# Adil Shahi dynasty
The Adil Shahi dynasty (عادل شاہی سلسلہ) was an Indo-Muslim ruling house that governed Bijapur in the Deccan from 895 AH (1489–90) to 1097 AH (1686). It was founded by Yusuf Adil Khan, a commander and provincial governor of the declining Bahmani sultanate, who had the khutba, the [Friday prayer](https://www.edgepedia.org/friday-prayer) sermon, read in his own name at Bijapur, marking his independence.[1](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/adelsahis-a-dynasty/) • [2](https://referenceworks.brill.com/display/entries/EI3O/COM-23656.xml) The dynasty ended when the armies of the Mughal emperor Awrangzeb annexed Bijapur in 1097 AH (1685–86).[1](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/adelsahis-a-dynasty/) • [3](https://www.hfrjournal.ir/article_66826_3510418ba022e024e342ea5ebff9c756.pdf?lang=en)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founder | Yusuf Adil Khan, former Bahmani governor[2](https://referenceworks.brill.com/display/entries/EI3O/COM-23656.xml) |
| Founded | 895 AH (1489–90), at Bijapur[1](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/adelsahis-a-dynasty/) • [2](https://referenceworks.brill.com/display/entries/EI3O/COM-23656.xml) |
| Capital | Bijapur (Vijayapura), Deccan |
| Duration | About 200 years, 895–1097 AH (1489–1686)[4](https://www.ensani.ir/fa/article/522309/%D9%81%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D9%88-%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%AF-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA-%D9%85%D8%B0%D9%87%D8%A8%DB%8C-%D8%AD%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%84-%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%87%DB%8C-%D8%A8%DB%8C%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%BE%D9%88%D8%B1-%D8%AF%DA%A9%D9%86-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D9%82%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%85%D8%B0%D9%87%D8%A8-%D8%AA%D8%B4%DB%8C%D8%B9) |
| Rulers | Eight Sultans by one count, nine by another[4](https://www.ensani.ir/fa/article/522309/%D9%81%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D9%88-%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%AF-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA-%D9%85%D8%B0%D9%87%D8%A8%DB%8C-%D8%AD%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%84-%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%87%DB%8C-%D8%A8%DB%8C%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%BE%D9%88%D8%B1-%D8%AF%DA%A9%D9%86-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D9%82%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%85%D8%B0%D9%87%D8%A8-%D8%AA%D8%B4%DB%8C%D8%B9) |
| State religion | Twelver Shiism declared official in 908 AH (1502–03), the first such state in southern India[1](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/adelsahis-a-dynasty/) • [2](https://referenceworks.brill.com/display/entries/EI3O/COM-23656.xml) |
| Territory | Roughly from the Bhima to the Tungabhadra rivers |
| End | Annexed to the Mughal empire, 1097 AH (1685–86)[1](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/adelsahis-a-dynasty/) • [3](https://www.hfrjournal.ir/article_66826_3510418ba022e024e342ea5ebff9c756.pdf?lang=en) |
## Founding and history
The Bahmani sultanate (748–933 AH) weakened in the late ninth century AH and broke into five successor states: the Adil Shahis, Nizam Shahis, Qutb Shahis, Imad Shahis, and Barid Shahis.[3](https://www.hfrjournal.ir/article_66826_3510418ba022e024e342ea5ebff9c756.pdf?lang=en) Yusuf Adil Khan rose at the Bahmani court and broke away to form his own kingdom in 895/1489–90.[2](https://referenceworks.brill.com/display/entries/EI3O/COM-23656.xml) • [4](https://www.ensani.ir/fa/article/522309/%D9%81%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D9%88-%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%AF-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA-%D9%85%D8%B0%D9%87%D8%A8%DB%8C-%D8%AD%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%84-%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%87%DB%8C-%D8%A8%DB%8C%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%BE%D9%88%D8%B1-%D8%AF%DA%A9%D9%86-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D9%82%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%85%D8%B0%D9%87%D8%A8-%D8%AA%D8%B4%DB%8C%D8%B9) In 895 AH he had the khutba read in his own name at Bijapur and changed his title from Adil Khan to [Adil Shah](https://www.edgepedia.org/adil-shah).[3](https://www.hfrjournal.ir/article_66826_3510418ba022e024e342ea5ebff9c756.pdf?lang=en) Some sources give the founding year as 1489 and others as 1490; the Hijri date 895 AH corresponds to 1489–90.[1](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/adelsahis-a-dynasty/)
The dynasty's creed changed repeatedly. In 908 AH (1502–03), a year after the Safavid shah Ismail declared Shiism the official creed of Iran, Yusuf declared [Shia Islam](https://www.edgepedia.org/shia-islam) the state religion, the first ruler in India to do so; threats from his neighbors forced him to rescind the declaration, and he reinstated Shia doctrine in 909–10/1504.[2](https://referenceworks.brill.com/display/entries/EI3O/COM-23656.xml) Over the course of the dynasty the Adil Shahis switched between Sunni and Shia Islam about six times.[2](https://referenceworks.brill.com/display/entries/EI3O/COM-23656.xml) According to the *Encyclopaedia of Islam Three*, epigraphic evidence shows the Bijapur rulers did not take the title "Adil Shah" (calling themselves "Adil Khan") until 945/1538–9, the year the final Bahmani shah, Kalimallah, died.[2](https://referenceworks.brill.com/display/entries/EI3O/COM-23656.xml)
