Architecture of the Bahmani and Deccan Sultanates

Deccani architecture, particularly the architecture of the Bahmani and Deccan Sultanates, is the architecture of the Deccan Plateau, and is a regional variant of Indo-Islamic architecture. It was influenced by the styles of the Delhi Sultanate and later Mughal architecture, but sometimes also influenced from Persia and Central Asia. Hindu temple architecture in the same areas had very different styles.

The Bahmani and Deccan sultanates ruled the Deccan Plateau for the majority of the 13th–17th centuries. The Deccan sultanates were five dynasties that ruled late medieval Indian kingdoms, namely the Bijapur, Golkonda, Ahmadnagar, Bidar, and Berar sultanates.

The rulers of the five Deccan sultanates and the Bahmani sultanate had a number of cultural contributions in the fields of art, music, literature and architecture. The Bidar and Golconda forts are examples of the architecture and military planning of the sultanates. Apart from forts, they also constructed many tombs, mosques and madrasas. Gol Gumbaz (tomb of Mohammed Adil Shah), was the second largest dome in the world.

In 2014, UNESCO put a group of buildings on its "tentative list" to become a World Heritage Site under the name "Monuments and Forts of the Deccan Sultanate" (despite there being multiple sultanates). These are:
 * Bahmani Monuments at Gulbarga, Karnataka
 * Bahmani and Barid Shahi Monuments at Bidar, Karnataka
 * Adil Shashi Monuments at Bijapur, Karnataka
 * Qutb Shahi Monuments at Hyderabad, Telangana

Bahmani Sultanate


The Bahmani Sultanate constructed many architectural works, although many of them have been destroyed, with only ruins remaining. The Gulbarga Fort, Haft Gumbaz, and Jama Masjid in Gulbarga, along with the Bidar Fort and Madrasa Mahmud Gawan in Bidar are some of the best examples of the dynasty's architecture.

The later rulers were buried in an elaborate tomb complex, known as the Bahmani Tombs. The exterior of one of the tombs is decorated with coloured tiles, and Arabic, Persian and Urdu inscriptions are inscribed inside the tombs.

The Bahmani rulers built tombs and mosques in Bidar and Gulbarga. They also built multiple forts at Daulatabad, Golconda and Raichur, and the architecture style shows signs of Persian influence. The rulers invited architects from Persia, Turkey and Arabia to design various buildings. The Persianate Indo-Islamic style of architecture developed during this period was later adopted by the Deccan Sultanates as well.

Ahmadnagar Sultanate
During Ahmadnagar rule, multiple palaces were constructed, and their ruins lay in and around Ahmadnagar city. They also built tombs of nobles such as Salabat Khan and Changiz Khan, and saints such as Shah Sharif and Bava Bangali.

Malik Ambar is credited with the construction of the Janjira Fort in the Murud Area of present-day Maharashtra India. After its construction in 1567 AD, the fort was key to the Sidis withstanding various invasion attempts by the Marathas, Mughals, and Portuguese to capture Janjira.

The Farah Bagh palace (also called Faria Bagh) is situated in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. It was built by Nizam Shahi rulers in Ahmednagar. Farah Bagh was the centrepiece of a palatial complex completed in 1583. It belonged the royal household and Murtaza Nizam Shah often retired here to play chess with a Delhi singer he called Fateh Shah. He also built the singer a separate palace called Lakad Mahal in the garden.

Bijapur Sultanate


Prominent monuments in Bijapur are the Gagan Mahal, Gol Gumbaz, Bijapur Fort and Ibrahim Rauza. Gol Gumbaz is the tomb of Mohammed Adil Shah and it contains the second largest dome in the world constructed before modern age. The external diameter of the hemispherical dome is 44 m. Ibrahim Rouza is the tomb for Ibrahim Adil Shah II and it is one of the most beautiful monument in Bijapur.

The Jami Masjid is one of the largest mosques in India having courtyard of 11,000 square feet. Other architectural works of this period in Bijapur are the Chini Mahal, Jal Mandir, Sat Manzil, Gagan Mahal, Anand Mahal and the Asar Mahal (1646).

Golconda Sultanate
Golkonda fort, built by the Qutb Shahi dynasty, is one of the most impregnable forts in India. It is also known for its acoustic features and water management.

The Jami Masjid (1518) built by Quli Qutb Mulk is a notable mosque in Golkonda. The tombs of Qutb Shahis are a mausoleum complex, a royal necropolis of 30 tombs of the royal family. These were erected from 1543 to 1672.

Char Minar, in the heart of Hyderabad, was completed in 1591. It has four minarets of 56 m. height. The construction of the Makkah Masjid was started in 1617 during the reign of Muhammad Qutb Shah but completed only in 1693.