View source for Ahmadnagar Sultanate

{{short description|Deccan Indian kingdom (1490–1636)}}
{{distinguish|Nizams of Hyderabad}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox Former Country
| native_name            = {{lang|fa|{{nq|سلسله نظام شاهیان}}}}
| conventional_long_name = Ahmadnagar Sultanate
| year_start             = 1490
| year_end               = 1636
| p1                     = Bahmani Sultanate
| s1                     = Mughal Empire
| date_start             = 28 May
| date_end               = October{{sfn|Gordon|1993|p=47}}
| event_start            = 
| event_end              = 
| image_map              = File:Ahmednagar Sultanate.png
| image_map_caption      = Map of Ahmadnagar Sultanate extending form [[Khandesh]] to [[Udgir]], [[Golna]] to [[Paranda]] and from [[Konkan]] to territories beyond Elichpur of [[Vidarbha|Berar]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-3CPc22nMqIC&dq=malik+ambar+man+singh&pg=PA73|title=The African Dispersal in the Deccan: From Medieval to Modern Times|last=Ali|first=Shanti Sadiq|date=1996|publisher=Orient Blackswan|isbn=978-81-250-0485-1|language=en|page=56}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/TheRelationsOfTheMughalEmpireWithTheAhmadnagarKingdom15261636|title=The Relations Of The Mughal Empire With The Ahmadnagar Kingdom 1526–1636|last=Mohamed Nasr|language=English|page=133}}</ref>
| religion               = '''State religion:'''
* [[Sunni Islam]] (until 1538)<ref>{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TYImm1TnemwC&q=islam+in+the+subcontinent+book |title= Islam in the Subcontinent |page= 55 |isbn= 9004061177 |last1= Schimmel |first1= Annemarie |year= 1980 |publisher= Brill }}</ref>
* [[Shi'a Islam]] (1538 onwards)
* [[Mahdawi movement|Mahdavism]] (1589–1591)
----'''Other:'''<br />[[Religion in South Asia|Other religions in South Asia]]
| capital                = [[Junnar]] (1490–1494; 1610)<br />[[Ahmednagar]] (1494–1600)<br />[[Daulatabad Fort|Daulatabad]] (1499–1636, secondary capital)<br />[[Paranda]] (1600–1610)<br />[[Aurangabad]] (1610–1636)
| official_languages     = [[Persian language|Persian]]
| common_languages       = [[Marathi language|Marathi]] <br /> [[Deccani language|Deccani Urdu]] (language of the ruling class)
| government_type        = [[Monarchy]]
| title_leader           = Sultan
| leader1                = [[Ahmad Nizam Shah I]] (first)
| year_leader1           = 1490–1510
| leader2                = [[Murtaza Nizam Shah III]] (last)
| year_leader2           = 1633–1636
| stat_year1             = 
| stat_pop1              = 
| stat_area4             = 
| population_density3    = 
| currency               = Falus<ref>Stan Goron and J.P. Goenka, ''The coins of the Indian sultanates : covering the area of present-day India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh'' (New Delhi : Munshiram Manoharlal, 2001).</ref>
| s2                     = Bijapur Sultanate
| today                  = [[India]]
| demonym                = 
| area_km2               = 
}}

The '''Ahmadnagar Sultanate''' was a medieval [[Deccanis|Deccani Muslim]] kingdom located in the northwestern [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]], between the sultanates of [[Gujarat Sultanate|Gujarat]] and [[Sultanate of Bijapur|Bijapur]], ruled by the '''Nizam Shahi dynasty'''.<ref group=n>{{langx|fa|{{nq|سلسله نظام شاهیان}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=WQ-LPaYPFIQC&dq=nizam+mulk+bahri&pg=PA38 |title=Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal|volume= 44 |page=38 |date=1875 |publisher= Bishop's College Press }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=6l5rXRkpkFgC&dq=ahmadnagar+sultanate+indian+muslim&pg=PA246 |title= The Age of Reconnaissance |page= 246 |author= John Horace Parry |date= 1981 |publisher= the University of California Press |isbn= 9780520042353 }}</ref> It was established by [[Ahmad Nizam Shah|Malik Ahmad Nizam Shah I]] in 1490. He was the son of Malik Hasan Bahri and was originally part of the Kulkarnis of [[Pathri]] in [[Marathwada]]. After serving as governor of [[Beed district|Beed]] and other districts, Malik Ahmad declared independence from the [[Bahmani Kingdom|Bahmani Sultanate]] and established Ahmadnagar Sultanate.<ref name="sen2">{{Cite book |last=Sen |first=Sailendra |title=A Textbook of Medieval Indian History |publisher=Primus Books |year=2013 |isbn=978-9-38060-734-4 |pages=118}}</ref> Initially the capital was in the town of Junnar with its fort, later renamed [[Shivneri]]. In 1494, the foundation was laid for the new capital [[Ahmednagar]]. A land fort called [[Ahmednagar Fort|Ahmednagar]] [[Qila]] was the headquarters of the Ahmednagar Sultanate.

