Question

The first capital of the Bahmani kingdom was________
A. Gulbarga
B. Bidar
C. Daulatabad
D. Golconda

Answer 1

Hint: The Persianised Muslim state in the Deccan region of south India was known as the Bahmani kingdom. It was one of the important medieval kingdoms of India.

Complete answer: The Bahmani kingdom was founded by Ala-ud-din Bahman Shah in 1347A.D. After defeating the Delhi Sultanate under Muhammad Bin Tughlaq, the Bahmani kingdom was established. The capital of the kingdom was in Gulbarga. The kingdom expanded from the Arabian sea to the Bay of Bengal including the whole of Deccan. The Bahmani kingdom was the first independent Muslim kingdom in the Deccan.
The son of Ala-ud-din was Mohammad Shah I who succeeded after him. In 1429, the capital of the kingdom was changed to Bidar. From the accounts of medieval scholars like Farishta, Syed Ali Tabatabai, modern scholars were able to understand the history of the Bahmani kingdom. Ala-ud-din’s son Muhammad Shah I was a capable ruler and able general and administrator. He defeated the rulers of Warangal and Vijayanagar kingdoms. Ala-ud-din Bahman Shah after defeating the Carnatic chieftains is said to have captured 100’s of Hindu dancing and singing girls from the Hindu temples. The craftsmen of Bidar were renowned for their inlay work on copper and silver. This type of work was called ‘Bidri’.
Looking at the options:
Option A: Gulbarga was the capital of the Bahmani kingdom. Therefore this is the correct answer.
Option B: Bidar became the capital of the Bahmani kingdom much later. Therefore this is not the correct answer.
Option C: Daulatabad was the capital of the Delhi Sultanate Muhammad Bin Tughlaq. The original name of Daulatabad was Devagiri.
Option D: Golconda was the capital of the Qutb Shahi dynasty which was also known as the Golconda Sultanate.
Therefore, option A is correct.

Note: The Deccan sultanate adopted the Persian-Indi Islamic style of architecture. The major contributions of the Bahmani rulers were the Gulbarga Fort and Jama Masjid in Gulbarga, the Bidar fort and Madrasa Mahmud Gawan which are located in Bidar.