifuddin Ghori, he journeyed to Kaulas and dispatched Azam-i Humayun with the armies of Bidar and Mahur to Golconda. He instructed Safdar Khan Sistani to advance towards Warangal, the capital of Kanhayya. However, when Kanhayya sought aid from Vijayanagar, he received none due to ongoing disputes over the succession to the throne. Realizing the imminent threat, Kanhayya got afraid and fled to
12337-523: The adventure. He had long hoped to employ his body of horsemen in the Deccan as the region was seen as the place of bounty in Muslim imagination at the time. He was rewarded with an Iqta for taking part in the conquest of Kampili . Before the establishment of his kingdom, Hasan Gangu (Zafar Khan) was Governor of Deccan and a commander on behalf of the Tughlaqs . On 3 August 1347, during the rebellion by
12506-578: The army of king Vikramaditya VI. The Kedareswara Temple (1060) at Balligavi is an example of a transitional Chalukya-Hoysala architectural style. The Western Chalukyas built temples in Badami and Aihole during their early phase of temple building activity, such as Mallikarjuna Temple, the Yellamma Temple and the Bhutanatha group of Temples . The vimana of their temples (tower over
12675-404: The battle ended with the defeat of Vijayanagar. The loss of the battle had a serious impact on Bukka Raya. After spending a week at Adoni, Muhammed Shah decided to march towards Vijayanagar itself. Bukka Raya attempted to utilize guerrilla warfare tactics while effectively defending his capital with full force. They exerted such pressure on the Bahmanis that they were compelled to retreat towards
12844-463: The book does not give any of dealt topics particular hierarchy of importance, it serves as a landmark in understanding the state of knowledge in those subjects at that time. Someshwara III also authored a biography of his famous father Vikramaditya VI called Vikraman-Kabhyudaya. The text is a historical prose narrative which also includes a graphic description of the geography and people of Karnataka . A Sanskrit scholar Vijnaneshwara became famous in
13013-808: The bull, record their pride in their business. Rich traders contributed significantly to the king's treasury through paying import and export taxes. The edicts of the Aihole Svamis mention trade ties with foreign kingdoms such as Chera , Pandya , Maleya ( Malaysia ), Magadh , Kaushal , Saurashtra , Kurumba, Kambhoja ( Cambodia ), Lata ( Gujarat ), Parasa ( Persia ) and Nepal . Travelling both land and sea routes, these merchants traded mostly in precious stones, spices and perfumes, and other specialty items such as camphor. Business flourished in precious stones such as diamonds, lapis lazuli , onyx , topaz , carbuncles and emeralds . Commonly traded spices were cardamom, saffron, and cloves, while perfumes included
13182-582: The by-products of sandalwood, bdellium , musk, civet and rose. These items were sold either in bulk or hawked on streets by local merchants in towns. The Western Chalukyas controlled most of South India's west coast and by the 10th century they had established extensive trade ties with the Tang Empire of China , the empires of Southeast Asia and the Abbasid Caliphate in Bhagdad , and by
13351-418: The camp of Vijayanagar and plundered it, fulfilling his vow. He is said to have massacred everyone Bukka left behind, including women and children. According to Ferishta, the numbers were 70,000, while Vijayanagar sources claim it was 90,000. He then said to have captured two thousand elephants, three hundred gun carriages, seven hundred Arab steed horses, and one bejewelled throne. Thus, he recaptured Mudgal from
13520-478: The capital to Kalyani. For over a century, the two empires of South India, the Western Chalukyas and the Chola dynasty of Thanjavur fought many fierce wars to control the fertile region of Vengi . During these conflicts, the Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi, distant cousins of the Western Chalukyas but related to the Cholas by marriage, took sides with the Cholas further complicating the situation. During
13689-558: The capital to the city of Bidar . Ahmad Shah led campaigns against Vijayanagar and the sultanates of Malwa and Gujarat . His campaign against Vijayanagar in 1423 included a siege of the capital, ending in the expansion of the Sultanate. Mahmud Gawan would later lead campaigns against Malwa, Vijayanagar, and the Gajapatis , and extended the sultanate to its maximum extent. The sultanate began to decline under Mahmood Shah . Through
13858-773: The commander of the fort. He also appointed Mallinatha, also known as Bhoj Mal, as the commander-in-chief of the army. Mallinatha was so confident of his success that he asked Bukka Raya whether he should bring the Sultan alive or dead, and he obtained permission from Bukka to bring him slain to the foot of the Vijayanagar throne. Muhammad Shah crossed the Tungabhadra and reached Siruguppa with fifteen thousand cavalry and fifty thousand infantry. Meanwhile, Mallinatha commanded an army of forty thousand cavalry and five hundred thousand infantry. Muhammad Shah dispatched his general Khan Muhammed to advance with an army of ten thousand cavalry and thirty thousand infantry. The decisive battle between
14027-607: The common practice was to migrate in large numbers out of the jurisdiction of the ruler who was mistreating them, thereby depriving him of revenue from their labor. Taxes were levied on mining and forest products, and additional income was raised through tolls for the use of transportation facilities. The state also collected fees from customs, professional licenses, and judicial fines. Records show horses and salt were taxed as well as commodities (gold, textiles, perfumes) and agricultural produce (black pepper, paddy, spices, betel leaves, palm leaves, coconuts and sugar). Land tax assessment
