The rulers of the Deccan sultanates made a number of cultural contributions in the fields of literature, art, architecture, and music. An important contribution was the development of the
Dakhani language, which, having started development under the
Bahamani rulers, developed into an independent spoken and literary language during this period by continuously borrowing from Arabic-Persian, Marathi, Kannada, and Telugu. Dakhani later became known as Dakhani Urdu to distinguish it from North Indian
Urdu. Deccani miniature painting—which flourished in the courts of Ahmadnagar, Bijapur, and Golconda—is another major cultural contribution of the Deccan sultanates. Architectural splendors of the Deccan such as
Charminar and
Gol Gumbaz belong to this period. A number of monuments built by the Deccan Sultanates are on a tentative list for nomination as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The religious tolerance displayed by the Nizam Shahi, Adil Shahi, and Qutb Shahi rulers is also worthy of mention.
Ahmadnagar The Nizam Shahi rulers of Ahmadnagar enthusiastically patronised miniature painting, the earliest surviving of which are found as the illustrations of the manuscript
Tarif-i-Hussain Shahi (c. 1565), which is now in the
Bharat Itihas Sanshodhak Mandal, Pune. A miniature painting of Murtaza Nizam Shah (c. 1575) is in the
Bibliothèque Nationale of Paris, while another one is in the
Raza Library in Rampur. The
Running Elephant is in an American private collection, the
Royal Picnic is in the
India Office Library in London, and the
Young Prince Embraced by a Small Girl, most likely belonging to the Burhan Nizam Shah II period, is in the Edwin Binney 3rd Collection of South Asian Works in the
San Diego Museum of Art. The earliest notable architecture of the Nizam Shahi rulers of
Ahmadnagar is the tomb of Ahmad Shah I Bahri (1509), at the centre of Bagh Rouza, a garden complex. The Jami Masjid also belongs to the same period. The Mecca Masjid, built in 1525 by Rumi Khan, a Turkish artillery officer of Burhan Nizam Shah I, is original in its design. The Kotla complex was constructed in 1537 as a religious educational institution. The impressive Farah Bagh was the centrepiece of a large palatial complex completed in 1583. Other monuments in Ahmednagar of the Nizam Shahi period are the Do Boti Chira (tomb of Sharja Khan, 1562), Damri Masjid (1568), and the tomb of Rumi Khan (1568). The Jami Masjid (1615) in Khirki (
Aurangabad) and the Chini Mahal inside the Daulatabad fort were constructed during the late Nizam Shahi period (1600–1636). The tomb of Malik Ambar in Khuldabad (1626) is another impressive monument of this period. The Kali Masjid of
Jalna (1578) and the tomb of Dilawar Khan (1613) in
Rajgurunagar also belong to this period. During the reign of Ahmad Shah I Bahri, his keeper of imperial records, Dalapati, wrote an encyclopedic work, the
Nrisimha Prasada, where he mentioned his overlord as
Nizamsaha. It is a notable instance of the religious tolerance of the Nizam Shahi rulers.
Berar The ruined palace of
Hauz Katora, west of
Achalpur, is the only notable surviving Imad Shahi monument.
Bidar water-pipe base, c. 18th century,
Los Angeles County Museum of Art The main architectural activities for the Barid Shahi rulers were building garden tombs. The tomb of Ali Barid Shah (1577) is the most notable monument in
Bidar. The tomb consists of a lofty domed chamber, open on four sides, located in the middle of a Persian four-square garden. The
Rangin Mahal in Bidar, built during the reign of Ali Barid Shah, is a complete and exquisitely decorated courtly structure. Other important monuments in Bidar from this period are the tomb of Qasim II and the Kali Masjid. An important class of metalwork known as
Bidriware originated in Bidar. This metalwork consists of a black metal, usually a zinc alloy, inlaid with intricate designs in silver, brass, and sometimes copper.
