Islamic Influence

Just like any other rule, there was a considerable amount of Islamic influence on history of Maharashtra. The first Islamic invasions which reached the south of the Narmada River were made by the Khilji Dynasty, the rulers of Bengal under Mohammad Ghori. Ala – ud – din Khalji invaded the Deccan region in the year 1296 AD. He defeated the last of the Hindu kings of the state, the Yadavas. At first the Islamic rulers invaded the northern part of the country and made Delhi their capital but after this invasion the others followed the trend and extended their kingdoms further south.

After the Khalji Dynasty the next among Islamic invasions to influence the state was made by Mohammad Bin Tughlaq. The Tughlaq Dynasty reigned till 1347 AD and extended the empire till Madurai. After the disintegration of the Tughlaq Dynasty, the Bahmani Sultanate of Bijapur ruled the region for the coming 150 years. Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah founded the empire after revolting against the Sultan of Delhi, Mohammad Bin Tughlaq. He set the foundations of an independent state in the Deccan region with Gulbarga as the capital in the year 1347.

After the end of the Bahmani Dynasty the state of Maharashtra was ruled by several independent rulers with allegiance to the Mughal rulers. These rulers occupied most of the central part of the state while the coastal areas were annexed by the Portuguese. Thus the Islamic influence on the state of Maharashtra was immensely felt during the rule of the Bahmani rulers the most.