Ibrahim Adil Shah II: Difference between revisions

What links here Related changes Page information Get shortened URL
Created by DrKay
Last edited February 25, 2026
VisualWikitext
>DrKay
 
m further adjusted lead for consistency and fixed typos per standard format
 
Line 1: Line 1:
{{EngvarB|date=May 2014}}
{{Short description|Sultan of Bijapur from 1580 to 1627}}
 
{{use Indian English|date=May 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}
{{Infobox royalty
{{Infobox royalty
| name = Ibrahim Adil Shah
| name         = Ibrahim Adil Shah
| title = Adil Shahi Emperor
| title       = [[Sultan]]
| image = Ibrahim Adil Shah II Sultan of Bijapur.jpg
| succession  = 6th [[Sultanate of Bijapur|Sultan of Bijapur]]
| image_size =   200px
| image       = Portrait of Ibrahim Adil Shah II (close up), dated circa 1615.jpg
| caption   =   A portrait of Ibrahim Adil Shah II
| image_size   = 200px
| reign = 1580–1627
| caption     = A portrait of Ibrahim Adil Shah II
| full name = Abul Muzaffar Ibrahim Adil Shah Jagadguru Badshah
| reign       = 10 April 1580<ref name="w860">{{cite web | title=History of Medieval Deccan | first=H. K. | last=Sherwani | url=https://ia801501.us.archive.org/33/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.127053/2015.127053.History-Of-Medieval-Deccan-Vol-i-1295-1724_text.pdf | access-date=12 November 2025 | page=289}}</ref> – 12 September 1627
| predecessor = [[Ali Adil Shah I]]
| full name   = Abdul Muzaffar Ibrahim Adil Shah Jagadguru Badshah
| successor = [[Mohammed Adil Shah, Sultan of Bijapur|Mohammed Adil Shah]]
| predecessor = [[Ali Adil Shah I]]
| spouse = Chand Sultana (daughter of [[Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah Wali|Ibrahim Qutb Shah]]) <br/> Kamal Khatun <br/> Taj Sultan<br/> Sundar Mahal <br/> Daughter of Dasu Pandit
| successor   = [[Mohammed Adil Shah, Sultan of Bijapur|Mohammed Adil Shah]]
| issue = Durvesh Badshah <br/> Sultan Sulaiman <br/> [[Mohammed Adil Shah, Sultan of Bijapur|Muhammad Adil Shah]] <br/> Khizr Shah <br/> Zuhra Sultana <br/> Burhan <br/> Sultan Begum <br/> Fatima Sultana  
| spouse       = Chand Sultana (daughter of [[Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah Wali|Ibrahim Qutb Shah]]) <br/> Kamal Khatun <br/> Taj Sultana
| dynasty = [[Adil Shahi dynasty]]
| issue       = Durvesh Badshah <br/> Sultan Sulaiman <br/> [[Mohammed Adil Shah, Sultan of Bijapur|Muhammad Adil Shah]] <br/> Khizar Shah <br/> Zahra Sultana <br/> Burhan <br/> Sultan Begum <br/> Fatima Sultana
| father = Tahamasp
| dynasty     = [[Adil Shahi dynasty]]
| mother = Haji Badi Sahiba
| father       = Tahamasp
| birth_date = c. 1570
| mother       = Haji Badi Sahiba Begum
| birth_place =
| birth_date   = {{circa|1570}}
| death_date = {{death year and age|1627|1570}}
| birth_place =  
| death_place = [[Adil Shahi|Bijapur]]
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|1627|9|12|1570|||df=yes}}
| date of burial =
| death_place = [[Adil Shahi|Bijapur]]
| place of burial =[[Ibrahim Roza - Vijaypura]]
| burial_date  =  
| religion = [[Shia]] till 1552, then [[Sunni Islam]]<ref>Farooqui Salma Ahmed, ''A Comprehensive History of Medieval India: Twelfth to the Mid-Eighteenth Century'', (Dorling Kindersley, 2011), 176.</ref>
| burial_place = [[Ibrahim Rauza]]
| religion     = [[Sunni Islam]]<ref>Farooqui Salma Ahmed, ''A Comprehensive History of Medieval India: Twelfth to the Mid-Eighteenth Century'', (Dorling Kindersley, 2011), 176.</ref>
}}
}}
'''Ibrahim Adil Shah II''' (1570 – 12 September 1627) was the Adil Shahi [[sultan]] of the [[Sultanate of Bijapur]] from 1580 to 1627. Under his reign the sultanate had its greatest period<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=119}}</ref> as he extended its frontier as far south as&nbsp;[[Mysore]]. He was a skilful administrator, artist, poet<ref name="Schimmel2004">{{cite book|first=Annemarie |last=Schimmel|title=The Empire of the Great Mughals: History, Art and Culture|others=Corinne Attwood, translator| editor=Burzine K. Waghmar|url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=N7sewQQzOHUC |p=39}}|year=2004|publisher=Reaktion Books|isbn=978-1-86189-185-3 |page=39}}</ref> and a generous patron of the arts. He converted from [[Shi'a Islam|Shi'a]] to [[Sunni]] Islam,<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Meri|editor1-first=Josef W.|title=Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia|date=1 Nov 2005|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=9780415966900|page=108}}</ref> but remained tolerant of other religions, including [[Christianity]]. The Adil Shahis under his rule left a tradition of cosmopolitan culture and artistic patronage whose architectural remains are to be seen in the capital city of [[Vijayapura, Karnataka|Bijapur]].