14196-663: The complex dynamics between regional powers and the devastating impact of conflict on civilian populations in the region. After the fall of the Hoysala dynasty in South India following the death of Veera Ballala III , who was defeated by the Madurai Sultanate in the Battle of Kannanur , the state was succeeded by some of his officers. Among them, the most prominent were three brothers named Harihara I , who governed
14365-427: The conflict continued, with subsequent battles further decimating Vijayanagar's resources and population. Kanhayya, the ruler of Warangal gave the famous Turquoise Throne to the Bahmani Sultan during these campaigns. Ultimately, both parties signed a treaty aimed at preventing civilian massacres in future conflicts, marking a pivotal moment in the military history of fourteenth-century Deccan India. The war highlighted
14534-421: The country and treasury. He then marched with his army and crossed the river Krishna, vowing to slaughter one hundred thousand Vijayanagaris. Aware of the looming threat, Bukka took preemptive action by sending all his treasuries to Vijayanagar, while he himself awaited the Sultan's arrival. The following day, he moved his army four miles from the camp, but heavy rainfall overnight turned the ground boggy, impeding
14703-512: The court to the Sufis. It was established as a lingua franca of the Muslims of the Deccan, as not only the aspect of a dominant urban elite, but an expression of the regional religious identity. Firuz Shah was succeeded by his younger brother Ahmad Shah I Wali . Following the establishment of Bidar as capital of the sultanate in 1429, Ahmad Shah I converted to Shi'ism . Ahmad Shah's reign
14872-519: The crown prince Rajendra Chola I . Chola Emperor Rajaraja Chola I conquered parts of Chalukya territory in present-day Southern Karnataka by subjugating the Western Ganga dynasty of Gangavadi . The Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi were cousins of the Western Chalukyas but became increasingly influenced by the Cholas through their marital ties with the Tamil kingdom. As this was against the interests of
15041-416: The crucial moment, turning the tide of the battle. The two armies engaged in hand-to-hand combat, and the elephant of Khan Muhammed, named Sher-i Shikar, advanced towards their commander-in-chief, Mallinatha, severely wounding him. The Vijayanagar forces were decisively routed, and their army fled, leading to a massacre unleashed by the Bahmanis. Mallinatha's wound proved fatal, resulting in his death, and thus,
15210-550: The daughter of Deva Raya , the Vijayanagara Emperor. Firuz Shah expanded the nobility by enabling Hindus and granting them high office. In his reign, Sufis such as Gesudaraz , a Chishti saint who had immigrated from Dehli to Daulatabad, were prominent in court and daily life. He was the first author to write in the Dakhni dialect of Urdu . The Dakhni language became widespread, practised by various milieus from
15379-407: The deaths of almost 400,000 to half a million people, including ten thousand Brahmins. The district of Karnataka was so devastated that it took several decades for its population to recover to normal levels. Ultimately, due to protests from Brahmins and other Hindu chiefs, Bukka Raya was compelled to seek peace. According to Ferishta, the Sultan sheathed his sword only after the payment to the musicians
15548-497: The duel between Bhima and Duryodhana using clubs on the eighteenth day of the Mahabharata war . He wrote Ajitha purana in 993 describing the life of the second Tirthankara , Ajitanatha. Nagavarma II, poet laureate ( Katakacharya ) of King Jagadhekamalla II made contributions to Kannada literature in various subjects. His works in poetry, prosody, grammar and vocabulary are standard authorities and their importance to
15717-598: The dynasty's architecture is well known for the ornate stepped wells ( Pushkarni ) which served as ritual bathing places, a few of which are well preserved in Lakkundi. These stepped well designs were later incorporated by the Hoysalas and the Vijayanagara empire in the coming centuries. The Kasivisvesvara Temple at Lakkundi (Gadag district), the Dodda Basappa Temple at Dambal (Gadag district),
15886-461: The early Chalukyas, suggests that the Western Chalukya kings belonged to the same family line as the illustrious Chalukya dynasty of the sixth century, while other Western Chalukya inscriptional evidence indicates they were a distinct line unrelated to the early Chalukyas. The records suggests a possible rebellion by a local Chalukya King, Chattigadeva of Banavasi province (c. 967), in alliance with local Kadamba chieftains. This rebellion however
16055-436: The empire steadily decreased in size as their powerful feudatories expanded in autonomy and territorial command. The time period between 1150 and 1200 saw many hard fought battles between the Chalukyas and their feudatories who were also at war with each other. By the time of Jagadhekamalla II , the Chalukyas had lost control of Vengi and his successor, Tailapa III , was defeated by the Kakatiya king Prola in 1149. Tailapa III
16224-468: The epics, Ramayana , Mahabharata , Bhagavata , Puranas and Vedas . In the field of secular literature, subjects such as romance, erotics, medicine, lexicon, mathematics, astrology, encyclopedia etc. were written for the first time. Most notable among Kannada scholars were Ranna , grammarian Nagavarma II , minister Durgasimha and the Virashaiva saint and social reformer Basavanna . Ranna who
