Was Ahmed Shah of Adil Shahi dynasty behind the massacre?

Historians of the State Department of Archaeology and Museums, on the basis of the results of the carbon-dating procedure conducted at the Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar, surmise that Ahmad Shah of the Adil Shahi dynasty, which ruled Bijapur between 1518 and 1686, might have been responsible for the massacre that led to the burial of nearly 600 skulls at Annigeri.

Although the Bhubaneswar laboratory claimed that the carbon-dating of the sample skulls showed that they were buried 638 years ago, the mathematics does work in this historical case, as the lab has also said that there is a margin of error of ‘plus or minus 60 years’.

“It is established in history that Ahmad Shah invaded many provinces along the Tungabhadra River, and in one instance, massacred as many as 20,000 people. Annigeri falls in this region. Archaeological findings published in the Bombay State Gazetteer, 1916, also corroborate this. Among Ahmad Shah’svictims were women and children,” said R Gopal, director of State Archaeology and Museums.

Annigeri was part of the Vijaynagar Empire, and Ahmad Shah had led invasions into it. By 1565, Vijaynagar was decisively defeated, and the empire broke up.

Historians however, also recall other instances of mass massacre in the region. “There are records of a ruler called Goggarasa during 13th century. He would call himself ‘Jinabentekara’ (hunter of Jains),” said a historian who did not wish to be named.