Ali I, the fifth Adil Shahi monarch, nearly doubled his kingdom's area in the first seven years of his reign. His most significant victory was the battle of Talikota (972/1565), in which an alliance of the [Deccan sultanates](https://www.edgepedia.org/deccan-sultanates) decisively defeated the [Vijayanagara](https://www.edgepedia.org/vijayanagara) empire and killed its king, Ram Raja.[1](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/adelsahis-a-dynasty/) • [2](https://referenceworks.brill.com/display/entries/EI3O/COM-23656.xml) From that victory Bijapur obtained the land between the Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers, rich in diamond mines, iron deposits, and black soil suited to cotton.[2](https://referenceworks.brill.com/display/entries/EI3O/COM-23656.xml) Ali I and his nobles then began a two-and-a-half-year building campaign of city walls, waterworks, gardens, and a monumental jami masjid.[2](https://referenceworks.brill.com/display/entries/EI3O/COM-23656.xml)
## Structure, functions, and principal holders
The sultanate was the most extensive and powerful of the five Deccan sultanates, with its territory running roughly from the [Bhima](https://www.edgepedia.org/bhima-landform) to the Tungabhadra rivers. Its administration blended Persian traditions with Bahmani, Deccani, and local Hindu practices, under a Sultan holding absolute power, a feudal military system, a land revenue structure that often used Marathi for records, and a policy of religious toleration permitting the employment of diverse officials.[5](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19783206)
Local administration relied on Hindu hereditary officers collectively called the Deshak. According to *A Study of the Local Administration of Adilshahi Sultanate (A.D. 1489–1686)*, the Desai (or Deshmukh) was the chief of a pargana containing roughly 10 to 200 villages, and the Deshkulkarni (or Deshpande) was the accountant and record-keeper.
The dynasty's court was divided between two factions, the Afaqiyya, immigrants of Iranian origin, and the Deccanis, local Sunnis; their rivalry continued throughout Adil Shahi rule, with each group seeking to influence the dynasty's religious policy to preserve its political and economic position.[4](https://www.ensani.ir/fa/article/522309/%D9%81%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D9%88-%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%AF-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA-%D9%85%D8%B0%D9%87%D8%A8%DB%8C-%D8%AD%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%84-%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%87%DB%8C-%D8%A8%DB%8C%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%BE%D9%88%D8%B1-%D8%AF%DA%A9%D9%86-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D9%82%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%85%D8%B0%D9%87%D8%A8-%D8%AA%D8%B4%DB%8C%D8%B9) Sources differ on the number of rulers: one count gives eight Sultans on the throne until 1686, another nine members of the dynasty.[4](https://www.ensani.ir/fa/article/522309/%D9%81%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D9%88-%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%AF-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA-%D9%85%D8%B0%D9%87%D8%A8%DB%8C-%D8%AD%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%84-%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%87%DB%8C-%D8%A8%DB%8C%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%BE%D9%88%D8%B1-%D8%AF%DA%A9%D9%86-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D9%82%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%85%D8%B0%D9%87%D8%A8-%D8%AA%D8%B4%DB%8C%D8%B9)
## Political influence
According to the *Encyclopaedia Iranica*, the Adil Shahis fought sustained wars on three fronts: against Ahmadnagar over Sholapur, against Vijayanagar over the Raichur plain, and against the Portuguese over the Konkan coastal ports.[1](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/adelsahis-a-dynasty/) Ali I secured Vijayanagar's support to seize Sholapur from Ahmadnagar, then forged the alliance of Muslim sultanates that destroyed the Vijayanagara empire in 972/1565.[1](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/adelsahis-a-dynasty/)
Religious policy was tied to two supra-regional powers, the Shia Safavids of Iran and the Sunni Mughals; Safavid influence was more prominent early on, and Mughal influence grew as the Mughals expanded from northern India toward the Deccan.[4](https://www.ensani.ir/fa/article/522309/%D9%81%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D9%88-%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%AF-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA-%D9%85%D8%B0%D9%87%D8%A8%DB%8C-%D8%AD%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%84-%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%87%DB%8C-%D8%A8%DB%8C%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%BE%D9%88%D8%B1-%D8%AF%DA%A9%D9%86-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D9%82%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%85%D8%B0%D9%87%D8%A8-%D8%AA%D8%B4%DB%8C%D8%B9) Yusuf's formalization of Shiism gave the state strong common ground with the Safavid government, with which it maintained very close relations.