Cultural contributions:
Education : Reciting Quran was a part of education. Poor muslim students were granted scholarships. There were separate schools for girls. Mahmud Gawan was a great patron of education. He spent his earnings for the spread of education. He built a Madarasa at Bidar in 1472 C.E. This building consisted of 4 blocks of 3 storeys each. It had a well equipped Library, Lecture halls and accommodation for Professors and students. Philosophy, religion, poetry, science and medicine were the subjects taught. It had free toarding and lodging facilites. Persian, Arabic and Urdu were the mediums of instruction.
Literature: The Bahamas encouraged scholars and writers. So, Persian, Arabic and Dcccani Urdu literatures made considerable progress. Sultan Firoz Shah was well versed in philosophy. He was an expert in natural science, geometry and the Quran. He gave patronage to scholars in his court.
Mahmud Gawan, the Prime minister of Mohammad Shah. – III was a scholar. I le wrote books on religion, literature, medicine and maths. His important works were Riyaz-ul-Insha and Manazirul-Insha. They give an account on the polity, poetry and other aspects. Calligraphy was used in writing the quotations of the Quran.
The great Persian scholars were Isami, Mulla Harvi, Hakim Tabriz, Ainuddin Bijapuri and others. The history of the Bahamani rulers was composed in verse by Sheikh Adhari as Bahaman – Name – i – Dhakini. A new dialect called ‘Deccani Urdu’ became popular. The famous sufi saint of Gulbarga, Hazarat Khwaja Bande Nawaz has enriched the Urdu language. The Darga of this saint was built at Gulbarga. The Bahamanis have contributed significantly to the growth of literature.
Art and Architecture: The Bahamani Sultans were generous patrons of art and architecture. In general, they followed the Delhi architecture. The architecture of palaces, forts, mosques, tombs etc., is a mixture of Hindu and Muslim (Indo-Islamic) style known as the Deccani style of architecture. The main features of this style are – 1) Tall Minarets 2) Strong arches 3) Huge domes 4) Spacious Hazaras (Big halls) 5. Crescent moon at the top of the buildings. The influence of persian style is also a predominant feature.
Buildings at Gulbarga: Jami Masjid was the earliest building of the Bahamanis. Some of the other notable structures at Gulbarga are the Fort, the Bande Nawaz tomb, Shah Bazaar Mosque, Hafta Gumbaz (Seven tomb complex) etc., The tomb of Bande Nawaz is a very important tomb of this period. Its walls have decorations with calligraphic designs and they are painted in rich colours.
Buildings at Bidar: The Bahamanis have built many buildings at Bidar. These have foreign influence, as they were constructed by craftsmen from Turkey, Persia and Arabia. Solha Khamba Mosque at Bidar resembles a Roman building with its pillars which are round. There are many multi-storied buildings at Bidar which include Rangeen Mahal Palace, Gagan Mahal, Tarkash Mahal, Chine Mahal, Nagina Mahal, Gawan’s Madarasa etc. At Astur (near Bidar), there are 12 tombs, which are larger than the tombs at Gulbarga. They have bigger domes and many more arches.
