Centre for Historical Studies

Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067

State and Culture In Medieval Deccan

Monsoon Semester 2025

TUTORIAL 2

Topic: Do you agree that history of deccan 1300-1600 has been understudied as a
key feature of history of medieval india.

Submitted to- Dr. Umesh Kadam

Name –Yatharth Joshi

Registration no. 253510212369

The Deccan plateau’s medieval history (c. 1300–1600) has often been sidelined in mainstream accounts
of Indian history. Scholars such as Richard Eaton have argued that this neglect stems partly from the
Deccan’s lack of a single enduring political center and the dominance of north-Indian (especially Mughal-
era) sources1 . This paper argues that the Deccan’s story has indeed been marginalized in historiography,
and it explores the reasons why. Drawing heavily on scholarly works confined to the study of deccan ,
we highlight key Deccan states and figures (Kakatiya rulers like Pratapa Rudra, the Bahmani Sultanate,
Vijayanagara emperors such as Rama Raya, and figures like the minister Mahmud Gawan and the
Ethiopian-origin leader Malik Ambar by Richard eaton) to show the region’s complexity and importance,
also we look at the cultural aspects associated with deccan like paintings developments , architecture , of
bahamani and vijaynagar to be specific and the development of the various cult and its significance on
socio-cultural and economic life . We examine how colonial narratives centered on the north, leading to
a Mughal-centric view of medieval India . By contrasting these trends with Eaton’s , fukuzawa’s , and
others’ emphasis on Deccan agency, this paper concludes that a fuller historiography of medieval India
must integrate the Deccan’s richly interconnected history.

The Deccan region known in the Puranic and other historical texts as dakhsinapath, dakshinatya or
simply dakkhan . DR G Yazdani, defines deccan as ‘The historic land in peninsular india that stretches
from the shayadriparat, also called satmala, chandor, ajanta or Indhyadri range, and the expense of hill
and plateau that connects it with Mahendragiri , and forms the watershed between the Mahanadi and the
Godavari in the north, to the Krishna and the Tungabhadra in the south and from Arabian Sea in the west
to the Bay Of Bengal in the East. 2’ The Deccan plateau of peninsular India – roughly the region south of
the Narmada River – was home in 1300–1600 to powerful states like the Bahmani Sultanate (1347–1527)
and the Vijayanagara Empire (1336–1646) and later to the five Deccan Sultanates (Bijapur, Golkonda,
Ahmadnagar, Bidar, Berar). It was a crossroads of Persianate culture, trade, Sufi Islam, and Indic
traditions. Yet medieval-India narratives have traditionally focused on Delhi and northern polities. As
Eaton observes, “the Deccan has no master narrative of its own,” and its peoples often defined themselves
only in relation to the northern “colossus” of Delhi 3 . Many historians and textbooks thus leap from the
Delhi Sultanate or Vijayanagara Empire directly to the Mughal conquest, giving only peripheral attention
to the Deccan states. In recent years, scholars have questioned this bias. Eaton’s Social History of the
Deccan and other studies emphasize that the Deccan was a distinct sphere with its own dynamics, even as
it interacted intensively with North India and holds much importance to be studied , whether it is the
Maratha polity , as referred to ‘one of the most colourful and least understood kingdom of india and
events specifically from 1300-1600 . This paper asks: have historians understudied the Deccan’s medieval
history, and if so, why? We synthesize our arguments and other scholarship to answer yes– the Deccan
has often been marginalized – and to analyze the historiographical trends that led to that neglect. We
touches the areas including cottage industries , technologies to religious movements and local politics
which are insufficiently examined.

The historiography of medieval India has long been dominated by narratives of northern empires. As
modern scholars note, “the Mughals have truly cast a long shadow on Indian historiography” . This
Mughal-centric focus originated in colonial-era scholarship and persisted into nationalist histories. In

