Delhi Sultanate, Vijayanagara and Bahmani Kingdoms: Complete Comparative Guide with Tricks

Between the fall of the last great Rajput kingdoms in the late 12th century and the arrival of the Mughals in 1526, India was shaped by three powerful states. In the north, the Delhi Sultanate ruled for about 320 years under five dynasties. In the south, two rival kingdoms rose almost at the same time in the 14th century – the Vijayanagara Empire, south of the Tungabhadra river, and the Bahmani Sultanate, north of the Krishna river. Their stories are closely linked: both southern kingdoms were born from revolts against Muhammad bin Tughlaq of Delhi, and the two fought each other for nearly two centuries over the fertile Raichur Doab.

For WBCS, SSC, Railways, Banking and UPSC exams, this period is a gold mine of questions – dynasties and their founders, Alauddin Khalji's market reforms, Muhammad bin Tughlaq's experiments, Krishnadevaraya's court, the Battle of Talikota, Mahmud Gawan's reforms, foreign travellers and famous monuments. This article explains all three kingdoms side by side with comparison tables and a common timeline, followed by a quick revision box with memory tricks and 20 MCQs with answers.

➤ Delhi Sultanate: 1206–1526 · Five dynasties: Mamluk, Khalji, Tughlaq, Sayyid, Lodi
➤ Vijayanagara Empire: 1336–1646 · Founded by Harihara I and Bukka I · Capital Hampi
➤ Bahmani Sultanate: 1347–1527 · Founded by Alauddin Hasan Bahman Shah · Capitals Gulbarga, then Bidar
➤ Turning points: Panipat 1526 ended the Sultanate; Talikota 1565 broke Vijayanagara; the Bahmani kingdom split into five Deccan Sultanates

One Timeline, Three Kingdoms

Part A: The Delhi Sultanate (1206–1526)

The Five Dynasties

1. Mamluk (Slave) Dynasty

• Qutb-ud-din Aibak (1206–1210): A slave of Muhammad Ghori. Known as 'Lakh Baksh' for his generosity. Started the Qutub Minar and built the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque (Delhi) and Adhai Din ka Jhonpra (Ajmer). Died after a fall from his horse while playing chaugan (polo) at Lahore
• Iltutmish (1211–1236): The real consolidator of the Sultanate; made Delhi the capital. Created the Turkan-i-Chahalgani (Group of Forty nobles), organised the Iqta system, introduced the silver tanka and copper jital, received recognition (investiture) from the Abbasid Caliph in 1229, and completed the Qutub Minar
• Razia Sultan (1236–1240): The only woman ruler of the Delhi Sultanate. Her favour to the Abyssinian noble Jamal-ud-din Yaqut angered the Turkish nobles; she was killed in 1240
• Ghiyas-ud-din Balban (1266–1287): Believed in the divine right of kings, calling the Sultan 'Zil-i-Ilahi' (Shadow of God). Introduced Sijda (prostration) and Paibos (kissing the Sultan's feet), started the Persian festival of Nauroz, set up the military department Diwan-i-Arz, broke the power of the Forty, and followed a policy of "blood and iron"

2. Khalji Dynasty

Alauddin Khalji (1296–1316) was the most powerful Sultan.

• Market reforms: Fixed prices of grain, cloth, horses and other goods in Delhi; markets were supervised by the Shahna-i-Mandi (market superintendent), and Diwan-i-Riyasat oversaw trade
• Military reforms: A large permanent army paid in cash; introduced Dagh (branding of horses) and Chehra (descriptive roll of soldiers) to stop fraud
• Revenue: Land revenue raised to half of the produce, based on measurement of land
• Conquests: Gujarat (1299), Ranthambore (1301), Chittor (1303), Malwa; his general Malik Kafur raided the south – Devagiri, Warangal, Dwarasamudra and Madurai
• Mongol threat: Successfully defended India against repeated Mongol invasions
• Buildings: Alai Darwaza (1311) near Qutub Minar – an early example of the true arch and dome; Siri Fort; the Hauz-i-Alai (Hauz Khas) tank
• Court poet: Amir Khusrau, the "Tuti-e-Hind" (Parrot of India)

