Cour

se:B.
A.Hi
stor
ySubsi
diar
y

Semest
er:B.
A.2ndSemest
er

Cour
seCode:GE202

Topi
c:Aur
angzebandhi
sImper
ial
ist
icPol
icy

Pr
epar
edby:DrSangeet
aSaxena

Depar
tment
:Hi
stor
y,Pat
naWomen’
sCol
lege,
Pat
na

Emai
l:sangeet
akhl
esh@gmai
l.
com

Cont
ent
:

1.Aur
angzebandI
mper
ial
ism

2.Asam

3.Deccan

3.Nor
thWestFr
ont
ier

4.Mar
athas

5.Admi
nist
rat
ion,
andRel
igi
ousPol
icy

6.SuccessandFai
lur
esofMughal
s

MughalEmpi
re:Aur
angzeb(
1658-
1707)
:

Weknowt hatAur
angzebhadenthr
onedhimselfonJul
y211658af t
erhi
soccupat
ionof
Agra.
Butheheldhissecondenthr
onementafterhi
ssuccessinthebatt
lesofKhajwa
andDeorai
,onMay15, 1659af
terent
eri
ngDelhiinagr
andprocessi
on.

Ther
ewer
epr
olongedr
ejoi
cings,andl
avi
shexpendi
tur
ewasi
ncur
redt
omaket
he
occasi
onmemorabl
e.Ther
ewerelar
ge-
scal
eill
umi
nat
ionsandgrandf east
s.Khut
ba
wasreadandcoi
nsst
rucki
nhi
sname.Heassumedt
hetit
leofAl
amgirPadshahGhazi
.

Aurangzeb’sfi
rstconcernwastotakestepstowi
ntheconf
idence,part
icular
lyofhisco-
reli
gioni
stsandt o all
eviat
ethedistr
essoft hecommonpeopl ewho hadsuf fered
considerabl
yduet ot hewarofsuccessi onandl
ossofpr oduct
ionofev eryki
ndHe
disconti
nued t
heI lahieraint
roduced byAkbarand r
everted t
ot hel unarcalendar
foll
owedbyt heMusl i
ms.

Her emi t
tedcertainvexali
oustaxesandcesses, suchast r
ansitdutyoctroiduty
,awabs
whichwer eextral ev
iesandspeci alawabswhi chwerel i
cencet ax’gif
ttax,feesand
commi ssi
onsr eali
sedf orthestate.Butaswasusualwi t
hal lprevi
ousr ul
ers,t
hese
remissionswer enotef fecti
veinreali
tyexceptinoneort wocases.Thel ocaloff
icers
continuedt ocollectallthetaxesforthei
rownbenef i
ts.AccordingtoKhaf iKhant he
l
ocalof fi
cers actuall
y coll
ected tr
ansi
tdut i
es often twice the costpr i
ce oft he
commodi ti
es.

Inordertobr i
ngpeaceandr epairthedamagesdonedur i
ngthewarofsuccessi on
part
icul
arl
yinnor t
hernI
ndia,Aurangzebbroughtt
hegovernorsandoff
icersunderst
ri
ct
control
.Aurangzebwast hechampi onoftheSunniMusli
msandi norderthathemight
conformtoor thodoxpreceptsoft heQuran,heissuedseveralr
egulati
ons.Formerl
y
Kali
mausedt obeembossedont hecoins.Thi
spract
icewasabandonedbyAur angzeb
asitwasun- I
slamic.

Healsogav eup,thepr
act
iceofobserv
ingthePersianNew Year
’sdayCul
ti
vat
ionof
Bhangintheempi rewasprohi
bit
ed,gambling,dr
inki
ngandpr ost
it
uti
onwereal so
st
ri
ctl
yprohi
bit
edandcensorsofpubl
icmoralswereappoint
edtoseetoitt
hatorders
werest
ri
ctl
yobeyed.

EveryMuslim wasr equir

edt osayprayer
sf i
vet i
mesadayandkeepRamadanFast .
Heresyandblasphemywer estr
ict
lypuni
shed.ManyShi ahswer
ebeheadedforabusi
ng
thefi
rstthr
eeCaliphsi.e.Khal
if
as.TheIsmail
iaandBohr acommunit
iesofGujar
athad
tosufferbl
oodypersecutionatt
hehandsofAur angzeb

Expansi
onofTer
ri
tor
ies:

Imperi
alexpansi
onunderAurangzebranapaceandifthel
ossofQandaharandCentral
AsiaunderShahJahani snott akenint
oaccounttheext
entoftheempireremained
i
ntactunderAur angzebatthetimeoft heaccessi
onDaudKhan,Gov er
norofBihar
conqueredPalamaui n1661andi twasf or
tunat
eforAur
angzebthathi
senter
pri
sing
off
icer
saddedt otheempir
eoftheirmaster.
Assam Campai
gn:

Ont heeast
ernfr
ontieroftheEmpiret
heAhoms,aMongol oi
ddynastythatrul
edover
Assam andCooch-BeharseizedtheMughaldi
str
ictofKamrupthatlaybetweenthei
r
ter
ri
tori
es.MirJumla,thegov er
norofBengalwasdi r
ect
edt oadvanceagainstthe
Ahomst ocheckt
heiraggressi
on.

