Bahmani Kingdom in the context of "Sultanate of Bijapur"

The Deccanis or Deccani people are an Indo-Aryan ethno-religious community of Urdu-speaking Muslims who inhabit or are from the Deccan region of India. The community traces its origins to the shifting of the Delhi Sultanate's capital from Delhi to Daulatabad in 1327 during the reign of Muhammad bin Tughluq. Further ancestry can also be traced from immigrant Muslims referred to as Afaqis, also known as Pardesis who came from Central Asia, Iraq, and Iran and had settled in the Deccan region during the Bahmani Kingdom (1347). The migration of Muslim Hindavi-speaking people to the Deccan and intermarriage with the local Muslim converts from Hinduism, led to the creation of a new community of Hindustani-speaking Muslims, known as the Deccani, who would come to play an important role in the politics of the Deccan. Their language, Deccani, emerged as a language of linguistic prestige and culture during the Bahmani Sultanate, further evolving in the Deccan sultanates.

Following the demise of the Bahmanis, the Deccan sultanate period marked a golden age for Deccani culture, notably in the arts, language, and architecture. The Deccani people form significant minorities in the Deccan, including the Maharashtran regions of Marathwada and Vidarbha, and the states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka (except Tulu Nadu), and northern Tamil Nadu. They form a majority in the old cities of Hyderabad and Aurangabad. After the partition of India and the annexation of Hyderabad, large diaspora communities formed outside the Deccan, especially in Pakistan, where they make up a significant portion of the Urdu speaking minority, the Muhajirs.

Krishnadevaraya (17 January 1471 – 17 October 1529) was emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1509 to 1529 and the third ruler of the Tuluva dynasty. Widely regarded as one of the greatest rulers in Indian history, he presided over the empire at its political and cultural zenith and is remembered as an iconic figure by many Indians. Following the decline of the Delhi Sultanate, he ruled the largest and most powerful empire in India during his time.

Krishnadevaraya's reign was marked by military expansion and political consolidation. He became the dominant ruler of the Indian peninsula by defeating the sultans of Bijapur, Golconda, the Bahmani Sultanate, and the Gajapatis of Odisha, making him one of the most powerful Hindu monarchs in Indian history. Major campaigns during his reign included the conquest of the Raichur Doab in 1512, the subjugation of Odisha in 1514, and a decisive victory against the Sultan of Bijapur in 1520. On many occasions, the king changed battle plans abruptly, turning a losing battle into victory.

The Ahmadnagar Sultanate was a medieval Marathi Muslim kingdom located in the northwestern Deccan, between the sultanates of Gujarat and Bijapur, ruled by the Nizam Shahi dynasty. It was established by Malik Ahmad Nizam Shah I in 1490. He was the son of Malik Hasan Bahri and was originally part of the Kulkarnis of Pathri in Marathwada. After serving as governor of Beed and other districts, Malik Ahmad declared independence from the Bahmani Sultanate and established Ahmadnagar Sultanate. Initially the capital was in the town of Junnar with its fort, later renamed Shivneri. In 1494, the foundation was laid for the new capital Ahmednagar. A land fort called Ahmednagar Qila was the headquarters of the Ahmednagar Sultanate.

After Malik Ahmad's death in 1510, his young son Burhan Nizam Shah I became ruler, converting to Nizari Isma'ili Shi'a Islam. The dynasty played a major role in the Deccan region, including forming an alliance of Muslim sultanates that defeated the Vijayanagara Empire at the Battle of Talikota in 1565, where Sultan Hussain Nizam Shah I personally beheaded Rama Raya, the Vijayanagara regent. Subsequent rulers included Murtaza Nizam Shah I, who expanded the kingdom to its largest size and repelled a Mughal invasion in 1586. Internal strife and assassinations marked later reigns, with regents like Chand Bibi and Malik Ambar defending the sultanate from Mughal attacks until Ahmadnagar was eventually conquered. In 1636 Aurangzeb, then Mughal viceroy of the Deccan, annexed the sultanate to the Mughal Empire. The Ahmadnagar Sultanate was notable for its cultural contributions, including the earliest Deccan school of painting and extensive architectural works such as palaces (Farah Bakhsh Bagh, Hasht Bihisht Bagh), forts (Junnar/Shivneri, Daulatabad), mosques, and tombs. The capital city Ahmadnagar was modeled after major Persianate cities and was considered highly impressive in its time. Malik Ambar is credited with building the Janjira Fort, which played a strategic role in regional defense.

Golconda is a fortified citadel and ruined city located on the western outskirts of Hyderabad, Telangana, India. The fort was originally built by Kakatiya ruler Pratāparudra in the 11th century out of mud walls. It was ceded to the Bahmani Kings from Musunuri Nayakas during the reign of Bahmani Sultan Mohammed Shah I, during the first Bahmani-Vijayanagar War. Following the death of Sultan Mahmood Shah, the Sultanate disintegrated and Sultan Quli, who had been appointed as the Governor of Hyderabad by the Bahmani Kings, fortified the city and made it the capital of the Golconda Sultanate. Because of the vicinity of diamond mines, especially Kollur Mine, Golconda flourished as a trade centre of large diamonds known as Golconda Diamonds. Golconda fort is currently abandoned and in ruins. The complex was put by UNESCO on its "tentative list" to become a World Heritage Site in 2014, with other forts in the region, under the name Monuments and Forts of the Deccan Sultanate (despite there being a number of different sultanates).