QUTB SHAHI DYNASTY

(15181687), Muslim rulers of the kingdom of Golconda in the southeastern Deccan of India, one of the five successor states of the Bahmani kingdom. The founder was Quli Qutb Shah, a Turkish governor of the Bahmani eastern region, which largely coincided with the preceding Hindu state of Warangal. Qutb Shah declared his independence in 1518 and moved his capital to Golconda. Toward the end of the century, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah built a new capital at Hyderabad, a few miles away. The kingdom was noted for its gold and diamonds. Its government was a Muslim military aristocracy; Persian influence was strong, and the sultans belonged to the Shi'i sect of Islam. Relations of the dynasty with the Hindu Telugus were generally good. Golconda took part in the overthrow of Vijayanagar (1565) and thereafter was mainly concerned with expansion along the coastal Carnatic. In 1687 the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb annexed the kingdom.