1. Mahmud Gawan 1463 – 1481 B.C. : He was the Prime minister of Mohammad Shah-III. He was a fascinating personality. He was born in Persia in 1411 C.E. He was well educated and came to India with the intention of carrying on trade. He visited the court of Alauddin Ahmad Shah – II. The Sultan offered Gawan an administrative post.
Gawan entered into Sultan’s service and by his sincerity and honesty, rose to the position of the Prime minister (Wazir) in 1463 C.E. He carried on the administration of the state and saved it from all dangers.
2. Achievements : As Prime minister (Wazir), he undertook many conquests and implemented reforms in the Kingdom.
1. Mahmud Gawan first paid attention for the establishment of unity and integrity of the Kingdom.
2. Mohammad Khilji of Malwa tried to enter the Deccan Region. Gawan expelled the Sultan of Malwa beyond Bidar, made a treaty with the Sultan and established political stability.
3. Gawan conquered Rajamahendri and Kondaveedu. In the west, he extended the territory to the coast, by annexing Konkan. Gajapathi Kapilendra of Orissa invaded the Kingdom. Gawan successfully repelled his attack.
4. He subdued many chieftains in the western coastal belt and conquered Hubli, Belagavi (Belgaum) and Goa regions from the Vijayanagara Empire.
5. The number of provinces was increased from 4 to 8 for the convenience of administration. They were called ‘Tarafs’. The Jahagir system was abolished. The administration was highly centralised.
6. Gawan classified all the land of the Kingdom on the basis of fertility and irrigation facility. Land was surveyed and the revenue was fixed. The collection of revenue was only in cash.
7. Gawan established a Madarasa, a Coliege for higher education, at Bidar in 1472 C.E. He built a library and collected over 3000 manuscripts from all over the world. He was a scholar. He wrote books on religion, mathematics, literature, and medicine. His important works were Manazir – ul- Insha and Riyaz – ul – Insha.
Gawan’s progress was not tolerated by the native muslim leaders. They made false allegations against him. He was beheaded in 1481 C-E. After his death, the Bahamani Kingdom started declining.