After Malik Ahmad's death in 1510, his young son [[Burhan Nizam Shah I]] became ruler, converting to [[Nizari Isma'ilism|Nizari Isma'ili]] [[Shia Islam|Shi'a Islam]]. The dynasty played a major role in the Deccan region, including forming an alliance of Muslim sultanates that defeated the [[Vijayanagara Empire]] at the [[Battle of Talikota]] in 1565, where Sultan [[Hussain Nizam Shah I]] personally beheaded [[Rama Raya]], the Vijayanagara regent. Subsequent rulers included [[Murtaza Nizam Shah I]], who expanded the kingdom to its largest size and repelled a [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] invasion in 1586. Internal strife and assassinations marked later reigns, with regents like [[Chand Bibi]] and [[Malik Ambar]] defending the sultanate from Mughal attacks until Ahmadnagar was eventually conquered. In 1636 [[Aurangzeb]], then Mughal [[Subahdar|viceroy]] of the [[Deccan Subah|Deccan]], annexed the sultanate to the [[Mughal Empire]]. The Ahmadnagar Sultanate was notable for its cultural contributions, including the earliest Deccan school of painting and extensive architectural works such as palaces (Farah Bakhsh Bagh, Hasht Bihisht Bagh), forts (Junnar/Shivneri, [[Daulatabad Fort|Daulatabad]]), mosques, and tombs. The capital city Ahmadnagar was modeled after major [[Persianate society|Persianate]] cities and was considered highly impressive in its time. Malik Ambar is credited with building the [[Murud-Janjira|Janjira Fort]], which played a strategic role in regional defense.

==History==
[[File:Ahmednagar Fort Main Gate.jpg|thumb|190x190px|'''Ahmednagar Fort''']]