1
Eaton, Richard M. A Social History of the Deccan, 1300–1761: Eight Indian Lives. Cambridge UP, [Link] 1-5
2
Sherwani, Haroon Khan, and P. M. Joshi, eds. History of Medieval Deccan, 1295–1724. Vol. 2 ,Hyderabad:
Government of Andhra Pradesh, 1974,
3
Eaton, Richard M. A Social History of the Deccan, 1300–1761: Eight Indian Lives. Cambridge UP, 2005, pp 5
older textbooks, medieval India is often presented as a sequence of “imperial moments”: the Mauryan and
Gupta empires, then after a long gap the Delhi Sultanate, and then the Mughals, before the British. Entire
regions like the Deccan were effectively “skipped,” except for some (e.g. a section on the Vijayanagara
Empire) . . Even the famed Vijayanagara Empire was long portrayed chiefly as a “Hindu bulwark”
against Muslim rulers a view Eaton challenges by showing figures like Rama Raya were deeply
enmeshed in Persianate networks4 . In short, traditional sources (Persian chronicles from Delhi or Mughal
courts) and their British-era interpreters foregrounded north-Indian events. The Deccan’s own records
(Telugu, Kannada, Persian, and local writings in Marathi ) were less widely used or had not been as
accessible, fukuzawa points out that the language of the deccan people was Marathi and a plenty of the
Marathi documents survived5. The Persian Chronicals dominated in the north. Against this backdrop,
contemporary historians have worked to bring the Deccan into view. In short, while older historiography
was Mughal- or North-biased, recent scholarship emphasizes the Deccan’s distinct role. This literature
review sets the stage for our discussion: we will highlight examples from 1300–1600 and examine how
older narratives sidelined them.

During 1300–1600 the Deccan was a theatre of multiple dynastic and cultural shifts. The period opens
with brief control of the region by northern Delhi sultans for example, Alauddin Khalji’s raids of Devagiri
in 1296 and Muhammad bin Tughluq’s disastrous transfer of the capital to Daulatabad in 1327), but
regional powers soon asserted independence. Northern Inroads and Kakatiya Collapse (1310s–1320s). In
1323, Muhammad bin Tughluq’s forces captured Warangal, ending the Kakatiya kingdom under Pratapa
Rudra. This was a watershed: an independent Telugu-Kakatiya polity gave way to Delhi’s imperial reach.
Eaton details how Pratapa Rudra’s career became a “bridge” between a regional order and the new Indo-
Muslim sultanate 6. Yet many general histories barely mention this conquest except as a brief prelude.
The rich cultural legacy of the Kakatiyas – temple-building, agrarian expansion in the Telugu region, and
even non-Brahmin leadership – tends to be ignored in favor of tracing Delhi’s narrative. As Eaton notes
in his summary, Pratapa Rudra’s reign was considered “the idea of a regional kingdom” that was “finally
overwhelmed” by the cosmopolitan sultanate model . This transition set the stage for the Deccan’s
distinct path, but survey accounts typically gloss it over. In 1347 Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah led a rebellion
against the Sultan of Delhi, Muhammad bin Tughluq and founded the Bahmani Sultanate . The Bahmani
state, based at Gulbarga (later Bidar), fought constant wars with neighboring Hindu and Muslim realms:
Vijayanagar to the south, the Hindu rajas of Warangal and Orissa, and the Malwa and Gujarat Sultanates
to the north . Notably, Bahmani rulers encouraged a fusion of Deccan cultures , patronizing Persianate art
and learning while also engaging with local traditions. This cultural synthesis is epitomized by the growth
of Dakhni (Deccani Urdu) as a literary language in the Bahmani and successor courts . By 1518 the once-
powerful Bahmani sultanate fragmented into five Deccan successor states .Ahmadnagar, Bijapur,
Golconda, Berar, and Bidar – in large part due to internal autonomy of provinces . For example, Yusuf
Adil Shah established the Bijapur Sultanate (1489–1686) and it played an important part in the political
and cultural history of medieval India. The Vijayanagar Empire (1336–1565) emerged as the dominant
Hindu power in the south. Founded by Harihara I and Bukka Raya I in 1336, Vijayanagar expanded to
cover much of peninsular India. Vijayanagar lasted for more than two centuries as the dominant power

4
Ibid pp.100-103
5
Fukazawa, Hiroshi. The Medieval Deccan: Peasants, Social Systems and States, Sixteenth to Eighteenth Centuries.
Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1991, pp 91-95
6
Eaton, Richard M. A Social History of the Deccan, 1300–1761: Eight Indian Lives. Cambridge UP, 2005. Pp 1-9
in south India . Its history was shaped by resistance to northern invasions, and by active participation in
Indian Ocean trade.