'''Ibrahim Adil Shah II''' (1571 – 12 September 1627) was king of the [[Bijapur district, Karnataka|Sultanate of Bijapur]] and a member of the [[Adil Shahi]] dynasty. Under his reign the dynasty had its greatest period<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=119}}</ref> as he extended its frontier as far south as&nbsp;[[Mysore]]. He was a skilful administrator, artist, poet<ref name="Schimmel2004">{{cite book|first=Annemarie |last=Schimmel|title=The Empire of the Great Mughals: History, Art and Culture|others=Corinne Attwood, translator| editor=Burzine K. Waghmar|url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=N7sewQQzOHUC |p=39}}|year=2004|publisher=Reaktion Books|isbn=978-1-86189-185-3 |page=39}}</ref> and a generous patron of the arts. He reverted to the [[Sunni]] sect of Islam,<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Meri|editor1-first=Josef W.|title=Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia|date=1 Nov 2005|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=9780415966900|page=108}}</ref> but remained tolerant of other religions, including [[Christianity]]. However, during his reign high-ranking Shiite immigrants became unwelcome<ref>{{cite book|author1=Stephen P. Blake|title=Time in Early Modern Islam: Calendar, Ceremony, and Chronology in the Safavid, Mughal and Ottoman Empires|date=11 Feb 2013|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9781139620321|page=122}}</ref> and in 1590, he ordered the confinement of criers who read the [[khutba]] in the Shia form.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Richard Maxwell Eaton|title=The Sufis of Bijapur, 1300-1700: Social Roles of Sufis in Medieval India|date=8 Mar 2015|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=9781400868155|page=129}}</ref> After his reign, increasing weakness permitted [[Mughal empire|Mughal]] encroachment and the successful revolt of the [[Maratha]] king [[Shivaji]], who killed the Bijapur general [[Afzal Khan (general)|Afzal Khan]] and scattered his army. The dynasty left a tradition of cosmopolitan culture and artistic patronage whose architectural remains are to be seen in the capital city of [[Bijapur]].
== Biography ==
 
After the death of [[Ali Adil Shah I]] in 1580, the kingdom's nobles appointed Imran Ibrahim, son of Imran Sayzada Tahmash Adil Shah and nephew of Ali Adil Shah I, as sultan. At this time, Ibrahim Adil Shah II was a nine-year-old boy.<ref name="orbat_wars">{{cite web
== Early life ==
  |url=http://orbat.com/site/cimh/kings_master/kings/ibrahimII_adil_shahi/ibrahimII_adil_shahi.html
 
  |title=The Wars & Campaigns of Ibrahim Adil Shahi II of Bijapur 1576–1627
[[File:A Deccani courtier who may or may not be the king himself, c.1600.jpg|left|thumb|A Deccani courtier who may or may not be the king himself, c.1600]]
  |author=Ravi Rikhye
[[Image:Indischer Maler um 1615 (I) 001.jpg|left|thumb|Ibrahim Adil Shah II]]
  |date=7 March 2005
Ibrahim Adil Shah (the father of Ali Adil Shah I) had divided power between the [[Sunni]] nobles, the [[Habshi]]s and the [[Dakhini Muslims|Deccan]]is. However, Ali Adil Shah favoured the [[Shi'i]].<ref name="pankhurst_habshi">{{cite web
  |access-date=24 December 2006
| url=http://www.cwo.com/~lucumi/ethiopia.html
  |url-status=dead
| title=Great Habshis in Ethiopian/Indian history: History of the Ethiopian Diaspora, in India – Part IV
  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061020232641/http://orbat.com/site/cimh/kings_master/kings/ibrahimII_adil_shahi/ibrahimII_adil_shahi.html
| author=Dr. [[Richard Pankhurst (academic)|Richard Pankhurst]]
  |archive-date=20 October 2006
| access-date=24 December 2006
  |df=dmy-all
}}</ref>
 