===Establishment===
[[Malik Ahmad Nizam Shah I]] who was the son of [[Nizam-ul-Mulk Malik Hasan Bahri]] established the kingdom. His Family were the Kulkarnis of Pathri a town in Marathwada. Either as a result of religious persecution or famine, his ancestors came to Vijayanagar Empire.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ranade |first1=Mahadev Govind |title=Rise of the Maratha Power |date=1961 |publisher=Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, 1961 |page=14 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CeC1AAAAIAAJ&q=+patri |quote=first Ahmednagar king was the son of a converted Brahman Kulkarni of Patri in Berar, whose family had entered the service of the Vijaynagar kings. The Brahman surname Bhairav became Behri the distinguishing title of these kings, and they so faithfully remembered their origin that they conquered Patri and gave it in inam to the Brahman Kulkarnis after a long struggle with the Berar rulers.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Shyam |first1=Radhey |title=The Kingdom of Ahmadnagar |year=2025|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ.|orig-year=1966 |isbn=9788120826519 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5C4hBqKdkEsC&q=kulkarni |quote=His original name was Timma Bhat, and his father's name was Bhairon, a Kulkarni Brahman of Pathri}}</ref> Ahmed's father was made prime minister on the death of [[Mahmud Gawan]] and was made ''Malik Na'ib'' by [[Mahmood Shah Bahmani II]]. Soon after, he appointed Ahmed governor of [[Beed]] and other districts in the vicinity of [[Daulatabad Fort|Dowlutabad]]. After the death of his father, Ahmed assumed the titles of Nizam ul-Mulk Bahri from his father, the last signifying a falcon as Hasan had been falconer to the Sultan. Malik Ahmad the [[Bahmani kingdom|Bahmani]] governor of [[Junnar]] defended his province against incursions from the Sultan and his forces,{{sfn|Shyam|1966|pp=17–18}}<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.68551|title=The Bahmanis of the Deccan – An Objective Study|last=Sherwani|first=Haroon Khan|year=1946|author-link=Haroon Khan Sherwani|publisher=Krishnavas International Printers, Hyderabad Deccan|oclc=3971780|pages=368–369}}</ref> successfully defeating a much larger army led by Sheikh Muaddi Arab in a night attack, an army of 18,000 led by Azmut-ul-Dabir and an army led by Bahmani general Jahangir Khan.{{sfn|Shyam|1966|pp=31–33}} On 28 May 1490, Ahmad declared independence and established the Nizam Shahi dynasty's rule over a ''de facto'' independent Sultanate.<ref name="sen2"/> Initially his capital was in the town of Junnar with its fort, later renamed [[Shivneri]].{{sfn|Sohoni|2018|p=65}} In 1494, the foundation was laid for the new capital [[Ahmadnagar]].<ref name="EI3-Nizam">{{EI3|last=Fischel|first=Roy S.|title= Niẓām Shāhīs |year=2017|url=https://referenceworks.brill.com/display/entries/EI3O/COM-30117.xml}}</ref> After several attempts, he secured the great fortress of [[Daulatabad, Maharashtra|Daulatabad]] in 1499.{{sfn|Shyam|1966|p=41}}{{sfn|Shyam|1966|p=37}}

===Reigns of the successors of Malik Ahmad===
[[File:Battle of Talikota (detail).jpg|thumb|left|[[Rama Raya]]'s beheading in the [[Battle of Talikota]] in 1565]]
After the death of Malik Ahmad in 1510, his son [[Burhan Nizam Shah I]], a boy of seven, was installed on the throne. In the initial days of his reign, the control of the kingdom was in the hands of Mukammal Khan, an Ahmadnagar official and his son. Burhan converted to [[Nizari]] [[Isma'ili]] [[Shi'a]] Islam under the tutelage of [[Shah Tahir]], a refugee from Persia and court official who was head of the largest branch of Nizari Shi'ism at that time.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sohoni |first=Pushkar |editor-last=Roxburgh |editor-first=David J. |title=Seeing the Past – Envisioning Islamic Art and Architecture: Essays in Honor of Renata Holod  |publisher=Brill, Leiden |date=2014 |pages=110–127 |chapter=Patterns of Faith: Mosque Typologies and sectarian affiliation in the kingdom of Ahmadnagar |isbn=9789004264021}}</ref> Burhan died in Ahmadnagar in 1553. He left six sons, of whom [[Hussain Nizam Shah I]] succeeded him.{{sfn|Majumdar|1974|p=420}}

Beginning in the 1560s, the ''de facto'' ruler of nearby [[Vijayanagara Empire]], [[Rama Raya]], made a series of aggressive efforts to maintain hold over [[Kalyan]]<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Shobhi|first=Prithvi Datta Chandra|date=2 January 2016|title=Kalyāṇa is Wrecked: The Remaking of a Medieval Capital in Popular Imagination|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/02666030.2016.1182327|journal=South Asian Studies|volume=32|issue=1|pages=90–98|doi=10.1080/02666030.2016.1182327|s2cid=219697794|issn=0266-6030|url-access=subscription}}</ref>{{Efn|Kalyana was the capital of the [[Chalukyas]]. Rama Raya sought to control the territory in his bid to gain popular legitimacy by establishing himself as the true heir to Chalukya sovereignty and glory. Other examples included retrofitting of decayed Chalukya complexes and bringing back Chalukya festivals.|name=|group=}} and conducted diplomatic dealings with the Sultanates laden with insulting gestures. In response, four of the five Deccan Muslim sultans—namely [[Hussain Nizam Shah I]] and [[Ali Adil Shah I]] of Ahmadnagar and [[Sultanate of Bijapur|Bijapur]] to the west, [[Ali Barid Shah I]] of [[Bidar Sultanate|Bidar]] in the center, and [[Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah Wali]] of [[Sultanate of Golconda|Golconda]] to the east—united in the wake of shrewd marital diplomacy and convened to attack Rama Raya in late January 1565 at [[Talikoti|Talikota]]. Hussain was a leading figurehead of the [[Deccan sultanates]] during the [[Battle of Talikota|ensuing battle]]. Afterwards, Rama Raya was beheaded by Sultan Nizam Hussain himself.<ref>Subrahmanyam, Sanjay (12 April 2012). "Courtly Insults". Courtly Encounters : Translating Courtliness and Violence in Early Modern Eurasia. Harvard University Press. pp. 34–102. {{doi|10.4159/harvard.9780674067363.c2}}. {{ISBN|978-0-674-06736-3}}.</ref>