16393-408: The exception of a few who achieved success in martial affairs. They were patronised by kings, nobles and wealthy aristocrats who persuaded learned Brahmins to settle in specific towns and villages by making them grants of land and houses. The relocation of Brahmin scholars was calculated to be in the interest of the kingdom as they were viewed as persons detached from wealth and power and their knowledge
16562-519: The field of legal literature for his Mitakshara , in the court of Vikramaditya VI. Perhaps the most acknowledged work in that field, Mitakshara is a treatise on law (commentary on Yajnavalkya ) based on earlier writings and has found acceptance in most parts of modern India. An Englishman Colebrooke later translated into English the section on inheritance giving it currency in the British Indian court system. Some important literary works of
16731-456: The fighters took up arms and arrested Vinayak. Shah then launched a raid on Warangal, captured Vinayak Deva, and subjected him to a cruel execution, citing the insult he perceived from Vinayak's actions. The people of Andhra were incensed by Vinayak's death. When Shah attempted to retrace his steps to Bidar, they launched an attack from rooftops and trees, resulting in the loss of three thousand out of his four thousand men, and Shah himself sustained
16900-732: The first Bahmani sultan Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah used. The Bahmani Sultanate was likely the first state to invent and utilize gunpowder artillery and firearms within the Indian Subcontinent . Their firearms were the most advanced of their time, surpassing even those of the Yuan Dynasty and the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt . The first recorded use of firearms in South Asia was at the Battle of Adoni in 1368, where
17069-469: The idea of a Brahmin origin or Zafar Khan originally being a Hindu convert to Islam from Punjab untenable. Ziauddin Barani , the court chronicler of Sultan Firuz Shah , states that Hasan Gangu , the Bahmani Sultanate's founder, was "born in very humble circumstances" and that "For the first thirty years of his life he was nothing more than a field laborer." He was made a commander of a hundred horsemen by
17238-671: The influential Indian Chishti Sufi Shaikhs , he was crowned "Alauddin Bahman Shah Sultan – Founder of the Bahmani Dynasty". They bestowed upon him a robe allegedly worn by the prophet Muhammad . The extension of the Sufi's notion of spiritual sovereignty lent legitimacy to the planting of the sultanate's political authority, where the land, people, and produce of the Deccan were merited state protection, no longer available for plunder with impunity. These Sufis legitimized
17407-434: The issues regarding Kanhayya resolved, opted to launch an attack on its neighbour, Vijayanagar. To initiate the conflict, he sent a letter to Vijayanagar, demanding payment for three hundred musicians who had travelled from Delhi to Bahmani, likely to participate in the wedding of his son, Mujahid Shah . Shah's inebriation at the time led to the drafting of the letter, and incensed by this act, Bukka Raya retaliated by punishing
17576-706: The king and benedictions were generally done in Sanskrit. Kannada was used to state terms of the grants, including information on the land, its boundaries, the participation of local authorities, rights and obligations of the grantee, taxes and dues, and witnesses. This ensured the content was clearly understood by the local people without any ambiguity. In addition to inscriptions, chronicles called Vamshavalis were written to provide historical details of dynasties. Writings in Sanskrit included poetry, grammar, lexicon, manuals, rhetoric, commentaries on older works, prose fiction and drama. In Kannada, writings on secular subjects became popular. Some well-known works are Chandombudhi ,
17745-404: The king in his well-known work Vikramankadeva Charita . Vikramaditya VI was not only an able warrior but also a devout king as indicated by his numerous inscriptions that record grants made to scholars and centers of religion. The continual warring with the Cholas exhausted both empires, giving their subordinates the opportunity to rebel. In the decades after Vikramaditya VI's death in 1126,
17914-515: The king of Chalukya. A dispute broke out between him and his younger brother soon after, resulting in a civil war between the two over control of the empire, with the brother proclaiming himself Vikramaditya VI of Western Chalukya. Vikramditya's request for assistance to king Virarajendra Chola was well received, with Virarajendra later recording that he recognised Vikramaditya VI as the king of Western Chalukya. Virarajendra married his daughter to Vikramaditya VI and forged an alliance with him, halting
18083-503: The last major conflcit between the two powers. For the first half-century after the establishment of the Bahmanids, the original North Indian colonists and their sons had administered the empire quite independent of either the non-Muslim Hindus, or the Muslim foreign immigrants. However, the later Bahmani Sultans, mainly starting from his father Ahmad Shah Wali I, began to recruit foreigners from overseas, whether because of depletion among
