The Turquoise Throne or Takht-i-Firoza (Hindustani: Takht-e-fīrozā, Telugu: Vaiḍhūrya simhāsanam[1]) was a famous jewel-studded royal throne of the Bahmani Sultans of Deccan in India. It was a gift by Musunuri Kapaya Nayaka, then king of Warangal (or Telingana), during the Bahmani-Vijayanagar War, where the Bahmanis defeated the latter.[2]: 77–78 Over some time, this throne became one of the most important icons of the Bahmani royalty and heritage.[3]
The Tughluq empire covered most of India at its height in the 1320s but for only a short time. The Deccan region slipped out of its hands within a few decades beset by rebellions. Two kingdoms arose from these developments: one being the Bahmani Sultanate founded by Bahman Shah,[4] and the other the Telingana kingdom at Warangal under the Musunuri Nayaks. The two kingdoms warred with each other for a period, eventually reaching a truce. During the reign of Mohammad Bin Tughluq, two new kingdoms arose in the south of Deccan, namely, the Vijayanagara Empire and the Madurai Sultanate. A precursor of this truce was a joint attack by the Kapaya Nayaka and the Vijayanagara forces to capture the Raichur fort being foiled by Muhammad Shah Bahmani.[5]: 45
A gift for truceedit
This turquoise throne was originally commissioned in Warangal, intended for the Delhi Sultan, Muhammad ibn Tughluq.[6]: 22 [note 1] But the Tughluq rule was overthrown in Warangal before it could be delivered to Delhi. Telangana region was liberated by Musunuri Nayaks in the early 1330s. Nearly after three decades, the King of Telangana (or Warangal) Kapaya Nayaka came up with a proposal that caught the imagination of the Bahmani sultan. Kapaya Nayaka agreed to present the Bahmani with such a wonderful gift that is worthy only to be offered to a great king if they accept a truce and fix a frontier between the two kingdoms.[6]: 21–22 This came after Nagadeva,[note 2] son of Kapaya Nayaka was brutally killed aftermath of a war with the Bahmani Sultanate.[6]: 18–19 Kapaya Nayaka also gave an undertaking that he would not ally with the newly founded Hindu Vijayanagara empire in the south.[8]: 320
That treaty between the Bahamani sultanate and Telangana kingdom occurred at Kaulas and Golconda was fixed as the frontier between the two.[6]: 21–23 The throne was packed in a large wooden box at Warangal and was concealed so that its contents remain unknown until it is presented to the Sultan Mohammed Shah I at Gulbarga.[9]
When ascending the new throne, Sultan named it taxt-i-fīrozā due to the color of the enamel work and predominant precious stones.[10] Firishta mentioned that Sultan first sat on the new throne on Nowruz, the Persian new year following the autumnal solstice in 764AH.[2]: 102 [note 3] After this truce, Kapaya Nayaka had peace with the Bahmani Sultans.[11] He was however faced with rebellions from other Telugu chieftains, eventually getting killed in battle at Bheemaram in 1368 CE.[12][note 4]
Description of the throneedit
This throne was taken to then capital Gulbarga for installation in the Royal 'Durbar hall'. That event was marked by great festivities and pomp where three hundred singers arrived from Delhi. The erstwhile silver throne used by his father, the very first Bahmani Sultan got shifted to the treasury.[14]
Persian historian Firishta stated that the imperial throne was studded with precious stones such as emeralds.[11] It originally had a hue of turquoise and according to him exceeded splendour and intrinsic value every other in the world. [15]: 520 Originally made of ebony, it got gold plated and studded with precious stones when it was presented. Also, when the throne got presented it was coated with enamel which gave it a turquoise color and thus the name takht-i-firoza, turquoise throne. The word 'firoza' means turquoise in Persian.[16]: 944 The dimension of the throne was supposed to be three feet broad and nine feet long.[17] The Takht-i-Firoza symbolizied the craftsmanship of the Telugu artisans that impressed the Bahmani Sultan.[18][19] Firishta mentioned that over a period of time, each Sultan added more embellishments which made it fully covered with jeweled stones by the time he saw it. Around eighteen Sultans sat on this fabulous throne and above it, a canopy was fixed. That canopy was studded with a very precious large ruby stone that was present by one of the Vijayanagara Emperors.[5]: 39
Ever since the capital was shifted from Gulbarga to Bidar by Ahmad Shah, the Takht-i-Firoza throne was placed in the grand hall of audience[note 5] and surrounded on its two sides by silver chairs used as seats for the holy men.[21]
Dismantling of the throneedit
This throne was used by every Bahmani sultan starting from Mohammed Shah I. However, at the very end of the Bahmani sultanate, Sultan Mahmood Shah Bahmani II extracted its jewels to repay his expenditure.[3][note 6] At the time of Mahood Shah the jewels of the throne was evaluated by then jewellers whose estimate was around one crore of pagodas or three and half crores of rupees.[14]
^Polavarapu Koteswara Rao (1997). Kondaveeti Prabhavam-Srinathuni Vaibhavam (in Telugu). Sujatha Publications, Vijayawada. p. 45.