3. Tughlaq Dynasty

• Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq (1320–1325): Built Tughlaqabad in Delhi
• Muhammad bin Tughlaq (1325–1351): A learned but impractical ruler, famous for bold experiments:
  • Shifted the capital from Delhi to Daulatabad (Devagiri) in 1327, then back
  • Introduced token currency of copper/bronze (around 1329–30), which failed due to large-scale forgery
  • Raised taxes in the Ganga-Yamuna Doab during a famine
  • Set up Diwan-i-Kohi, a department of agriculture
  • Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta came to his court (1333), served as Qazi of Delhi, and wrote the Rihla
  • During his reign, both Vijayanagara (1336) and the Bahmani kingdom (1347) broke away
• Firoz Shah Tughlaq (1351–1388): Built canals and new towns (Firozabad, Hisar, Jaunpur, Fatehabad), set up Diwan-i-Khairat (charity) and Diwan-i-Bandagan (slaves), moved two Ashokan pillars (from Topra and Meerut) to Delhi, and wrote Futuhat-i-Firozshahi. He also imposed Jizya on Brahmins
• Timur's invasion (1398): Timur sacked Delhi during the reign of Nasir-ud-din Mahmud Tughlaq

4. Sayyid and Lodi Dynasties

• Sayyids (1414–1451): Founded by Khizr Khan, Timur's governor; a weak dynasty
• Bahlul Lodi (1451–1489): Founded the first Afghan dynasty in Delhi
• Sikandar Lodi (1489–1517): Founded Agra (1504) and made it the capital; introduced the Gaz-i-Sikandari (a measuring yard for land); wrote Persian poetry under the pen name 'Gulrukhi'
• Ibrahim Lodi (1517–1526): Defeated and killed by Babur in the First Battle of Panipat (1526)

Administration and Economy of the Sultanate

The iqta system was the ancestor of the later Mughal jagir system. Read how the government raises and spends money today in our guide on fiscal policy, budget and GST, and how currency has evolved since the days of the tanka and jital in our article on monetary policy and the rupee.

Important Writers of the Sultanate Period

Bengal under the Sultanate

Bakhtiyar Khalji, a Turkish general, attacked Bihar and Bengal in the early 13th century and took Nadia from the Sena king Lakshmana Sena, setting up his base at Lakhnauti (Gaur). In 1342, Haji Ilyas Shah founded the independent Ilyas Shahi dynasty and took the title 'Shah-i-Bangalah'. His son Sikandar Shah built the massive Adina Mosque at Pandua (Malda), one of the largest mosques of medieval India.

Part B: The Vijayanagara Empire (1336–1646)

Vijayanagara ("City of Victory") was founded in 1336 by the brothers Harihara I and Bukka I of the Sangama family, with guidance from the sage Vidyaranya. Its capital, Hampi on the banks of the Tungabhadra river in present-day Karnataka, is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Four Dynasties

Krishnadevaraya (1509–1529) – The Greatest Ruler

• Defeated the Bijapur Sultan and captured Raichur (1520); campaigned successfully against the Gajapatis of Odisha
• Wrote 'Amuktamalyada' in Telugu (on statecraft and devotion); also a Sanskrit work, Jambavati Kalyanam
• His court had eight great Telugu poets, the Ashtadiggajas, including Allasani Peddana (called "Andhra Kavita Pitamaha") and Tenali Ramakrishna
• Known as 'Andhra Bhoja' for his patronage of literature
• Kept friendly ties with the Portuguese, who supplied war horses through Goa
• Added to the Vitthala and Hazara Rama temples and built tall Raya gopurams (gateway towers)

Battle of Talikota (1565)

Also called the Battle of Rakshasa-Tangadi, it was fought on 23 January 1565. The combined forces of Bijapur, Ahmadnagar, Golconda and Bidar (Berar did not join) defeated the Vijayanagara army led by Aliya Rama Raya, the regent of the puppet king Sadashiva Raya. Rama Raya was killed, and Hampi was looted and destroyed over several months. The empire survived under the Aravidu dynasty with capitals at Penukonda, Chandragiri and Vellore. In 1639, the English obtained the site of Madras from a local Nayaka of the late Vijayanagara rulers.

Administration and Society

• Nayankara system: Military chiefs called Nayakas (or Amaranayakas) were given land (amaram) and had to maintain troops and pay tribute. Later, many Nayakas – of Madurai, Thanjavur and Gingee – became independent
• Ayagar system: Each village had a group of 12 functionaries (Ayagars) such as the headman, accountant and watchman, paid with tax-free land
• Provinces: Rajya/Mandalam → Nadu → Sthala → Grama (village)
• Coins: Gold Varaha (called "pagoda" by Europeans), Pratapa and Fanam
• Festival: The grand Mahanavami festival was celebrated on the Mahanavami Dibba platform
• Trade: A major centre of trade in horses, spices, textiles and precious stones. See how global trade is regulated today in our guide on the WTO and international institutions

Architecture of Vijayanagara

• Vitthala Temple: Famous for the Stone Chariot (Garuda shrine) and musical pillars. The stone chariot appears on the new Rs 50 note
• Virupaksha Temple: The main temple of Hampi, still in worship
• Hazara Rama Temple: Walls carved with scenes from the Ramayana
• Lotus Mahal and Elephant Stables: Show a mix of Indo-Islamic and Hindu styles
• Typical features: large Raya gopurams, Kalyana mandapas (marriage halls) and pillared halls

Part C: The Bahmani Sultanate (1347–1527)

The Bahmani kingdom was founded in 1347 by Alauddin Hasan Bahman Shah (also known as Hasan Gangu), an officer who revolted against Muhammad bin Tughlaq in the Deccan. It became the most powerful Muslim kingdom of the Deccan for nearly 150 years.