TheMughalshadalreadytof
ighttheAhomswhentheyr
aidedtheeast
ernfr
onti
eroft
he
Empir
eunderShahJahanandapeacewasar ri
vedatbetweenthetwoin1639.Butt
he
warofsuccessi
ongav etheAhomst heopport
uni
tytooccupyGuwahatii
n1658,sei
ze
140horses,
40piecesofcannon,200matchl
ocksandmuchboot y
.

MirJuml amar chedattheheadof12,

000cavalryand30,
000infant
ry,
al ar
gefloti
l
laand
suffi
cientart
il
ler
yfrom Daccai
n1661t opunishtheaggr
essor
s.MirJuml arapidl
yover-
ranCooch- BeharinDecember1661andpur suedt heAhom Rajaupt heBrahmaput r
a
val
ley.Fortaft
erfortf
ellt
ohim andAssam wasalsocapt
ured.

MirJuml aenteredGar hgaon,thecapit

aloftheAhom RajainMarch1662.TheRaj alef
t
thecapi t
aldefensel
essatt hemer cyoft heinvaderandMirJumlacollect
edi mmense
booty.Butwitht heonsetoft herai
nsNat urefoughtfort
heAhoms.Mi rJuml a’
stroops
suff
eredheav il
yf r
om t heincli
menciesoft heclimateandfel
lsick—bothf orwantof
provi
sionsandmedi cinesthear myofMi rJumlawasi nahopel
essstat
eofdi sorderand
confusion.

TheAhomswhohadav oi
dedopenconfl
ictwit
ht heMughal
snowfel
lupont
hem.The
Mughalgov
ernordespitethefamineandpestil
enceinhiscamphel
dhisownti
l
lthe
rai
nswereov er
,and then resumed of
fensi
veinf ul
lscal
e.TheAhomswerenow
compel
ledt
osuef orpeace.

Thus“ j
udgedasami li
tar
yexpl
oit
,MirJumla’
sinvasi
onofAssam wasasuccess”(
J.N.
Sarkar)
.Jayadhv
aj,ki
ngofAssam agreedtopayanannualtri
but
etotheMughalsand
payahugei ndemnity
,apartofwhichwaspaidimmediat
elyandt
hebalancewastobe
pai
di ntwel
veequalmonthlyi
nst
all
ments.

I
tmust,however,benot
edthatcomparedt
othelosssust
ained,par
ti
cular
lydeathofMir
Jumla(Apr
il
,10,1663)himselfonhiswaytoDaccaduet oil
l
nesscauseddur ingt
he
Assam Campaignandlossofmenandmoney ,t
hegainwast ooinsigni
fi
cantandofno
per
manentadvantagetotheempir
e.

MirJuml awassucceededbyShay
ist
aKhan,sonofAsafKhanandmat
ernaluncl
eof
Aurangzeb,asgover
norofBengal
.ThePort
ugueseatthatti
memadethemselvesa
v
erit
abl
emenacei
nBengalf
ortheycar
ri
edonpi r
acyincoast
alBengali
nthenameof
t
radeandev
encar
ri
edof
fpeopl
eandsoldthem assl
aves.

Shayi
staKhanr ai
sedaf lot
il
laor300v essel
sandcaptur
edt heislandofSandv i
paswell
asChitt
agong.Sandv i
pwast hestrongholdoft hePor
tuguesepi rates.Shayi
staKhan
rel
easedthousandsofsl aves.Chi
ttagongbelongedtothekingofAr akan,whowasan
all
yofthePortuguese.Shay i
staKhanplacedacommandanti nchar geofChitt
agongto
dealwit
hevilofthePortuguesepir
acy ,
butitcoul
dnotcompl et
elyeradicate.

Nor
th-
WestFr
ont
ierWar
:

Aurangzebwasachampi onofMusl i
m or
thodoxy,buthehadtof aceequal
l
yor t
hodox
Muslim Afghantri
besinthenor
th-
westfront
ierofhisempir
ewhohadal waysbeena
menacet ot henorth-
wester
nbordersoftheempi re.TheAfghant r
ibeswerehardy
peoplewhol ivedbyhighwayrobberyandbl ackmail
ingt
her i
chciti
esoft henort
h-
westernPunjab.

TheMughalemperorsfounditdif
fi
culttoconquerortamet hetri
besmenandr esort
ed
tothesyst
em ofbr
ibi
ngthem.Butt hesetr
ibeseuphemist
ical
lycal
ledpoli
ti
calpensi
ons
werenotalwaysef
fect
iveinsecuri
ngobedi ence.I
n1667al eaderoftheYusufzaicl
an
roseinarmsandal argenumberoft hem crossedt
heI ndusandr ai
dedt heMughal
dist
ri
ctofHazar
a.

Asect i
onoft heYusuf zaisplunder
edAttockandPeshawarandattemptedt oholdthe
fer
ryandHar unt opr eventtheMughalar mytocrossi
ntothetr
ibalareas.Theywer e,
howev er
,defeatedbyt heMughalcommandantKami lKhanofAt t
ock( Apri
l,1667).
ShamsherKhananot herMughalcommandercr ossedi
ntothet
ri
balar eaanddef eat
ed
the Yusufzai
st ri
bals.Aur angzeb al
so sentMuhammad Amin Khan t o punish t
he
Yusufzai
swi t
hinaf ewmont hs.

I
n1672anotherrevol
tinthefront
ierregi
ontookplaceundert
heAfri
dichi
efAkmalKhan
whodecl
aredhimselfindependent,assumedthecrownofkinghimselfanddecl
areda
hol
ywaragainsttheMughalscall
inguponallthePathanstoj
oinhi
m.InMay ,
1672,they
i
nfl
i
ctedacrushingdef
eatont heMughal sunderMuhammadAmi nKhanatAhMasj id.