After the death of Hussain in 1565, his minor son [[Murtaza Nizam Shah I]] ascended the throne. During his minority, his mother Khanzada Humayun ruled as a regent for several years. Murtaza Shah annexed [[Berar Sultanate|Berar]] in 1574, bringing the sultanate to its territorial zenith.<ref name="EI3-Nizam"/> Murtaza launched an unsuccessful campaign into Bijapur in 1580, following the death of sultan [[Ali Adil Shah I]] earlier that year.{{sfn|Majumdar|1974|p=428}} In 1586, Ahmadnagar faced an invasion by [[Akbar]] of the [[Mughal Empire]]; Mughal forces approached the capital, but were dispelled, choosing to withdraw to the recently annexed [[Ellichpur]], whereupon the city was sacked and razed. The Mughals were then fully expelled from Ahmadnagar territory, the invasion ultimately ending in Mughal humiliation.{{sfn|Fischel|2020|p=131}} Amid falling stability in the Sultanate as a result of mismanaged factional relations, Murtaza was murdered by his son Miran Hussain in 1588, who succeeded him and ascended the throne.<ref name="EI3-Nizam"/> His reign could however last only a little more than ten months as he was imprisoned. Ismail, a cousin of Miran Hussain was raised to the throne, but actual power was in the hands of Jamal Khan, the leader of the [[Habshi]] group in the court. He was the leader of the [[Mahdawi movement]], and aggressively propagated the faith while in power.{{sfn|Shyam|1966|pp=204–210}}{{sfn|Majumdar|1974|pp=426–429}}

Ismail Nizam Shah's unpopular reign proved short. Jamal Khan was killed in the battle of Rohankhed in 1591 and soon Ismail was also captured and confined by his father Burhan, who ascended the throne as [[Burhan Nizam Shah II]]. He outlawed Mahdawia and reinstated Shi'ism as the state religion. Following Burhan's death, a civil war broke out which was eventually won by his sister, [[Chand Bibi]]. She ascended the throne as regent for the new infant sultan and her grand-nephew, [[Bahadur Nizam Shah]], then repelled an invasion by the [[Mughal Empire]] with reinforcements from the [[Bijapur Sultanate|Bijapur]] and [[Golconda Sultanate]]s. After the death of Chand Bibi in July 1600, Ahmadnagar was conquered by the Mughals and the Sultan was imprisoned.<ref name="EI3-Nizam"/>{{sfn|Majumdar|1974|pp=430–435}}

===Malik Ambar and the demise of the sultanate===
[[File:Murtaza Nizam Shah II and Malik Ambar.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Murtaza Nizam Shah II]] with [[Malik Ambar]]]]
Despite Ahmadnagar city being incorporated into the Mughal Empire, much of the former kingdom still remained in the possession of influential officials of the Nizam Shahi dynasty. [[Malik Ambar]] and other Ahmadnagar officials defied the Mughals and declared [[Murtaza Nizam Shah II]] as sultan in 1600 at a new capital in [[Paranda]]. Malik Ambar became prime minister and [[Vekil|''vekīl-us-saltanat'']] of Ahmadnagar.{{sfn|Majumdar|1974|pp=435–436}} Later, the capital was shifted, first to Junnar and [[Ausa (town)|Ausa]] and then to a new city called Khadki (later [[Aurangabad, Maharashtra|Aurangabad]]).{{sfn|Sohoni|2018|p=xxiv}}

