Vijayanagara, the Bahmanis and the Deccan sultanates
The Vijayanagara empire and the Bahmani and Deccan sultanates ruled the south for over two centuries, from the splendid city of Hampi to Golconda.
How it was ruled
Harihara and Bukka of the Sangama dynasty founded Vijayanagara in 1336; Krishnadevaraya (1509–1529) was its greatest king. The Bahmani Sultanate (1347) later split into five Deccan sultanates: Bijapur, Golconda, Ahmadnagar, Bidar and Berar.
How people lived
Hampi was one of the largest cities in the world, with bazaars, temples and festivals such as Mahanavami; Telugu and Kannada literature flourished at court.
What people did
Farming with tanks and channels, textile weaving, diamond mining at Golconda, and soldiering.
What people ate
Rice, millets, pulses and vegetables; foreign visitors such as Domingo Paes described markets full of grain, fruit and meat.
Trade
Horses came by sea from Arabia and Persia; cotton cloth, spices and diamonds went out through Goa and other ports.
Region by region
- Karnataka: Hampi (a UNESCO World Heritage Site); the Bahmani capitals Gulbarga and Bidar; Bijapur's Gol Gumbaz.
- Telangana: Golconda fort; Hyderabad and the Charminar (1591) built by the Qutb Shahi dynasty.
- Andhra Pradesh: Krishnadevaraya's court poets wrote in Telugu.
- Maharashtra: Ahmadnagar sultanate; Chand Bibi defended it against the Mughals.
Key events
- 1336: Vijayanagara founded
- 1347: Bahmani Sultanate founded
- 1565: Battle of Talikota; Hampi is sacked
Legacy
The ruins of Hampi, the Charminar, Golconda diamonds such as the Koh-i-Noor, and Carnatic music traditions.