AminKhanmadegoodhi sescapel eavinghiscampandpr opert

yincl
udi
nghiswomen
whoweretur
nedint
osl av
esbyt heirPat hancaptor
s.Thi
sv i
ctor
yenhancedthepower
andpr
esti
geofAkmalKhanandr ecr
uitsbegantof l
ocki
ntohisarmy.Thesuccessal
so
fi
redt
heambiti
onoft hetri
besmenwhower ej
oinedbyKhushalKhanoft heKhatt
ak
cl
anandther
isi
ngspreadthroughouttheent i
ref
ronti
err
egi
on.
Thewhol eofthePtathanlandfrom AttocktoQuandahal
rroseinarms.Aur angzeb
appoint
edMahabatKhanast hegover
norofAfghanist
anwit
hthespecif
icinst
ruct
ionto
putdownt herebel
l
ion.Thenew governorarr
ivedatasecretunder
standingwiththe
rebel
sandther
ewasnoi mprovementinthesit
uati
on.

Aurangzebwasver
ymuchdi spl
easedandsentShuj aatKhansupport
edbyJaswant
Singhtodealwi
threbel
l
ioust ri
besmen.ShujaatKhanwasdef eat
edbythePathansin
Februar
y,1674andhehi msel fwaski l
ledwi t
hal argenumberofhi ssoldi
ers.The
remnantofhi
sarmywasr escuedbyt heRathercont
ingentofJaswantSi
ngh.

The situati
on att he fr
ontierwas fastgoi ng outofcont r
ol.Aur
angzeb t
her
efore
personall
ypr oceededt oHasanAbdal ,(1674)apl acenearPeshawarandbybot h
di
plomacy ,bri
binganduseoff orceachievedmuchsuccess.Hesucceededi nbri
nging
manyAf ghantribestosubmi ssi
onbygr antofpensions,jagir
sandpresent
sasal so
off
ices,whilemor erecal
cit
rantsweresubduedbyuseoff or
ce.

ByDecember1675, thef r
ontierbecamealmostqui
etandAur angzeblef
tf orDelhi
.Ami n
Khan,thegov ernorofAf ghanistanwasacapablemanwhobyhi stact,diplomacyand
fr
iendlybehav i
ourt owardst he Af
ghan t
ri
balssucceeded inf ur
therqui eteni
ng the
fr
ontierduringthet erm ofhi sof f
icef
rom 1677to1698t hey earofhi sdeat h.His
successwast oav erylargeextentduetothewiseadviceandabl esuppor tofhiswife
Sahibji
,daughterofAliMar danKhan.

Ami nKhanwhilepaidsubsidi
estot het
ri
balchiefssoweddi ssensi
onsamongt hem and
graduall
ybrokeupt heAf ghanTr i
balconf
eder acyorganisedbyAkmalKhan.Ont he
l
atter’
sdeaththeAf r
idi
ssubmi ttedandmadepeacewi t
ht heMughals.KhushalKhan,
theKhattakhero,however,carr
iedonhostil
it
iesf orafew y ear
smor eti
l
lhisownson
betray
edhim andwentov ertotheMughals.

KhushalKhanwascapt uredandimpri
soned.Thef r
onti
erwarcamet oanend.Thewar
agai
nstt heAf ghantri
bal’
sprovedtobeav er
ycostlyaf
fairandasSirJ.N.Sar
karput
sit
;
thei
rindirecteffect
swer eprej
udi
cialt
otheinter
estsoftheempi r
e,fori
twasrui
nousto
i
mper ial
f i
nancesandev enmor eharmfuli
nitspoli
ti
calef
f ect
s.

Itmade empl oymentoft he Afghans i

nt he ensui ng hosti
li
ti
es wi
ththe Raj
put’
s
i
mpossi ble,al
thoughAfghansweret hef
it
testsoldierstof i
ghtinthebar
rencountr
yof
Rajput
ana.I talsorel
i
evedpressur
eonShi vaj
ibydi recti
ngtheMughalt r
oopsfrom t
he
southtoser vi
cei nthenorth-
west.Theadv antagewast akenbyShivaj
iwho took
possessionofKar nat
akaandRaigarh.
“TheMar at
hachieft
ookadv antageofthisdivi
sionofhi
senemy’
sst
rengthtosweepi
na
dazzli
ngsuccessionoftriumphst hroughGol condatotheKar
nat
akaandbackagai n
thr
oughMy sor
eandBi j
apurt oRaigarhduringt hef
if
teenmont
hsfoll
owingDecember
1675.Itwast hecli
maxofhi scar eer;butt heAfri
disandt
heKhat t
aksmadehi s
unbrokensuccesspossi
ble.”

Aur
angzebandt
heDeccan:

Aurangzeb’sattent
ionduringthefi
rsthalfofhi srei
gnwasengr ossedi ntheaf fair
sof
thenorth.Affai
rsoft heDeccanwer eleftint hehandsoft hegovernorswhohadnot
much diffi
cultyin deali
ng wit
htheBi japurand Gol condasultanatesast heywer e
decadent.Theyhadnotbeenabl et orecov erfrom theblowstheyr ecei
v edfrom t he
i
mper i
altroopsandt hei
rweaknesswast akenadv ant
ageofbyt her i
singMar athas
whoseappear ancei ntheDeccancompl i
catedt hepoli
ti
calsi
tuati
oni nthesout hand
posedagr eatchall
engetot heMughalpower .

