SSC
After the decline of the Bahmani kingdom, how many independent Sultanates emerged in the Deccan?
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Answer: Option B — Five
Detailed Solution
After the decline of the Bahmani kingdom in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, five independent Sultanates emerged in the Deccan, known as the "Deccan Sultanates".
The five Deccan Sultanates:
- Bijapur: ruled by the Adil Shahi dynasty.
- Ahmadnagar: ruled by the Nizam Shahi dynasty.
- Golconda: ruled by the Qutb Shahi dynasty.
- Bidar: ruled by the Barid Shahi dynasty (the old Bahmani capital).
- Berar: ruled by the Imad Shahi dynasty.
How the Bahmani kingdom broke up:
- The Bahmani kingdom was divided into provinces (tarafs), governed by powerful nobles.
- There was rivalry between two groups of nobles: the "Deccanis" (old settlers, including Abyssinians) and the "Afaqis" or "Gharibs" (newcomers from Persia, Central Asia and Arabia).
- The able prime minister Mahmud Gawan tried to reform the administration and reduce the power of the provincial governors, by dividing the large provinces into smaller ones.
- His enemies plotted against him, and he was executed in 1481 on false charges of treason.
- After his death, the kingdom weakened rapidly, and the provincial governors declared independence one after another, between about 1490 and 1518.
- The last Bahmani rulers were puppets in the hands of the Barid ministers at Bidar, until the dynasty ended in the 1520s.
The fate of the Deccan Sultanates:
- They fought Vijayanagara, and four of them joined together to defeat it at Talikota (1565).
- They also fought among themselves.
- Berar was annexed by Ahmadnagar (1574).
- Bidar was annexed by Bijapur (1619).
- Ahmadnagar was annexed by the Mughals (1636).
- Bijapur and Golconda were annexed by the Mughals under Aurangzeb (1686 and 1687).
Culture:
- The Deccan Sultanates developed a distinct Deccani culture, combining Persian, Turkish, Arabic and local traditions.
- They patronised Dakhni Urdu, Persian literature, music and Deccani painting.
- Famous buildings include the Gol Gumbaz (Bijapur) and the Charminar (Hyderabad).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Three, four and six are incorrect; there were five Sultanates.
Quick tip
Remember: five Deccan Sultanates = Bijapur (Adil Shahi), Ahmadnagar (Nizam Shahi), Golconda (Qutb Shahi), Bidar (Barid Shahi), Berar (Imad Shahi); Mahmud Gawan executed 1481.
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Vijayanagara & Bahmani Kingdoms — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Vijayanagara & Bahmani Kingdoms, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the Vijayanagara Empire, founded by Harihara and Bukka in 1336, and the Bahmani Sultanate, founded by Alauddin Hasan Bahman Shah in 1347, along with the Deccan sultanates that followed. It includes their rulers, administration, architecture and the accounts of foreign travellers. The most tested ruler is Krishnadevaraya of the Tuluva dynasty, a patron of Telugu literature and author of Amuktamalyada. Other common questions cover the Battle of Talikota (1565), the Vijayanagara capital Hampi, and the foreign travellers who visited, such as Nicolo Conti, Abdur Razzaq and Domingo Paes. Practise the Vijayanagara and Bahmani kingdoms questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.