After the death of Malik Ambar in May 1626, his son [[Fath Khan]] surrendered to the Mughals in the [[siege of Daulatabad (1633)|siege of Daulatabad]] in 1633 and handed over the young Nizam Shahi ruler Hussain Shah, who was sent as a prisoner to the fort of Gwalior. But soon, [[Shahaji]], a jagirdar and general of the sultanate at that time, with the assistance of Bijapur, placed an infant scion of the Nizam Shahi dynasty, [[Murtaza Nizam Shah III]] on the throne and he became the regent of the sultanate. In 1636, [[Aurangzeb]], then Mughal viceroy of Deccan, finally defeated Shahaji and partitioned the sultanate between the Mughal Empire and the [[Sultanate of Bijapur]].<ref name="EI3-Nizam"/>{{sfn|Majumdar|1974|pp=444–445}}

===Revenue system of Malik Ambar===
The revenue system introduced by Malik Ambar was based on the revenue system introduced in Northern India and some parts of Gujarat and Khandesh [[Subah (province)|subahs]] by Raja [[Todar Mal|Todarmal]]. Lands were classified as good or bad according to their fertility and he took a number of years to ascertain accurately the average yield of lands. He abolished the revenue farming. At first, revenue was fixed as two-fifths of the actual produce in kind, but later the cultivators were allowed to pay in cash equivalent to approximately one-third of the yield. Although an average rent was fixed for each plot of land, actual collections depended on the conditions of crops and they varied from year to year.{{sfn|Majumdar|1974|p=444}}

== Culture ==
=== Art ===
{{Main|Deccan painting}}

[[File:ExecutionOfLodiAndSupporters-Padshahnama.jpg|thumb|upright|The treacherous [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] Viceroy of the [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]] Khan Jahan Lodi was executed in the year 1630, for covertly allying himself with [[Burhan Nizam Shah III]], against the [[Mughal Emperor]] [[Shah Jahan]].<ref name="google">{{cite book|title=History of India|author=Jayapalan, N.|date=2001|publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Distributors (P) Limited|isbn=9788171569281|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6L6avTlqJNYC|page=167|access-date=17 May 2015}}</ref>]]
Under the reigns of successive rulers of the dynasty, architecture and art flourished in the kingdom. The earliest extant school of [[Deccan painting|painting in the Deccan sultanates]] is from Ahmadnagar.<ref name="michell_274" /> Several palaces, such as the Farah Bakhsh Bagh,<ref>[[Pushkar Sohoni]]. "Change and Memory in Farah Bagh, Ahmadnagar" in ''Journal of Deccan Studies'', v. 5 no. 2 (Jul–Dec 2007), pp. 59–77.</ref> the [[Hasht Bihisht Bagh]], Lakkad Mahal were built, as were tombs, mosques and other buildings.<ref>[[Pushkar Sohoni]]. "Architecture of the Nizam Shahs" in Helen Philon (ed.), ''Silent Splendour: Palaces of the Deccan, 14th – 19th centuries'' (Mumbai: Marg Publications, 2010).</ref> Many forts of the Deccan, such as the fort of [[Junnar]] (later renamed [[Shivneri]]), [[Paranda]], [[Ausa (town)|Ausa]], [[Dharur, Beed|Dharur]], [[Lohagad]], etc. were greatly improved under their reign. Daulatabad, which was their secondary capital, was also heavily fortified and constructed in their reign.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Sohoni|first1=Pushkar|author1-link=Pushkar Sohoni|title=Aurangabad with Daulatabad, Khuldabad and Ahmadnagar|date=2015|publisher=Jaico Publishing House; Deccan Heritage Foundation|location=Mumbai; London|isbn=9788184957020}}</ref> Literature was heavily patronised in the kingdom, as seen through manuscripts such as the ''Tarif-i Husain Shah Badshah-i Dakan''.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Aftabi|editor1-last=Mate|editor1-first=M.S.|editor2-last=Kulkarni|editor2-first=G.T.|title=Tarif-i-Husain Shah, Badshah Dakhan|date=1987|publisher=Bharat Itihas Samshodhan Mandal|location=Pune}}</ref> Sanskrit scholarship was also given a boost under their rule, as demonstrated by the works of Sabaji Pratap<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Gode|first1=P.K.|title=Sabaji Prataparaja, a protege of Burhan Nizam Shah of Ahmadnagar, and his works between 1500 and 1560|journal=The Indian Historical Quarterly|date=1944|volume=20|page=96}}</ref> and Bhanudatta.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Mishra|first1=Bhanudatta|editor1-last=Pollock|editor1-first=Sheldon|title='Bouquet of rasa' & 'River of rasa'|date=2009|publisher=New York University Press|location=New York|isbn=9780814767559}}</ref> The city of Ahmadnagar, founded by the Nizam Shahs, was described as being comparable to Cairo and Baghdad, within a few years of its construction.{{sfn|Shyam|1966|p=38}} It was modelled along the great cities of the Persianate world, given the Shi'i leanings of the dynasty.<ref>[[Pushkar Sohoni]]. "Patterns of Faith: Mosque Typologies and Sectarian Affiliation in the Kingdom of Ahmadnagar" in David Roxburgh (ed.), ''Envisioning Islamic Art and Architecture: Essays in honor of Renata Holod'' (Leiden: Brill, 2014).</ref>