Capitals and Key Rulers

• Gulbarga (renamed Ahsanabad) was the first capital; the Jama Masjid of Gulbarga is unique because its courtyard is fully covered with domes
• Firoz Shah Bahmani (1397–1422): A learned ruler who built an observatory near Daulatabad and the town of Firozabad on the Bhima river; he appointed many Hindus to high posts
• Ahmad Shah I (Ahmad Shah Wali) shifted the capital to Bidar (around 1425)
• Muhammad Shah III (1463–1482): His reign saw the peak of the kingdom under minister Mahmud Gawan. The Russian merchant Afanasy (Athanasius) Nikitin visited the Bahmani kingdom between 1469 and 1472

Mahmud Gawan – The Great Minister

• A Persian merchant who became the Prime Minister (Wazir) of the kingdom
• Divided the kingdom's 4 provinces (tarafs) into 8 to curb the power of governors
• Reformed land measurement and revenue, and expanded the kingdom to the west coast (Goa, Dabhol)
• Built a famous madrasa at Bidar (1472), a three-storeyed college for higher learning
• Was executed in 1481 after a conspiracy by rival nobles; this led to the kingdom's decline

Rivalry of nobles: The court was divided between the Deccanis (old settlers) and the Afaqis/Pardesis (newcomers from Persia and Central Asia), which weakened the state.

The Five Deccan Sultanates

By the early 16th century, the Bahmani kingdom broke into five independent states:

• Ibrahim Adil Shah II of Bijapur was called 'Jagadguru' and wrote Kitab-i-Nauras, a book of songs in Dakhni
• Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah of Golconda founded Hyderabad and built the Charminar; he was also an early poet of Dakhni Urdu
• The Gol Gumbaz at Bijapur, tomb of Muhammad Adil Shah, has one of the largest domes in the world and a famous "whispering gallery"

Part D: Vijayanagara vs Bahmani – The Raichur Doab Rivalry

The Raichur Doab, the fertile land between the Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers, was the main cause of conflict between Vijayanagara and the Bahmani kingdom (and later Bijapur). Other causes were control of the Golconda diamond mines, the Marathwada region, and ports on the west coast that controlled the horse trade.

Foreign Travellers to Vijayanagara

20 MCQs on Delhi Sultanate, Vijayanagara and Bahmani Kingdoms

Q1. Which is the correct order of the dynasties of the Delhi Sultanate?
(a) Khalji, Mamluk, Tughlaq, Sayyid, Lodi
(b) Mamluk, Khalji, Tughlaq, Sayyid, Lodi
(c) Mamluk, Tughlaq, Khalji, Lodi, Sayyid
(d) Mamluk, Khalji, Sayyid, Tughlaq, Lodi

Answer: (b) – The Sultanate lasted from 1206 to 1526.

Q2. Who created the 'Turkan-i-Chahalgani' (Group of Forty)?
(a) Qutb-ud-din Aibak
(b) Iltutmish
(c) Balban
(d) Razia Sultan

Answer: (b) – Balban later broke the power of the Forty.

Q3. Which Sultan introduced the silver 'tanka' and copper 'jital'?
(a) Iltutmish
(b) Alauddin Khalji
(c) Muhammad bin Tughlaq
(d) Sikandar Lodi

Answer: (a) – Iltutmish standardised the coinage of the Sultanate.

Q4. The practices of 'Sijda' and 'Paibos' were introduced by:
(a) Iltutmish
(b) Balban
(c) Alauddin Khalji
(d) Firoz Shah Tughlaq

Answer: (b) – Balban called the Sultan 'Zil-i-Ilahi' (Shadow of God).

Q5. 'Dagh' and 'Chehra' were military reforms of:
(a) Balban
(b) Alauddin Khalji
(c) Muhammad bin Tughlaq
(d) Sher Shah Suri

Answer: (b) – Dagh was horse branding; Chehra was the descriptive roll of soldiers.

Q6. Which Sultan shifted his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad?
(a) Alauddin Khalji
(b) Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq
(c) Muhammad bin Tughlaq
(d) Firoz Shah Tughlaq

Answer: (c) – The shift took place in 1327 and was later reversed.