18252-407: The later Chalukya architects. The 12th-century Mahadeva Temple with its well executed sculptures is an exquisite example of decorative detail. The intricate, finely crafted carvings on walls, pillars and towers speak volumes about Chalukya taste and culture. An inscription outside the temple calls it "Emperor of Temples" ( devalaya chakravarti ) and relates that it was built by Mahadeva, a commander in
18421-611: The long feud between the two empires. Vikramaditya VI won the loyalty of the Chalukya feudatories: the Hoysala, the Seuna and the Kadambas of Hangal. In 1075 Vikramaditya overthrew Someshawara II and became the Western Chalukya Emperor. From 1075 to 1076, during the Chola reign of Kulottunga I , the war began with the incursion of the Vikaramaditya's forces into the Chola territories and the two armies met in
18590-782: The main mints ( Tankhashaley ). Their heaviest gold coin was the Gadyanaka, weighing 96 grains . Other coins included the Dramma (65 grains), the Kalanju (48 grains), the Kasu (15 grains), the Manjadi (2.5 grains), the Akkam (1.25 grains), and the Pana (9.6 grains). Agriculture was the empire's main source of income through taxes on land and produce. The majority of
18759-673: The marriage of unwed older women. This gave more social freedom to women but they were not accepted into the priesthood. Ramanujacharya , the head of the Vaishnava monastery in Srirangam , traveled to the Hoysala territory and preached the way of devotion ( bhakti marga ). He later wrote Sribhashya , a commentary on Badarayana Brahmasutra , a critique on the Advaita philosophy of Adi Shankara. Ramanujacharya's stay in Melkote resulted in
18928-649: The masses. Basavanna, Akka Mahadevi , Allama Prabhu , Channabasavanna and Siddharama are the best known among them. In Sanskrit, a well-known poem ( Mahakavya ) in 18 cantos called Vikramankadeva Charita by Kashmiri poet Bilhana recounts in epic style the life and achievements of his patron king Vikramaditya VI. The work narrates the episode of Vikramaditya VI's accession to the Chalukya throne after overthrowing his elder brother Someshvara II. The great Indian mathematician Bhāskara II (born c. 1114 ) flourished during this time. From his own account in his famous work Siddhanta Siromani (c. 1150, comprising
19097-487: The medieval era. In reality, the wars between the Bahmanis and Vijayanagar were not religious in nature, but rather secular competitions for the acquisition of wealth and territory. Despite the victories of the Bahmanis in these conflicts, Vijayanagar never succumbed to vassalage at any point in time. The stretch of land between the Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers became a point of contention among various dynasties, including
19266-406: The medieval historian Ferishta , his obscurity makes it difficult to track his origin, but he is nonetheless stated as of Afghan birth. Ferishta further writes, Zafar Khan had earlier been a servant of a Brahmin astrologer at Delhi named Gangu , giving him the name Hasan Gangu, and says that he was from North India. Historians have not found any corroboration for the legend, but Barani , who
19435-458: The messengers with equal indignity. Seeking to gain the upper hand, Bukka declared war and decided to launch a preemptive attack in 1366. According to some accounts, he prepared the invasion with an army of nine hundred thousand infantry, eighty thousand cavalry, and three thousand elephants. However, another account states that he invaded with one hundred thousand infantry, thirty thousand cavalry, and three thousand elephants. He marched by crossing
19604-536: The modern Bidar district of Karnataka state, and alternatively the Later Chalukya from its theoretical relationship to the 6th-century Chalukya dynasty of Badami . The dynasty is called Western Chalukyas to differentiate from the contemporaneous Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi , a separate dynasty. Before the rise of these Chalukyas, the Rashtrakuta Empire of Manyakheta controlled most of
19773-400: The movement of the Vijayanagar army. Recognizing Bukka's predicament, Shah promptly advanced to meet him the next morning. Upon realizing the disadvantage and upon seeing the Sultan, Bukka offered no resistance and fled with some selected troops towards the fortress of Adoni, leaving everything behind. Bukka left the fort, entrusting it to his sister's son. Muhammad Shah, with his army, entered
19942-407: The nearby Jungles. Shah remained at Telangana for two years, and besieged Warangal. Finally in 1364, Kanhayya surrendered to Shah and paid thirteen crores of gold Huns, also ceding Golconda to the Bahmanis. Consequently, the ruler of Telangana, Kanhayya, became a vassal of the Bahmanis. Kanhayya also presented the famous Turquoise Throne to the Bahmani Sultan. Muhammad Shah appointed Azam-i Humayun as
20111-463: The next forty years. Bukka Raya, the king of Vijayanagar, protested against the Bahmani's claim to issue gold coins as a sign of sovereignty, and demanded the cession of Raichur Doab to the Vijayanagar empire. Kanhayya, the ruler of Warangal, demanded the fortress of Kaulas , which had previously been granted to Bahman Shah. This request stemmed from his son's desire to claim the fort from the Sultanate against his own wishes. Bukka Raya also threatened
20280-725: The next twenty years, forcing the Chalukyas to move their capital to Annigeri , located in the present day Dharwad district . The Kalachuris were originally immigrants into the southern Deccan from central India and called themselves Kalanjarapuravaradhisavaras . Bijjala II and his ancestors had governed as Chalukya commanders ( Mahamandaleshwar ) over the Karhad-4000 and Tardavadi-1000 provinces (overlapping region in present-day Karnataka and Maharashtra) with Mangalavada or Annigeri as their capital. Bijjala II's Chikkalagi record of 1157 calls him Mahabhujabala Chakravarti ("emperor with powerful shoulders and arms") indicating he no longer