=== Architecture ===
{{Main|Architecture of the Bahmani and Deccan sultanates}}

[[File:Magnificent view of Farah Bagh, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra.jpg|A view of the Farah Bagh built by the Nizam Shahs|thumb]]
[[File:Tomb_Of_Salabat_Khan_II_.jpg|thumb|right|alt=The Tomb Of Salabat Khan II also called [[Tomb of Salabat Khan II|Chandbiwi's Mahal]] after [[Chand Bibi]].|The Tomb Of Salabat Khan II also called [[Tomb of Salabat Khan II|Chandbiwi's Mahal]] after [[Chand Bibi]].]]
A number of palaces such as the Farah Bakhsh Bagh, Ahmadnagar Fort, [[Hasht Bihisht Bagh]], and Manjarsumbah are in and around Ahmadnagar city. There exist tombs of nobles like Salabat Khan and Changiz Khan, and also of saints like Shah Sharif and Bava Bangali.{{sfn|Sohoni|2018}}{{page needed|date=September 2024}}

Malik Ambar is credited with the construction of the [[Murud-Janjira|Janjira Fort]] in the Murud Area of present-day [[Maharashtra]] India.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sohoni|first=Pushkar|chapter=The Fort of Janjira|title=African Rulers and Generals in India|publisher=University of North Carolina Ethiopian and East African Studies Project; Ahmedabad Sidi Heritage and Educational Center|year=2020|location=Greensboro, NC; Ahmedabad|pages=167–183}}</ref> After its construction in 1567 AD, the fort was key to the Sidis withstanding various invasion attempts by the Marathas, Mughals, and Portuguese to capture Janjira.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Kainthla|first=Anita|date=Aug 2011|title=The Invincible Fort of Murud Janjira|journal=India Currents|volume=25|issue=5|pages=56–57|id={{ProQuest|<!-- add ProQuest data here -->}}}}</ref>

''Farah Bagh'' (also called as ''Faria Bagh'') is situated in [[Ahmednagar]], [[Maharashtra]]. It is a palace build by Nizam Shahi rulers in Ahmednagar.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/how-16th-century-ahmednagar-palace-in-maharashtra-stayed-cool-in-summer/story-qAKzMj36SLpmGDxcIB5lwL.html|title=How 16th-century Ahmednagar palace in Maharashtra stayed cool in summer|date=26 May 2019|website=Hindustan Times|language=en|access-date=25 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aHcfv6zkJgQC&dq=Farah+bagh++Ahmednagar&pg=PA11 | title=The New Cambridge History of India: 1. The Portuguese in India | publisher=Cambridge University Press | author=George Michell | year=1987 | isbn=0521563216 |accessdate=20 June 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Singh|first1=M.|last2=Kumar|first2=S Vinodh|date=8 May 2019|title=Architechtural features and characterization of 16th century Indian Monument Farah Bagh, Ahmed Nagar, India|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332935786|journal=International Journal of Architectural Heritage|volume=14 |issue=9 |pages=1398–1411 |doi=10.1080/15583058.2019.1610524|s2cid=164648431}}</ref>
Farah Bagh was the centrepiece of a huge palacial complex completed in 1583. It were the special possessions of the royal household and Murtaza [[Nizam]] Shah often retired here to play chess with a Delhi singer whom he called Fateh Shah and also built for him a separate mahal called ''Lakad Mahal'' in the garden.

