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{{Short description|A jewel-studded royal throne in Medieval India}}
The '''Turquoise Throne''' or '''Takht-i-Firoza''' ([[Hindustani language|Hindustani]]: ''Takht-e-fīrozā'', [[Telugu language|Telugu]]: ''{{transliteration|hi|ISO|Vaiḍhūrya simhāsanam}}''<ref name="TelugunameReference">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.390230|title=Kondaveeti Prabhavam-Srinathuni Vaibhavam|publisher= Sujatha Publications, Vijayawada|author= Polavarapu Koteswara Rao |language=Telugu|year=1997|page=45}}</ref>) was a famous jewel-studded royal [[throne]] of the [[Bahmani Sultanate|Bahmani]] Sultans of Deccan in India. It was a gift by [[Musunuri Nayaks|Musunuri Kapaya Nayaka]], then king of Warangal (or ''Telingana''), during the [[Bahmani–Vijayanagar War (1362–1367)|Bahmani-Vijayanagar War]], where the Bahmanis defeated the latter.<ref name="TakhtefirozaReference">{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.68551/page/n99/mode/1up|title=The Bahmanis Of The Deccan-An Objective Study|publisher= Krishnavas International Printers, Hyderabad Deccan|author= Haroon Khan Sherwani|year=1946}}</ref>{{rp|77-78}} Over some time, this throne became one of the most important icons of the Bahmani royalty and heritage.<ref name="Thronedismantlingreference"/>
==Origin of turquoise throne==
===Political situation in Deccan in early 1320s===
The Tughluq empire covered most of India at its height in the 1320s but for only a short time. The Deccan region slipped out of its hands within a few decades beset by rebellions. Two kingdoms arose from these developments: one being the [[Bahmani Sultanate]] founded by Alauddin Hasan Gangu Bahman Shah or Zafar Khan,<ref>{{Cite web |author=Abdul Qadir Husaini (Saiyid)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5CAIAQAAIAAJ |title=Bahman Shāh, the Founder of the Bahmani Kingdom |date=1960 |publisher=Firma K.L. Mukhopadhyay}}</ref> and the other the Telingana kingdom at [[Warangal]] under the [[Musunuri Nayakas|Musunuri Nayaks]]. The two kingdoms warred with each other for a period, eventually reaching a truce. During the reign of Mohammad Bin Tughluq, two new kingdoms arose in the south of Deccan, namely, the [[Vijayanagara Empire]] and the [[Madurai Sultanate]]. A precursor of this truce was a joint attack by the Kapaya Nayaka and the Vijayanagara forces to capture the Raichur fort being foiled by [[Mohammed Shah I|Muhammad Shah Bahmani]].<ref name="RubyReference"/>{{rp|45}}

===A gift for truce===
This turquoise throne was originally commissioned in Warangal, intended for the Delhi Sultan, [[Muhammad ibn Tughluq]].<ref name="ferishtaenglishtranslationreference"/>{{rp|22}}{{refn|group=note|Firishta mentions that the throne was prepared by the Rai of Telingana,<ref name="ferishtaenglishtranslationreference"/>{{rp|22}} but from his work it is not sure if it was Kapaya Nayaka or his predecessor Prolaya Nayaka who commissioned it.}} But the Tughluq rule was overthrown in Warangal before it could be delivered to Delhi. Telangana region was liberated by Musunuri Nayaks in the early 1330s. Nearly after three decades, the King of Telangana (or [[Warangal]]) Kapaya Nayaka came up with a proposal that caught the imagination of the Bahmani sultan. Kapaya Nayaka agreed to present the Bahmani with ''such a wonderful gift that is worthy only to be offered to a great king'' if they accept a truce and fix a frontier between the two kingdoms.<ref name="ferishtaenglishtranslationreference"/>{{rp|21-22}} This came after Nagadeva,{{refn|group=note|In some accounts, son of Kapaya Nayaka was referred to as {{transliteration|te|ISO|Vinayāka}}. Also, Kapaya Nayaka was referred to as {{transliteration|te|ISO|Kānhayya}}.<ref name="vinayakareference">{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.283073|title=The Cambridge Shorter History of India|publisher= Cambridge University Press|first1=J.|last1=Allen|first2=T.|last2=Wolseley Haig|first3=H. H.|last3=Dodwell|year=1934|page=279}}</ref>}} son of Kapaya Nayaka was brutally killed aftermath of a war with the Bahmani Sultanate.<ref name="ferishtaenglishtranslationreference"/>{{rp|18-19}} Kapaya Nayaka also gave an undertaking that he would not ally with the newly founded Hindu Vijayanagara empire in the south.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xi3cAAAAMAAJ|title=A Military History of Medieval India|publisher= Vision Books |author= Gurcharn Singh Sandhu|isbn=9788170945253|year=2003}}</ref>{{rp|320}}

