->Bsr465: Word Telangana itself indictes it's part of South- Central Region or Southern state of India. Usually state is followed by Country more than non-legitimate Zones. Telangana is part of South Central Region to be precise.

2020-06-27T18:44:06Z

Word Telangana itself indictes it's part of South- Central Region or Southern state of India. Usually state is followed by Country more than non-legitimate Zones. Telangana is part of South Central Region to be precise.

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'''Shitab Khan''' (late 15th century-early 16th century), also spelled Chitapu Khan, was born '''Sitapathi Raju''' in the [[Telangana]], [[India]].<ref>Adiraju Virabhadra Rao, ''Shitab Khan anu Seetapathiraju'', Lakshmanaraya Parishodhana Mandali press</ref> He joined as a foot soldier in the army of Humayun Shah the [[Bahmani]] Sultan, and rose up the ranks to acquire senior captaincy, his own ''jagir'' (a land fief) and the title 'Shitab Khan'. He always used the title in his inscriptions but never actually converted to Islam.<ref>Arudra, ''Samagra Andhra Sahityam (A Comprehensive Review of Andhra Literature''), vol II, page 86, Telugu Academy Press, 2003</ref>

==The kingdom==
The entire [[Telugu language|Telugu]] speaking areas which now form the state of Andhra Pradesh (an area greater than the size of France) were united and saw an efflorescence of all the arts, culture and military might under the rule of the [[Kakatiya]] Emperors. They finally fell in 1323 to the invading forces of the Delhi Sultan, Mohammad bin Tughlaq, whose Deccan (southern) governor [[Alauddin Bahman Shah]] eventually rebelled in 1347 setting up the independent [[Bahmani]] kingdom ruling from [[Gulbarga]]. His dominions extended up to [[Golconda]] in the east. Meanwhile, further south, the mighty [[Vijayanagar empire]] had arisen from the Kampili-[[Hampi]] region, taking over much of what is now the Rayalaseema region of Andhra. In the far east, the rulers of [[Orissa, India|Orissa]] occupied Telugu lands up to the banks of the [[Godavari]] and by the mid-15th century the powerful Gajapatis had replaced the Ganga dynasty. Fall of Kakatiya dynasty led way to the emergence of new kingdom [[Musunuri Nayaks|Musunuri dynasty]] by Musunuri Prola Bhupathi, also called as Prolaya Nayaka. Prolaya brother Kapaya captured warangal and made it his capital. The three Telugu kingdoms of Warangal of [[Musunuri Nayaks]], Rachakonda of [[Recherla Nayaks]] and Kondaveedu of [[Reddy dynasty]], therefore, were boxed in by the three major powers and led a precarious existence for about a century with frequent internecine quarrels, alliances and counter-alliances with one or the other of the major powers. All three ceased to exist by the mid-15th century, Warangal absorbed into Bahamani and later by Gajapathi, Rachakonda and Devarakonda absorbed into the Bahmani and Kondaveedu into the Gajapati and Vijayanagarakingdoms. Musunuri kings of Warangal patronised many poets. By Shitab Khan's time the Bahmanis had recently acquired this important buffer state on their eastern frontiers.

From 1480 to 1485, Shitab Khan was the governor of [[Rachakonda]] (near Narayanpur in modern [[Nalgonda]] district, Andhra Pradesh). He seems to have taken advantage of the internal turmoils of the Bahmanis and declared his independence in 1503, ruling from the Rachakonda, Warangal and [[Khammam]] forts from 1503 to 1512.<ref>Cynthia Talbot, ''Inscribing the other, inscribing the self: Hindu - Muslim identities in Pre-Colonial India'', Comparative Studies in Society & History, vol 37, no 4, Oct 1995, pages 692-772, Cambridge University Press</ref> He appears to have been very popular and inscriptional evidence suggests that he undertook many public works including repairing irrigation tanks and reinstating ruined temples. His stated purpose was to re-instate the great glory of the bygone Kakatiya times. A 16x38x12 m building in fine Indo-Saracenic style still stands in the old [[Warangal Fort]], called Kush Mahal or Shitab Khan Palace. He had the Pakhala tank repaired which still serves many farmlands in the area and is now a picturesque tourist spot.<ref>Stone inscription dated 1504 by Shitab Khan found at the south Torana, Warangal Fort, IAP-Warangal Sno. III, ''Andhra Pradesh Archaeological Series no. 31''</ref> He was also a patron of literature and Telugu poetry continued to flourish in his time. His prime minister, Enumulapalli Peddanna mantri, was the patron of Charigonda Dharmanna who wrote the ''Chitra Bharatam'', a classic of [[Telugu language|Telugu]] poetry. Rich descriptions of his rule are in this work.

In the turbulent regional politics of the time, [[Quli Qutb Shah]] ruler of [[Golconda]] Fort (in modern [[Hyderabad, India|Hyderabad]]) was asserting his dominance and Shitab Khan had to face invasions from Golconda which was just shaking off the suzerainty of the Bahmanis.<ref>Hirananda Sastri, ''Shitab Khan of Warangal, Hyderabad Archaeological Series no.9''</ref> Warangal succumbed to the Golconda ruler and Shitab Khan had to flee, about 1512. He joined the service of Prataparudra Gajapati, King of Kalinga ([[Orissa, India|Orissa]]). When the legendary Vijayanagar Emperor Sri [[Krishnadevaraya]] went on his Kalinga campaign, 1516–1517, his triumphal progress was effectively hindered by the archers of Shitab Khan at the mountain pass near [[Simhadripuram|Simhadri]] (modern [[Visakhapatnam]] district). But Shitab lost the battle and, very likely, his life there.<ref>Phillip B. Wagoner, ''Rayavachakamu'' translated as ''Tidings of the King'', pages 145-146, University of Hawaii Press, 1993</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*Phillip Wagoner's ''Tidings of the King'' (Translation of ''Rayavachakamu''), pages 145-146 [https://books.google.com/books?id=nLYPejP-iE8C&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=shitab%20khan&f=false]
*''Chitra Bharatam'' by Charigonda Dharmanna,in The catalogue of the Telugu books in the library of the British Museum [https://archive.org/details/catalogueoftelug00brituoft]
*A description of Shitab Khan Palace [http://www.asi.nic.in/asi_monu_tktd_ap_warangal.asp]
*Photos of Shitab Khan Palace and Warangal on Flickr [https://www.flickr.com/photos/siddharthashukla/sets/72157603269961808/with/2587740180/]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Shitab}}
[[Category:People from Nalgonda]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Andhra Pradesh]]

Shitab Khan - Revision history

->Bsr465: Word Telangana itself indictes it's part of South- Central Region or Southern state of India. Usually state is followed by Country more than non-legitimate Zones. Telangana is part of South Central Region to be precise.