Bahmani tombs | |
---|---|
Type | necropolis |
Location | Bidar, Karnataka |
Coordinates | 17°54′54″N77°33′40″E / 17.915°N 77.561°E |
Built | 15th and 16th century |
Architectural style(s) | Indo-Islamic architecture |
The Bahmani tombs complex at Bidar is the necropolis of the Bahmani dynasty, located in Bidar, in the Indian state of Karnataka. [1]
Built during the 15th and 16th centuries, the tombs are an example of a distinct Indo-Islamic style of architecture unique to the Deccan, drawing heavily from Persian architecture, with considerable Hindu influences. [2] [3]
The Bahmani Sultanate ruled the Deccan region in South India between the 14th and 16th centuries. The sultans and members of the ruling family were buried in elaborate tombs built in a unique Indo-Islamic style of architecture. The tombs of earlier rulers are found in the Haft Gumbaz complex at Gulbarga, which was the capital of the sultanate. [4]
In 1432, Ahmad Shah I Wali shifted the capital from Gulbarga to Bidar, and consequently, the later sultans are buried here. The tombs were erected from 1436 to 1535, [2] with the tomb of Ahmad Shah being the first. [1] [5]
The tombs of eight Bahmani sultans, as well as some queens and other family members, are located at the complex. The decline in size of the later tombs corresponds with the decline of the political influence of the Bahmanis. [6]
In 1527, the Bahmani Sultanate split into five successor states, known as the Deccan Sultanates. [7] Bidar came under the rule of the Barid Shahi dynasty, who are buried in the Barid Shahi tombs complex. [8]
The architectural style is a regional variant of Indo-Islamic architecture unique to the Deccan, with considerable Persian influences such as the use of encaustic tiles, as well as influences from Hindu temple architecture. The Bahmani rulers generally employed Persian architects who would design the main featured of the buildings, while Hindu masons and craftsmen would supervise the construction and fill in the details. [3]
There are eight tombs of the Bahmani rulers, [6] as well as tombs of other family members. The tombs are square structures surmounted by bulbous domes, built of black trap masonry laid in lime. Some of the tombs had elaborate external tile decoration, in the form of floral motifs, Islamic geometric patterns, and calligraphy. The inscriptions of the tomb reveal the name of the king, his date of accession, and date of death. Persian poetry and Quranic verses are also inscribed. [9]
Ahmad Shah I Wali was the first sultan to be buried within the complex. His tomb is of a square design with arches on each face, crowned with a bulbous dome, which resembles Lodi domes in terms of design. The exterior is further embellished by a parapet wall of arch-heads above the walls, and ornate turrets at the corners. [10] Several levels of arched niches adorn the exterior. [5]
The interior of the tomb of Ahmad Shah is decorated with frescoes. The panels above the entrance arches contain religious texts in the Kufic script, and verses by Shah Nimatullah Wali in the Thuluth script. The ceiling is decorated with calligraphy of the names of Allah, Muhammad, Ali, and his descendants. [11]
The tomb is venerated as a dargah by Muslims as well as Hindus of the lingayat sect, who take part in the Urs (death anniversary observance) of Ahmad Shah every year. [5] [12] [13]
To the east of Ahmad Shah's mausoleum is a tomb assigned to his wife. The tomb is of a similar style as Ahmad Sha's tomb, but smaller in size. There is no inscription within the tomb. There are five graves within the hall, of which the grave at the extreme left is considered that of the queen. [14]
Another tomb to the south is considered to be the mausoleum of his son. Either his son Mahmud Khan or Daud Khan or both, may be buried within as the hall contains eight graves. [15]
Alau-ud-din Shah succeeded his father Ahmad Shah in 1436, and probably built the tomb during his lifetime. The square mausoleum has lofty entrance arches on three sides. Each entrance arch is flanked by a pair of smaller arches on either side. A trefoil-patterned parapet rises above the walls. [16]
The facade of the tomb is covered in enamel tiles, most of which have been lost due to deterioration by the weather and vandalism. [1] [17] The tiles, Persian blue, green, and, yellow in colour, comprise calligraphic designs and floral motifs. The ceiling of the dome was originally painted, however, only a few fragments of paint survive. [16]
Humayun Shah succeeded his father Ala-ud-din in 1458, and ruled until 1461. A large part of the tomb of Humayun Shah was destroyed by a lightning strike in the late 19th century. [18] The distinctive features of the tomb include the unique shape of its arches, with a wide span and low imposts, and the trabeate style of niches, which is characteristic of Hindu temples in the Deccan. The upper courses of the dome are made up of light spongy bricks, similar to those used in Kakatiya temples. [19]
Malika-i-Jahan (lit. Queen of the world) was the title of Humayun Shah's wife. Her tomb is situated to the south-west of her husband's tomb, and is smaller in dimensions. There are four graves within the vault and the second of these, which is in the middle of the hall is that of the queen. [20]