20449-472: The nobility's power, fabricated a treasonous letter to Purushottama Deva of Orissa which they purported to be from him. Mahmud Gawan was ordered executed by Muhammad Shah III, an act that the latter regretted until his death in 1482. Upon his death, Nizam-ul-Mulk Bahri, the father of the founder of the Nizam Shahi dynasty became the regent of the Sultan as prime minister. Muhammad Shah III Lashkari
20618-506: The ongoing struggle to install a puppet on the Vengi throne. In 1066, Vikramaditya VI, Son of Someshwara I had invaded the Chola Empire penetrating as far as the capital Gangaikonda Cholapuram and threatening the city before being repulsed by Cholas. In the Battle of Vijayawada which was fought in 1068 between Someshvara I and Chola Emperor Virarajendra Chola , Someshwara I and his son Vikramaditya VI suffered defeat and lost Vengi to
20787-635: The other major ruling families of the Deccan, the Hoysala Empire , the Seuna dynasty , the Kakatiya dynasty and the Kalachuris of Kalyani , were subordinates of the Western Chalukyas and gained their independence only when the power of the Chalukya waned during the later half of the 12th century. The Western Chalukya architecture known today as a transitional style, an architectural link between
20956-558: The overseer of Golconda. The Kings of Warangal and Vijayanagar found themselves thoroughly outmanoeuvred. Bukka Raya could hardly stand idly by while his ally in Warangal faced annihilation. Consequently, he dispatched ambassadors to Delhi, seeking assistance from Firuz Shah and offering to reclaim their territories in the Deccan. However, Firuz Shah was preoccupied with internal conflicts and unable to take any action. Sultan Muhammad Shah I, displeased with Vijayanagar's behaviour, and with
21125-542: The pen of the chroniclers who were themselves mainly foreigners and products of Safavid Persia . The eldest sons of Humayun Shah, Nizam-Ud-Din Ahmad III and Muhammad Shah III Lashkari ascended the throne successively, while they were young boys. The vizier Mahmud Gawan ruled as regent during this period, until Muhammad Shah reached age. Mahmud Gawan is known for setting up the Mahmud Gawan Madrasa ,
21294-409: The people lived in villages and worked farming the staple crops of rice , pulses , and cotton in the dry areas and sugarcane in areas having sufficient rainfall, with areca and betel being the chief cash crops. The living conditions of the labourers who farmed the land must have been bearable as there are no records of revolts by the landless against wealthy landlords. If peasants were disgruntled
21463-619: The ranks of the original settlers, or the feelings of dependency upon the Persian courtly model, or both. This resulted in factional strife that first became acute in the reign of his son Alauddin Ahmad Shah II. In 1446, the powerful Dakhani nobles persuaded the Sultan that the Persians were responsible for the failure of the earlier invasion of the Konkan . The Sultan, drunk, condoned a large-scale massacre of Persian Shi'a Sayyids by
21632-629: The role of Dandanayaka (commander), showing that cabinet members were trained as army commanders as well as in general administrative skills. The kingdom was divided into provinces such as Banavasi-12000 , Nolambavadi-32000 , Gangavadi-96000 , each name including the number of villages under its jurisdiction. The large provinces were divided into smaller provinces containing a lesser number of villages, as in Belavola-300 . The big provinces were called Mandala and under them were Nadu further divided into Kampanas (groups of villages) and finally
21801-406: The royal family also administered Nadus and Kampanas . Army commanders were titled Mahamandaleshwaras and those who headed a Nadu were entitled Nadugouvnda . The Western Chalukyas minted punch-marked gold pagodas with Kannada and Nagari legends which were large, thin gold coins with several varying punch marks on the obverse side. They usually carried multiple punches of symbols such as
21970-538: The ruins of these two empires were built the Kingdoms of their feudatories whose mutual antagonisms filled the annals of Deccan history for over a hundred years, the Pandyas taking control over some regions of the erstwhile Chola empire. The Western Chalukya kingship was hereditary, passing to the king's brother if the king did not have a male heir. The administration was highly decentralised and feudatory clans such as
22139-555: The rule of Vikramaditya VI , in the late 11th and early 12th centuries, the Western Chalukyas convincingly contended with the Cholas and reached a peak, ruling territories that spread over most of the Deccan, between the Narmada River in the north and Kaveri River in the south. His exploits were not limited to the south for even as a prince, during the rule of Someshvara I, he had led successful military campaigns as far east as modern Bihar and Bengal . During this period
22308-475: The rulers of Vijayanagar and of Bahmani, relieved of this concern, were able to engage in hostilities independently. At the same time, a ruler named Kanhayya, also known as Kanhaiya Nayak, Kanya Nayak, who hailed from the Kakatiya dynasty , established himself within the Vijayanagar realm as the Musunuri Nayaka chief. Following the demise of Alauddin Bahman Shah, his son Muhammed Shah I succeeded to
