Medieval Bidar under Bahmani Rule: Ala-ud-din Ahmed Shah II (1436-1458 CE) Ala-ud-din Ahmed Shah II ascended the turquoise throne of the Bahmani sultanate on 17th April, 1436 CE after the demise of his father Ahmed Shah I, who was a mighty ruler and an indulgent father who celebrated the marriage of his son Ala-ud-din with the daughter of Nasir Khan Faruqi of Asir in present day Madhya Pradesh; the festivities and revelry lasted for two months and the whole city was decorated for the occasion. The son Ala-ud-din however was of a different caliber. He was cowardly and possessed a nervous personality. The king preferred the counsel of Afaqis or newcomers over the old-timers or Deccanis, leading to disquiet and rift in the court and the king was powerless to cope with the problems of administration. However, Ala-ud-din Ahmed Shah II is recognized as an eminent builder of monuments; the tomb of his father Wali Ahmed Shah I at Ashtur, a large hospital staffed with expert Hindu and Muslim physicians, that had a large endowment to meet the cost of medicines and other expenses, a beautiful palace at village Nematabad in the suburbs of the Bidar fort, the tomb of Shah Khaleel-ullah the saint from Kirman in Persia adorned with exquisite stone-work, numerous mosques, were built by the sultan. Nonetheless, the cultured King Ala-ud-din Shah II was pleasure loving and his reign was dominated by intrigues at the court and rebellions in the outlying provinces. Consequently, he suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Sikra, the Konkan chieftain and Shankar Rai, the Raja of Khelna, near Kolhapur in Maharashtra. Ala-ud-din subsequently died of a wound on his shin in 1458 CE and was succeeded by his son Humayun “Zalim” Shah on 7th May 1458 CE.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 10:06:07 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015