Forthefi
rsttwentyyear
sofAur angzeb’
sr ei
gnhisgovernor
sint heDeccancouldnot
achi
eveanysuccessagai nstthesul
tanatesoragainsttheri
singMarathas,norcoul
d
theEmperorhimsel
freal
isetheful
lsi
gnif
icanceoftheri
seoftheMar at
hasatfir
st.

Abdull
aQut bShah,sul tanofGol condawasasi ndolentaspleasur
e-l
oving.Hespent
mostofhi sti
mei nt hecompanyofwomenl eav
ingtheaf fai
rsoft
hestateint hehands
ofhisfavori
teoffi
cers.AbdulHasanwhosucceededhi m wasnobetter
.Heal soleftt
he
administ
rati
onoft hestatetohist woBr ahminmi nister
s,MadannaandMakkanna. He
enter
edintoadef ensiv
eal l
iancewi t
hShi v
ajipromisinghim anannualsubsidyoff i
ve
l
akhsofr upees.Bijapurwasmor edefiantthanGolcondaandi mperi
altr
oopshadt obe
sentagainstitseveralti
mes.Aur angzeb,assoonasheemer gedsuccessfulinthewar
ofsuccessionturnedhisattenti
ont owardstheDeccan.

AurangzebsentJaiSi
nghofJaipur(1665)t
ochastiseBij
apurf orviol
ati
ngt heter
msof
1657.JaiSinghwasalsoinst
ruct
edt osubdueShivaj
i.JaiSinghf i
rstdealtwit
hShivaj
i
andcompel l
edhi mtosurr
enderthefortofPurandarandf orcedShi v
ajitoacceptthe
tr
eatyofPur andari
nJune,1665bywhi chhehadt ogi veupt wenty-t
hreefort
sand
extensi
velands,andtobecomeaMughalv assal
,andpr omisedacont i
ngentof5,000
horses.

JaiSi
nghper
suadedShi
vaj
itogot
oAgr
awher
ehewasr
ecei
vedbyAur
angzeb,but
ref
usedtobet reat
edasamansabdarof5, 000hor ses;Shiv
ajiref
usedtocompl ywit
h
theeti
quett
eoft heimperi
alcourtanddemandedr espectduet oasov erei
gnpr i
nce.
Shiv
aji
,consequentl
ywaskeptundersur vei
llancefrom whichhemanagedt oescape
wit
hhi sson,withtheconnivanceofRam Si ngh,asonofJaiSi ngh,r
eturnedtohi s
countr
yaft
ermanyadv ent
ures,inDecember,1666,afteranabsenceofninemont hs.

Nexty earJaiSi nghdied(1667)int heDeccanhavi

ngbeenpoisonedbyhissonKirat
Singh.Aurangzebwasgl adt hatJaiSinghwasdead,forhefelthehadnow greater
l
ibertyinpursuinghispoli
cyofper secut
ion.“
Heavai
ledhi
msel
foft hel
iber
tysogai
ned
bydest r
oyi
ngt hel ar
getempleatMat hur
a.”

RajaJaswantSi nghofMar war( Jodhpur

)now t ookov erJaiSingh’
spositi
oninthe
Deccan where he had served before.Buthispr ev
iousexperi
enceand assist
ance
recei
vedfrom Pr i
nceMuazzam di dnothel phimt omakeanyi mprovementinthe
sit
uati
onfortheimper i
ali
sts.Bot
hJaswantSi nghandPr inceMuazzam accept
edl
arge
sumsofmoneyf rom Shi
vajiandrefrai
nedfr
om takingeffecti
vest
epsagainsthi
m.

Onthecontr
aryt
heypersuadedAurangzebtoconf
eronShivajitheti
tl
eofRaja(
1667)
,
NexttwoyearsweredevotedbyShivajii
norgani
singhisi
nternalgover
nmentandin
1670resumedacti
vehostil
it
iesagai
nsttheMughal sandChaut hwasr eal
i
sedfr
om
cer
tai
npart
sofKhandesh.

Smithsay st wemaydat
hat“ et
hefir
stimpositi
onofMar at
haonapr ov i
nceimmedi at
ely
subjecttot heMughals.”Thiswasi ndeedaconcl usiveproofoft hefeeblenessof
Aurangzeb’sgovernmentevenear
lyinhisrei
gn.InOctober,
1670Shivajipi
l
lagedthecity
ofSur atal
thoughwasnotabl etodamaget heEur opeanfact
ori
es.Heal soconquered
RamnagarandJawhar .

AtRaigarh,Shi
vaj
icel ebr
atedhi
sformalcoronat
ionasani ndependentChatr
apat
ion
June16,1674.Het henconqueredKarnat
akaandapar tofMy sore,hel
pedSi
diMasud,
regentofBij
apuragainsttheMughal
s(1678)
.Soonafterhefellil
landdiedonApri
l14,
1680.

DeathofShivajidi
dnotmeananyi mprov
ementi nt heimper
ialposi
ti
onintheDeccan.
Pri
nceAkbarf l
edandt ookshelt
erwit
hShambhuj iandanalli
ancebetween“di
stur
berof
I
ndia”(Akbar)andt he“inf
ernalsonofani nf
ernalf at
her
”(Shambhuji)asAurangzeb
ter
medt hesetwo,call
edforachangeinAurangzeb’sDeccanpoli
cy.

