Vijayanagara, Bahmani, Maratha and Sikh Powers: Medieval Regional Kingdoms of India with Rulers and Facts for SSC

While the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughals ruled the north, powerful regional kingdoms rose in the Deccan and the Punjab. This guide on Vijayanagara, Bahmani, Maratha and Sikh powers for SSC covers their founders, great rulers, capitals, monuments, administration and decline, with tables, tricks and practice questions.

Vijayanagara Empire (1336 to 1646)

• Founded in 1336 by the brothers Harihara I and Bukka I (Sangama dynasty), with the help of the saint Vidyaranya; the capital was Hampi on the Tungabhadra river (a UNESCO World Heritage Site).
• Four dynasties: Sangama, Saluva, Tuluva and Aravidu.
• Krishnadevaraya (1509–1529) of the Tuluva dynasty was the greatest ruler. He wrote Amuktamalyada in Telugu, and his court had the eight poets called the Ashtadiggajas (including Allasani Peddana, called Andhra Kavita Pitamaha). He built the Hazara Rama temple and the Vithala temple at Hampi.
• The state was divided into provinces (rajyas), then nadus and villages; the officers of villages were called ayagars; the army officers were nayakas (the nayankara system).
• Foreign visitors: Nicolo de Conti (Italy), Abdur Razzak (Persia), Domingo Paes and Fernao Nuniz (Portugal) and Duarte Barbosa.
• The empire fell after the Battle of Talikota (Rakshasa-Tangadi) in 1565, when the combined armies of the Deccan sultanates defeated Rama Raya.

Bahmani Sultanate (1347 to 1527)

• Founded in 1347 by Alauddin Hasan Bahman Shah (Zafar Khan), who rebelled against Muhammad bin Tughlaq; capital first at Gulbarga and later at Bidar (from 1424).
• Mahmud Gawan, the prime minister of Muhammad Shah III, was a great administrator and built a madrasa at Bidar; he was executed in 1481.
• The sultanate was a rival of Vijayanagara and fought over the Raichur Doab.
• It broke into five Deccan sultanates by 1527.

Maratha Empire

• Peshwas were the prime ministers who became the real rulers: Balaji Vishwanath (1713–1720, started the Peshwa power at Pune), Baji Rao I (1720–1740, expanded to Malwa and Gujarat and the north; never lost a battle), Balaji Baji Rao (Nana Saheb) and later Madhav Rao I.
• Chauth was one fourth of the revenue and Sardeshmukhi an additional one tenth, collected from neighbouring areas.
• The Third Battle of Panipat (1761) against Ahmad Shah Abdali ended Maratha dominance in the north.
• The Maratha confederacy had five major chiefs: Peshwa (Pune), Gaekwad (Baroda), Holkar (Indore), Scindia (Gwalior) and Bhonsle (Nagpur).
• The Anglo-Maratha wars: first (1775–82, Treaty of Salbai), second (1803–05) and third (1817–19); the Peshwa rule ended in 1818.

Sikh Empire

• The Sikh religion began with Guru Nanak; the ten Gurus ended with Guru Gobind Singh, who founded the Khalsa in 1699 and declared the Guru Granth Sahib the eternal Guru.
• The Adi Granth was compiled by Guru Arjan Dev in 1604; he was executed by Jahangir in 1606; Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed by Aurangzeb in 1675.
• Banda Singh Bahadur led the Sikhs against the Mughals after the death of Guru Gobind Singh.
• The 12 misls were Sikh confederacies; Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780–1839) of the Sukerchakia misl united them and was crowned in 1801 at Lahore.
• He signed the Treaty of Amritsar (1809) with the British, which made the Sutlej the boundary; he built a modern army (Fauj-i-Khas) with European officers and took the Kohinoor diamond.
• After his death in 1839, the empire weakened; the Anglo-Sikh wars (1845–46 and 1848–49) led to the annexation of Punjab in 1849 by Lord Dalhousie.

Tricks to Remember

• Vijayanagara: 1336, Hampi, Krishnadevaraya; fell at Talikota in 1565.
• Bahmani: 1347, Gulbarga then Bidar; Mahmud Gawan.
• Bijapur = Gol Gumbaz; Golconda = Charminar.
• Peshwas: Balaji Vishwanath, Baji Rao I, Balaji Baji Rao.
• Ranjit Singh: crowned in 1801; Treaty of Amritsar 1809.

Quick Tips

• Learn the founders and capitals of each kingdom.
• Remember the five Deccan sultanates and their monuments.
• Remember the order of Peshwas.
• Remember the dates 1336, 1347, 1565 and 1761.

Quick Revision Points

• Vijayanagara was founded in 1336 by Harihara and Bukka.
• Bahmani Sultanate was founded by Alauddin Hasan Bahman Shah in 1347.
• Talikota 1565 ended Vijayanagara.
• Third Panipat 1761 ended Maratha dominance in the north.
• Ranjit Singh united the Sikh misls.

Practice Questions With Answers

1. Who founded the Vijayanagara empire?
   Answer: Harihara I and Bukka I
2. What was the capital of Vijayanagara?
   Answer: Hampi
3. Who was the greatest ruler of Vijayanagara?
   Answer: Krishnadevaraya
4. Who was the founder of the Bahmani Sultanate?
   Answer: Alauddin Hasan Bahman Shah
5. Who built the Charminar?
   Answer: Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah
6. In which year was the Battle of Talikota fought?
   Answer: 1565
7. Who was the first Peshwa?
   Answer: Balaji Vishwanath (the real founder of Peshwa power)
8. Who founded the Khalsa?
   Answer: Guru Gobind Singh (1699)
9. Which treaty of 1809 fixed the Sutlej boundary?
   Answer: Treaty of Amritsar
10. Who is called the Lion of Punjab?
    Answer: Maharaja Ranjit Singh

How to Practise This Chapter

Practise 10 questions every day and write the steps on paper. Then attempt timed sets from our practice papers and the previous year papers page. See all topics on the Indian History notes page, read the previous topic Bhakti and Sufi Movements and the next topic Social and Religious Reform Movements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who founded the Vijayanagara empire?

Harihara I and Bukka I in 1336.

Why was the Battle of Talikota important?

It led to the fall of the Vijayanagara empire in 1565.

Who was Krishnadevaraya?

The greatest ruler of Vijayanagara, who wrote Amuktamalyada.

Who founded the Bahmani Sultanate?

Alauddin Hasan Bahman Shah in 1347.

Who was Mahmud Gawan?

The prime minister of the Bahmani kingdom.

Which are the five Deccan sultanates?

Ahmednagar, Bijapur, Golconda, Berar and Bidar.

What were Chauth and Sardeshmukhi?

The taxes of one fourth and one tenth collected by the Marathas.

Who were the Peshwas?

The prime ministers of the Maratha kings who became the real rulers.

Who was Maharaja Ranjit Singh?

The founder of the Sikh empire in Punjab.

What was the Treaty of Amritsar (1809)?

A treaty between Ranjit Singh and the British that made the Sutlej the boundary.

Is this topic asked in SSC?

Yes. Medieval regional kingdoms are a part of every SSC history paper.

When was Punjab annexed by the British?

In 1849 by Lord Dalhousie.