Wikipedia Trail: From Ganesha to the Adil Shahi Dynasty

I began my Wikipedia trail on Ganesha, as I was reading up on the deity when providing feedback on projects. Ganesha is one of the most well-known and widely worshiped deities in Hinduism, and his characteristic elephant head makes him easy to spot. His image is found across South Asia, from India to Bangladesh as well as in countries with large Indian populations, such as Trinidad. The article mentioned principal texts on Ganesha and included the Ganesha Purana, which led me to my second Wikipedia page.Ganesha Purana is the primary text on Ganesha and includes a range of information from yoga, theology, geology, cosmology, philosophy, and others. The text was estimated to be written in the medieval period during Islamic rule in South Asia, and it was a time of political turmoil. More specifically, it was written during the time when the Maratha Empire was fighting the Islamic Sultanates in central India. I wanted to learn more about the Maratha Empire, which led me to my third Wikipedia page. This empire dominated India during the 18th century and was defeated by the British East India Company. They're credited for ending Mughal rule in India. The empire rose in prominence after Shivaji Maharaj revolted against the Adili Shahi dynasty in the 17th century. This dynasty sparked my interest, and the Adili Shahi dynasty was my fourth Wikipedia page. This dynasty was established by Yusuf Adil Shah and ruled over South India from the late 1400's to the mid 1600's. It eventually broke apart in the 1500's and was fully absorbed by the Mughal empire in the late 1600's. Yusuf may have been a slave who rose to prominence and eventually established his own dynasty.

A miniature of Ganesha. Source: Wikipedia