Bahmani Sultanate

State · 1352–1491 CE · at its largest around 1352 CE

The first independent Muslim sultanate of the Deccan, founded in 1347 by Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah, with capitals at Gulbarga and later Bidar. It broke up into five successor Deccan sultanates.

On its lands while it lasted

Vijayanagara Empire (1336–1646 CE): South Indian empire founded by Harihara I and Bukka Raya I in 1336, a major patron of Hindu culture and temple architecture.
Vijayanagara (c. 1344–1571 CE): Capital of Vijayanagara Empire (1344–1571).
Bahmani Sultanate (1347–1527 CE): First independent Muslim kingdom of the Deccan, founded at Gulbarga in 1347 and later split into the five Deccan sultanates.
Kalaburagi (c. 1352 CE): Capital of Bahmani Sultanate (1352–1491).
Bidar (c. 1425 CE): Capital of Bahmani Sultanate (1425–1491), Bidar Sultanate (1527–1618).
Afanasy Nikitin’s journey beyond three seas (c. 1466–1475 CE): The Tver merchant Afanasy Nikitin travelled down the Volga, through Persia and by sea from Hormuz to India, where he spent about three years in the Bahmani Sultanate. He died near Smolensk on the way home; his travel notes survive.
Krishnadevaraya (1471 CE – 1529 CE): Emperor under whom the Vijayanagara Empire reached its height, also a patron of Telugu, Kannada and Sanskrit literature.