Yusuf Adil Shah

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Yusuf Adil Shah (1459 - 1511 A.D) was the founder of the Adil Shahi dynasty that ruled the Sultanate of Bijapur for nearly two centuries. As the founder of the newly formed Bijapur dynasty (as the Adil Shahi dynasty is also known), Yusuf Adil Shah is credited with developing the town of Bijapur and elevating it to significant status.

[edit] Legend of origin

A fanciful legend is related in connection with the origins of the Adil Shahi dynasty. Yusuf Adil Shah is said to have been the son of Murad II, Ottoman sultan and caliph of Islam, who was succeeded by one of his sons, Mahommed II. After his accession, the new sultan is said to have ordered the execution by strangling of all his brothers, including Yusuf. Yusuf's mother contrived to save him by replacing him with a slave boy; she then arranged to have Yusuf conveyed to Persia. Yusuf eventually came to India, where he took service under the Bahmani ruler of the Deccan, ultimately becaming a personage of importance at the court of Mahmud II.

Few serious historians give any credence to this legend. Certainly, the claim of direct descent from the Ottoman caliphs may be dismissed out of hand, even if one allows for foreign birth. However, it is noteworthy that the Adil Shahi sultans apparently could not claim any manifest or evident Afghan, Persian or Turko-mongol provenance, as was the fashion of that era. Their bards had to resort to a tale that spoke of such a connection having perforce been hidden for decades; indeed, it is not even clear that Yusuf in his lifetime ever professed awareness of his purported heritage. Hence, indications are that the family was an indigenous one of obscure and probably base origin.

[edit] Career

Whatever may have been Yusuf's origins, the matter did not hamper his essaying a brilliant career. His bravery and personality raised him rapidly in the Bahmani sultan's favor, and resulted in his being appointed Governor of Bijapur.

In 1489, Yusuf took advantage of the decline of the Bahmani power to establish himself as an independent sultan at Bijapur. He waged war against the Vijayanagar empire, as also against Bijapur's Muslim neighbours. The Bijapur sultanate he founded was a formidable force for close to two centuries until it was finally defeated by Aurangzeb in 1686.

Adil Shah is personally responsible for building the imposing Citadel or Arkilla and the palace named Faroukh Mahal. Yusuf was a man of culture and invited poets and artisans from Persia, Turkey and Rome to his court. He was also an accomplished musician and scholar with deep religious tolerance that was reflected in art and architecture from this time.

Yusuf Adil Shah married Punji, the sister of a Maratha warrior. He died in 1511, shortly after the loss of Goa to Alfonso d'Albuquerque, the Portuguese adventurer, in 1510. Yusuf left behind a strong if small state, one which persisted through two relatively chaotic centuries in a region rife with political ferment. He was succeeded by his son Ismail, who being a minor, was aided in his rule by a certain Kamal Khan.