Henow personall
ymar chedtoward,t
heDeccanl eavi
ngAjmer( 1681)af
terhavi
ng
pat
ched up a peace wi
th Mewar.He reached Burhampurin November1681 and
Ahmadnagarearl
yin1682.“Hi
smi ndmusthav ebeenf ul
lofhi
ghhopes,andhecould
notforeseethatdesti
nywasdraggi
nghimt othesout
ht odi
gthegravesofhi
mselfand
hi
sempi r
e.”Fr
om 1682to1685wer espenti
nv ai
npursui
tofPr
inceAkbarandal
though
afew oft heMar at
hafort
shadbeenconquer edbyt heimperi
alforcest
hest ur
dy
Marathascouldnotbesuppressed.

Aurangzeb’spol i
cyt owardst heDeccansul tanat eswasgui dedbybot himper ial
ist
i
nterestandr el
igi
ousconsi derati
on.SiegeofBi j
apurwhichhadbeeni ndecadencedue
tointer
naldissensionsbegani n1685andAur angzebarri
vedt her
ei npersoni n1686.
Thegarrisonheldoutgal l
antl
yandi twasnotunt i
llackofprov
isions,andhuget oll
taken
bypest i
lenceandf amineofcount l
essmenandhor sesthati tsurrender
edt ot he
Mughalsandt heAdi lShahidynastycamet oanend.

Aurangzebent eredthecit
yofBi j
apurintri
umphandper petrat
edtheactofv andalism
bydest r
oyingallthefi
nepaint
ingsandf r
escoesofSi kandarShah’spalace.Bi
japurnot
onlylostit
sindependencebutwasl eftadesolateandpl underedcit
y.“Afewy earslater
Bhimsennot icedhow thecit
yandi tsequall
yl argesuburbNaur aspurlookeddeser ted
andruined,thepopulat
ionwasscat t
ered,
andev enthewat er
-suppl
yinthecity-
well
shad
suddenlygrownscant y.
”

Next,
Aurangzebtur
nedhisat
tent
iont otheQut bShahikingdom ofGolcondawhi chhad
enj
oyedimmuni t
yfr
om Mughalattacksforthepastt hi
rt
yy earsduri
ngwhichtheSultan
pai
dt he t
ribut
esregul
arl
y.Predomi nance ofHi ndu i
nfluence atGolconda and i
ts
al
li
ancewithShambhuji
wereparti
cularl
yoffensiv
et oAurangzeb.

The i mmedi ate cause ofhostil

i
ty between Golconda and the Mughal
s was the
i
nt ercept
ionofal ett
erofAbdulHasant ohisagenti ntheMughalcampi nwhi chhe
calledAur angzeb“ ameanmi ndedcowar dforatt
ackingahel pl
essyoungorphanli
ke
SikandarAdi lShah”andmenti
onedt hathewouldrendermili
tar
ysupportt
oBij
apur.

Thi
sl et
teri
nfur
iat
edAur angzebwhoatoncedi spatchedPrinceShahAlam toi nvade
Hyderabad(Jul
y,1685).ThePr i
ncewasheldupatMal khedbyaGol condaarmyand
at
tainednosuccess.Soonaf ter,MirMuhammadI brahi
m,thecommander -i
n-chiefof
Golcondaar
mywasbr i
bedtojointheMughal
s.

TheSul t
anAbulHasant husbetrayed,fl
edf rom t
heGol condafort,Hy der
abadwas
capturedbyShahAl am.AbulHasanhadt osumbitandwaspar donedoncondi tionof
surrenderi
ngMal khedandSer am,todismisshisHindumi nist
ersMadannaandAkkanna
andt opayani ndemni t
yofonecr oretwentylakhsofrupees.ButindependentGol conda
wasbyi t
sel
fanof fenceinAur angzeb’
sschemeoft hings.He,t herefor
e,resumed
operationagainstAbulHasanaf t
erconquestofBi japurandhi mselfappear edbefore
Golcondaear l
yin1687.Thef ortwasbesi egedbutitheldoutv ali
antlyforabouteight
mont
hs.

Pri
nceShahAlam inthemeanti
meaccept edpr esent
sf r
om theSul tanAbulHasanand
was aboutt o gethim pardoned.Aur angzeb goti nformation aboutt he secr
et
negoti
ati
onsbet
weenAbulHasanandt hePr i
nceandputt helatt
erwi t
hhisfamil
yunder
arr
estandconfi
scatedhi
spropert
y.Aurangzebnowpr essedt hesiegebutduetor ai
ns
andlackofpr
ovisi
onstheMughalarmycouldnotmakemuchi mpression.

Onthecontrarythechiefoft heMughalarti
ll
eryChair
atKhanandsomeot herhi
gh
mil
i
tar
y offi
cers ofthe Mughal s weretaken pr
isoners by t
he Gol
conda tr
oops.
Aur
angzebor der
edthreemi nestobedugundert hebastionsofthefortbutwhen
i
gni
tedtheseweremisdirect
edandkill
ed1,
100Mughal tr
oops.

Now,Aur angzebf oll

owingtheexampleofAkbaratAsi r
garhhadr esortt
obri
ber yand
thr
ought hetreacheryofoneAbdull
ahPanianAf ghansoldi
eroffor
tuneemployedinthe
servi
ceofAbulHasangott hemaingateoft hefortt
hrownopent ot heMughals.The
onl
yGol condaof f
icerwhospurnedAurangzeb’stempti
ngof f
erofmoneyandf ought
val
iantl
yindef enceofthefortwasAbur
.