^ abHaroon Khan Sherwani (1946). "The Bahmanis Of The Deccan-An Objective Study". Krishnavas International Printers, Hyderabad Deccan.
^ abRichard M. Eaton (2005). A Social History of the Deccan, 1300-1761. Taylor & Francis. p. 50. ISBN9780521254847.
^Abdul Qadir Husaini (Saiyid) (1960). "Bahman Shāh, the Founder of the Bahmani Kingdom". Firma K.L. Mukhopadhyay.
^ abManu S. Pillai (2018). Rebel Sultans: The Deccan from Khilji to Shivaji. Juggernaut. ISBN9789386228734.
^ abcdeJonathan Scott (1794). "Ferishta's History of Dekkan, From the first Muhammedan Conquests, Vol. 1". J. and W. Eddowes, London.
^Allen, J.; Wolseley Haig, T.; Dodwell, H. H. (1934). "The Cambridge Shorter History of India". Cambridge University Press. p. 279.
^Gurcharn Singh Sandhu (2003). A Military History of Medieval India. Vision Books. ISBN9788170945253.
^"Journal of Indian History, Volumes 21-22". Department of Modern Indian History. 1943. p. 190.
^Watson, Adam (1964). "The War Of The Goldsmiths Daughter". Chatto & Windus, London. p. 88.
^ abHaroon Khan Sherwani (1973). "History of Medieval Deccan, 1295-1724: Mainly political and military aspects". Print. and Publication Bureau, Government of Andhra Pradesh. p. 536.
^Mallampalli Somasekhar Sarma (1946). "History Of The Reddi Kingdoms". Andhra University, Waltair. p. 22.
^V. Yashoda Devi (1975). "After the Kākatīyas". Andhra Pradesh Sahitya Akademi. p. 64.
^ abJames Dunning Baker Gribble (1896). "A History of the Deccan, Volume 1". Luzac and Company. pp. 39–40.
^John Briggs (1829). "History of the Rise of the Mahomedan Power in India: Till the Year A. D. 1612, Volume 2". Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green.
^F. Steingass (2018). Persian-English Dictionary: Including Arabic Words and Phrases in Persian Literature. Taylor & Francis. ISBN9781136852480.
^William Jones (1883). Crowns & Coronations: A History of Regalia. Chatto and Windus. p. 487.
^Arash Khazeni (2014). Sky Blue Stone: The Turquoise Trade in World History. University of California Press. pp. 57–58. ISBN9780520958357.
^Navina Najat Haidar, Marika Sardar (2015). Sultans of Deccan India, 1500-1700: Opulence and Fantasy. Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 32. ISBN9780300211108.
^Dr. Ratnakar D. Hosamani (1947). A Study of Historical Monuments in Bidar District (1st Century-17th Century CE). Lulu.com. p. 287. ISBN9780359779970.
^Ghulam Yazdani (1947). "Bidar, Its History and Monuments". Oxford University Press. pp. 10–11.
^Jürgen Sarnowsky, Monika Arnez, ed. (2016). The Role of Religions in the European Perception of Insular and Mainland Southeast Asia: Travel Accounts of the 16th to the 21st Century. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 22. ISBN9781443899222.
Notesedit
^Firishta mentions that the throne was prepared by the Rai of Telingana,[6]: 22 but from his work it is not sure if it was Kapaya Nayaka or his predecessor Prolaya Nayaka who commissioned it.
^In some accounts, son of Kapaya Nayaka was referred to as Vinayāka. Also, Kapaya Nayaka was referred to as Kānhayya.[7]
^Firishta mentioned that on March 23rd, 1363CE, this throne replaced the earlier Throne made of silver on which Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah, the first Bahmani sultan used to sit.
^It was known in Persian as dīwān-i-ām (Persian: ديوان عام) and also referred to as Jāli-maḥall.[20]
^Mahmood Shah Bahmani II indulged more in pleasures and became a puppet ruler.[22] Instead of the Sultan, Malik Na'ib, Nizam-ul-Mulk Malik Hasan Bahri ran the sultanate. Within a decade after Mahmood Shah, the Bahmani sultanate ended and the five Deccan sultanates took control of its lands.