== List of rulers ==
{{Main|List of sultans of Ahmednagar Sultanate}}

The following is the list of the Nizam Shahi rulers of Ahmadnagar:<ref name="michell_274">Michell, George & Mark Zebrowski. ''Architecture and Art of the Deccan Sultanates'' (''[[The New Cambridge History of India]]'' Vol. I:7), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1999, {{ISBN|0-521-56321-6}}, p. 274</ref>
# [[Ahmad Nizam Shah I]] (1490–1510)
# [[Burhan Shah I|Burhan Nizam Shah I]] (1510–1553)
# [[Hussain Nizam Shah I]] (1553–1565)
# [[Murtaza Nizam Shah I]] (1565–1588)
# [[Hussain Nizam Shah II]] (1588–1589)
# [[Ismail Nizam Shah]] (1589–1591)
# [[Burhan Nizam Shah II]] (1591–1595)
# [[Bahadur Nizam Shah]] (1595–1600; under the regency of his great-aunt [[Chand Bibi]])
# [[Ahmad Nizam Shah II]] (1596)
# [[Murtaza Nizam Shah II]] (1600–1610)
# [[Burhan Nizam Shah III]] (1610–1631)
# [[Hussain Nizam Shah III]] (1631–1633)
# [[Murtaza Nizam Shah III]] (1633–1636).

==Genealogy of House of Nizam-Shahi==
{{Chart top|width=100%|collapsed=no|House of Nizam-Shahi}}
{|- valign=top
| colspan=100% style="text-align:left" |
{{Color sample|border=#FFD700|#white; border-width:2px}} Ahmadnagar Sultanate
|}
{{Tree chart/start|align=center|style=font-size:90%}}
{{Tree chart| | | | | | | | | | A01 | | | | | | | | | |
|A01='''[[Ahmad Nizam Shah|Ahmad I <br>Nizam-Shah]]''' <br>{{r.|1490|1510}}
|boxstyle_ A01 =border-color:#FFD700
}}
{{Tree chart| | | | | | | | | | |!| | | | | | | | | | |}}
{{Tree chart| | | | | | | | | | A01 | | | | | | | | | |
|A01='''[[Burhan Nizam Shah I|Burhan I <br>Nizam-Shah]]''' <br>{{r.|1510|1553}}
|boxstyle_ A01 =border-color:#FFD700
}}
{{Tree chart| | | | | | |,|-|-|-|^|-|-|-|.| | | | | | |}}
{{Tree chart| | | | | | A01 | | | | | | A02 | | | | | |
|A01='''[[Hussain Nizam Shah I|Husayn I <br>Nizam-Shah]]''' <br>{{r.|1553|1565}}
|A02=Shah-Ali
|boxstyle_ A01 =border-color:#FFD700
}}
{{Tree chart| | |,|-|-|-|^|-|-|-|.| | | |!| | | | | | |}}
{{Tree chart| | A01 | | | | | | A02 | | A03 | | | | | |
|A01='''[[Murtaza Nizam Shah I|Murtada I <br>Nizam-Shah]]''' <br>{{r.|1565|1588}}
|A02='''[[Burhan Nizam Shah II|Burhan II <br>Nizam-Shah]]''' <br>{{r.|1591|1595}}
|A03='''[[Murtaza Nizam Shah II|Murtada II <br>Nizam-Shah]]''' <br>{{r.|1600|1610}}
|boxstyle_ A01 =border-color:#FFD700
|boxstyle_ A02 =border-color:#FFD700
|boxstyle_ A03 =border-color:#FFD700
}}
{{Tree chart| | |!| | | |,|-|-|-|(| | | |!| | | | | | |}}
{{Tree chart| | A01 | | A02 | | A03 | | A04 | | | | | |
|A01='''Husayn II <br>Nizam-Shah''' <br>{{r.|1588|1589}}
|A02='''Isma'il <br>Nizam-Shah''' <br>{{r.|1589|1591}}
|A03='''Ibrahim <br>Nizam-Shah''' <br>{{r.|1595|1596}}
|A04='''[[Burhan Nizam Shah III|Burhan III <br>Nizam-Shah]]''' <br>{{r.|1610|1631}}
|boxstyle_ A01 =border-color:#FFD700
|boxstyle_ A02 =border-color:#FFD700
|boxstyle_ A03 =border-color:#FFD700
|boxstyle_ A04 =border-color:#FFD700
}}
{{Tree chart| | | | | | |!| | | |!| | | |!| | | | | | |}}
{{Tree chart| | | | | | A01 | | A02 | | A03 | | A04 | |
|A01='''Ahmad <br>Nizam-Shah''' <br>{{r.|1596|1596}}
|A02='''[[Bahadur Nizam Shah|Bahadur <br>Nizam-Shah]]''' <br>{{r.|1596|1600}}
|A03='''Husayn III <br>Nizam-Shah''' <br>{{r.|1631|1633}}
|A04='''[[Murtaza Nizam Shah III|Murtada III <br>Nizam-Shah]]''' <br>{{r.|1633|1636}}
|boxstyle_ A01 =border-color:#FFD700
|boxstyle_ A02 =border-color:#FFD700
|boxstyle_ A03 =border-color:#FFD700
|boxstyle_ A04 =border-color:#FFD700
}}
{{Tree chart/end}}
{{Chart bottom}}