The deccan witnessed the rise and decline of multiple intdependent states between 1300- 1600, each with
their own institutions. The bahamani sultanate (established in 1347) and its successor states exercised
centralized rule over diverse population. Meanwhile vijaynagar emerged as a power hindu kingdom.
Lefevre notes that vijaynagar was long seen as monolithic hindu kingdom but recent studies give a new
picture that it selectively adopted Islamic state practices and culture like nayankara and using titles like
hindu-raya-sultan-raja that is sultan among hindu kings7. The bahamanis themselves were influenced
greatly by the administration of the delhi crown example Persian was the dominant official language and
turks and Persians were given major administrative posts but they also gave grants and posts to local
marathis , telegu , kannada speaking population major administrative posts. Many kings even patronized
local languages and literature. Hence it can be said deccan’s political institutions were not restricted to
what delhi was following but we find reigional developments too, though this is often under appreciated.
Medieval studies often portrayed deccan sultanate as state following the delhi crown which certainly not
correct. According to lefvre comparative study of deccan sultanate and vijaynagar it is known that both of
them had linguistically and socially plural beurocracies 8. Fukuzawa’s research on late medieval
Maharashtra shed light on the local structures . he examines deshmukhs ( district chiefs) and desai
(village headmen) offices and hereditary posts. Deshmush office was hereditary which later tend to
become feudal lords when the central power weakened 9 . In practice it used to chair assemblies and
mediate disputes , overtime it acquire army and tax free grants, transforming him into a decentralized
ruler .Lefevre as well as fukuzawa emphasizes that under vijaynagar there existed layers of political
power based on region and caste 1011. Fukuzawa in his chapter on jagir system in his book “Medieval
deccan”, patvardhans (regional lords) held jagir and collected revenue collection by co caste
officers ,showing how kin groups managed taxation over the state authority.

These studies reveal how deccan administration is characterized by local and shared rule. Apart from this
deccan , as talked earlier deccan was region of various kingdom formations , the study of such kingdoms
are often understudied if done , they viewed with the delhi centric lens , Many important dynasties of the
14th–15th centuries receive less attention outside regional works. The Telugu-speaking Kakatiya dynasty
(ad 1163–1323) unified upland and delta cultures in present-day Telangana–Andhra , built major
reservoirs for irrigation, and even empowered lower castes by giving nayaka titles to peasant warriors 12.
Mohammand bin tughlaq’s victory over kakatiyas is seen as a watershed movement in delhi history but
however the glory of kakatiyas in terms of architecture and culture is understudied , Eaton clearly notes
in his summary that Pratapa Rudra’s reign was considered “the idea of a regional kingdom” that was

7
Lefèvre, Corinne. “State-building and the Management of Diversity in India (Thirteenth to Seventeenth
Centuries).” The Medieval History Journal 16, no. 2 (2013).pp 425–447
8
ibid
9
Fukazawa, Hiroshi. The Medieval Deccan: Peasants, Social Systems and States, Sixteenth to Eighteenth Centuries.
Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1991. Pp 70-90
10
ibid
11
Lefèvre, Corinne. “State-building and the Management of Diversity in India (Thirteenth to Seventeenth
Centuries).” The Medieval History Journal 16, no. 2 (2013).pp 425–447

12
Eaton, Richard M. A Social History of the Deccan, 1300–1761: Eight Indian Lives. Cambridge UP, 2005, pp 1-9
“finally overwhelmed” by the cosmopolitan sultanate model [Link], the Marathi Yadava dynasty of
Devagiri (c.1187–1317) ruled over Maharashtra and Karnataka but is typically seen only as a precursor
to later Sultanates .

The Maratha chapter which is comparatively more celebrated in history , has lot more areas need to be
studied , as talked earlier fukuzawa’s remark on lack of studies of the regional Marathi , Telugu and
kannada sources being understudied are one of the cause. The early Marathas (mid-17th c.) were heavily
influenced by the Deccan Sultanate , a fact underappreciated in nationalist histories. Scholarly accounts
like Eaton’s note the Marathas under shivaji repurposed forts and army organization from Bijapur and
Ahmadnagar , but popular narratives still cast him mainly as a Dravidian hero rising in opposition to
“Mughal” oppression14. In truth, Maratha commanders worked alongside Muslim generals (e.g. Shahaji
Bhonsale served the Nizam Shahi, and Shivaji’s grandfather received the Pune jagir from Malik Ambar ).
Malik Ambar himself an Abyssinian slave who became regent of Ahmadnagar is rightly called the
“military guru of the Marathas” (his guerrilla tactics inspired Shivaji) . Yet Aurangzeb era scholarship
often ignores Ambar’s legacy . The connections between Deccani and Maratha practices (administrative,
military and social) deserves detailed study. Also when spefically taking about Malik Amber , an
Abyssinian slave , this specific trade from Africa of slaves or in other words role of Africa in deccan
history is understudied , why and how it went is a subject research .

