Turquoise Throne

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).[2]: 77–78  Over a period of time, this throne became one of the most important icons of the Bahmani royalty and heritage.[3]

Origin of turquoise throne

Political situation in Deccan in early 1320s

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

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 throne

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 throne

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]

See also

References
  1. Polavarapu Koteswara Rao (1997). Kondaveeti Prabhavam-Srinathuni Vaibhavam (in Telugu). Sujatha Publications, Vijayawada. p. 45.
  2. Haroon Khan Sherwani (1946). "The Bahmanis Of The Deccan-An Objective Study". Krishnavas International Printers, Hyderabad Deccan.
  3. Richard M. Eaton (2005). A Social History of the Deccan, 1300-1761. Taylor & Francis. p. 50. ISBN 9780521254847.
  4. Abdul Qadir Husaini (Saiyid) (1960). "Bahman Shāh, the Founder of the Bahmani Kingdom". Firma K.L. Mukhopadhyay.
  5. Manu S. Pillai (2018). Rebel Sultans: The Deccan from Khilji to Shivaji. Juggernaut. ISBN 9789386228734.
  6. Jonathan Scott (1794). "Ferishta's History of Dekkan, From the first Muhammedan Conquests, Vol. 1". J. and W. Eddowes, London.
  7. Allen, J.; Wolseley Haig, T.; Dodwell, H. H. (1934). "The Cambridge Shorter History of India". Cambridge University Press. p. 279.
  8. Gurcharn Singh Sandhu (2003). A Military History of Medieval India. Vision Books. ISBN 9788170945253.
  9. "Journal of Indian History, Volumes 21-22". Department of Modern Indian History. 1943. p. 190.
  10. Watson, Adam (1964). "The War Of The Goldsmiths Daughter". Chatto & Windus, London. p. 88.
  11. 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.
  12. Mallampalli Somasekhar Sarma (1946). "History Of The Reddi Kingdoms". Andhra University, Waltair. p. 22.
  13. V. Yashoda Devi (1975). "After the Kākatīyas". Andhra Pradesh Sahitya Akademi. p. 64.
  14. James Dunning Baker Gribble (1896). "A History of the Deccan, Volume 1". Luzac and Company. pp. 39–40.
  15. 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.
  16. F. Steingass (2018). Persian-English Dictionary: Including Arabic Words and Phrases in Persian Literature. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781136852480.
  17. William Jones (1883). Crowns & Coronations: A History of Regalia. Chatto and Windus. p. 487.
  18. Arash Khazeni (2014). Sky Blue Stone: The Turquoise Trade in World History. University of California Press. pp. 57–58. ISBN 9780520958357.
  19. Navina Najat Haidar, Marika Sardar (2015). Sultans of Deccan India, 1500-1700: Opulence and Fantasy. Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 32. ISBN 9780300211108.
  20. Dr. Ratnakar D. Hosamani (1947). A Study of Historical Monuments in Bidar District (1st Century-17th Century CE). Lulu.com. p. 287. ISBN 9780359779970.
  21. Ghulam Yazdani (1947). "Bidar, Its History and Monuments". Oxford University Press. pp. 10–11.
  22. 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. ISBN 9781443899222.

Notes
  1. 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.
  2. In some accounts, son of Kapaya Nayaka was referred to as Vinayāka. Also, Kapaya Nayaka was referred to as Kānhayya.[7]
  3. 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.
  4. 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 "Bhīmāram".
  5. It was known in Persian as dīwān-i-ām (Persian: ديوان عام) and also referred to as Jāli-maḥall.[20]
  6. 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.
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