== Monarchy ==
 
After the death of [[Ali Adil Shah I]] in 1580, the kingdom's nobles appointed Imran Ibrahim, son of Imran Sayzada Tahmash Adil Shah and nephew of Ali Adil Shah I, as king. At this time, Ibrahim Adil Shah II was a nine-year-old boy.<ref name="orbat_wars">{{cite web
  |url=http://orbat.com/site/cimh/kings_master/kings/ibrahimII_adil_shahi/ibrahimII_adil_shahi.html  
  |title=The Wars & Campaigns of Ibrahim Adil Shahi II of Bijapur 1576–1627  
  |author=Ravi Rikhye  
  |date=7 March 2005  
  |access-date=24 December 2006  
  |url-status=dead  
  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061020232641/http://orbat.com/site/cimh/kings_master/kings/ibrahimII_adil_shahi/ibrahimII_adil_shahi.html  
  |archive-date=20 October 2006  
  |df=dmy-all  
}}</ref>
}}</ref>


== Siege ==
===Regency (1580–1590)===
 
Kamal Khan (a Deccani general) seized power and became the regent.<ref name="orbat_wars"/> Kamal Khan showed disrespect to the [[Dowager]] queen [[Chand Bibi]], who felt that he had ambitions to usurp the throne. Chand Bibi plotted an attack against Kamal Khan, with help from another general, Haji Kishvar Khan. Kamal Khan was captured while fleeing and was beheaded at the fort. Kishvar Khan was the second regent of Ibrahim. He defeated the [[Ahmadnagar Sultanate]] at Dharaseo, capturing all the artillery and elephants of the enemy army. He ordered other Bijapur generals to surrender the highly valued elephants that they had captured. The generals, along with Chand Bibi, hatched a plan to eliminate Kishvar Khan with help from General Mustafa Khan of [[Bankapura|Bankapur]]. Kishvar Khan's spies informed him of the conspiracy. Kishvar Khan sent troops against Mustafa Khan, who was captured and killed in the battle.<ref name="orbat_wars"/>
Kamal Khan (a Deccani general) seized power and became the regent.<ref name="orbat_wars"/> Kamal Khan showed disrespect to the [[Dowager]] queen [[Chand Bibi]], who felt that he had ambitions to usurp the throne. Chand Bibi plotted an attack against Kamal Khan, with help from another general, Haji Kishvar Khan. Kamal Khan was captured while fleeing and was beheaded at the fort.
 
== The Regents ==
 
Kishvar Khan was the second regent of Ibrahim. He defeated the [[Ahmadnagar Sultanate]] at Dharaseo, capturing all the artillery and elephants of the enemy army. He ordered other Bijapur generals to surrender the highly valued elephants that they had captured. The generals, along with Chand Bibi, hatched a plan to eliminate Kishvar Khan with help from General Mustafa Khan of Bankapur. Kishvar Khan's spies informed him of the conspiracy. Kishvar Khan sent troops against Mustafa Khan, who was captured and killed in the battle.<ref name="orbat_wars"/>
 
== De facto rulers ==


[[Chand Bibi]] challenged Kishvar Khan, who had her imprisoned at the [[Satara (city)|Satara]] fort and tried to declare himself the king. However, Kishvar Khan was already unpopular among the rest of the generals. He was forced to flee when a joint army, led by General Ikhlas Khan, marched to Bijapur. The army consisted of forces of three [[Habshi]] nobles: Ikhlas Khan, Hamid Khan and Dilavar Khan.<ref name="pankhurst_habshi"/> Kishvar Khan attacked Ahmednagar unsuccessfully and then fled to [[Golconda]]. He was killed in exile by a relative of [[Mustafa Khan]]. Chand Bibi was then declared the regent.<ref name="orbat_wars"/>
Chand Bibi challenged Kishvar Khan, who had her imprisoned at the [[Satara (city)|Satara]] fort and tried to declare himself the king. However, Kishvar Khan was already unpopular among the rest of the generals. He was forced to flee when a joint army, led by General Ikhlas Khan, marched to Bijapur. The army consisted of forces of three [[Habshi]] nobles: Ikhlas Khan, Hamid Khan and Dilavar Khan.<ref name="pankhurst_habshi">{{cite web| url=http://www.cwo.com/~lucumi/ethiopia.html| title=Great Habshis in Ethiopian/Indian history: History of the Ethiopian Diaspora, in India – Part IV| author=Dr. [[Richard Pankhurst (academic)|Richard Pankhurst]]| access-date=24 December 2006}}</ref> Kishvar Khan attacked Ahmednagar unsuccessfully and then fled to [[Golconda]]. He was killed in exile by a relative of Mustafa Khan. Chand Bibi was then declared the regent.<ref name="orbat_wars"/>