Nizam Shah ascended the throne at the age of eight, and ruled for two years between 1461 and 1463. His tomb was probably intended to be similar in size to the earlier tombs, given the thickness of the walls. It is thought to have been commissioned by his mother Malika-i-Jahan, and remained unfinished on account of her death. The square hall contains five arches on each face. The entrance is through the southern side, and the interior of the western wall is in the form of a mihrab. [21]
Muhammad Shah III Lashkari succeeded his brother, and ruled for nineteen years until his death in 1482. His tomb is also incomplete, and of a similar design to the tomb of Nizam Shah. There are three graves within the enclosure, the middle one of which is the grave of Muhammad Shah III. [22]
Mahmud Shah II ruled between 1482 and 1518, and probably constructed the tomb during his lifetime. His tomb is comparable to the earlier tombs in terms of size. However, neither is its exterior adorned with tiles, nor its interior decorated with frescoes. The only embellishment present is the parapet of arch-heads rising on top of the walls. Each face of the square tomb has a lofty arch in the middle, flanked by three-tiered smaller arches. [23]
Two sepulchres are situated to the south of Mahmud Shah's tomb. One of them has a conical dome with eight facets. These may be the burial sites of Ahmad Shah II (r. 1518–1520) and Ala-ud-Din II (r. 1520–1522), who were puppet kings under the prime minister Amir Barid. [24]
Wali-ullah (r. 1522–1525) and Kalim-ullah (r. 1525–2527) were the last Bahmani rulers, both ruling as puppet monarchs under prime minister Amir Barid. Their tombs are small square structures with conical domes. The tomb of Kalim-ullah is slightly larger, and is crowned with a cylindrical pinnacle. [25]
The tomb of Shah Rukh Khan is located to the north of Mahmud Shah's tomb. Historians believe he was a scion of the Bahmani dynasty, as only royal family members are buried here. The Ayat Al-Kursi is inscribed over the eastern doorway. There are two graves within the tomb. [26]
The Chaukhandi [note 1] is situated about a kilometer west of the main necropolis. It is the tomb of Khalil-ullah Kirmani, a Sufi saint and spiritual advisor to Ahmad Shah. It is a double-storied octagonal structure, and is similar in style to the tomb of Ala-ud-din. It was decorated with encaustic tiles, of which only a few remain. [27]
In later times, several vaults were built for the graves of Khalil-ullah's descendants, one of which is attached to the Chaukhandi. A small domed sepulchre is situated at the south-western face of the Chaukhandi. It is not known who was buried here. [28]
To the south-west of Kalim-ullah's tomb is a mosque, which was used to perform funerary prayers before interment. It is a small building with three arched openings. Another, smaller mosque is located between the tombs of Ahmad Shah and Ala-ud-din. [29]
Other structures within the complex include a well, which was constructed much later in 1609, during the Barid Shahi period. The well contains inscriptions in Persian and Marathi. [30]
Towards the south of the Chaukhandi, there are several tombs built on a platform under a Neem tree. [31]
By the 20th century, the tombs had fallen into disrepair. The archeological department of Hyderabad State restored the tombs to some extent, and demolished houses which had been illegally constructed among the tombs. [6]
The Archaeological Survey of India has listed the site as a monument of national importance. [32] The complex, along with other sites in Bidar, Gulbarga, Bijapur, and Hyderabad is also listed on the tentative list of the World Heritage Sites. [2]
Kalaburagi, formerly known as Gulbarga, is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kalaburagi district and is the largest city in the region of North Karnataka (Kalyana-Karnataka). Kalaburagi is 568 km north of the state capital city of Bangalore. It was incorporated into the newly formed Mysore State through the States Reorganisation Act in 1956.
The Deccan sultanates were five late-medieval Indian kingdoms—on the Deccan Plateau between the Krishna River and the Vindhya Range—that were created from the disintegration of the Bahmani Sultanate and ruled by Muslim dynasties: namely Ahmadnagar, Berar, Bidar, Bijapur, and Golconda. The sultanates had become independent during the break-up of the Bahmani Sultanate. The five sultanates owed their existence to the declaration of independence of Ahmadnagar in 1490, followed by Bijapur and Berar in the same year. Golconda became independent in 1518, and Bidar in 1528.
The Bahmani Sultanate was a late medieval empire that ruled the Deccan Plateau in India. The first independent Muslim kingdom of the Deccan, the Bahmani Sultanate came to power in 1347 during the rebellion of Ismail Mukh against Muhammad bin Tughlaq, the Sultan of the Tughlaq dynasty of Delhi. Ismail Mukh then abdicated in favour of Zafar Khan, who would establish the Bahmani Sultanate.
Bidar (/biːd̪ər/) is a city in the north-eastern part of Karnataka state in India. It is the headquarters of Bidar district, which borders Maharashtra and Telangana. It is a rapidly urbanising city in the wider Bidar Metropolitan area. The city is well known for its many sites of architectural, historical and religious importance. Bidar has a population of more than two lakh (200,000) and is likely to be upgraded to a municipal corporation in the next five years.
