Deccani Architecture refers to the architectural styles developed during the Deccan sultanate period. The Deccan sultanates were five dynasties that ruled late medieval kingdoms, namely, Bijapur, Golkonda,

Ahmadnagar Ahmednagar (), is a city located in the Ahmednagar district in the state of Maharashtra, India, about 120 km northeast of Pune and 114 km from Aurangabad. Ahmednagar takes its name from Ahmad Nizam Shah I, who founded the town in 1 ...

Bidar Bidar (/ biːd̪ər/) is a city in the north-eastern part of Karnataka state in India. It is the headquarters of Bidar district, which borders Maharashtra and Telangana. It is a rapidly urbanising city in the wider ''Bidar Metropolitan area ...

, and

Berar Berar may refer to: *Vidarbha, the eastern region of Maharashtra Province, India, historically known as Berar *Berar Sultanate (1490–1596), one of the Deccan sultanates *Berar Subah (1596–1724), a Subah of the Mughal Empire *Berar Province (1724 ...

in south-

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. The Deccan sultanates were located on the

Deccan Plateau The large Deccan Plateau in southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the peninsular region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada river. To the north, it is bounded by th ...

. Their architecture was a regional variant of

Indo-Islamic architecture Indo-Islamic architecture is the architecture of the Indian subcontinent produced by and for Islamic patrons and purposes. Despite an initial Arab presence in Sindh, the development of Indo-Islamic architecture began in earnest with the establi ...

, heavily influenced by the styles of the Delhi Sultanate and later Mughal architecture, but sometimes also directly from

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

and

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

. The rulers of five Deccan sultanates had a number of cultural contributions to their credit in the fields of art, music, literature and architecture. Deccan sultanates have constructed many grand and impregnable forts.

and Golconda forts are classic example of military planning of Deccan sultanates. Apart from forts, they have constructed many tombs,

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

s and

madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...

Gol Gumbaz Gol Gumbaz (), also written Gol Gumbad, is a 17th-century mausoleum located in Bijapur, a city in Karnataka, India. It houses the remains of Mohammad Adil Shah, seventh sultan of the Adil Shahi dynasty, and some of his relatives. Begun in the ...

(tomb of Mohammed Adil Shah), was the second largest dome in the world. In 2014,

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

put a group of buildings on its "tentative list" to become a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

under the name Monuments and Forts of the Deccan Sultanate (despite there being a number of different 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

Ahmadnagar

A number of palaces such as the Farah Bakhsh Bagh, Hasht Bihisht Bagh, and Manjarsumbah are in and around Ahmadnagar city. There exist tombs of nobles like Salabat Khan and Changiz Khan, and also of saints like Shah Sharif and Bava Bangali.

Bidar

is famous for Bidar Fort,

Mahmud Gawan Madrasa The Madrasa of Mahmud Gawan is an ancient madrasa or Islamic college in Bidar, Karnataka, India. It was built in the 1460s and is an example of the regional style of Indo-Islamic architecture under the Bahmani Sultanate. This heritage structur ...

, the Bahmani Tombs at Ashtur and the

Barid Shahi tombs The Barid Shahi tombs are tombs of the Barid Shahi dynasty. They are located in Bidar in the Indian state of Karnataka. History They were built during the medieval period in the 16th and 17th centuries. Architecture The tombs were built in ...

. Bidar Fort is one of the grandest fort in India. It has six-mile long wall made of huge stone blocks of reddish laterite stone. The fort contains many palaces and two large mosques, the Jami Masjid and the Solha Khumba Masjid. The Ashtur tomb complex contains 12 tombs of Bahmani rulers out of which the tomb of

Ahmad Shah I Wali Ahmed Shah Al Wali Bahamani was the ruler of the Bahmani Sultanate from 1 October 1422 to 17 April 1436, and was a great patron of arts and culture.

has a large dome. Madrasa of Mahmud Gawana is one of the most beautiful Madrasa created by the Deccan sultanate. The tomb of

Ali Barid Shah I Ali Barid Shah I was the third ruler of the Barid Shahi dynasty at Bidar. He succeeded his father in 1540, and ruled until his death in 1580. He was considered a man of letters, and invited scholars and craftsmen from all over the Indian subco ...

contains s Persian

charbagh ''Charbagh'' or ''Chahar Bagh'' ( ''chahār bāgh'', ''chārbāgh'', ''chār bāgh'', meaning "four gardens") is a Persian and Indo-Persian quadrilateral garden layout based on the four gardens of Paradise mentioned in the Quran. The quad ...

garden.Michell, George & Mark Zebrowski. Architecture and Art of the Deccan Sultanates (

The New Cambridge History of India ''The New Cambridge History of India'' is a major multi-volume work of historical scholarship published by Cambridge University Press. It replaced '' The Cambridge History of India'' published between 1922 and 1937. The new history is being publi ...