[[Ikhlas Khan]] became regent for a short time, but he was dismissed by Chand Bibi shortly afterwards. Later, he resumed his dictatorship, which was soon challenged by other Habshi generals.<ref name="pankhurst_habshi"/>
Ikhlas Khan became regent for a short time, but he was dismissed by Chand Bibi shortly afterwards. Later, he resumed his dictatorship, which was soon challenged by other Habshi generals.<ref name="pankhurst_habshi"/>


== Attack on Bijapur ==
Taking advantage of the situation in Bijapur, Ahmadnagar's sultan allied with the [[Qutb Shahi dynasty|Qutb Shahi]] of Golconda to attack Bijapur. The troops available at Bijapur were not sufficient to repulse the joint attack.<ref name="orbat_wars"/> The Habshi generals realised that they could not defend the city alone and tendered their resignations to Chand Bibi.<ref name="pankhurst_habshi"/> Abu-ul-Hassan, general appointed by Chand Bibi, called for the [[Maratha]] forces in the [[Carnatic region|Carnatic]]. The Marathas attacked the invaders' supply lines,<ref name="orbat_wars"/> forcing the Ahmednagar-Golconda allied army to retreat.
 
Taking advantage of the situation in Bijapur, Ahmadnagar's [[Nizam Shahi dynasty|Nizam Shahi]] sultan allied with the [[Qutb Shahi dynasty|Qutb Shahi]] of Golconda to attack Bijapur. The troops available at Bijapur were not sufficient to repulse the joint attack.<ref name="orbat_wars"/> The Habshi generals realised that they could not defend the city alone and tendered their resignations to Chand Bibi.<ref name="pankhurst_habshi"/> Abu-ul-Hassan, a Shi'a general appointed by Chand Bibi, called for the [[Maratha]] forces in Carnatic. The Marathas attacked the invaders' supply lines,<ref name="orbat_wars"/> forcing the Ahmednagar-Golconda allied army to retreat.


Ikhlas Khan then attacked Dilavar Khan to seize control of Bijapur. However, he was defeated and Dilavar Khan became the supreme ruler from 1582 to 1591.<ref name="pankhurst_habshi"/> He was the last regent of Ibrahim.
Ikhlas Khan then attacked Dilavar Khan to seize control of Bijapur. However, he was defeated and Dilavar Khan became the supreme ruler from 1582 to 1591.<ref name="pankhurst_habshi"/> He was the last regent of Ibrahim.
[[File:Bijapur Ibrahim Rouza 100C.jpg|thumb|Tomb in Ibrahim Rauza, Bijapur]]
[[File:Bijapur Ibrahim Rouza 100C.jpg|thumb|Tomb in [[Ibrahim Rauza]], Bijapur]]
[[File:Bijapur 092.jpg|thumb|Tomb of Ibrahim Adil Shah II]]


== Ibrahim Adil Shah's reign ==
===Unfettered reign (1590–1627)===
Ibrahim II is known in Indian history as Jagadguru Badshah. He loved music and played musical instruments. For him, the [[Tanpura (instrument)|Tanpura]] personified learning – "Ibrahim the tanpurawala became learned due to grace of god, living in the city of Vidyanagari" (Vidyanagari is the earlier name of Bijapur.) He composed poems on his wife Chand Sultana, his Tanpura Motikhan and his elephant Atish Khan.


The fifth king of the [[Adil Shahi]] dynasty is known in Indian history as Jagadguru Badshah. He loved music and played musical instruments. For him, the [[Tanpura (instrument)|Tanpura]] personified learning – "Ibrahim the tanpurawala became learned due to grace of god, living in the city of Vidyanagari" (Vidyanagari is the earlier name of Bijapur.) He composed poems on his wife Chand Sultana, his Tanpura Motikhan and his elephant Atish Khan.
Ibrahim II publicly declared that all he wanted was Vidya or learning, music, and Guruseva (serving the teacher). He was a devotee of Banda Nawaj, the Sufi saint of [[Gulbarga]]. He composed a prayer to him to bestow [[Vidya (Knowledge)|Vidya]] or learning and charitable disposition.{{citation needed|date=November 2017}}


Ibrahim II publicly declared that all he wanted was Vidya or learning, music, and Guruseva (serving the teacher). He was a devotee of Hazrat Banda Nawaj, the Sufi saint of [[Gulbarga]]. He composed a prayer to him to bestow [[Vidya (Knowledge)|Vidya]] or learning and charitable disposition.{{citation needed|date=November 2017}}
He founded a new township at [[Nauraspur]] to give concrete shape to his idea of a musical city. He had a temple built inside the precincts of the palace that still exists.
 
