Illichpur

Illichpur, also known as Achalpur, was one of the celebrated cities of the Deccan. It had been an early capital of a branch of the Rashtrakuta dynasty, and in the thirteenth century it became tributary to the Delhi Sultanate. Direct rule from Delhi followed in 1318; in 1347 Illichpur and Berar came under the Bahmani Sultanate.

As Bahmani authority weakened, Fathullah Imad-ul-Mulk declared independence in 1490 and established the Imad Shahi dynasty. He made Illichpur the capital of the new Berar Sultanate and annexed Mahur to his kingdom. The city later served at intervals as the seat of the governors of Berar, until the Mughals moved the provincial capital to Balapur. In the eighteenth century Illichpur and the rest of Berar came under the Nizam of Hyderabad.