RazzaqLariti
l
lhefel
ldownaf t
erreceiv
ingasmanyassev entywoundsonhisperson.
Hewasnur sedtor
ecoverybytheMughal sandgi
venahi
ghr ankinthei
mper
ialser
v i
ce.
AbulHasanwassentt oDaulatabadfortr
esswit
hapensionofRs.50,000ay earand
GolcondawasannexedtotheMughal Empire(
1687)
.

Wehav eseent hatAurangzeb’sear

lieratt
emptt oconquerthetwoDeccanSul t
anates
was prevented bythe int
ervent
ion ofDar a Shukoh and Jahanar
a.ButAur angzeb
i
mperiali
sti
cpolicyandreli
giousbigotrywouldnott ol
erat
eindependentSul
tanatesof
theDeccan.Accor di
ngt oDr .Smith,Elphi
nstoneandot hers,t
heannihi
lat
ionoft he
Sout
hernSultanateswasani mpoli
ti
cst eponthepartofAurangzeb.

Exti
ncti
onoft heseSul t
anat
es,“f
reedtheMarathachieffr
om anyfearofl
ocalriv
alry
”
whichcouldhav ebeenusedbyt heMughalEmper ortohi sadvant
ageagainstthe
Marathas.Buthistor
ianshavedoubtedi
fthedecadentDeccanSul
tanat
eswouldbei na
posit
iontocheckt heri
seofMarathas.

SirJ.N.Sar karobservest hat“si

nceAkbarhadcr ossedt heVindhyas,theDeccan
Sult
anatescouldneverf or
getthatthesleepl
essai m oftheMughalEmper orswasthe
fi
nalexti
nct
ionandannexat ionofalltheirt
err
it
ories.
”I tis,t
heref
ore,i
dletospecul
ate
thati
ftheDeccanSultanateswereallowedtoexisttheywoul dserveasgoodopposit
ion
totheri
seoft heMarathas.
I
nt heexti
ncti
onoft heDeccanSul
tanat
esAurangzeb’
spolicyofimperi
ali
sti
cexpansi
on
towardsthesouthandsubduingtheShiahswassuccessful.Hisotherpol
icyremai
ned
yettobef ul
fi
ll
ed,namelythesubj
ugati
onoftheMar at
has.Hisattemptatsuppressi
on
oft herenascentMar at
hapowermetwi t
hi ni
ti
alsuccessandi n1689( March11)
Shambhujiwasexecut edatRaigarh,t
heMar at
hacapitalwhichwascapt uredbythe
Mughals.

Rajaram,brotherofShambhujimanagedtoescape,butShambhuji
’sson,Shahuandt
he
restofhisf amil
ywer etakencapti
vesbyAurangzeb.Next,t
hei mperi
alauthor
it
ywas
extendedfurthersout
handt heHindustat
esofTanjoreandTrichi
nopolyweremadeto
agreetopayt ri
butest
otheEmper or
.

By1690Aur angzeb’sempirecompr i
sedwholeofI ndi
afrom Kabult oChit
tagongand
fr
om KashmirtoKav er
i.I
nsofarastheexpansionwasconcerned,Aurangzebwasatt he
Zeni
thoftheEmpi r Al
e.“ lseemedtohav ebeengainedbyAur angzebnow,butinrealit
y
al
lwaslost.I
twast hebeginningofhisend.Thesaddestandmosthopel esschapterof
hi
sli
fewasnowopened. ”

Thev ast
nessoft heempi reprecl
udeditsbei
ngr ul
edfrom onecommoncent r
eandby
oneman.Recal ci
tr
antf orcesrai
sedt hei
rheadsev er
y wherethroughouttheempire.
Lawlessness,rebel
li
ons,di sor
derandconf usi
onr ei
gnedi nmanypl aceswhichthe
cor
ruptof f
ici
alsofthest atecoul
dnotcont r
ol.Thechiefs,t
heZami ndersdefi
edlocal
aut
hor i
ti
es;the province ofAgr a especi
all
y became t he scene ofdisorderand
di
sobedience.

Lear ningdecay ed,t

reasurywasexhaustedduet ot heprolongedDeccanwar ,Emper or’
s
absencef rom capit
alintheDeccanforl
ongy earst hroughthewholeofnor t
hernIndiain
disor der.Thear myinarrearofpayforl
ongmut inied.MurshidQulithediwanofBengal
sentt herev enueofBengaltot hecent
rewhi chwast heonl ysourceofi ncome.I tthe
“Spani shUl cer”hadrui
nedNapol eonBonaparteI ,itwasthe“DeccanUl cer”thatruined
Aurangzeb.The Mar athas recover
ed thei
rl osses by 1691 and began a nat i
onal
resistance.

Aur
angzebandRaj
put
s,Mar
athas

Aurangzebinhislackofst
atesmanshipandtoomuchregardforrel
i
giousbigotr
yfail
ed
toreali
sethevalueoftheal
lianceoftheRaj
put’
swhohadpreviousl
ycontr
ibutedtothe
expansionandst r
engthoftheEmpire.Heintr
oducedaradi
calchangeinthepol i
cyof
thestatetowar
dst hem.