22477-411: The sense to see Hasan Gangu as the man of the hour, and the proposal to crown Hasan Gangu, entitled Zafar Khan, was accepted without a dissentient voice on 3 August 1347. His revolt was successful, and he established an independent state on the Deccan within the Delhi Sultanate's southern provinces with its headquarters at Hasanabad ( Gulbarga ), where all his coins were minted. With the support of
22646-484: The shrine) is a compromise in detail between the plain stepped style of the early Chalukyas and the decorative finish of the Hoysalas. To the credit of the Western Chalukya architects is the development of the lathe turned (tuned) pillars and use of Soapstone (Chloritic Schist) as basic building and sculptural material, a very popular idiom in later Hoysala temples. They popularised the use of decorative Kirtimukha (demon faces) in their sculptures. Famous architects in
22815-575: The siege. Meanwhile, as these nobles were unable to stop the Deccani amirs from pursuing the imperial army, Hasan Gangu, a native of Delhi, then being pursued by Governor of Berar Imad-ul-Mulk, the leader to whom the Deccani Amirs had re-assembled against, attacked and slew the latter and marched on towards Daulatabad. Here Hasan Gangu and the Deccani amirs put to flight the imperial forces which had been left to besiege. The rebels at Daulatabad had
22984-464: The situation in Delhi. The last mention of Harihara coincides with Bahman Shah 's declaration of independence. Harihara I was the first king of the Vijayanagar. By the time of Harihara's death, Bukka appears to have been the sole surviving representative of the five brothers. When Firuz Shah Tughlaq of Delhi Sultanate announced that he would not endeavour to bring the South back under the rule of Delhi,
23153-438: The south, the Vijayanagara Empire , which outlasted the sultanate. The Bahmani Sultans also patronized architectural works. The Mahmud Gawan Madrasa was created by Mahmud Gawan , the vizier regent who was prime minister of the sultanate from 1466 until his execution in 1481 during a conflict between the foreign (Afaqis) and local (Deccanis) nobility. Bidar Fort was built by Ahmad Shah I ( r. 1422–36 ), who relocated
23322-618: The southern Deccan when Someshvara II was the king. Before 1068, even as a prince, Vikramaditya VI had invaded Bengal , weakening the ruling Pala Empire . These incursions led to the establishment of Karnata dynasties such as the Sena dynasty and Varman dynasty in Bengal, and the Nayanadeva dynasty in Bihar. At the death of Someshvara I in April 1068, his son Someshvara II succeeded him as
23491-578: The study of Kannada language is well acknowledged. Kavyavalokana in poetics, Karnataka-Bhashabhushana on grammar and Vastukosa a lexicon (with Kannada equivalents for Sanskrit words) are some of his comprehensive contributions. Several works on medicine were produced during this period. Notable among them were Jagaddala Somanatha's Karnataka Kalyana Karaka . A unique and native form of poetic literature in Kannada called Vachanas developed during this time. They were written by mystics, who expressed their devotion to God in simple poems that could appeal to
23660-717: The style of the early Chalukya dynasty and that of the later Hoysala Empire. Most of its monuments are in the districts bordering the Tungabhadra River in central Karnataka. Well known examples are the Kasivisvesvara Temple, Lakkundi , the Mallikarjuna Temple, Kuruvatti , the Kalleshvara Temple, Bagali and the Mahadeva Temple, Itagi . This was an important period in the development of fine arts in South India, especially in literature, as
23829-605: The sultan, and defeated Taghalchin's forces. Taghalchin was killed and Shamsuddin was blinded. Taj ud-Din Firuz Shah became the sultan in November 1397. Firuz Shah fought against the Vijayanagara Empire on many occasions and the rivalry between the two dynasties continued unabated throughout his reign, with victories in 1398 and in 1406 , but a defeat in 1417. One of his victories resulted in his marriage to
23998-481: The then rulers of Warangal , Kanhayya , and local bankers, resulting in the destruction of Bahmani coins and the escalation of tensions leading to outright war. This was the first war in India where the Europeans fought at the Deccan and the infantry was used. The conflict intensified with the execution of Warangal's prince by the Bahmanis, a consequence of disputes over horse trading. This event ultimately led to
24167-411: The throne of the Bahmani Sultanate. During the reign of Muhammad Shah I, the conflicts between the Bahmanis and Vijayanagar commenced. Typically, their conflicts were interpreted as religious wars because of the religious disparities between the two states, leading to the assumption that Vijayanagar had been subjugated to the vassal status of the Bahmanis. However, this notions were the exaggerations during
24336-472: The time related to music and musical instruments were Sangita Chudamani , Sangita Samayasara and Sangita Ratnakara . The reign of Western Chalukya dynasty was an important period in the development of Deccan architecture. The architecture designed during this time served as a conceptual link between the Badami Chalukya architecture of the 8th century and the Hoysala architecture popularised in
24505-413: The transplantation of Indo-Muslim rulership from one region in South Asia to another, converting the land of the Bahmanids into being recognized as Dar ul-Islam , while it was previously considered Dar ul-Harb . Turkish or Indo-Turkish troops, explorers, saints, and scholars moved from Delhi and North India to the Deccan with the establishment of the Bahmanid sultanate. How many of these were Shi'ites
