One of the most notable rulers of the Bahamani kingdom was Firuz Shah Bahamani who waged three battles against the Vijayanagar Empire. He was a learned man who had the knowledge of numerous religious as well as natural sciences. He always wanted to develop the Deccan region as the cultural hub of India. Though he was a devout Muslim, the only vices he was extravagant on were drinking wine and listening to music. Firuz Shah was asked to give up his kingdom and throne for his brother Ahmed Shah I who was considered to be a saint because of his connection with the Sufi saint Gesu Daraz. He annexed the territories of Warangal.
With the invasion of Warangal, the balance of power in south of India
changed to a large extent. The kingdom of the Bahamani extended and
expanded its control rapidly. This was under the minister Mahmud Gawan.
The nobles in the Bahamani kingdom were always causing problems by going
against one another too often. They were broadly classified into two
categories that is Deccanis (old comers) and the Afaquis (new comers).
Mahmud Gawan was categorized as Afaqui and hence it was difficult for
him to win the trust and confidence of the Deccanis. His policy of
appeasement only made matters worse and could not stop both the parties
from going against each other. Mahmud Gawan was executed at the age of
seventy by Muhammad Shah of Deccan in the year 1482. The chief economic activity in the Bahamani kingdom was agriculture and the main revenue of the state was produced in the form of agricultural products. The Bahamani kingdom flourished in architectural monuments. The best example would be the Gol Gumbaz, which is the largest dome in the world. Another famous monument is the Charminar located at Hyderabad. The Bahamani kingdom was like a cultural bridge between the north and south and the culture that developed during this time was a blend of both north and south styles and also had its own distinct styles. This style also influenced the Mughal culture.