Bijapur , mausoleum of
Mohammed Adil Shah The Adil Shahi rulers contributed greatly to architecture, art, literature, and music, as
Bijapur developed into a cosmopolitan city under their rule and attracted many scholars, artists, musicians, and Sufi saints from Rome, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Turkestan. The Adil Shahi kings were known for their tolerance towards Hindus and non-interference in their religious matters. They employed Hindus to high posts, especially as officers overseeing accounts and administration, whose documents were maintained in Marathi. Amongst the major architectural works in the Bijapur Sultanate, one of the earliest is the unfinished
Jami Masjid, which was begun by Ali Adil Shah I in 1576. It has an arcaded prayer hall, with fine aisles, and has an impressive dome supported by massive piers. One of the most impressive monuments built during the reign of Ibrahim II was the
Ibrahim Rouza which was originally planned as a tomb for queen Taj Sultana, but was later converted into the tomb for Ibrahim Adil Shah II and his family. This complex, completed in 1626, consists of a paired tomb and mosque. Ibrahim II also planned to construct a new twin city to Bijapur,
Nauraspur, whose construction began in 1599 but was never completed. The greatest monument in Bijapur is the
Gol Gumbaz, the mausoleum of Muhammad Adil Shah, which was completed in 1656, and whose hemispherical dome measures across. The other important architectural works from this period are the
Chini Mahal, the
Jal Mandir, the
Sat Manzil, the
Gagan Mahal, the
Anand Mahal, and the
Asar Mahal (1646), all in Bijapur, as well as the
Kummatgi ( from Bijapur), the
Panhala Fort ( from
Kolhapur), and
Naldurg Fort ( from
Solapur). Persian artists of the Adil Shahi court have left a rare treasure of miniature paintings, some of which are well preserved in Europe's museums. The earliest miniature paintings are ascribed to the period of Ali Adil Shah I. The most significant of them are the paintings in the manuscript of
Nujum-ul-Ulum (Stars of Science) (1570), kept in the
Chester Beatty Library in Dublin, which contains about 400 miniature paintings. Two other illustrated manuscripts from the period of Ali Adil Shah I are
Jawahir-al Musiqat-i-Muhammadi in the British Library, which contains 48 paintings, and a Marathi commentary of
Sarangadeva's
Sangita Ratnakara kept in the museum of
City Palace, Jaipur, which contains 4 paintings. But the most miniature paintings come from the time of Sultan Ibrahim Adil Shah II. One of the most celebrated painters of his court was Maulana Farrukh Hussain. The miniature paintings of this period are preserved in the Bikaner Palace, the
Bodleian Library in Oxford, the British Museum and
Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the
Muśee Guimet in Paris, the
Academy of Sciences in St. Petersberg, and the
Náprstek Museum in Prague. Under the Adil Shahi rulers many literary works were published in Dakhani. Ibrahim Adil Shah II himself wrote a book of songs,
Kitab-i-Nauras, in Dakhani. This book contains a number of songs whose tunes are set to different
ragas and
raginis. In his songs, he praised the Hindu goddess Sarasvati along with Muhammad and Sufi saint Khwaja Banda Nawaz Gesudaraz. A unique
tambur (lute) known as Moti Khan was in his possession. The famous Persian poet laureate
Muhammad Zuhuri was his court poet. The
Mushaira (poetic symposium) was born in the Bijapur court and later travelled north.
Golconda built by
Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah is a centerpiece of
Hyderabad and one of the most important examples of
Indo-Islamic architecture. on a Terrace with Attendants'', c. 18th century. Qutb Shahi rulers appointed Hindus in important administrative posts. Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah appointed Murari Rao as
Peshwa, second to only
Mir Jumla (prime minister). One of the earliest architectural achievements of the Qutb Shahi dynasty is the
fortified city of Golconda, which is now in ruins. The nearby
Qutb Shahi tombs are also noteworthy. The Qutb Shahi rulers were much more liberal than their other Muslim counterparts. During the reign of
Abdullah Qutb Shah, in 1634, the ancient Indian sex manual
Koka Shastra was translated into
Persian and named
Lazzat-un-Nisa (Flavors of the Woman). ==See also==