[3](https://www.hfrjournal.ir/article_66826_3510418ba022e024e342ea5ebff9c756.pdf?lang=en) With the exception of about three of some nine rulers, the rest supported Shiism and its expansion into southern India; some rulers, under domestic and foreign pressure, supported Sunnism, restricted Iranian culture, and even replaced Persian with a Hindu language as the official language.[4](https://www.ensani.ir/fa/article/522309/%D9%81%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D9%88-%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%AF-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA-%D9%85%D8%B0%D9%87%D8%A8%DB%8C-%D8%AD%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%84-%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%87%DB%8C-%D8%A8%DB%8C%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%BE%D9%88%D8%B1-%D8%AF%DA%A9%D9%86-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D9%82%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%85%D8%B0%D9%87%D8%A8-%D8%AA%D8%B4%DB%8C%D8%B9)
A treaty with the Mughals, dated 1045/1636 by one source and 1046/1635–6 by another, constrained Bijapur: one account states it guaranteed the kingdom's northern border and allowed [Muhammad Adil Shah](https://www.edgepedia.org/muhammad-adil-shah) to expand southward almost to the bottom of the peninsula; the other states Muhammad was forced to sign a treaty making Bijapur a tributary of the Mughals.[1](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/adelsahis-a-dynasty/) • [2](https://referenceworks.brill.com/display/entries/EI3O/COM-23656.xml)
## End
The dynasty was annexed to the Mughal empire by the armies of Awrangzeb in 1097/1686.[1](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/adelsahis-a-dynasty/) Internal strife among the southern Indian states and the presence of Portuguese colonizers allied with Hindu Vijayanagara contributed to the dynasty's weakening and absorption by the growing Mughals.[3](https://www.hfrjournal.ir/article_66826_3510418ba022e024e342ea5ebff9c756.pdf?lang=en)
## Assessment and legacy
The sultanate played an important part in the political and cultural history of medieval India. Ali I built a civil bureaucracy, a standing army, and the walls, mosques, and palaces that made Bijapur one of the leading Muslim cities of India.[1](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/adelsahis-a-dynasty/) The dynasty holds a distinct place in Indian religious history as the first Shia state in the subcontinent's south, and among the three Shia states of [India](https://www.edgepedia.org/indian-subcontinent) it was the first to declare Twelver Shiism the official religion of the state.[1](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/adelsahis-a-dynasty/) • [3](https://www.hfrjournal.ir/article_66826_3510418ba022e024e342ea5ebff9c756.pdf?lang=en)
The origin of the founder remains disputed. Most Persian histories, following Firishta (d. 1029/1620), link Yusuf to the [Ottoman dynasty](https://www.edgepedia.org/ottoman-dynasty) as a son of [Murad II](https://www.edgepedia.org/murad-ii), but non-Bijapuri sources fail to support this tradition, and epigraphic evidence suggests Sava in Iran was his ancestral home; he migrated from Iran to India around 865/1460.[1](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/adelsahis-a-dynasty/) Other chronicles attributed his origins to [Suleiman the Magnificent](https://www.edgepedia.org/suleiman-the-magnificent) or to the Aq Qoyunlu sultan Uzun Hasan; one recent study concludes he was an ordinary Shia Turk who migrated from the city of Save in Iran to the Bahmani lands, and that the royal-lineage claims were made to strengthen the reigning sultan's legitimacy.[6](https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/iuturkiyat/article/1359433)
## References
1. ʿĀdelšāhīs, Encyclopaedia Iranica. https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/adelsahis-a-dynasty/
2. ʿĀdil Shāhīs, Encyclopaedia of Islam Three. https://referenceworks.brill.com/display/entries/EI3O/COM-23656.xml
3. فراز و فرود سیاست مذهبی حکام عادل شاهی بیجاپور دکن در قبال مذهب تشیع (on the relations of the Adil Shahis with the Safavid state), تاریخ روابط خارجی. https://www.hfrjournal.ir/article_66826_3510418ba022e024e342ea5ebff9c756.pdf?lang=en
4. فراز و فرود سیاست مذهبی حکام عادل شاهی بیجاپور دکن در قبال مذهب تشیع. https://www.ensani.ir/fa/article/522309/%D9%81%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D9%88-%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%AF-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA-%D9%85%D8%B0%D9%87%D8%A8%DB%8C-%D8%AD%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%84-%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%87%DB%8C-%D8%A8%DB%8C%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%BE%D9%88%D8%B1-%D8%AF%DA%A9%D9%86-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D9%82%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%85%D8%B0%D9%87%D8%A8-%D8%AA%D8%B4%DB%8C%D8%B9
5. The Administration System of The Adil Shahi Dynasty (1490–1686 AC). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19783206
6. Âdilşâhîler Sultanlığı'nın Kurucusu ve İlk Hükümdarı Yusuf Âdilşâh'ın Kökeni Üzerine Yeni Bir Bakış Açısı, Journal of Turkology. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/iuturkiyat/article/1359433
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › History and archaeology › Asian history › India and South Asia › Regional sultanates (1350 to 1700) › Deccan sultanates › Successor sultanates*
*Initially written Sep 23, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license