That treaty between the [[Bahmani sultanate]] and Telangana kingdom occurred at Kaulas and Golconda was fixed as the frontier between the two.<ref name="ferishtaenglishtranslationreference">{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/ferishtashistory01firi/page/n11/mode/2up|title=Ferishta's History of Dekkan, From the first Muhammedan Conquests, Vol. 1|publisher= J. and W. Eddowes, London|author= Jonathan Scott|year=1794}}</ref>{{rp|21-23}} The throne was packed in a large wooden box at Warangal and was concealed so that its contents remain unknown until it is presented to the Sultan Mohammed Shah I at Gulbarga.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=60mIdu85E7wC|title=Journal of Indian History, Volumes 21-22|publisher= Department of Modern Indian History|year=1943|page=190}}</ref>

When ascending the new throne, Sultan named it ''{{transliteration|fa|ISO|taxt-i-fīrozā}}'' due to the color of the enamel work and predominant precious stones.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.126812|title=The War Of The Goldsmiths Daughter|first=Adam|last=Watson|publisher= Chatto & Windus, London|year=1964|page=88}}</ref> Firishta mentioned that Sultan first sat on the new throne on [[Nowruz]], the Persian new year following the autumnal [[solstice]] in 764AH.<ref name="TakhtefirozaReference"/>{{rp|102}}
{{refn|group=note|Firishta mentioned that on March 23rd, 1363CE, this throne replaced the earlier Throne made of silver on which [[Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah]], the first Bahmani sultan used to sit.}} After this truce, Kapaya Nayaka had peace with the Bahmani Sultans.<ref name="trucereference"/> He was however faced with rebellions from other Telugu chieftains, eventually getting killed in battle at [[Bheemaram]] in 1368 CE.<ref name="DeathofKapayaNayakaReference">{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.32066|title=History Of The Reddi Kingdoms|publisher= Andhra University, Waltair|author= Mallampalli Somasekhar Sarma|year=1946|page=22}}</ref>{{refn|group=note|This Bhimavaram village was supposed to be near [[Warangal]], [[Telangana]] and should not be confused with the [[Bhimavaram]] located in the [[West Godavari district]] of [[Andhra Pradesh]].<ref name="BhimavaramReference">{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/AfterTheKakatiyas|title=After the Kākatīyas|publisher= Andhra Pradesh Sahitya Akademi|author= V. Yashoda Devi|year=1975|page=64}}</ref> This Bhimavaram village is now known as "{{transliteration|ur|ISO|Bhīmāram}}".}}

==Description of the throne==
This throne was taken to then capital [[Gulbarga]] for installation in the Royal 'Durbar hall'. That event was marked by great festivities and pomp where three hundred singers arrived from Delhi. The erstwhile silver throne used by his father, the very first Bahmani Sultan got shifted to the treasury.<ref name="installationfestivitiesReference">{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9PYRAAAAYAAJ|title=A History of the Deccan, Volume 1|publisher= Luzac and Company |author= James Dunning Baker Gribble |year=1896|pages=39–40}}</ref>

