India Map 1491 CE — Historical Map & Timeline

Who ruled India in 1491 CE?

In 1491 CE, power in the subcontinent was shared among 11 major states and dynasties. Dates are conventional estimates.

• Delhi Sultanate — Lodi dynasty (1451 CE–1526 CE)
  Northern India from Delhi; at times much of the subcontinent. Five successive houses ruled from Delhi until Babur's victory at Panipat. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Delhi sultanate · Read: The Delhi Sultanate
• Vijayanagara Empire
  Southern India; capital Vijayanagara (Hampi). The great southern empire whose capital at Hampi is a World Heritage Site. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Vijayanagara
• Bahmani Sultanate
  Deccan; capitals Gulbarga and Bidar. Deccan sultanate that later split into five successor states. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Bahmani sultanate
• Deccan Sultanates (Ahmadnagar, Bijapur, Golconda, Berar, Bidar)
  Deccan plateau. Successor states of the Bahmanis; the last, Golconda, fell to Aurangzeb in 1687. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Adil Shahi dynasty
• Mewar (Sisodia Rajputs)
  Southern Rajasthan; capitals Chittor, later Udaipur. Rajput kingdom of Rana Kumbha, Rana Sanga and Maharana Pratap; a princely state under British paramountcy from 1818, merged into Rajasthan in 1949. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Udaipur (historical state)
• Ahom kingdom
  Brahmaputra valley, Assam. Ruled the Brahmaputra valley for six centuries until the Treaty of Yandabo. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Ahom
• Kashmir Sultanate (Shah Mir and Chak dynasties)
  Kashmir valley. Shah Mir rulers, including Zain-ul-Abidin, then the Chak sultans until Akbar annexed Kashmir in 1586. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Kashmir region Indian subcontinent
• Bengal Sultanate
  Bengal. Independent sultanate of Bengal, absorbed by the Mughals. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Bengal (region)
• Gujarat Sultanate
  Gujarat; capital Ahmedabad. Founded Ahmedabad; conquered by Akbar in 1573. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Gujarat
• Malwa Sultanate
  Malwa, central India; capital Mandu. Sultanate of central India, centred on the hill city of Mandu. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Malwa
• Gajapati kingdom of Odisha
  Odisha and coastal Andhra. Suryavamsi Gajapatis, successors of the Eastern Gangas. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Surya dynasty

What happened in India around 1491 CE?

• 1333 CE: Ibn Battuta arrives at Delhi
• 1336 CE: Vijayanagara is founded
• 1347 CE: Bahmani Sultanate emerges
• 21 April 1526: Babur defeats Ibrahim Lodi. The first Panipat battle opens a new ruling chapter while leaving further contests ahead. Source: Panipat District — History
• 1527: Further consolidation follows. The atlas’s next-year view highlights that Babur’s position continued to depend on subsequent conflict. Source: NCERT — The Mughal Empire
• 1539 CE: Sher Shah defeats Humayun at Chausa