Krishnadevaraya's Bahmani expedition

Krishnadevaraya's Bahmani expedition or Krishnadevaraya's Deccan expedition was a pivotal event in the history of the Bahmani Sultanate and the Vijayanagara Empire in the medieval history of Deccan region, India. It marked a significant escalation in tensions between the powers in Deccan.

Krishnadevaraya's Bahmani expedition
Part of Bahmani–Vijayanagar Wars
Date 1509–1512 Location Karnataka and Koilkonda, Telangana Result Vijayanagara victory Territorial changes Krishna-Tungabhadra region, Raichur, Gulbarga and Bidar conquered by the Vijayanagara Empire
Belligerents
Vijayanagara Empire	Bahmani Sultanate Sultanate of Bijapur Bidar Sultanate Golconda Sultanate Ahmadnagar Sultanate
Commanders and leaders
Krishnadevaraya Timmarusu	Mahmood Shah Bahmani II (WIA) Yusuf Adil Shah † Amir Barid I[1] Malik Ahmed Bahri Nuri Khan Khwaja-i-jahan Adil Khan Qutb-ul-Mulk Dastur-i-Mamalik Mirza Latf-ul-tab[2]

Background

The primary objective of Krishnadevaraya, the ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire, was to repel these invading forces and protect his territory. In 1509, as per tradition, prominent Bahmani nobles gathered in Bidar and embarked alongside Mahmud Shah II on their routine expedition into the domain of Krishnadevaraya. However, they were met with unexpected resistance from the Vijayanagara forces. This resistance signaled a departure from past engagements, where the Bahmani forces had enjoyed relative freedom to plunder and devastate Vijayanagara territories.^[1]

Campaign

Battle of Diwani

Main article: Battle of Diwani

The Muslim armies, accustomed to unchecked progress, were halted at the unidentified town of Diwani, where they suffered a significant defeat in the ensuing battle. Mahmud Shah II himself was thrown from his horse and sustained serious injuries,^[3] resulting in a slow recovery process.^[1] Consequently, his nobles reluctantly agreed to end hostilities and retreated to Bidar.^[4]

Battle of Kovilkonda

On 5 December 1510, Krishnadevaraya, seizing the opportunity, relentlessly pursued the withdrawing Bahmani and Bijapuri forces, particularly targeting Yusuf Adil Khan.^[5] Their confrontation near Kovilkonda culminated in a decisive battle, resulting in Khan's demise. With the capture of the Kovilkonda city, Krishnadevaraya solidified his victory before returning to his capital city.^[6][3]

Battle near the Krishna River (1512)

In 1512, Krishnadevaraya marched towards the Krishna river along with 30,000 cavalry and 300,000 infantry. This led to a formation of military alliance of the Bijapur, Ahmadnagar and Galconda Sultanates against the Vijayanagara Empire. The army of Vijayanagara under Kamma chief, Rāmalinga Naidu made frightful attacks on the allied opponent forces and had put everything into disorder. The aggression of Vijayanagara forces created a panic in the combined enemies. The military alliance suffered heavy casualties and some of the troops in it lost their lives due to retreat through the river and high floods.^[7]

Political machinations and Vijayanagara expansion

Capture of Raichur and siege of Gulbarga

Taking advantage of the destabilized conditions prevailing in Bijapur, Krishnadevaraya, the ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire, launched a series of military campaigns in the Krishna-Tungabhadra region. In 1512, he successfully captured the strategic stronghold of Raichur after advancing from the Krishna-Tungabhadra area. Following this conquest, Krishnadevaraya proceeded to Gulbarga, where he besieged the fort and inflicted a defeat upon Amir Barid I and his allies who were defending the city.^[1][8]

Siege of Bidar and restoration of Mahmud Shah

Continuing his military endeavors, Krishnadevaraya marched towards Bidar in pursuit of Amir Barid. Upon engaging in battle once again, he emerged victorious and captured the fort. Krishnadevaraya then restored Sultan Mahmud Shah to power in Bidar. In recognition of this act, Krishnadevaraya adopted the title of Yavana-rajya-sthapana-charya or The Restorer of the Muslim Empire.^[1][9][10] By reinstating Sultan Mahmud Shah, Krishnadevaraya aimed to continue instability among the Muslim rulers of the Deccan, understanding that the continued presence of the Bahmani monarchy's shadow would prevent any lasting peace in the region.^[1]

Aftermath

Following the initial skirmish with his adversaries, Krishnadevaraya devoted a period to reorganizing his military forces and transforming the disparate feudal levies into a formidable fighting unit within his capital. Although Yusuf Adil Shah had been succeeded by his young son, Ismail Adil Shah, as the nominal ruler of Bijapur, Kamal Khan wielded considerable power and harbored ambitions for the throne.^[1]