Muhammad Shah I was succeeded by his son Mujahid Shah. The Raichur Doab was the bone of contention between Vijayanagar and the Bahmani kingdom. When Mujahid Shah asked the ruler of Vijayanagar to leave the Raichur Doab, the latter replied by demanding the fortresses of Raichur and Mudgal.

Mujahid marched against Vijayanagar but he failed to capture the city. A second attempt was made but that also failed. The Muslims suffered a crushing defeat and ultimately peace was concluded.

Mujahid fell a victim to a conspiracy organised by Daud Khan who usurped the throne. However, the usurper himself was murdered in May, 1378 at the instigation of Ruh Parwar Agha, the foster sister of Mujahid. She hired a slave who killed Daud Khan in a mosque when the was kneeling down to say his prayers.

Muhammad Shah II (1318-97):

ADVERTISEMENTS:

The next ruler was Muhammad Shah II. He was a man of peace. He spent all his time in the pursuit of literature and science. He built mosques. He set up monasteries and public schools. Many learned men came to his court from all parts of Asia. Hafiz, the famous Persian poet, was invited and he actually started for India but had to give up the attempt on account of difficulties.

The poet sent an ode for which he was given a good reward. The view of Muhammad Shah was that the King was merely a trustee of the wealth of the people and any careless or unnecessary expenditure amounted to a breach of trust. In his time, a famine broke out and he employed 10,000 bullocks to bring grains from Malwa and Gujarat to meet the situation. He died in April, 1397.

A reference may be made at this stage to Saif-ud-Din Ghori who had the privilege of serving the first five Bahmani rulers. Sir Wolseley Haig says that Muhammad Shah 1 was a diligent and methodical administrator, but as he was all the time occupied with war, wine and slaughter of the Hindus, he had practically no time for constructive statesmanship.

The success of his administration was due to Saif-ud-Din Ghori. The same part was played by Saif-ud-Din during the reign of Muhammad Shah II. When there was a famine between 1387 and 1395, a thousand bullocks were employed to import com from Gujarat and Malwa.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

However, that com was sold at low rates to Muslims only. Likewise, free schools were established for Muslim orphans at Gulbarga, Bidar, Qandhar, Elichpur, Daultabad, Chaul, Dhabol and other cities and towns in which children were not only taught but where housed and fed at public expense. Special allowances were given to the readers of the Quran, recites of the Traditions and the blind. Saif-ud-Din Ghori died in 1397 A.D. at the age of 104.