The Sultanate of Bidar was one of the Deccan sultanates of late medieval India. The sultanate emerged under the rule of Qasim Barid I in 1492 and leadership passed to his sons. Starting from the 1580s, a wave of successions occurred in the rulership of the dynasty which ended in 1609 under the last Sultan Amir Barid III who was eventually defeated in 1619 by the Bijapur sultan Ibrahim Adil Shah II. Bidar became annexed into the Bijapur Sultanate.
Ahmed Shah Al Wali Bahamani was the ruler of the Bahmani Sultanate from 1 October 1422 to 17 April 1436, and was a great patron of arts and culture. He brought Persian artisans from Iran, including the metal-worker Abdulla-bin-Kaiser, who was the master of Bidriware, the inlaying of zinc alloy with silver and gold.
The Farooqi dynasty or the Farooq Shahi was the ruling dynasty of the Khandesh Sultanate from its inception in 1382 till its annexation by the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1601. The founder of the dynasty, Malik Ahmad participated in a rebellion against the Bahmani ruler Muhmmad Shah I in his early years. When he was compelled to flee from Deccan, he established in Thalner on the Tapti River. After receiving the grant of the fiefdoms of Thalner and Karanda from Firuz Shah Tughluq in 1370, he conquered the region around Thalner, which later became known as Khandesh. By 1382, he started ruling independently.
Mahmud Gawan (1411–1481) was a Persian statesman who served as the chief minister, or Peshwa from 1458 and de facto ruler of the Bahmani Sultanate as Prime minister from 1466 until his death in 1481. Mahmud Gawan, from the village of Gawan in Persia, was well-versed in Islamic theology, Persian, and the sciences and was a poet and a prose writer of repute.
Bidar Fort is located in old city area, Bidar, Karnataka, India. The fort, the city and the district are all affixed with the name Bidar. Sultan Ahmad Shah I of the Bahmanid dynasty shifted his capital from Gulbarga to Bidar in 1427 and built his fort along with a number of Islamic monuments. There are over 30 monuments inside Bidar fort.
The Gulbarga Fort is located in Kalaburagi in the Kalaburagi district of North Karnataka. This fort was originally constructed by a hindu king Raja Gulchand, but it was subsequently significantly enlarged in 1347 by Al-ud-din Hasan Bahmani of the Bahmani Dynasty after he cut off his ties with the Delhi Sultanate; Islamic monuments such as mosques, palaces, tombs, and other structures were also built later within the refurbished fort. The Jama Masjid, built later within the fort in 1367, is a unique structure built in Persian architectural style, fully enclosed, with elegant domes and arched columns, unlike any other mosque in India. It was built to commemorate the establishment of the dynastic rule of the Bahmani kingdom at Kalaburagi fort between 1347 and 1424, though the capital was initially Daulatabad. It remained the capital of the Bahmani Kingdom till 1424 where after the capital was shifted to Bidar Fort, as Bidar had better climatic conditions.
Taj ud-Din Firoz Shah, also known as Firoz Shah Bahmani, was the ruler of the Bahmani Sultanate from 16 November 1397 to 22 September 1422. Firuz Shah is considered an important ruler of the Bahamani Sultanate. He expanded his kingdom and even succeeded in conquering the Raichur Doab from Vijaynagara kingdoms.
Deccani architecture, particularly the architecture of the Bahmani and Deccan Sultanates, is the architecture of the Deccan Plateau, and is a regional variant of Indo-Islamic architecture. It was influenced by the styles of the Delhi Sultanate and later Mughal architecture, but sometimes also influenced from Persia and Central Asia. Hindu temple architecture in the same areas had very different styles.
Ali Barid Shah I was the third ruler of the Barid Shahi dynasty at Bidar. He succeeded his father in 1540, and ruled until his death in 1580. He was considered a man of letters, and invited scholars and craftsmen from all over the Indian subcontinent to his capital. He is also known to have played a key logistical role in the Battle of Talikota.
Mahmood Shah or Shihab-Ud-Din Mahmud was the sultan of the Bahmani Sultanate from 1482 until his death in 1518. His long rule is noted for the disintegration of the sultanate and the creation of the independent Deccan sultanates.
The Barid Shahi tombs are tombs of the Barid Shahi dynasty. They are located in Bidar in the Indian state of Karnataka.
Amir Barid I, also known as Amir Ali Barid was the second ruling member of the Barid Shahi dynasty.
The Turquoise Throne or Takht-i-Firoza was a famous jewel-studded royal throne of the Bahmani Sultans of Deccan in India. It was a gift by Musunuri Kapaya Nayaka, then king of Warangal, during the Bahmani-Vijayanagar War, where the Bahmanis defeated the latter. Over some time, this throne became one of the most important icons of the Bahmani royalty and heritage.
Alau’d-din Ahmad Shah was the tenth sultan of the Bahmani Sultanate. He was considered a benevolent ruler, albeit weak in administration. His reign is marked by rebellions.
Alauddin Humayun Shah Bahmani was the sultan of the Bahmani Sultanate, who reigned between 1458 and 1461. Also known as Humayun Shah Zalim, he is described as a cruel ruler, known for executing people in torturous ways.