BARIDSHAHI DYNASTY

BARIDSHAHI DYNASTY

Baridshahi was a small and short lived kingdom which thrived during the interval between the fifteenth century and seventeenth century with Bidar in Hyderabad Karnataka as its nodal centre. This dynasty was founded by Khasim Barid who had arrived at Bidar from Georgia, during the regime of Mahmed-3 the Bahmani king. He was made the prime minister of the kingdom by Shihabuddin Mahmood in 1492. However, he was the de-facto controller of the kingdom. This situation continued even during the period of his son, Amir Ahmed who was in virtual control during the rise and fall of four Bahmani kingdoms. He declared himself as the king after the flight and death of Kalimullah the last of the Bahmani kings. However, the Bidar fort was attacked and conquered by Ismail Adil Shah of the Adilshahi dynasty and Amir Barid became a prisoner. He was later released and made a feudatory king even though he had to lose a part of his kingdom.

He was succeeded by his son Ali Barid Shah in 1542 A.D. and the latter had a prolonged stint as the king till 1580 A.D. Even his rule was marked by many wars, defeats, imprisonments and loss of land and wealth. Baridshahi was treated as a poor cousin, even though they took part in the victorious battle of Talikot (tALikOTe) (rakkasatangaDi) against the Vijayanagara Empire. Their share of the spoils was meager. The kings who succeeded Ali Barid Shah to the throne are listed below:

1. Ibrahim Barid Shah 1580 A.D.-87 A.D.

2. Khasim Barid Shah 1587-91 A.D.

3. Amir Barid Shah-2 1591-1601 A.D.

4. Mirza Ali Barid Shah 1601-1609 A.D.

5. Amir Barid Shah-3 1609-1619 A.D.

There is not much to report about the rule of these kings. They were involved a number of skirmishes and suffered continued erosion of power. Finally, the Baridshahi was acquired by Ibrahim Adil Shah-2 of Bijapur and that marked the end of this ill fated dynasty.

However, it is to be noted that these kings have contributed to the architecture and sculpture in the period that succeeded the Bahmani rule.

Baridshahi structures in Bidar are small but very decorative. Colored tablets, wood carvings and pearl shell work which are the hall marks of this style can be seen in Rangeen Mahal and the tomb of Al Barid. The tombs of Ali Barid and Khasim Barid are built in the middle of a 30-acre plot Deccan garden.

Scholars have found some kind of a synthesis between the Islamic architectural style and those practiced by the Hindu builders/masons in the Baridshahi architecture. This situation is particularly evident in Rangin Mahal and the the tomb built for himself by Ali Barid Shah.

Rangin Mahal has exquisite wood carvings and mother of pearl work, “but it suffers from the narrowness of its dimensions and incidentally shows how the shrinkage in political powers affected the vision and taste of kings in artistic matters. The plan of the palace consists of a hall with four rooms at the sides and four more at the back. The ceiling of the hall is supported on columns of wood which are exquisitely carved. They were apparently made by Hindu craftsmen whose artistic devices are prominent. The innermost room of the palace......... has a star-shaped plan like that of a medieval Hindu Shrine. It is therefore not unlikely that this palace was designed by a Hindu architect.” (G.Yazdani)

Yazdani explores this issue further, in the context of the tomb built for himself by Ali Barid Shah and Kali Masjid also built during the Baridshahi days. Yazdani feels that the architecture became more and more decorative/ornamental because of the preferences of the Hindu architects and sculptors. However, he appreciates the attempts at fusion and openness for mutual influences. He contends that the chief characteristics of the architecture of this period are the outcome of the Hindu methods of building and their ideas of decoration.

This is a brief account of a minor dynasty which was not politically powerful but had a few kings who were artistically inclined.