24674-586: The two main Hindu kingdoms of the southern Deccan, Warangal and Vijayanagara in the First Bahmani–Vijayanagar War , made them renowned among Muslims as warriors of the faith. The Vijayanagara empire and the Bahmanids fought over the control of the Godavari-basin, Tungabadhra Doab, and the Marathwada country, although they seldom required a pretext for declaring war, as military conflicts were almost
24843-435: The vassalization of Warangal, further fueling animosity between the two powers. As the war progressed, Bahmani victories over Vijayanagar forces at Mudgal and Kauthal resulted in heavy casualties among the civilian population. In 1367, Muhammed Shah laid siege to Vijayanagar, where Bukka Raya had shut himself after two consecutive defeats, and massacred the Vijayanagar population, prompting Bukka Raya I to seek peace. However,
25012-418: Was a near monopoly of Brahmins who received royal endowments for their cause. Inscriptions record that the number of subjects taught varied from four to eighteen. The four most popular subjects with royal students were Economics ( Vartta ), Political Science ( Dandaniti ), Veda ( trayi ) and Philosophy ( Anvikshiki ), subjects that are mentioned as early as Kautilyas Arthashastra . The Western Chalukya era
25181-442: Was a popular outdoor pastime. In addition to these leisurely activities, festivals and fairs were frequent and entertainment by traveling troupes of acrobats, dancers, dramatists and musicians was often provided. Schools and hospitals are mentioned in records and these were built in the vicinity of temples. Marketplaces served as open air town halls where people gathered to discuss and ponder local issues. Choirs, whose main function
25350-447: Was a subordinate of the Chalukyas. However the successors of Bijjala II were unable to hold on to Kalyani and their rule ended in 1183 when the last Chalukya scion, Someshvara IV , made a final bid to regain control of the empire by recapturing Kalyani. Kalachuri King Sankama was killed by Chalukya general Narasimha in this conflict. During this time, Hoysala Veera Ballala II was growing ambitious and clashed on several occasions with
25519-704: Was a useful tool to educate and teach ethical conduct and discipline in local communities. Brahmins were also actively involved in solving local problems by functioning as neutral arbiters ( Panchayat ). Regarding eating habits, Brahmins, Jains, Buddhists and Shaivas were strictly vegetarian while the partaking of different kinds of meat was popular among other communities. Marketplace vendors sold meat from domesticated animals such as goats, sheep, pigs and fowl as well as exotic meat including partridge, hare, wild fowl and boar. People found indoor amusement by attending wrestling matches ( Kusti ) or watching animals fight such as cock fights and ram fights or by gambling. Horse racing
25688-542: Was an important period in Karnataka's history and is referred to by historians as the "Chalukya Vikrama era". Not only was he successful in controlling his powerful feudatories in the north (Kadamba Jayakesi II of Goa, Silhara Bhoja and the Yadava King) and south (Hoysala Vishnuvardhana), he successfully dealt with the imperial Cholas whom he defeated in the battle of Vengi in 1093 and again in 1118. He retained this territory for many years despite ongoing hostilities with
25857-549: Was based on frequent surveys evaluating the quality of land and the type of produce. Chalukya records specifically mention black soil and red soil lands in addition to wetland, dry land and wasteland in determining taxation rates. Key figures mentioned in inscriptions from rural areas were the Gavundas (officials) or Goudas . The Gavundas belonged to two levels of economic strata, the Praja Gavunda (people's Gavunda) and
26026-424: Was later adopted by the Deccan sultanates as well. The Turquoise Throne was a jeweled royal throne mentioned by Firishta . It was the seat of the sultans of the Bahmani Sultanate since Mohammed Shah I ( r. 1358–1375). It was a gift of Musunuri Kapaya Nayaka , a Telugu King in post-Kakateeya era. It was mentioned by Firishta that on 23 March 1363, this throne replaced an earlier silver throne that
26195-407: Was made. Raya dispatched envoys to the Sultan's camp, requesting peace and appealing for a brotherly relationship between the two states. Upon hearing this, Sultan Muhammed Shah smiled and replied that he desired nothing more than the payment of the Delhi musicians' salary from the Bahmani treasury, as stipulated in the draft he had sent. The musicians, having begged for the Sultan's pardon, also made
26364-478: Was marked by relentless military campaigns and expansionism. He imposed destruction and slaughter on Vijayanagara and finally captured the remnants of Warangal. Alauddin Ahmad II succeeded his father to the throne in 1436. The Chand Minar , a minaret in Daulatabad , was constructed under his reign, and was commemorated in his honour in 1445 for his victory against Deva Raya II of Vijayanagara in 1443,
26533-407: Was more available to women in the royal and affluent urban families. Records describe the participation of women in the fine arts, such as Chalukya queen Chandala Devi's and Kalachuris of Kalyani queen Sovala Devi's skill in dance and music. The compositions of thirty Vachana women poets included the work of the 12th-century Virashaiva mystic Akka Mahadevi whose devotion to the bhakti movement
