ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the significant roles played by the descendants of African slaves in the independent kingdoms of Deccan, Gujarat, Bengal, Khandesh, Jaunpur, Malwa as well as Goa, Diu and Daman and the present-day countries of Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Because of its geographical location on the west coast of India, Gujarat was always a principal destination for African slaves and traders in India. According to tradition, Africans were represented in the armies of the rulers and states of Gujarat as early as the thirteenth century. Sidis first attained political power on the west coast of India in the late fifteenth century. They also assumed power later under the Nizam Shahi dynasty of Ahmadnagar in the Deccan. Subsequently, they served as tributaries to the Adil Shahi sultans of Bijapur and the Mughal emperors. This chapter also includes a discussion of Malik Ambar, perhaps the best-known son of Africa who rose to become the prime Minister of Ahmadnagar and a formidable threat to the Mughals.
