Malwa–Bahmani Wars

BelligerentsMalwa SultanateBahmani Sultanate
Kherla kingdom
Supported by:
Gujarat SultanateCommanders and leadersHoshang Shah
Mahmud Khalji
Ghiyas-ud-Din Shah (WIA)
Narsingh Rai
Maqbul Khan
Mahabat Khan †
Zahir-ul-Mulk †
Taj Khan
Sher Khan
Khawas Khan
Yaqan Khan
Mubarak Khan
Qiwam Khan
Mukhtas Khan
Yusuf Khan
Malik Firuz
Nusrat Khan
Nizam-ul-Mulk Ghori
Siraj-ul-Mulk (POW)
Ghazi Khan
Rai Siv DasAhmad Shah I Wali
Alau'd-din Ahmad Shah
Nizam-Ud-Din Ahmad III
Muhammad Shah III Lashkari
Mahmud Gawan
Narsingh Rai
Abdul Qadir
Abdullah
Qasim Beg
Sikandar Khan 
Nizam-ul-Mulk
Khwaja-i Jahan Turk
Mallu Khan Deccani
Malik Mahmud Parvez 
Malik Yusuf Turk X
Adil Khan
Darya Khan
Wafa Khan
Qazi Khan
Pir Khan
Farkhunda Khan
Hasan Khan

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Mahmud BegadaStrength1429: 30,000
1453: 50,0001429: 15,000
1453: 180,0001465: 20,000
1466: 1,500 cavalry

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Gujarat Sultanate:
1462: 80,000 cavalryCasualties and losses1429: 2000 killed
1466: 5,000 killed
23 elephants captured1462: 107 elephants captured
1666: 20 nobles killed
30 nobles captured
20 horses captured

The Malwa–Bahmani Wars were a series of military campaigns fought in the 15th century between the Bahmani Sultanate of the Deccan and the Malwa Sultanate of central India. The conflicts cantered on control of Kherla and Berar lasted from 1425 until 1466. The conflicts were influenced by the neighbouring states. Khandesh Sultanate acted as Malwa vassal, while the Gujarat Sultanate provided military support to the Bahmanis against Malwa.

The conflicts began in 1399–1400 when Narsingh Rai of Kherla, backed by the rulers of Malwa and Khandesh, invaded Bahmani territory in Berar. Bahmani Sultan Taj ud-Din Firuz Shah repelled the invasion and forced Narsingh Rai into vassalage. Over the following decades, the rulers of Kherla frequently shifted allegiances between the two powers. Key escalations occurred under Hoshang Shah of Malwa and Ahmad Shah Wali of the Bahmanis. The Bahmani initially gained victory at the battle of Kherla (1429) but this was reversed after Hoshang Shah's conquest of Kherla in 1433, during which Narsingh Rai was killed. Later, Mahmud Khalji of Malwa sought to extend his authority over Berar and Telangana, then part of the Bahmani Sultanate. He launched three campaigns into the Deccan. The first, in 1453, was an unsuccessful siege of Berar. In the second, he defeated the Bahmanis at the Battle of Maheskar (1462) and laid siege to Bidar, but was forced to withdraw due to Mahmud Begada of Gujarat's interference. On the third occasion, he successfully besieged Daulatabad (1462), though again compelled to retreat upon the arrival of Gujarati forces. After repeated raids along the Berar frontier and the fruitless war over Kherla (1466), both sides sued for peace. Prolonged and inconclusive warfare led to a treaty that fixed Ellichpur as the boundary between the two sultanates. Malwa retained Mahmudabad (Kherla), while Berar remained under Bahmani control.