Sol
ongasJaiSi
nghofAmberandJaswantSi
nghofMar
warwer
eal
i
veAur
angzebwas
notf
eeli
ngcompl etel
yfr
eetoputhisrel
i
giouspol i
cy’i
ntoeff
ect.DeathofJaiSi
nghi
n
theDeccani n1667wasamat t
erofpublicrejoi
cingstoAurangzeb.Thi
sremoveda
powerf
ulleaderofRaj
putopposi
ti
ontoAurangzeb’
spol i
cy.

Aurangzebsuspected,JaswantSinghofmar warformerlyapar t
isanofDar aShukoh,
mightstandfort
hast hel
eaderoft heRajputopposit
ion.Thisapart,Aur angzebhadi n
hi
smi ndtheconquestofMar warverymuchnecessar yfortheempi re,asi toccupi
eda
st
rategi
call
yimportantposit
ionbothf r
om themi l
it
aryandcommer ci alpointsofview.
Soonanoppor t
unit
yt ogiv
eef f
ectt
ohi sdesignsagai
nstMar wararose.

RajaJaswantSi nghdi edin1678atJamr udwhil

eservingast hecommanderofthe
Mughal postsi
nt heKhy berpassandthePeshawardi
str
ict.I
mmediatel
yonthedeat
hof
JaswantSi nghAurangzebbr oughtMarwarunderMughalr uleandappoi
ntedhisown
offi
cersasFaujdar,Qi
ladar,KotwalandAmin.Onthesamedayhei mposedJizy
aonthe
Hindus.

TheRat hor
sshockedandt hr
ownintoconfusionatthesuddendeathofthei
rRajafai
led
torall
yanationalresi
stanceandagrand-nephewofJaswantSingh—IndraSinghRathor,
thechiefofNagorgothi mselfr
ecognisedast heRanaofJodhpuronpay mentofthirt
y
sixlakhsofr upeesassuccessionf ee.Hewasonl yaphantom rul
er,sur
roundedby
Mughalof f
icers.Aurangzeb’
sdesignsonMar warthusseemedt ohavecrownedwi th
success.

Aurangzeb’shopesofquietrul
eov erMarwarwasbel iedsoon,forev
eryRajputfami l
y
now becamedet ermi
nedtoundowhatAur angzebhaddonet oMar war.InFebruary
1679twopost humoussonsofJaswantwer ebor ntotwoRanis,atLahor
e.Oneoft he
twodiedt heot her
,Aj
itSi
nghsurvived.Theloyalfol
l
owersofJaswantSi nghtookthe
chil
dtoDel hiandappeal
edtoAurangzebtorecognisehim ast
hesuccessorofJaswant
Singh.

TheEmper orofferedtobr i
ngupt hechil
dinhishar em.Itisalsosai dthatthethr
oneof
Jodhpurwasof feredt oAjitSinghprovi
dedhewoul dacceptI slam.Thiswoundedt he
rel
i
gioussuscept i
bil
iti
esoft heRajput
swhopr eferredt
ol aytheirli
vesdownr athert
han
toall
ow thechildofJaswantSi nghembr aceIslam.Att hiscrit
icalhouroft heRathor
nati
onallif
eDur gadast heson ofJaswantSi ngh’
sMi ni
sterAskar an,tookup t he
l
eadershi
poft heRat horsandanewchapt erintheMughal -
Rajputhosti
lit
iesbegan.

DurgadasrescuedtheRanisandchil
dAji
tSinghandwhenani mper ialfor
cewassentto
sei
zet heRanisandt hechil
d,abandofRaj putsdefyi
ngdeathf ellupontheMughal
tr
oopsandi ntheprevai
li
ngconfusi
onrodeawaywi t
htheRanisdisguisedinmaleat
ti
re
andreachedMar war.Baff
ledinhisdesi
gnsAur angzebsubst
it
utedami lkman’
ssonin
pl
aceofAj
i
tandpr
ocl
aimedt
hatDur
gadas’
prot
egewasani
mpost
er.

InMar warthePeopl
eroseinrebel
li
onagainsttheMughaloppressors.Aurangzebsent
PrinceAkbartore-
conquerMarwar,whoafterprol
ongedwarf
arecapt uredthecountr
y,
plunderedthet
owns,destr
oyedthetempl
es.TheRat hor
sfl
edtot akeshelteri
nthehil
ls
anddeser t
s.

Aur
angzeb’snextt
argetwasMewar.Heor der
edMahar anaRajSinghtopayJizyaf
or
hi
sent i
restat
e.RajSinghdidnotmissther eali
ntenti
onofAur angzebwhichwas
not
hinglesstoext
irpat
etheRaj
putst
ates,andheatoncedeci dedtoj oi
nhandswi
th
Durgadasint
hecauseofAji
tSi
nghofMarwar.

WithRat hor-Si
sodiaal l
i
ancet heRaj putwarassumedt hechar act
erofanati
onalrising
i
ndef enceofl iber
ty.Aur angzebforestal
l
edMahar ana’sdesignsbysendi
ng7000ofhi s
chosent roopsunderHasanAl iKhantoinvadeMewar .RajSinghfl
edhiscapi
talUdaipur
andt ookshel terint hehi l
lswi t
hal lhi
ssubject
s,consi deri
ngitunwisetof acet he
superiorstrengthoftheMughal s.

