Deccan sultanates

Abstract The Deccan sultanates were Muslim‐ruled sultanates in Central India, comprising Ahmadnagar, Bijapur, Golkonda, and the short‐lived Berar and Bidar. Emerging out of the disintegration of the Bahmani Sultanate in the 1480s, the Deccan sultanates incorporated varied Muslim (Foreigners, Deccanis) and non‐Muslim (Brahmins, nayaka s, desai s, Marathas) elites. During the 16th century, the sultanates expanded their territories, fostered both Islamic and local characteristics, and employed multiple languages (Persian, Dakhni, and the vernaculars Kannada, Marathi, and Telugu) and political idioms simultaneously to accommodate various elements of local society. In the 17th century, the Mughal Empire increased its influence in the Deccan, conquering Ahmadnagar in 1636. The Marathas broke away from Bijapur in the 1650s, further destabilizing the political order by pursuing their independent agenda. Under these growing pressures, Bijapur and Golkonda collapsed and their territories were annexed by the Mughals in 1686–1687.