Persian historian Firishta stated that the imperial throne was studded with precious stones such as emeralds.<ref name="trucereference">{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CT1uAAAAMAAJ|title=History of Medieval Deccan, 1295-1724: Mainly political and military aspects|publisher= Print. and Publication Bureau, Government of Andhra Pradesh |author= Haroon Khan Sherwani |year=1973|page=536}}</ref> It originally had a hue of turquoise and according to him ''exceeded splendour and intrinsic value every other in the world''. <ref name="firishta">{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KzrN2oNBAL4C|title=History of the Rise of the Mahomedan Power in India: Till the Year A. D. 1612, Volume 2|publisher= Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green |author= John Briggs|year=1829}}</ref>{{rp|520}}
Originally made of ebony, it got gold plated and studded with precious stones when it was presented. Also, when the throne got presented it was coated with enamel which gave it a turquoise color and thus the name ''takht-i-firoza'', turquoise throne. The word 'firoza' means [[turquoise]] in Persian.<ref name="firoza">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c3l0DwAAQBAJ|title=Persian-English Dictionary: Including Arabic Words and Phrases in Persian Literature|publisher= Taylor & Francis|author= F. Steingass |isbn=9781136852480|year=2018}}</ref>{{rp|944}} The dimension of the throne was supposed to be three feet broad and nine feet long.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0KJCAAAAYAAJ|title=Crowns & Coronations: A History of Regalia|publisher= Chatto and Windus|author= William Jones|year=1883|page=487}}</ref> The Takht-i-Firoza symbolizied the craftsmanship of the Telugu artisans that impressed the Bahmani Sultan.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jIJzAwAAQBAJ|title=Sky Blue Stone: The Turquoise Trade in World History|publisher= University of California Press|author= Arash Khazeni |isbn=9780520958357|year=2014|pages=57–58}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oi4nBwAAQBAJ|title=Sultans of Deccan India, 1500-1700: Opulence and Fantasy|publisher= Metropolitan Museum of Art|author= Navina Najat Haidar, Marika Sardar|isbn=9780300211108|year=2015|page=32}}</ref> Firishta mentioned that over a period of time, each Sultan added more embellishments which made it fully covered with jeweled stones by the time he saw it. Around eighteen Sultans sat on this fabulous throne and above it, a canopy was fixed. That canopy was studded with a very precious large ruby stone that was present by one of the [[Vijayanagara Empire|Vijayanagara Emperors]].<ref name="RubyReference">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Rq5oDwAAQBAJ|title=Rebel Sultans: The Deccan from Khilji to Shivaji|publisher= Juggernaut|author= Manu S. Pillai |isbn=9789386228734|year=2018}}</ref>{{rp|39}}

Ever since the capital was shifted from Gulbarga to Bidar by [[Ahmad Shah I Wali|Ahmad Shah]], the Takht-i-Firoza throne was placed in the ''grand hall of audience'' {{refn|group=note|It was known in Persian as {{transliteration|ur|ISO|dīwān-i-ām}} ({{langx|fa|ديوان عام}}) and also referred to as {{transliteration|ur|ISO|Jāli-maḥall}}.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rfehDwAAQBAJ|title=A Study of Historical Monuments in Bidar District (1st Century-17th Century CE) |author=Dr. Ratnakar D. Hosamani|year=1947|page=287|publisher=Lulu.com |isbn=9780359779970}}</ref>}} and surrounded on its two sides by silver chairs used as seats for the holy men.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w6xpQpOCtzAC|title=Bidar, Its History and Monuments|publisher= Oxford University Press |author=Ghulam Yazdani|year=1947|pages=10–11}}</ref>

==Dismantling of the throne==
This throne was used by every Bahmani sultan starting from [[Mohammed Shah I]]. However, at the very end of the Bahmani sultanate, Sultan [[Mahmood Shah Bahmani II]] extracted its jewels to repay his expenditure.<ref name="Thronedismantlingreference">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cGd2huLXEVYC|title=A Social History of the Deccan, 1300-1761|publisher= Taylor & Francis|author= Richard M. Eaton |isbn=9780521254847|year=2005|page=50}}</ref>{{refn|group=note|[[Mahmood Shah Bahmani II]] indulged more in pleasures and became a puppet ruler.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3-v6DAAAQBAJ|title=The Role of Religions in the European Perception of Insular and Mainland Southeast Asia: Travel Accounts of the 16th to the 21st Century|isbn=9781443899222|publisher= Cambridge Scholars Publishing|editor= Jürgen Sarnowsky, Monika Arnez|year=2016|page=22}}</ref> Instead of the Sultan, Malik Na'ib, [[Nizam-ul-Mulk Malik Hasan Bahri]] ran the sultanate. Within a decade after Mahmood Shah, the Bahmani sultanate ended and the five [[Deccan sultanates]] took control of its lands.}} At the time of [[Mahmood Shah Bahmani II|Mahood Shah]] the jewels of the throne was evaluated by then jewellers whose estimate was around one [[crore]] of pagodas or three and half crores of rupees.<ref name="installationfestivitiesReference"/>
==See also==
*[[Peacock Throne]]
*[[Bahmani Sultanate]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

[[Category:Bahmani Sultanate]]
[[Category:Thrones]]
[[Category:Individual thrones]]
[[Category:History of Telangana]]

Turquoise Throne - Revision history

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