Sultanate of Bijapur

The Sultanate of Bijapur is a Sunni Muslim entity of the Indian Subcontinent, reaching from the Western Ghats mountains, across the central Deccan to the Eastern Ghats. The Sultanate has access to both the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. The formerly powerful and stable region has been in a state of instability and conflict for nearly a century, warring with Vajiyanagar in the south and the Moghul Empire on the north. Portuguese, Dutch, English and French traders have taken steps to encroach upon Bijapur's trade, so that the once magnificent capital city of Bijapur has begun to show signs of decay. Bijapur's wealth, however, is said to be prodigious, while the city has entertained diplomats, travellers and knowledge seekers from around the globe.

The Sultanate covers an area of 288 hexes and has a population of 3,225,341. It borders on the Moghul Empire (Ahmadnagar, Berar and Bodhan); Golconda (Hyderabad and Helipuri); Vijayanagar (Madurai, Mysore, Keladi and Manjarun); and the European colonies of Goa and Coromandel.

The Sultanate is divided into six subahdars (Belgaum, Bellary, Bijapur, Kolhapur, Nellore and Pondicherry) and one Nayak (Vandavasi).