He founded a new township at Navraspur to give concrete shape to his idea of a musical city. He had a temple built inside the precincts of the palace that still exists.


Bijapur attracted the period's best musicians and dancers because the king was famous as a great connoisseur and patron of music.
Bijapur attracted the period's best musicians and dancers because the king was famous as a great connoisseur and patron of music.


He spoke [[Marathi language|Marathi]], [[Dakhani]], [[Urdu]] and [[Kannada]] languages fluently,{{citation needed|date=November 2017}} and like his predecessors, employed several Hindus in top posts.{{citation needed|date=November 2017}}
He spoke [[Marathi language|Marathi]], [[Dakhani]], [[Urdu]] and [[Kannada]] languages fluently,{{citation needed|date=November 2017}} and like his predecessors, employed several Hindus in top posts.{{citation needed|date=November 2017}}
 
<!--source?
==Issue==
==Issue==


Line 106: Line 82:
*Zuhra Sultan
*Zuhra Sultan
*Sultan Begum<br/>(wife of [[Daniyal Mirza]] son of [[Akbar]])
*Sultan Begum<br/>(wife of [[Daniyal Mirza]] son of [[Akbar]])
*Fatima Sultana<br/>(wife of [[Sayyid]] Shah Habibullah ibn  Yadullah Hussaini)
*Fatima Sultana<br/>(wife of [[Sayyid]] Shah Habibullah ibn  Yadullah Hussaini)-->
 
== Kitab-e-Navras ==
 
Ibrahim II wrote the book Kitab-e-Navras (Book of Nine Rasas) in [[Dakhani]]. It is a collection of 59 poems and 17 couplets. According to his court-poet [[Muhammad Zuhuri]], he wrote it to introduce the theory of nine [[Rasa (aesthetics)|Rasas]], which occupies an important place in Indian aesthetics, to acquaint people who knew only the Persian ethos. The book opens with a prayer to Sarasvati, the Goddess of learning.


''bhaka nyari nyari bhava ek<br/>
== Cultural activity ==
kaha turuk kaha barahaman''
Under Ibrahim II, the court began to support works in the indigenous [[Deccani language]], alongside the already well-established tradition of Persian patronage. This was part of a broader 17th-century cultural shift that sought to merge indigenous Indian styles with Persian aspects, rather than adhering to a purely Persian model. Deccani literature was now valued on par with or even above Persian at the time that Deccanis started to gain political hegemony over the Iranian elite. A Mughal ambassador noted Ibrahim II's flawed grasp of Persian. Indigenous poets became popular, such as Abdul (died 1603), Hasan Shauqi (died {{circa|1640}}), Miran Mian Hashimi (died {{circa|1697}}), and particularly [[Nusrati]] (died 1674). An important Deccani text on Indian musicology, ''[[Kitab-i Nauras]]'', was written by Ibrahim II. However, even in Bijapur's later culture, the Persian language and literary heritage influenced it. Its traditions were closely followed by the Deccani literary style, such as the ''[[tadhkirah (disambiguation)|tadhkira]]'' or ''tarikh'' in [[prose]] and the ''[[mathnavi]]'' or ''[[ghazal]]'' in poetry. A third of the vocabulary in both modern and medieval [[Marathi language]] is derived from Persian due to centuries of contact.{{sfn|Eaton|1983|pp=452–456}}


"Whether a Turk (Muslim) or a Brahmin with different language—emotion is the same."
The major Persian poets under Ibrahim II were [[Malek Qommi]] (died 1616), [[Muhammad Zuhuri]], Sanjar Kashani (died 1612), and Zihni Kashani ({{floruit|1587}}), all immigrants from Iran.{{sfn|Sharma|2020|p=405–406}} The equal standing of Persian and Dakhni was demonstrated by Zuhuri's Persian introduction in Ibrahim II's ''Kitab-i Nauras''.{{sfn|Sharma|2020|p=406}} Under the orders of Ibrahim II, [[Firishta]] composed the ''Tarikh-i Firishta'' in Persian, a detailed chronicle on the history of India, especially the Deccan sultanates. The work was based on the ''[[Rawzat as-safa]]'' by [[Mirkhvand]] (died 1498), and according to the [[Indology|Indologist]] [[Richard M. Eaton]], "remains an indispensable source not only for the history of Bijapur but for the history of medieval India generally."{{sfn|Eaton|1983|pp=452–456}} A history Bijapur and of other contemporary courts was also composed by [[Rafi al-Din Shirazi]] in his ''Tazkirat al-Muluk'' ("History of Kings").{{sfn|Overton|2020|p=14}}
 
