Ghiyath Shah, also known as Ghiyas-ud-Din Shah or Ghiyasuddin, was a
Sultan of the Malwa Sultanate
Sultan of the Malwa Sultanate was the principal title of the ruler of the Malwa Sultanate (1401–1561/2) in the Indian subcontinent.
The Sultanate was founded by Dilawar Khan, an Afghan or a Turko-Afghan governor of the Delhi Sultanate
The ...
in the fifteenth century. The son of his predecessor
Mahmud Shah I, he reigned from 1469 to 1500. A military leader before his accession, he was known during his reign for his religious devotion and cultural life. During his reign, the
Nimatnama-i-Nasiruddin-Shahi The ''Ni'matnāmah Naṣir al-Dīn Shāhī'' ( Naskh: ; ) (c. 1500) is a medieval Indian cookbook, written in Persian language using Naskh script, of delicacies and recipes, and some accompanying paintings illustrating the preparation of the recipes ...
was written and illustrated. His court was known for having over 12,000 women, including entertainers and scholars. His exiled son
Nasir-ud-Din Shah
Nasir al-Din ( ar, نصیر الدین or or , 'defender of the faith'), was originally a honorific title and is an Arabic masculine given name and surname. There are many variant spellings in English due to transliteration. Notable people with ...
revolted and took the throne in October 1500. Ghiyasuddin was found dead four months later and is believed to have been poisoned by his son and successor.
Biography
The eldest son of
Mahmud
Mahmud is a transliteration of the male Arabic given name (), common in most parts of the Islamic world. It comes from the Arabic triconsonantal root Ḥ-M-D, meaning ''praise'', along with ''Muhammad''.
Siam Mahmud
*Mahmood (singer) (born 199 ...
, Ghiyath served his father as a military leader. He was made Shah at the death of his father in 1469. According to
Firishta
Firishta or Ferešte ( fa, ), full name Muhammad Qasim Hindu Shah Astarabadi ( fa, مُحَمَّد قاسِم هِندو شاہ), was a Persian historian, who later settled in India and served the Deccan Sultans as their court historian. He was ...
, shortly after his accession, he held a grand feast at which he announced that after thirty-four years on the field he was yielding his military rule to his son.
He was also known as Ghiyas-ud-Din Shah and Ghiyasuddin.
![A beautiful Jahaz Mahal](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/A_beautiful_Jahaz_Mahal.jpg)
Ghiyasuddin then retired to a life away from the battlefield, constructing the palace of Jahaz Mahal, and created a court that was a place of culture. He was also known as an eccentric lover of art. For example, ''
Nimatnama-i-Nasiruddin-Shahi The ''Ni'matnāmah Naṣir al-Dīn Shāhī'' ( Naskh: ; ) (c. 1500) is a medieval Indian cookbook, written in Persian language using Naskh script, of delicacies and recipes, and some accompanying paintings illustrating the preparation of the recipes ...
'' (Book of Delights) is a cookery book produced between 1495 and 1505 for the sultan that is richly illustrated in a fusion of Persian and pre-Islamic Indian styles. The book contains fifty images, including the sultan, servants, landscapes and buildings as well as food preparation.
He was devoutly religious. He abstained from intoxicating drink and foods forbidden on religious grounds. According to Firishta, he gave instructions to his attendants that he should always be woken at the hour of prayer and that they were known to pull him out of bed while he was asleep.
He was a follower of
Moinuddin Chishti
Chishtī Muʿīn al-Dīn Ḥasan Sijzī (1143–1236 Common Era, CE), known more commonly as Muʿīn al-Dīn Chishtī or Moinuddin Chishti, or by the epithet Gharib Nawaz (),Blain Auer, "Chishtī Muʿīn al-Dīn Ḥasan", in: ''Encyclopaedia o ...
and is believed to have erected a high ceremonial gateway named ''Buland Darwaza'' at the
Ajmer
Ajmer is one of the major and oldest cities in the Indian state of Rajasthan and the centre of the eponymous Ajmer District. It is located at the centre of Rajasthan. It is also known as heart of Rajasthan. The city was established as "''Aj ...
Sharif
Dargah
A dargah ( fa, درگاه ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargah'' दरगाह درگاہ, bn, দরগাহ ''dorgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often ...
in honour of the scholar.
Towards the end of his life, there was conflict between his eldest son
Nasir-ud-Din Shah
Nasir al-Din ( ar, نصیر الدین or or , 'defender of the faith'), was originally a honorific title and is an Arabic masculine given name and surname. There are many variant spellings in English due to transliteration. Notable people with ...
, who had commanded the army, and his youngest son Ala-ud-Din. Nasir-ud-Din was chased from the capital
Mando in 1499, but ultimately triumphed, returning to the palace on 22 October 1500. Nasir-ud-Din then executed his brother, along with his children and the rest of his family, and was formally crowned. Ghiyasuddin was found dead four months later, widely believed to have been poisoned by his son and successor.
Attitude to Women
There were 12,000 women in Ghiyasuddin's court, including musicians, dancers and wrestlers. Ghiyath was interested in female education and set up a Madrasa in
Sarangpur to teach the women of his court. Tutors were engaged to teach the royal princesses and over seventy women were well versed in the Quran.
According to historian
Ramya Sreenivasan
Ramya Sreenivasan (born 1966) is an Indian scholar of English and early modern Indian history. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at the University of Pennsylvania. She was originally appointed in the Department of South ...
, the king had a roving eye, and is reported to have undertaken the quest for
Padmini, not a particular Rajput princess, but the ideal type of woman according to Hindu erotology.
References
See also
*
List of rulers of Malwa
Following is a list of rulers of Malwa since the Janpada Kingdoms:
Malava dynasty (c. 1200 – 840 BCE)
* King Aswapati and his queen was Malavi (Malwa named after Malavi), their descendants dynasty first ruled Malwa.
Dhanna Bhil dynasty ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghiyath Shah
Year of birth missing
1500 deaths
Kings of Malwa
15th-century Indian Muslims
15th-century monarchs in Asia