The Deccan sultanates is a historiographical term referring to five late medieval to early modern 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 five sultanates owed their existence to the declaration of independence of Ahmadnagar in 1490, which was followed by Bijapur and Berar in the same year. Bidar became independent in c. 1492, and Golconda in 1512.
The Sultanate of Bijapur was an early modern kingdom in the western Deccan and South India, ruled by the Adil Shahi dynasty. Bijapur had been a taraf (province) of the Bahmani Kingdom prior to its independence in 1490 and before the kingdom's political decline in the last quarter of the 15th century. It was one of the Deccan sultanates, the collective name of the kingdom's five successor states. The Sultanate of Bijapur was one of the most powerful states on the Indian Subcontinent at its peak, second to the Mughal Empire which conquered it in 1686 under Aurangzeb.
Abul Hasan Qutb Shah, also known as Abul Hasan Tana Shah was the eighth and last ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, sovereign of the Kingdom of Golconda in South India. He ruled from 1672 to 1686. The last Sultan of this Shia Islamic dynasty, Tana Shah is remembered as an inclusive ruler. Instead of appointing only Muslims as ministers, he appointed Brahmin Hindus such as Madanna and Akkanna brothers as ministers in charge of tax collection and exchequer. Towards the end of his reign, one of his Muslim generals defected to the Mughal Empire, who then complained to Aurangzeb about the rising power of the Hindus as ministers in his Golconda Sultanate. Aurangzeb sent a regiment led by his son, who beheaded Tana Shah's Hindu ministers and plundered the Sultanate. In 1687, Aurangzeb ordered an arrest of Tana Shah, who was then imprisoned at the Daulatabad Fort. He died in prison in 1699.
Shahaji Bhonsale was a 17th century Indian military leader who served the Ahmadnagar Sultanate, the Bijapur Sultanate, and the Mughal Empire at various points in his career. As a member of the Bhonsle dynasty, Shahaji inherited the Pune and Supe jagirs (fiefs) from his father Maloji, who previously served the Ahmadnagar Sultanate. During the Mughal invasion of the Deccan, Shahaji joined the Mughal forces and served under Emperor Shah Jahan for a short period. After being deprived of his jagirs, he defected to the Bijapur Sultanate in 1632 and regained control over Pune and Supe. In 1638, he received the jagir of Bangalore after Bijapur's invasion of Kempe Gowda III's territories. Afterwards, he became the chief general of Bijapur and oversaw its expansion.
Malik Ambar was a military leader and statesman who served as the Peshwa of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate and its de facto ruler from 1600 until his death in 1626.
Sultana Chand Bibi was the regent of the Bijapur Sultanate during the minority of Ibrahim Adil Shah II in 1580–1590, and the regent of the Ahmednagar Sultanate during the minority of her great nephew Bahadur Shah in 1595–1600. Chand Bibi is best known for defending Ahmednagar against the Mughal forces of Emperor Akbar in 1595.
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.
The Sultanate of Ahmednagar was a late medieval Indian Marathi kingdom located in the northwestern Deccan, between the sultanates of Gujarat and Bijapur, ruled by the Nizam Shahi dynasty. It was established when Malik Ahmed, the Bahmani governor of Junnar, after defeating the Bahmani army led by general Jhangir Khan on 28 May 1490, declared independence and established the Ahmadnagar Sultanate.
The Siege of Golconda was an eight-month military siege of the Golconda Fort. This siege was personally directed by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb against the Golconda Sultanate, ruled by king Abul Hasan Qutb Shah. It was the second Mughal siege of the fort, following an aborted attempt by Aurangzeb in 1656 as a prince of emperor Shah Jahan. The event served as the climax of the Golconda Sultanate, which was annexed into the Mughal Empire as a result of the victory of the siege. The military confrontation was one of the final stages in the Mughal Empire's expansion southwards in the Indian subcontinent.
The siege of Bijapur began in March 1685 and ended in September 1686 with a Mughal victory. The siege began when Aurangzeb dispatched his son, Muhammad Azam Shah, with a force of nearly 50,000 men to capture Bijapur Fort and defeat Sikandar Adil Shah, the then Sultan of Bijapur, who refused to be a vassal of the Mughal Empire. The siege of Bijapur was one of the longest military engagements of the Mughals, lasting more than 15 months until Aurangzeb personally arrived to organise a victory.
Murtaza Nizam Shah III, was a Nizam Shahi boy prince who in the year 1633 became the nominal Sultan of Ahmednagar. He was subjected to the authority of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan.