''nouras soor juga joti ani saroguni<br/>
yusat sarasuti mata<br/>
ibrahim parasada bhayi dooni''
 
"Oh mother Saraswati! Since you have blessed Ibrahim, his work Navras will last for long"


== References ==
== References ==
<references />
{{reflist}}
 
== Further reading ==
 
* A Visit to Bijapur by H. S. Kaujalagi
* "Avalokana" a souvenir published by the Government of Karnataka
* Centenary souvenir published by the Bijapur Municipal Corporation


== External links ==
==Sources==
{{Commons category-inline}}
* {{cite book|title=The Sufis of Bijapur, 1300–1700|first=Richard M.|last=Eaton|date=1978|publisher=Princeton University Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j2F9BgAAQBAJ|isbn=9781400868155|author-link=Richard M. Eaton}}
* {{Encyclopædia Iranica Online|url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/naziri-of-nishapur/|title=ʿĀdelšāhīs|first=Richard M. |last=Eaton|year=1983|publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Brill]]}}
* {{cite book|last1 = Mitchell|first1 = George|first2 = Mark |last2 = Zebrowski|title = Architecture and Art of the Deccan Sultanates (The New Cambridge History of India Vol. I:7)|publisher = Cambridge University Press| year = 1999| location = Cambridge| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ju1XvgAACAAJ| isbn = 0-521-56321-6}}
* {{cite journal|journal=[[Muqarnas]]|volume=33|date=2016|pages=91–154|title=Book Culture, Royal Libraries, and Persianate Painting in Bijapur, circa 1580‒1630|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26551683|first=Keelan|last=Overton|doi=10.1163/22118993_03301P006 |jstor=26551683}}
* {{cite book|last=Overton|first=Keelan|editor-last=Overton|editor-first=Keelan|title=Iran and the Deccan: Persianate Art, Culture, and Talent in Circulation, 1400–1700|publisher=[[Indiana University Press]]|year=2020|isbn=978-0253048912|chapter=Introduction to Iranian Mobilities and Persianate Mediations in the Deccan|pages=3–76|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_yHXDwAAQBAJ&newbks}}
* {{cite book|last=Sharma|first=Sunil|editor-last=Overton|editor-first=Keelan|title=Iran and the Deccan: Persianate Art, Culture, and Talent in Circulation, 1400–1700|publisher=[[Indiana University Press]]|year=2020|isbn=978-0253048912|chapter=Forging a Canon of Dakhni Literature: Translations and Retellings from Persian|pages=401–420|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_yHXDwAAQBAJ&newbks}}
{{Commons category|Ibrahim Adil Shah II}}


{{s-start}}
{{s-start}}
{{succession box|title=[[List of Adil Shahi Emperors|Adil Shahi Rulers of Bijapur]]|before=[[Ali Adil Shah I]]|after=[[Mohammed Adil Shah, Sultan of Bijapur|Mohammed Adil Shah]]|years=1580–1627}}
{{s-hou|[[Adil Shahi dynasty]]||{{circa|1570}}||1627}}
{{s-reg|}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Ali Adil Shah I]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Sultanate of Bijapur|Sultan of Bijapur]]|years=1580–1627}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Mohammed Adil Shah, Sultan of Bijapur|Mohammed Adil Shah]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{s-end}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Shah Ii, Ibrahim Adil}}
[[Category:16th-century births]]
[[Category:1556 births]]
[[Category:1627 deaths]]
[[Category:1627 deaths]]
[[Category:Adil Shahi dynasty]]
[[Category:17th-century Indian Muslims]]
[[Category:1627 in India]]
[[Category:1580 in India]]
[[Category:Indian Muslims]]
[[Category:16th-century Indian monarchs]]
[[Category:16th-century Indian monarchs]]
[[Category:17th-century Indian monarchs]]
[[Category:17th-century Indian monarchs]]
[[Category:Sultans of Bijapur]]
[[Category:Sultans of Bijapur]]
[[Category:Converts to Sunni Islam from Shia Islam]]
[[Category:Converts to Sunni Islam from Shia Islam]]