The study of the society and culture had wider implication , the areas covered in this paper is studies jati ,
the significance of the sufi cult in the deccan and development of art and architecture under Bahamans
and vijaynagar .

Fukuzawa’s study of the Adilshahi Sultanate (Bijapur) underscores that Deccan rulers developed complex
institutions to govern a Hindu-majority land; he asks precisely “how and through what institutions did
[Muslim conquerors] rule over the indigenous Hindus?” . They cultivated a syncretic Indo-Islamic
culture, engaged in international commerce15. The social fabric of the deccan was deeply rooted in caste ,
and fukuzawa study shows how states incorporated this system , In his chapter on jati , he explained how
state actively interfered in caste issues , particularly due economic reasons ,though caste council were
allowed to settle disputes by them , fukuzawa agues on this quasi –official framework of caste used by
state as a tool for governance , the state would punish a crime by demotion caste status of the offendor or
sometimes a monetary fine was imposed .16 slavery was another integral part of the deccan economy and
polity. Fukuzawa documents that slavery was widespread and long standing. As talked earlier regarding
Malik amber who was basically as slave , while studying this we found that slavery was not a sudden
import but has its root from ancient times hence was a established social system , but slaves entering into
to political dominance was seen medieval period as case with Malik amber was a result of Islamic
influence . society of medieval deccan underwent a huge change after the emergence of bhakti and sufu
traditions some were seen as reformative and cultural amalgamations some were as cultural shocks .

13
ibid
14
Ibid 78-105
15
Fukazawa, Hiroshi. The Medieval Deccan: Peasants, Social Systems and States, Sixteenth to Eighteenth Centuries.
Delhi: Oxford University Press, [Link] 1-49

16
Ibid pp 91-110
The Deccan was the centre of Hindu-Muslim interaction and of devotional movements, yet most accounts
separate “spiritual history” from political history. The rise of Bhakti and Virashaiva cults in Maharashtra
and Karnataka (e.g. the Haridasa tradition, Sant Tukaram’s abhangas) are noted in social histories, but not
usually seen as “history” so much as folklore. The impact of incoming ideas – such as European
Christianity in coastal enclaves or Shi’ism in the sultanates – is not properly studied . Aurangzeb’s long
Deccan campaign is still viewed through a Delhi-centric lens, underestimating local nationalist or
confessional understandings. Even state–tribe relations (such as Gond or Bhil communities on the
periphery) during Deccan Sultanate rule are rarely analyzed it can be ask how tribal polities were co-
opted or marginalized by Ahmadnagar versus by the Yadavas of Devagiri, for instance. In short, the
cultural pluralism of the Deccan (Hindu, Muslim, Christian, tribal) is often underestimated in history
books. Nile Green’s study of 20th century Aurangabad illustrates a deep rooted composite religious
culture. He notes that hindus and muslims in the hydrabad deccan region shared devotion to local saints.
Examples includes numerious saints like Bana Miya or Sayyaid Samad whose tomb was worshipped both
by hindus and muslims. Same with bhakti traditions 17. This secular pattern is alsoevident in deccani art
and literature, the Qutub and Adil Shahi courts patronized telugu , kanada and Marathi poetry alongside
Persian. However sufi traditions being understood mainly as spiritual and cultural sense is also the
indications of how much the deccan period from 1300-1600 A.D is understudied.

While the Sufi movement in the Deccan is often discussed in cultural and mystical terms, it also induced
with concrete political aims. Saints and khanqahs served as sources of moral legitimation — rulers
sought their prayers and blessings, endowed khanqahs with villages and revenue, and used saintly
endorsement to consolidate power. Conversely, saints could make or break political careers by supporting
claimants, sheltering rebels, or publicly withholding blessings (as in the case of Shaikh Zainu’d-din).
State patronage converted many khanqahs into political and economic actors, producing hereditary
control and administrative responsibilities that curtailed spiritual independence. Some orders even moved
with disciplined bands of disciples, creating a quasi-political or coercive capacity 18. Thus Sufism’s public
religiosity in the Deccan was entangled with politics : it legitimized rulers, mediated conflicts, and at
times acted as a power broker — even as that very engagement eventually weakened the spiritual
autonomy of the orders.

