Provincial Kingdoms of Medieval India

Introduction

The dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate began to decay at the time of the medieval period. There created a big opportunity for various kingdoms to establish their provincial kingdoms throughout the various parts of India. The dynasties of Gujarat, Bengal and Bihar were established as their provincial kingdom in the western part of India. The dynasty of Kashmir became a famous dynasty in the northern part of India. Thus so many kingdoms became independent from the Delhi Sultanate rule.

What were the Provincial Kingdoms of Medieval India?

The provincial kingdoms were the kingdoms that emerged in several parts of India during the medieval period. Different parts of India like Gujarat, Bengal, and Malwa in the eastern part, Kashmir in the northern part, Jalore, Ajmer and Nagore of Rajputana, Telangana, and Devagiri in the southern part established their own provinces. This disintegration process of the dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate started with the dominion of Firoz Shah Tughlaq cause of internal instabilities

Provincial kingdoms of Southern India

Several provincial kingdoms were independently established throughout India. The Vijayanagara kingdom and the Bahmani kingdom were the significant kingdoms of the southern part of India. There were four dynasties that ruled the kingdom of the Vijayanagara. They were the Sangama, Saluva, Tuluva, and Aravidu. Bahmani Sultanate was also a powerful kingdom in the southern part that emerged around the 14th century.

Vijayanagara Kingdom

The four dynasties that ruled the kingdom of the Vijayanagara wereThe four dynasties that ruled the kingdom of the Vijayanagara were

Sangama Dynasty

This dynasty was established by the rulers named Harihara and Bukka. They were the feudatories of the Warangal Kakatiyas and after that, they became the ministers of the Kampili kingdom. Kampili was tormented by Muhammad Bin Tughlaq as he gave refuge to a rebel of Muslim, and at that time Harihara and Bukka was confined and converted them to the Muslim faith. After some time they left their master and came back to the Hindu faith again. They established a new city, named Vijayanagara on the bank of the Tungabhadra river. These two brothers made the capital city of Vijayanagara in Hampi.

Figure 1: Vijayanagara Kingdom

After that, Harihara II became the ruler of this dynasty. This was the ruler who massively supported the great poet of Kannada Madhura. The empire of the Sangama dynasty was extended by this ruler’s conflicts against the Kondavidu Reddis for the regulation of Andhra. Harihara II successfully maintained his place in front of the alliance of Bahmai-Warangal. He sent an expedition to the northern part of Srilanka.

One of the great rulers of this dynasty was Devaraya II. This ruler was generally known for the prowess of the military and he also supported the projects of irrigation in the kingdom. He constructed the dam throughout the Tungabhadra River to bring water to the city. He was known as a secular ruler as he joined Muslims in his administration. He died in the war with the sultan of Bahmani.

Deva Raya II was considered the most powerful king of this dynasty. He was a type of ruler who had several skills like administration and was also a great scholar and warrior. He was also called Gaja Betegara which means hunter of the elephants.

Tuluva dynasty

After the Sangama dynasty there established the Saluva dynasty was arisen by Saluva Narasimha and this was the short-timed dynasty. After that, Vira Narasimha Raya founded the dynasty of Tuluva. Krishna Deva Raya was considered the greatest ruler of this dynasty as well as the kingdom of the Vijayanagara. He was the hero of the people of Kannada and was also named Andhra Bhoja.

The younger brother of Krishna Deva Raya, Achyuta Deva Raya was a famous ruler of this dynasty. A traveller from Portugiz named Fernao Nuniz came to India at the time of his reign.

Bahmani Kingdom

Alauddin Hasan Bahman Shah was the founder of the Bahmani kingdom. The real name of this ruler was Hasan Gangu’. The conflicts between the kingdom of Vijayanagara and the kingdom of Bahmani became a regular incident. The kingdom of Warangal was also the opponent of this dynasty. Alauddin Hasan Bahman Shah led a campaign against the kingdom of Warangal.

Taj-ud-din Firoz Shah was the most famous ruler of the kingdom of the Bahmani. He was fond of the various parts of the sciences like botany, logic, religious science and many more. He inducted the Hindus into his administration and this was his most significant step. Mahmud Gawan was a ruler of the kingdom of Bahmani and the power and limits of the territorial reached their peak . He was a trader from Persia who was also a poet. He easily defeated the rulers of the Vijayanagara, Orissa, and many rulers for his military genius.

Conclusion

The administration's power, economical power and cultural contributions of these kingdoms reached a different height. The armies of the Vijayanagara were well organized. Various parts were included in their armies like cavalry, infantry and many more. There were four types of casts in the society of Vijaynagara: Brambhins, Kshatriyas and so on. The Vijayanagara kingdom was one of the wealthiest kingdoms in the world. The administration of the Bahmain was also well organised. They used firearms in the war. These two kingdoms massively influenced the political structure of medieval India.

FAQs

Q1. What were the four castes of the Vijayanagara society?

There were four types of casts that remained in the society of the Vijayanagara. They were Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras.

Q2. How was the growth of the literature during the Bhamin kingdom?

The literature on various languages like Persian, Urdu, Arabic and many more flourished at the time of this kingdom. The rulers like Mohammad Gawan also wrote many poems in the language of Persian.

Q3. How Persian architecture influenced the architecture of the Bhamani kingdom?

The architecture of the kingdom of the Bhamani was greatly influenced by Persian architecture. Some features that were taken from Persian architecture were: tall minarets, huge domes, strong arches and many more.