sultanate · South Asia

Bidar Sultanate

1492 CE – 1619 CE · capital Bidar

The Barid Shahi sultanate, heir to the Bahmani capital of Bidar, whose ministers ruled the last Bahmani sultans as puppets.

Origins

Qasim Barid, a Turkic noble, became chief minister of the declining Bahmani Sultanate in the 1490s and controlled its last sultans from Bidar. His son Amir Barid continued this role, and after the last Bahmani ruler fled around 1527 the family ruled openly; Ali Barid Shah took the royal title in the 1540s.

Rule and society

The Barid Shahi state was small, centred on Bidar and its fort, and depended on the balance between the larger Deccan sultanates. The Barid Shahs patronised architecture, including the tomb of Ali Barid and the Rangin Mahal with its inlaid mother-of-pearl decoration. Bidar was also known for bidriware, a craft of silver inlay on blackened metal.

Decline and legacy

The Bijapur Sultanate annexed Bidar in 1619, ending the dynasty. The city later fell to the Mughal Empire in 1656. Its tombs and the bidriware craft are its chief legacy.

Lineage

Bahmani Sultanate 1347 CE – 1527 CEBidar Sultanate

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Bidar Sultanate. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bidar-sultanate
MLA
“Bidar Sultanate.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bidar-sultanate. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Bidar Sultanate.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bidar-sultanate.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Bidar Sultanate’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bidar-sultanate (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