Paranda Fort is situated in Paranda, a small town in the Osmanabad district in the state of Maharashtra, India. It is protected monument by the Archaeological Survey Of India. The fort may have been constructed in the 15th century by Mahmud Gawan or by Murtaza Nizam Shah II in the early 1600s. Paranda has great historical value and finde mention in Honnati inscription of Baka 1045 and also later a few of the Kalyan Chalukyan an copper plates. As well as in Yadava epigraphs, as Pallyanda Pratyandaka. The fort is attraction in this Paranda town and is known to have been built by Mahmud Gavan, the Prime Ministar of Muhammad Shah Bahmani 2.
The Deccan sultanates were five early modern kingdoms, namely Bijapur, Golkonda, Ahmadnagar, Bidar, and Berar, which ruled the Deccan Plateau for part of the 15th, and the majority of the 16th–17th centuries. Their architecture was a regional variant of Indo-Islamic architecture, and 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.
Burhan Nizam Shah III was the ruler of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate from 1610 until his death in 1631.
Fath Khan, also written as Fateh Khan, was a 17th-century political figure of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate, a historical principality spanning the Western Deccan region in the Indian subcontinent. He was the eldest son of Malik Ambar, the Peshwa of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate. He succeeded his father as the Sultanate's de facto ruler after the latter's death in 1626, and served as Peshwa until his imprisonment in 1633. His tenure, lasting less than a decade, spanned the eclipse days of the kingdom; it was characterised by internal strife and political pressure from the Mughal Empire. He played a key role in the kingdom's collapse by defecting to the Mughal Empire, and killed the ruler Burhan Nizam Shah III in the name of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. His political career came to an end with the Siege of Daulatabad, after which he submitted to the Mughal emperor and became his pensioner.
The siege of Parenda (1634) was a 17th-century military conflict between the Mughal Empire and the Adil Shahi dynasty of the Bijapur Sultanate over Parenda Fort, wherein Mughal forces besieged the Adil Shahi fort for four months. The siege took place during the reigns of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and Bijapur Sultan Muhammad Adil Shah. It was the second Mughal siege of the fort following a failed attempt in 1631, and was part of a string of Mughal military campaigns in the Western Deccan. The siege was led by Mughal general Mahabat Khan, governor of the Deccan, though the young prince Shah Shuja was its nominal commander. The siege lasted four months and was unsuccessful, with the fort remaining in Adil Shahi control.
Randaula Khan, also spelt Ranadulla Khan, was a leading Indo-African general and viceroy of the Bijapur Sultanate during the 17th century. He governed the southwestern region of the Sultanate from his administrative seat at Mirjan. He was a key player in the Sultanate's politics, particularly during Mughal-Bijapur conflicts in the early 17th century. He is remembered for leading conquests that expanded Bijapur southwards into the Karnataka region in the mid-17th century.
The Vijayanagar Invasion of Bijapur was a coordinated campaign by a coalition of Ahmadnagar, Golkonda, and Vijayanagara, aimed at weakening the Bijapur Sultanate in the year 1543. Initiated by Burhan Nizam Shah I of Ahmadnagar, the alliance sought to capitalize on Ibrahim Adil Shah's vulnerabilities. Each ally targeted different regions Ahmadnagar attacked from the northeast, Golkonda from the east, and Vijayanagara advanced from the south under Rama Raya aiming to seize Raichur and the Doab.
The Battle of Kalyani (1549) was a conflict fought between the allied forces of Vijayanagar and Ahmednagar against the sultanates of Bidar and Bijapur. As the combined armies of Vijayanagar and Ahmednagar laid siege to the fort of Kalyani, the Sultan of Bidar Ali Barid Shah I sought assistance from Ibrahim Adil Shah I of Bijapur. In response, Ibrahim marched to relieve the fort and confront the besieging forces. However, the Bijapuri forces were defeated by the allied army in a surprise attack. Following this victory, the fort of Kalyani surrendered.
Hussain Nizam Shah III was the 12th Sultan of Ahmadnagar Sultanate under the regency of Fath Khan and Shahaji. It was during his reign the second phase of extinction of Ahmadnagar Sultanate began. He was imprisoned by Shah Jahan in the Gwalior Fort after Mahabat Khan's successful conquest of Dautlatabad. He was succeeded by Murtaza Nizam Shah III.
Ahmadnagar Sultanate 