Latest revision as of 20:51, 25 February 2026


Ibrahim Adil Shah
Sultan
A portrait of Ibrahim Adil Shah II
6th Sultan of Bijapur
Reign10 April 1580[1] – 12 September 1627
PredecessorAli Adil Shah I
SuccessorMohammed Adil Shah
Bornc. 1570
Died12 September 1627(1627-09-12) (aged 56–57)
Bijapur
Burial
Ibrahim Rauza
SpouseChand Sultana (daughter of Ibrahim Qutb Shah)
Kamal Khatun
Taj Sultana
IssueDurvesh Badshah
Sultan Sulaiman
Muhammad Adil Shah
Khizar Shah
Zahra Sultana
Burhan
Sultan Begum
Fatima Sultana
Names
Abdul Muzaffar Ibrahim Adil Shah Jagadguru Badshah
DynastyAdil Shahi dynasty
FatherTahamasp
MotherHaji Badi Sahiba Begum
ReligionSunni Islam[2]

Ibrahim Adil Shah II (1570 – 12 September 1627) was the Adil Shahi sultan of the Sultanate of Bijapur from 1580 to 1627. Under his reign the sultanate had its greatest period[3] as he extended its frontier as far south as Mysore. He was a skilful administrator, artist, poet[4] and a generous patron of the arts. He converted from Shi'a to Sunni Islam,[5] but remained tolerant of other religions, including Christianity. The Adil Shahis under his rule left a tradition of cosmopolitan culture and artistic patronage whose architectural remains are to be seen in the capital city of Bijapur.

Biography[edit | edit source]

After the death of Ali Adil Shah I in 1580, the kingdom's nobles appointed Imran Ibrahim, son of Imran Sayzada Tahmash Adil Shah and nephew of Ali Adil Shah I, as sultan. At this time, Ibrahim Adil Shah II was a nine-year-old boy.[6]

Regency (1580–1590)[edit | edit source]

Kamal Khan (a Deccani general) seized power and became the regent.[6] Kamal Khan showed disrespect to the Dowager queen Chand Bibi, who felt that he had ambitions to usurp the throne. Chand Bibi plotted an attack against Kamal Khan, with help from another general, Haji Kishvar Khan. Kamal Khan was captured while fleeing and was beheaded at the fort. Kishvar Khan was the second regent of Ibrahim. He defeated the Ahmadnagar Sultanate at Dharaseo, capturing all the artillery and elephants of the enemy army. He ordered other Bijapur generals to surrender the highly valued elephants that they had captured. The generals, along with Chand Bibi, hatched a plan to eliminate Kishvar Khan with help from General Mustafa Khan of Bankapur. Kishvar Khan's spies informed him of the conspiracy. Kishvar Khan sent troops against Mustafa Khan, who was captured and killed in the battle.[6]

Chand Bibi challenged Kishvar Khan, who had her imprisoned at the Satara fort and tried to declare himself the king. However, Kishvar Khan was already unpopular among the rest of the generals. He was forced to flee when a joint army, led by General Ikhlas Khan, marched to Bijapur. The army consisted of forces of three Habshi nobles: Ikhlas Khan, Hamid Khan and Dilavar Khan.[7] Kishvar Khan attacked Ahmednagar unsuccessfully and then fled to Golconda. He was killed in exile by a relative of Mustafa Khan. Chand Bibi was then declared the regent.[6]

Ikhlas Khan became regent for a short time, but he was dismissed by Chand Bibi shortly afterwards. Later, he resumed his dictatorship, which was soon challenged by other Habshi generals.[7]

Taking advantage of the situation in Bijapur, Ahmadnagar's sultan allied with the Qutb Shahi of Golconda to attack Bijapur. The troops available at Bijapur were not sufficient to repulse the joint attack.[6] The Habshi generals realised that they could not defend the city alone and tendered their resignations to Chand Bibi.[7] Abu-ul-Hassan, general appointed by Chand Bibi, called for the Maratha forces in the Carnatic. The Marathas attacked the invaders' supply lines,[6] forcing the Ahmednagar-Golconda allied army to retreat.

Ikhlas Khan then attacked Dilavar Khan to seize control of Bijapur. However, he was defeated and Dilavar Khan became the supreme ruler from 1582 to 1591.[7] He was the last regent of Ibrahim.

Tomb in Ibrahim Rauza, Bijapur

Unfettered reign (1590–1627)[edit | edit source]

Ibrahim II is known in Indian history as Jagadguru Badshah. He loved music and played musical instruments. For him, the Tanpura personified learning – "Ibrahim the tanpurawala became learned due to grace of god, living in the city of Vidyanagari" (Vidyanagari is the earlier name of Bijapur.) He composed poems on his wife Chand Sultana, his Tanpura Motikhan and his elephant Atish Khan.