March 20, 2024
turquoise, throne, takht, firoza, hindustani, takht, fīrozā, telugu, vaiḍhūrya, simhāsanam, famous, jewel, studded, royal, throne, bahmani, sultans, deccan, india, gift, musunuri, kapaya, nayaka, then, king, warangal, telingana, during, bahmani, vijayanagar, w. The Turquoise Throne or Takht i Firoza Hindustani Takht e firoza Telugu Vaiḍhurya simhasanam 1 was a famous jewel studded royal throne of the Bahmani Sultans of Deccan in India It was a gift by Musunuri Kapaya Nayaka then king of Warangal or Telingana during the Bahmani Vijayanagar War where the Bahmanis defeated the latter 2 77 78 Over some time this throne became one of the most important icons of the Bahmani royalty and heritage 3 Contents 1 Origin of turquoise throne 1 1 Political situation in Deccan in early 1320s 1 2 A gift for truce 2 Description of the throne 3 Dismantling of the throne 4 See also 5 References 6 NotesOrigin of turquoise throne editPolitical situation in Deccan in early 1320s edit The Tughluq empire covered most of India at its height in the 1320s but for only a short time The Deccan region slipped out of its hands within a few decades beset by rebellions Two kingdoms arose from these developments one being the Bahmani Sultanate founded by Bahman Shah 4 and the other the Telingana kingdom at Warangal under the Musunuri Nayaks The two kingdoms warred with each other for a period eventually reaching a truce During the reign of Mohammad Bin Tughluq two new kingdoms arose in the south of Deccan namely the Vijayanagara Empire and the Madurai Sultanate A precursor of this truce was a joint attack by the Kapaya Nayaka and the Vijayanagara forces to capture the Raichur fort being foiled by Muhammad Shah Bahmani 5 45 A gift for truce edit This turquoise throne was originally commissioned in Warangal intended for the Delhi Sultan Muhammad ibn Tughluq 6 22 note 1 But the Tughluq rule was overthrown in Warangal before it could be delivered to Delhi Telangana region was liberated by Musunuri Nayaks in the early 1330s Nearly after three decades the King of Telangana or Warangal Kapaya Nayaka came up with a proposal that caught the imagination of the Bahmani sultan Kapaya Nayaka agreed to present the Bahmani with such a wonderful gift that is worthy only to be offered to a great king if they accept a truce and fix a frontier between the two kingdoms 6 21 22 This came after Nagadeva note 2 son of Kapaya Nayaka was brutally killed aftermath of a war with the Bahmani Sultanate 6 18 19 Kapaya Nayaka also gave an undertaking that he would not ally with the newly founded Hindu Vijayanagara empire in the south 8 320 That treaty between the Bahamani sultanate and Telangana kingdom occurred at Kaulas and Golconda was fixed as the frontier between the two 6 21 23 The throne was packed in a large wooden box at Warangal and was concealed so that its contents remain unknown until it is presented to the Sultan Mohammed Shah I at Gulbarga 9 When ascending the new throne Sultan named it taxt i firoza due to the color of the enamel work and predominant precious stones 10 Firishta mentioned that Sultan first sat on the new throne on Nowruz the Persian new year following the autumnal solstice in 764AH 2 102 note 3 After this truce Kapaya Nayaka had peace with the Bahmani Sultans 11 He was however faced with rebellions from other Telugu chieftains eventually getting killed in battle at Bheemaram in 1368 CE 12 note 4 Description of the throne editThis throne was taken to then capital Gulbarga for installation in the Royal Durbar hall That event was marked by great festivities and pomp where three hundred singers arrived from Delhi The erstwhile silver throne used by his father the very first Bahmani Sultan got shifted to the treasury 14 Persian historian Firishta stated that the imperial throne was studded with precious stones such as emeralds 11 It originally had a hue of turquoise and according to him exceeded splendour and intrinsic value every other in the world 15 520 Originally made of ebony it got gold plated and studded with precious stones when it was presented Also when the throne got presented it was coated with enamel which gave it a turquoise color and thus the name takht i firoza turquoise throne The word firoza means turquoise in Persian 16 944 The dimension of the throne was supposed to be three feet broad and nine feet long 17 The Takht i Firoza symbolizied the craftsmanship of the Telugu artisans that impressed the Bahmani Sultan 18 19 Firishta mentioned that over a period of time each Sultan added more embellishments which made it fully covered with jeweled stones by the time he saw it Around eighteen Sultans sat on this fabulous