Who founded the Bahmani Sultanate?

Concept

The Bahmani Sultanate was the first independent Muslim kingdom established in the Deccan (peninsular India). It broke away from the Delhi Sultanate when provincial nobles in the Deccan revolted against the centralising and harsh policies of the Tughluq dynasty. Identifying its founder means identifying the rebel noble who was proclaimed the first ruler, not the Delhi ruler whose rule was overthrown.

Application

In 1347 CE, the Deccan nobles (the "Amiran-i-Sadah", or Centurion captains) rose in revolt against Delhi and chose one of their own as ruler. That leader, Zafar Khan, was crowned with the title Alauddin Bahman Shah and is popularly remembered as Hasan Gangu. The dynasty and kingdom he founded took the name "Bahmani" from his royal title, and Gulbarga (renamed Ahsanabad) served as its early capital.

Cross-check / Contrast

• Muhammad bin Tughluq was the Delhi ruler whose Deccan policies provoked the revolt; he was the ruler rebelled AGAINST, not the founder.

• Firoz Shah Bahmani was a later, celebrated Bahmani sultan (early 15th century) known for his learning, not the founder of the dynasty.

• Mir Jafar belongs to 18th-century Bengal (Battle of Plassey, 1757) and has no connection to the 14th-century Deccan Bahmani kingdom.

Hence the founder of the Bahmani Sultanate (1347) was Alauddin Bahman Shah, also known as Hasan Gangu.