Moving towards other aspects important yet understudied in deccan , are the social and economic life of
common people and development of science and technologies in deccan . The Deccan had flourishing
local industries that often involved women and commoners, yet these appear in few histories. For
example, the Bidriware metal handicraft of Bidar (14th century) developed under the Bahmani Sultans .
Southern India was famous for both its copper mines and its bronze and brass industry. Indian swords and
utensils from South India were renowned (even exported to the Middle East) . Yet mainstream accounts
rarely detail these crafts. Likewise, women were heavily involved in rural manufacture accounts of
travellers like Fernao Nuniz tells us about the role of Deccan women artisans (for example, in pottery or
leatherwork) unfortunately is scarcely analyzed in the academic literature. Agriculture and migration:
Monsoon-fed agriculture and land settlement shaped the Deccan economy, but systematic studies of
population movements or agrarian change are rare. For instance, the Krishna River basin under the

17
Green, Nile. “Mystical Missionaries in Hyderabad State: Muʾīn Allāh Shāh and His Sufi Reform Movement.” Indian
Economic and Social History Review 42, no. 2 (2005): 187–208
18
Sherwani, Haroon Khan, and P. M. Joshi, eds. History of Medieval Deccan, 1295–1724. Vol. 2 ,Hyderabad:
Government of Andhra Pradesh, 1974, pp 173-185
Kakatiyas saw elaborate tank irrigation networks , yet historians seldom studies rainfall patterns or famine
impacts in this era. Migrations has always been a evergoing activity since past but the relationships
between the climatic or other natural events such as landslides (which is common in this region) is harldy
studied.

Deccan was centre of continuous battles which do assures us that its obvious it had advances in
metallurgy and arms industry which is not often looked much by scholarship. Similar techniques of
temple building , like the use of floating bricks , male female categorization of rocks in temple building
during the kakatiyas times are other examples.

The control of rivers and tanks was vital in the arid deccan . the kakatiyas of Warangal “pioneered a
decentralized , community driven irrigation network” 19 . Later bahamani and vijaynagar kings built grand
dams and canals, yet the historical narratives often ignores these achievements.

Animal husbandry was an important part of agrarian and military life . medieval india had advanced
veterinary knowledge Persian era sources like Ilaj-ul-khail on horses and Ilaj ut tuyur on birds,
catalogued disease and treatments. These sciences along with development of astronomy , medicine and
mathematics is often neglected by the history academia.

In conclusion, the evidence suggests that yes, the history of the Deccan (1300–1600) has been
understudied as a key component of medieval Indian history. The reasons include the dominance of
Mughal/north-Indian frameworks in both colonial and nationalist historiographies especially lacunae in
not relying in the local or vernacular sources of deccan to study it from their point of view. Richard
Eaton’s and Fukuzawa’s work – and that of other recent scholars – has begun to redress this imbalance
by bringing the Deccan’s social and political world into focus.

Bibliography :

Books

 Eaton, Richard M. A Social History of the Deccan, 1300–1761: Eight Indian Lives.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005.
 Fukazawa, Hiroshi. The Medieval Deccan: Peasants, Social Systems and States, Sixteenth
to Eighteenth Centuries. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1991.
 Sherwani, Haroon Khan, and P. M. Joshi, eds. History of Medieval Deccan, 1295–1724.
Vol. 2. Hyderabad: Government of Andhra Pradesh, 1974.

Journal Articles

 Green, Nile. “Mystical Missionaries in Hyderabad State: Muʾīn Allāh Shāh and His Sufi
Reform Movement.” Indian Economic and Social History Review 42, no. 2 (2005): 187–
208.
 Kumari, B. “Historical Development of Irrigation in Telengana: From Tanks to Mission
Kakatiyas.” International Journal of History, 2025.
19
Kumari,B, Historical development of irrigation in telengana: from tanks to mission kakatiyas, international
general of history, 2025 pp.21-27
 Lefèvre, Corinne. “State-building and the Management of Diversity in India (Thirteenth
to Seventeenth Centuries).” The Medieval History Journal 16, no. 2 (2013): 425–447.