throne and above it a canopy was fixed That canopy was studded with a very precious large ruby stone that was present by one of the Vijayanagara Emperors 5 39 Ever since the capital was shifted from Gulbarga to Bidar by Ahmad Shah the Takht i Firoza throne was placed in the grand hall of audience note 5 and surrounded on its two sides by silver chairs used as seats for the holy men 21 Dismantling of the throne editThis throne was used by every Bahmani sultan starting from Mohammed Shah I However at the very end of the Bahmani sultanate Sultan Mahmood Shah Bahmani II extracted its jewels to repay his expenditure 3 note 6 At the time of Mahood Shah the jewels of the throne was evaluated by then jewellers whose estimate was around one crore of pagodas or three and half crores of rupees 14 See also editPeacock Throne Bahmani SultanateReferences edit Polavarapu Koteswara Rao 1997 Kondaveeti Prabhavam Srinathuni Vaibhavam in Telugu Sujatha Publications Vijayawada p 45 a b Haroon Khan Sherwani 1946 The Bahmanis Of The Deccan An Objective Study Krishnavas International Printers Hyderabad Deccan a b Richard M Eaton 2005 A Social History of the Deccan 1300 1761 Taylor amp Francis p 50 ISBN 9780521254847 Abdul Qadir Husaini Saiyid 1960 Bahman Shah the Founder of the Bahmani Kingdom Firma K L Mukhopadhyay a b Manu S Pillai 2018 Rebel Sultans The Deccan from Khilji to Shivaji Juggernaut ISBN 9789386228734 a b c d e Jonathan Scott 1794 Ferishta s History of Dekkan From the first Muhammedan Conquests Vol 1 J and W Eddowes London Allen J Wolseley Haig T Dodwell H H 1934 The Cambridge Shorter History of India Cambridge University Press p 279 Gurcharn Singh Sandhu 2003 A Military History of Medieval India Vision Books ISBN 9788170945253 Journal of Indian History Volumes 21 22 Department of Modern Indian History 1943 p 190 Watson Adam 1964 The War Of The Goldsmiths Daughter Chatto amp Windus London p 88 a b Haroon Khan Sherwani 1973 History of Medieval Deccan 1295 1724 Mainly political and military aspects Print and Publication Bureau Government of Andhra Pradesh p 536 Mallampalli Somasekhar Sarma 1946 History Of The Reddi Kingdoms Andhra University Waltair p 22 V Yashoda Devi 1975 After the Kakatiyas Andhra Pradesh Sahitya Akademi p 64 a b James Dunning Baker Gribble 1896 A History of the Deccan Volume 1 Luzac and Company pp 39 40 John Briggs 1829 History of the Rise of the Mahomedan Power in India Till the Year A D 1612 Volume 2 Longman Rees Orme Brown and Green F Steingass 2018 Persian English Dictionary Including Arabic Words and Phrases in Persian Literature Taylor amp Francis ISBN 9781136852480 William Jones 1883 Crowns amp Coronations A History of Regalia Chatto and Windus p 487 Arash Khazeni 2014 Sky Blue Stone The Turquoise Trade in World History University of California Press pp 57 58 ISBN 9780520958357 Navina Najat Haidar Marika Sardar 2015 Sultans of Deccan India 1500 1700 Opulence and Fantasy Metropolitan Museum of Art p 32 ISBN 9780300211108 Dr Ratnakar D Hosamani 1947 A Study of Historical Monuments in Bidar District 1st Century 17th Century CE Lulu com p 287 ISBN 9780359779970 Ghulam Yazdani 1947 Bidar Its History and Monuments Oxford University Press pp 10 11 Jurgen Sarnowsky Monika Arnez ed 2016 The Role of Religions in the European Perception of Insular and Mainland Southeast Asia Travel Accounts of the 16th to the 21st Century Cambridge Scholars Publishing p 22 ISBN 9781443899222 Notes edit Firishta mentions that the throne was prepared by the Rai of Telingana 6 22 but from his work it is not sure if it was Kapaya Nayaka or his predecessor Prolaya Nayaka who commissioned it In some accounts son of Kapaya Nayaka was referred to as Vinayaka Also Kapaya Nayaka was referred to as Kanhayya 7 Firishta mentioned that on March 23rd 1363CE this throne replaced the earlier Throne made of silver on which Ala ud Din Bahman Shah the first Bahmani sultan used to sit This Bhimavaram village was supposed to be near Warangal Telangana and should not be confused with the Bhimavaram located in the West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh 13 This Bhimavaram village is now known as Bhimaram It was known in Persian as diwan i am Persian ديوان عام and also referred to as Jali maḥall 20 Mahmood Shah Bahmani II indulged more in pleasures and became a puppet ruler 22 Instead of the Sultan Malik Na ib Nizam ul Mulk Malik Hasan Bahri ran the sultanate Within a decade after Mahmood Shah the Bahmani sultanate ended and the five Deccan sultanates took control of its lands Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Turquoise Throne amp oldid 1213427718, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