26702-544: Was on a voluntary basis. Ritual deaths to achieve salvation were seen among the Jains who preferred to fast to death ( Sallekhana ), while people of some other communities chose to jump on spikes ( Shoolabrahma ) or walking into fire on an eclipse. In a Hindu caste system that was conspicuously present, Brahmins enjoyed a privileged position as providers of knowledge and local justice. These Brahmins were normally involved in careers that revolved around religion and learning with
26871-427: Was one of substantial literary activity in the native Kannada, and Sanskrit. In a golden age of Kannada literature, Jain scholars wrote about the life of Tirthankaras and Virashaiva poets expressed their closeness to God through pithy poems called Vachanas . Nearly three hundred contemporary Vachanakaras ( Vachana poets) including thirty women poets have been recorded. Early works by Brahmin writers were on
27040-470: Was patronised by king Tailapa II and Satyashraya is one among the "three gems of Kannada literature". He was bestowed the title "Emperor among poets" ( Kavi Chakravathi ) by King Tailapa II and has five major works to his credit. Of these, Saahasabheema Vijayam (or Gada yuddha ) of 982 in Champu style is a eulogy of his patron King Satyashraya whom he compares to Bhima in valour and achievements and narrates
27209-439: Was rather the first military usage of gunpowder-derived objects in the Subcontinent. Western Chalukya Empire The Western Chalukya Empire ( / tʃ ə ˈ l uː k j ə / chə- LOO -kyə ) ruled most of the western Deccan , South India , between the 10th and 12th centuries. This Kannada -speaking dynasty is sometimes called the Kalyani Chalukya after its regal capital at Kalyani, today's Basavakalyan in
27378-706: Was succeeded by his son Mahmood Shah Bahmani II , the last Bahmani ruler to have real power. The tarafdars of Ahmednagar , Bijapur , and Berar , Malik Ahmad Nizam Shah I , Yusuf Adil Shah , and Fathullah Imad-ul-Mulk agreed to assert their independence in 1490, and established their own sultanates but maintained loyalty to the Bahmani Sultan. The sultanates of Golconda and Bidar would become in practice independent as well. In 1501, Mahmood Shah Bahmani united his amirs and wazirs in an agreement to wage annual Jihad against Vijayanagara. The expeditions were financially ruinous. The last Bahmani Sultans were puppet monarchs under their Barid Shahi prime ministers, who were
27547-442: Was taken captive and later released bringing down the prestige of the Western Chalukyas. Seeing decadence and uncertainty seeping into Chalukya rule, the Hoysalas and Seunas also encroached upon the empire. Hoysala Narasimha I defeated and killed Tailapa III but was unable to overcome the Kalachuris, who vied for control over the same region. In 1157 the Kalachuris of Kalyanis under Bijjala II captured Kalyani and occupied it for
27716-445: Was the court chronicler of Sultan Firuz Shah , as well as some other scholars have also called him Hasan Gangu. Another theory of origin for Zafar Khan is that he was of Brahmin origin, and that Bahman (his given name following the establishment of the sultanate) is a corrupted personalized form of Brahman, with Hasan Gangu being a Hindu Brahman who became Muslim. However this view has been discredited by S.A.Q. Husaini, who considers
27885-440: Was the possibility of theft from brigands when their ships and caravans traveled to distant lands. Powerful South Indian merchant guilds included the Manigramam , the Nagarattar and the Anjuvannam . Local guilds were called nagaram , while the Nanadesis were traders from neighbouring kingdoms who perhaps mixed business with pleasure. The wealthiest and most influential and celebrated of all South Indian merchant guilds
28054-530: Was the self-styled Ainnurruvar , also known as the 500 Svamis of Ayyavolepura ( Brahmins and Mahajanas of present-day Aihole ), who conducted extensive land and sea trade and thereby contributed significantly to the total foreign trade of the empire. It fiercely protected its trade obligations ( Vira Bananjudharma or law of the noble merchants) and its members often recorded their achievements in inscriptions ( prasasti ). Five hundred such excavated Prasasti inscriptions, with their own flag and emblem,
28223-420: Was then signed, stipulating that both parties would refrain from killing prisoners or civilians in the future, although it was violated several times. After a thirty-year period of peace, Harihara II initiated another war with the Bahmanis during the reign of Tajuddin Firuz Shah in 1398. Bahmani Sultanate The Bahmani Kingdom or the Bahmani Sultanate was a late medieval kingdom that ruled
28392-497: Was to sing devotional hymns, were maintained at temple expense. Young men were trained to sing in choirs in schools attached to monasteries such as Hindu Matha , Jain Palli and Buddhist Vihara . These institutions provided advanced education in religion and ethics and were well equipped with libraries ( Saraswati Bhandara ). Learning was imparted in the local language and in Sanskrit. Schools of higher learning were called Brahmapuri (or Ghatika or Agrahara ). Teaching Sanskrit
28561-436: Was unfruitful but paved the way for his successor Tailapa II. A few years later, Tailapa II re-established Chalukya rule and defeated the Rashtrakutas during the reign of Karka II by timing his rebellion to coincide with the confusion caused in the Rashtrakuta capital of Manyakheta by the invading Paramaras of Central India in 973. After overpowering the Rashtrakutas, Tailapa II moved his capital to Manyakheta and consolidated
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