Yousef Adil Shah the Founder

Bijapur was also a seat of culture of classical music, and specially of Dhruvapada. Sultan Ibrahim Adil Shah II of Bijapur was a contemporary to the Emperor Akbar. He devoted the best part of his life to the cause of classical music, in which he took interest from his early age.

Yousef Adil Shah was the son of Murad II, the Sultan of Turkey. After the Sultan's death and succession to throne by the crown prince, all other sons were executed. However, Yusuf's mother secretly replaced him with a slave boy and sent him to Persia. After many romantic adventures, Yusuf reached the court of the Bidar Sultanate. His bravery and personality raised him rapidly in Sultan's favor, resulting in his appointment as the Governor of Bijapur. He built the Citadel or Arkilla and the Faroukh Mahal. Yusuf was a man of culture. He invited poets and artisans from Persia, Turkey and Rome to his court. He married Punji, the sister of a Maratha warrior.

At this juncture Ali Yousef Adil Khan declared himself independent and established a separate kingdom at Bijapur, which was one of his Jahagir(Lanlord) towns. It is very hard to get statesmen like Muhammad Gavan to manage the affairs of the State; but he was thus murdered and lost to the State. Yousef Adil Khan, who was considered and loved as his own son by Mehammad Gavan, saw that he also would be obliged to go the way of Muhammad Gavan and consequently had to establish a separate kingdom. When in A.D.1489, Yousef Adil Khan established his dynasty at Bijapur, his kingdom consisted of the whole tract between the Bhima River and the Ghataprabha River excepting some portion of Konkan coastal . The Gomantak Province was yet half conquered. During the next century, the Konkan and the Vijayanagar Kingdom were completely conquered and annexed to the Bijapur's Adil Shahi Kingdom. Later on the dominions of Bijapur extended up to Ceylon (Present day Sri Lanka)

Yusuf was a man of culture. He invited poets and artisans from Persia, Turkey and Rome to his court.He himself composed Music and he was a good painter. He married Punji, the sister of a Maratha warrior.Yusuf died in 1510 A.D.at the age of 74. He him self was playing several musical instruments and composed music and classical tunes based on Indo farasi style. He was found of Cord instruments.

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Mumlekathe Tareekh Bijapur