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}
{{reflist|group=n}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

=== Sources ===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UHoxEAAAQBAJ |title=Local States in an Imperial World: Identity, Society and Politics in the Early Modern Deccan |first=Roy S. |last=Fischel |date=2020 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press|isbn=9781474436090}}
* {{cite book |last=Gordon |first=Stewart |title=The Marathas 1600–1818 |series=The New Cambridge History of India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iHK-BhVXOU4C |year=1993 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-26883-7 }}
* {{cite book |last=Majumdar |first=R.C. |year=1974 |title=The Mughul Empire |chapter=The Five Sultanates of the Deccan |publisher=Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan |author-link=R.C. Majumdar|url=https://archive.org/details/mughal-empire-r.-c.-majumdar-1974}}
* {{cite book|first=Radhey|last=Shyam|date=1966|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5C4hBqKdkEsC|title=The Kingdom of Ahmadnagar|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=9788120826519}}
* {{cite book |last1=Sohoni |first1=Pushkar |title=The Architecture of a Deccan Sultanate: Courtly Practice and Royal Authority in Late Medieval India |title-link=The Architecture of a Deccan Sultanate |date=2018 |publisher=I.B. Tauris |location=London |isbn=9780755606795}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
* Sohoni, Pushkar (2010). [http://dissertationreviews.org/archives/2071 "Local Idioms and Global Designs: Architecture of the Nizam Shahs"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031073435/http://dissertationreviews.org/archives/2071 |date=31 October 2013 }}. (Doctoral dissertation, University of Pennsylvania).
* Sohoni, Pushkar (2015), ''Aurangabad with Daulatabad, Khuldabad and Ahmadnagar'', Mumbai: Jaico Publishing House; London: Deccan Heritage Foundation, {{ISBN|9788184957020}}.
* Chopra, R.M. (2012), ''The Rise, Growth And Decline in Indo-Persian Literature'', Iran Culture House, New Delhi, Chapter on "Persian Literature in Ahmadnagar Sultanate".

==External links==
* {{commons-inline}}

[[Category:States and territories established in 1490]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in 1636]]
[[Category:Ahmadnagar Sultanate| ]]
[[Category:History of Aurangabad]]
[[Category:Former sultanates]]
[[Category:Deccan sultanates]]