The Fall of Bahmani Sultanate

Governor Muhammad Gawan set out from Bidar to attack Vijayanagar with his army. According to the available figures, Vijayanagar had three hundred elephants, one lakh infantry and fifty thousand horses. The Sultan's army consisted of nine hundred thousand infantry and five hundred and seventy - five elephants. The king of Vijayanagar, a large city surrounded by three forts with gorges on one side and valleys on the other, was very powerful. During the month-long war, many people lost their lives without access to food and water. Muhammad, who ascended the throne at Kulberga in 1482 AD at the age of twelve, was only nominal in his reign. As the upper classes turned against Muhammad's rule, the atmosphere became unsustainable. The governor of Goa declared his independence and invaded many places, setting the stage for a civil war. Later, the country itself became fragmented as the higher echelons of the authorities became synonymous with disciplinary violations. Vijayanagara also had to be insecure at a time when the upper classes of the Bahmani Empire were in turmoil. But what was done later was to establish a strong dynasty of self-proclaimed Narasimha in Vijayanagar.

With the collapse of the Bahmani Empire, five kingdoms emerged in the Deccan. Adil Shah of Bijapur, Barid Shah of Bidar (Ahmedabad), Imad Shah of Birar, Nizam Shah of Ahmednagar and Qutb Shah of Golconda. Adil Shah, who declared Bijapur an independent state in 1489, was the first ruler of that line. The disgruntled King Muhammad II, who was the ruler in solitary confinement until 1517. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Ahmed who died after two years. His successors were Ala-u-din III, who was later deposed, and Wali, who was assassinated. The fall of the Bahmani dynasty was completed with the death of Kalimullah, the son of Ahmed II, who succeeded the two.