Q7. Ibn Battuta, who visited the court of Muhammad bin Tughlaq, was from:
(a) Persia
(b) Morocco
(c) Italy
(d) Portugal

Answer: (b) – He wrote the travel account 'Rihla'.

Q8. Which Sultan brought two Ashokan pillars to Delhi from Topra and Meerut?
(a) Iltutmish
(b) Alauddin Khalji
(c) Firoz Shah Tughlaq
(d) Sikandar Lodi

Answer: (c) – He also built towns such as Hisar, Jaunpur and Firozabad.

Q9. The city of Agra was founded by:
(a) Bahlul Lodi
(b) Sikandar Lodi
(c) Ibrahim Lodi
(d) Babur

Answer: (b) – Sikandar Lodi founded Agra in 1504.

Q10. Who built the Adina Mosque at Pandua in present-day West Bengal?
(a) Bakhtiyar Khalji
(b) Haji Ilyas Shah
(c) Sikandar Shah
(d) Alauddin Husain Shah

Answer: (c) – Sikandar Shah was the son of Haji Ilyas Shah, founder of the Ilyas Shahi dynasty.

Q11. The Vijayanagara Empire was founded in 1336 by:
(a) Krishnadevaraya
(b) Harihara I and Bukka I
(c) Saluva Narasimha
(d) Devaraya I

Answer: (b) – They belonged to the Sangama dynasty and were guided by the sage Vidyaranya.

Q12. Hampi, the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire, is located on the banks of which river?
(a) Krishna
(b) Kaveri
(c) Tungabhadra
(d) Godavari

Answer: (c) – Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka.

Q13. Krishnadevaraya belonged to which dynasty?
(a) Sangama
(b) Saluva
(c) Tuluva
(d) Aravidu

Answer: (c) – He ruled from 1509 to 1529.

Q14. 'Amuktamalyada', a work on statecraft, was written by Krishnadevaraya in which language?
(a) Kannada
(b) Sanskrit
(c) Telugu
(d) Tamil

Answer: (c) – His court had eight Telugu poets called the Ashtadiggajas.

Q15. The Battle of Talikota (1565) was fought between Vijayanagara and the combined Deccan Sultanates. Which Sultanate did NOT take part?
(a) Bijapur
(b) Golconda
(c) Ahmadnagar
(d) Berar

Answer: (d) – Vijayanagara was led by Aliya Rama Raya, who was killed in the battle.

Q16. The Persian envoy Abdur Razzaq visited the court of which Vijayanagara ruler?
(a) Harihara I
(b) Devaraya II
(c) Krishnadevaraya
(d) Achyuta Raya

Answer: (b) – He came in 1443 as the envoy of the Timurid ruler Shah Rukh.

Q17. The Bahmani Sultanate was founded in 1347 by:
(a) Mahmud Gawan
(b) Firoz Shah Bahmani
(c) Alauddin Hasan Bahman Shah
(d) Yusuf Adil Shah

Answer: (c) – He was also known as Hasan Gangu; the first capital was Gulbarga.

Q18. The Bahmani capital was shifted from Gulbarga to:
(a) Bijapur
(b) Bidar
(c) Golconda
(d) Daulatabad

Answer: (b) – Ahmad Shah I shifted the capital to Bidar around 1425.

Q19. Mahmud Gawan, the famous Bahmani minister, built a madrasa at:
(a) Gulbarga
(b) Bidar
(c) Bijapur
(d) Hyderabad

Answer: (b) – He built it in 1472 and was executed in 1481.

Q20. The Russian merchant Afanasy Nikitin visited which kingdom in the 15th century?
(a) Vijayanagara
(b) Bahmani
(c) Delhi Sultanate
(d) Bengal Sultanate

Answer: (b) – He visited between 1469 and 1472, during Muhammad Shah III's reign.

Conclusion

The Delhi Sultanate, the Vijayanagara Empire and the Bahmani kingdom together shaped India for over three centuries before the Mughals. The Sultanate brought new systems such as the iqta and new building styles with the true arch and dome; Vijayanagara created a powerful southern empire with magnificent temples at Hampi; and the Bahmanis laid the foundation of Deccani culture, which flourished further in Bijapur and Golconda. For exams, remember the dynasties in order, the reforms of Balban, Alauddin and Muhammad bin Tughlaq, Krishnadevaraya's court, the Battle of Talikota, Mahmud Gawan and the five Deccan Sultanates. Revise the memory tricks above once more before your exam.

Reference: NCERT Class VII "Our Pasts – II", NCERT Class XII "Themes in Indian History – Part II", and Satish Chandra's "Medieval India".