Ibrahim II publicly declared that all he wanted was Vidya or learning, music, and Guruseva (serving the teacher). He was a devotee of Banda Nawaj, the Sufi saint of Gulbarga. He composed a prayer to him to bestow Vidya or learning and charitable disposition.[citation needed]

He founded a new township at Nauraspur to give concrete shape to his idea of a musical city. He had a temple built inside the precincts of the palace that still exists.

Bijapur attracted the period's best musicians and dancers because the king was famous as a great connoisseur and patron of music.

He spoke Marathi, Dakhani, Urdu and Kannada languages fluently,[citation needed] and like his predecessors, employed several Hindus in top posts.[citation needed]

Cultural activity[edit | edit source]

Under Ibrahim II, the court began to support works in the indigenous Deccani language, alongside the already well-established tradition of Persian patronage. This was part of a broader 17th-century cultural shift that sought to merge indigenous Indian styles with Persian aspects, rather than adhering to a purely Persian model. Deccani literature was now valued on par with or even above Persian at the time that Deccanis started to gain political hegemony over the Iranian elite. A Mughal ambassador noted Ibrahim II's flawed grasp of Persian. Indigenous poets became popular, such as Abdul (died 1603), Hasan Shauqi (died c. 1640), Miran Mian Hashimi (died c. 1697), and particularly Nusrati (died 1674). An important Deccani text on Indian musicology, Kitab-i Nauras, was written by Ibrahim II. However, even in Bijapur's later culture, the Persian language and literary heritage influenced it. Its traditions were closely followed by the Deccani literary style, such as the tadhkira or tarikh in prose and the mathnavi or ghazal in poetry. A third of the vocabulary in both modern and medieval Marathi language is derived from Persian due to centuries of contact.[8]

The major Persian poets under Ibrahim II were Malek Qommi (died 1616), Muhammad Zuhuri, Sanjar Kashani (died 1612), and Zihni Kashani (fl. 1587), all immigrants from Iran.[9] The equal standing of Persian and Dakhni was demonstrated by Zuhuri's Persian introduction in Ibrahim II's Kitab-i Nauras.[10] Under the orders of Ibrahim II, Firishta composed the Tarikh-i Firishta in Persian, a detailed chronicle on the history of India, especially the Deccan sultanates. The work was based on the Rawzat as-safa by Mirkhvand (died 1498), and according to the Indologist Richard M. Eaton, "remains an indispensable source not only for the history of Bijapur but for the history of medieval India generally."[8] A history Bijapur and of other contemporary courts was also composed by Rafi al-Din Shirazi in his Tazkirat al-Muluk ("History of Kings").[11]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Sherwani, H. K. "History of Medieval Deccan" (PDF). p. 289. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  2. ↑ Farooqui Salma Ahmed, A Comprehensive History of Medieval India: Twelfth to the Mid-Eighteenth Century, (Dorling Kindersley, 2011), 176.
  3. ↑ Sen, Sailendra (2013). A Textbook of Medieval Indian History. Primus Books. p. 119. ISBN 978-9-38060-734-4.
  4. ↑ Schimmel, Annemarie (2004). Burzine K. Waghmar (ed.). The Empire of the Great Mughals: History, Art and Culture. Corinne Attwood, translator. Reaktion Books. p. 39. ISBN 978-1-86189-185-3.
  5. ↑ Meri, Josef W., ed. (1 November 2005). Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia. Psychology Press. p. 108. ISBN 9780415966900.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Ravi Rikhye (7 March 2005). "The Wars & Campaigns of Ibrahim Adil Shahi II of Bijapur 1576–1627". Archived from the original on 20 October 2006. Retrieved 24 December 2006.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Dr. Richard Pankhurst. "Great Habshis in Ethiopian/Indian history: History of the Ethiopian Diaspora, in India – Part IV". Retrieved 24 December 2006.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Eaton 1983, pp. 452–456.
  9. ↑ Sharma 2020, p. 405–406.
  10. ↑ Sharma 2020, p. 406.
  11. ↑ Overton 2020, p. 14.

Sources[edit | edit source]


Ibrahim Adil Shah II
Born: c. 1570 Died: 1627
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Ali Adil Shah I 		Sultan of Bijapur
1580–1627 		Succeeded by
Mohammed Adil Shah
Retrieved from "https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ibrahim_Adil_Shah_II&oldid=456381"
Discover more