Vol. I:7), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1999, , p.14 & pp.77–80.

Bijapur

The most remarkable monuments in Bijapur are the

and Ibrahim Rouza. 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 Ibrahim Adil Shah II (1570 – 12 September 1627) was king of the Sultanate of Bijapur and a member of the Adil Shahi dynasty. Under his reign the dynasty had its greatest period as he extended its frontier as far south as Mysore. He was ...

and it is one of the most beautiful monument in Bijapur. The

Jami Masjid A congregational mosque or Friday mosque (, ''masjid jāmi‘'', or simply: , ''jāmi‘''; ), or sometimes great mosque or grand mosque (, ''jāmi‘ kabir''; ), is a mosque for hosting the Friday noon prayers known as ''jumu'ah''.* * * * * * * ...

is one of the finest mosques in India having courtyard of 11,000 square feet. Other important architectural works of this period in Bijapur are the

Chini Mahal Chini ( fa, چینی, also Romanized as Chīnī; also known as Chaman Galleh) is a village in Sadat Rural District, in the Central District of Lali County, Khuzestan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, ...

Jal Mandir The Jal Mandir or Water Temple is situated in Pawapuri (also known as Apapapuri which means a town without sins), in the Indian state of Bihar. It is a major pilgrimage destination of Jains and the temple is dedicated to Mahavira, the 24th Tirtha ...

, Sat Manzil, Gagan Mahal, Anand Mahal and the

Asar Mahal Asar may refer to: *Asr prayer, one of the five daily prayers in Islam *Asar, Iran, a village in Iran * Asar, Düzce * Asar, Ortaköy, a village in Turkey * Asar, Yığılca *Asar Party, a former Kazakhstani political party * Advanced Synthetic Ape ...

(1646).Michell, George & Mark Zebrowski. Architecture and Art of the Deccan Sultanates (The New Cambridge History of India Vol. I:7), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1999, , pp. 41–47 & pp.86–98.

Golkonda

The most remarkable achievements of the Qutb Shahi dynasty is

Golkonda fort Fort (Telugu: గోల్కొండ, romanized: ''Gōlkōnḍa'') is a historic fortress and ruined city located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It was originally called Mankal. The fort was originally built by Kakatiya ruler Pratāparu ...

. It is one of the most impregnable fort in India. It is also famous 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 Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India ...

, 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.Michell, George & Mark Zebrowski. Architecture and Art of the Deccan Sultanates (The New Cambridge History of India Vol. I:7), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1999, , pp.47–53 & pp.101–106.

Gulbarga

Gulbarga was the initial capital of Bahamani sultanate. It has Shah Bazar Masjid,

Gulbarga Fort The Gulbarga Fort is located in Kalaburagi in the Kalaburagi district of North Karnataka. It was subsequently significantly enlarged in 1347 by Al-ud-din Hasan Bahmani of the Bahmani Dynasty after he cut off his ties with the Delhi Sultanate; ...

and Great Mosque, in the Fort and the Haft Gumbad complex.

References

#{{cite book , last = Mitchell , first = George , author2=Mark Zebrowski , title = Architecture and Art of the Deccan Sultanates (The New Cambridge History of India Vol. I:7) , publisher = Cambridge University Press , year = 1999 , location = Cambridge , isbn = 0-521-56321-6

External links

Monuments of Deccan Sultanates and other Islamic Monuments of India
Monuments and memorials in Telangana Buildings and structures in Bijapur district Monuments and memorials in Karnataka Buildings and structures in Telangana Tourist attractions in Telangana Buildings and structures in Bidar district Tourist attractions in Bidar district Architecture in India Deccan sultanates