Mohammed Adil Shah

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Muhammad Adil Shah (1627-1657)

With the help of two Bijapuri nobles – Daulat Khan (later entitled as Khawas Khan) and Mirza Muhammad Amin Lari (Later entitled Mustafa Khan), Muhammad Adil Shah, a staunch Sunni Ruler, ascended the throne in 1627 at the comparatively young age of sixteen years.

Muhammad’s glorious reign of thirty years witnessed some momentous historical events.

Bijapur became partner with the Mughals in the extinction of Ahmednagar. Muhammad maintained friendly relations with Shah Jahan and made peace-treaty of 1636, after the extinction of Ahmednagar. And by a farman of Shah Jahan he got assurances for the security of the independence of Bijapur from the Mughal aggression. Due to his good relations, Shah Jahan formally recognized Muhammad’s sovereignty and bestowed on him the title of SHAH in 1648, the only ruler of Bijapur to receive such recognition from the Mughals.

The Treaty of 1636, with the Mughals sealed the expansion of Bijapur in the north. So Muhammad Adil Shah extended his dominations westwards into Konkan, Pune, Dhabul (present Mumbai), southwards into Mysore, and eastwards into Karnataka, present south Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. During his reign, the kingdom attained its greatest extent, power and magnificience, and his dominious stretched from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal.

Besides territorial expansions, Bijapur also attained peace and prosperity during Muhammad’s reign. His kingdom yielded an annual revenue of seven crore eighty four lakh rupees, besides five and half crores of tributes were vassal rulers and zamindars. Cultural activities like poetry, painting and architecture also received a great impetus. Muhammad Adil Shah did his best to emulate the glorious traditions left to him by his versatile father. Diffusion of general education and religious teachings were one of his chief concerns, and he did his utmost to improve the socio-economic and educational standards of the people.

The colossal mausoleum of Muhammad Adil Shah, now named Gol Gumbaz depicts even to this day, after a lapse of four centuries, the glory that Muhammad’s reign had attained. It is the greatest structural triumps of Indo-Perso-Ottoman architecture of Adil Shahi period.

Muhammad was the first ruler of Adil Shahi dynasty to make a departure from the injunctions against figure and portraint painting which was scrupulously adhered to till his father’s reign. He introduced fresco paintings and portraits, the examples of which are the walls of Asar Mahal, pavilion at Kumatgi and Sat Manzil.

Muhammad’s reign witnessed the rise of Shivaji to eminence and his founding of an independent Maratha State, which was initially carved out from the Bijapur Kingdom. In spite of the great glory and power that Muhammad achieved he failed to check the rise of Marathas to independence. It may be argued that his policy of peaceful compromise indirectly helped the emergence of Maratha nation and statehood.

[edit] His Tomb

He was buried near the tomb of his spiritual teacher Hazrat Hashimpeer Dastageer and is called as world famous Gol Gumbaz.

[edit] References

• Wakiyate Mamlakate Bijapur by Basheeruddin Dehelvi.
• Tareekhe Farishta by Kasim Farishta
• External Relation of Bijapur Adil Shahis.

Preceded by Ibrahim Adil Shah II

Adil Shahi Rulers of Bijapur 1557–1557

Succeeded by Ali Adil Shah II