TheMughalt r
oopseasilyoccupiedChit
orandUdaipur.TheEmperor
,now sur
eof
success,pl
acedPr i
nceAkbarinchargeofChit
orandlef
tforAj
mer.NowtheMughal
s
hadtheirdi
sil
l
usionment.TheRajput
’sfel
lupontheMughal
sasgueri
l
latr
oopsanddi
d
havoctotheMughal out
posts.

Thecommand ofMughalout postsf el

lvacantasof fi
cerafteroffi
cerdecli
ned to
undertakethe-r
esponsi
bil
it
yononeort heotherpretext
.Inear l
y1680t heRajputs
surpr
isedtheMughalarmyunderPr i
nceAkbarandcarri
edof ft
heirprov
isi
ons,r
educing
theMughalar mytostarv
ation.Aurangzebgotinf
uri
atedatPr i
nceAkbarandhanded
overthecommandofChi t
ortoPrinceAzam andorder
edAkbart ogot oMarwar.

PrinceAkbart
ookitasani nsul
tthoughtofent eri
ngi nt
oanal l
iancewit
htheRaj puts
whosewor thhehadsuffi
cient
lyreal
isedduringhiswarwi t
ht hem.TheRaj putchiefs
alsopoint
edoutt
ohim howt hefaul
typoli
cyofhi sfat
herwasdest royi
ngt
hestabili
tyof
theEmpi r
eandhopingt o“ pl
aceat r
ulynationalkingont het hroneofDelhi,they
promisedtobackhim wit
ht hearmedst rengthoft hetwogr eatestRaj
putclans,the
Sisodi
asandtheRat
hors.
”

Wit
h70,000strongar
mywhi chi ncl
udedthebestbloodofRaj
put
ana,Akbarar
riv
ednear
Raj
putanain1681( Jan.15) .Aurangzeb’
sar mywasatt hatti
mesepar at
edi ntwo
di
vi
sionsonei nChitorandt heot heratRajsamudraLake.Akbarinst
eadoft aki
ng
advant
ageoft hi
scri
ticalsi
tuati
onofAur angzeb’
sarmydeploymentwastedhistime
bef
oreattacki
ngthei mperi
alforce.Aurangzebresor
tedtoastrat
agem andwr otea
l
ett
ert
ohi
srebel
l
ioussoncont
ri
vi
ngi
tsoast
ofal
li
ntot
hehandoft
heRaj
put
s.

Thepur poseoftheletterl
edtheRajputsdesertPrinceAkbar,suspect ingtr
eacher
y.The
Rajputssoonaf terdiscover
edt hef r
audandt heRat horheroDur gadaschival
rously
savedt hePrincef rom hisfather
’swr athandescor tedhimt hroughKhandeshand
Baglanat othecour toftheMar athaKi ngShambhuj i
.ButShambhuj ianunwor t
hy
successorofShi vaj
icouldli
ttl
eaffordt ohelpthePr i
nceinr eali
singhi sdream ofan
Empi r
ebasedonHi ndu-Musl
im unit
yandr econcil
i
ation.Aft
eraf ewy earsAkbarl
eftfor
Persiawherehisdeat hoccur
redin1704.

Pri
nceAkbar ’
srebell
ionandthesuppor tt
hatwasr enderedini
ti
all
ybytheRajputstohis
cause,atleasthadoneadv antage.Temporar
ysuccessoft heMughalswasl argel
yset
offbythelosssustainedbythem duetothegueril
laactionoftheRajput
s.Sufferi
ngsof
theMughal shadbeenconsi derableandAurangzebt houghtitwouldbewiset oenter
i
ntoat r
eatywi t
hJaySi ngh,sonandsuccessorofRajSi nghin1681bywhi chthe
Mughalswi t
hdrewfrom MewarandJaySi nghcededaf ewdistr
ict
sinli
enofJizya.

Mar warconti
nuedt ofightt
heMughalsthi
rt
yy earsmore.UnderDur gadasleader
ship
the Rathors ceaselesslyhar
assed t
he Mughals and t
he Mughalof fi
cer
s ofsome
outpostswer ecompel l
edtopayChauthtotheirunrel
entingfoet osav ethemselves
from thei
raggression.Thewarwentonunabat edtil
lAurangzeb’sdeathin1707andi t
washi ssonandsuccessorBahadurShahIt hatrecogni
sedAj itSinghast heRanaof
Mar warin1709.

Li
ke the Deccan pol
icy,the Raj putpol i
cyofAur angzeb al
so produced di
sastrous
consequencesfortheMughalEmpi r
e.Lossofl i
fe,lossofmoneyi nt heRajputana
desertdi
dnotbringanylastingbenefittotheEmpi r
e.Thei mperi
alprest
igewasl ostand
addedt othi
swast hehugemat eri
allosstot heempi re.“
Itwasanactofpol i
ti
calun-
wisdom ont hepartofAur angzebt opr ovoketheRaj puthosti
li
tyandt husforfei
tthe
devotedservi
ceofgall
antchi ef
sandsol diers,
solongf ri
endsoftheempi r
e……”

Rel
igi
ousPol
icyofAur
angzeb:

Att hev er
youtsetithast obecl earl
yunderst oodthatrel
igi
onwi thAur angzebwasno
pretenseandhi sr el
igiouspoli
cywasnoti nf l
uencedbyanyconsi derationofworldl
y
gains.Hewasadev outSunniMusl im andachampi onofSunnior thodoxywhich
prompt edhimt ostri
ctl
yenforcetheQur ani
cl awsaccordingtowhi ch,tohismind,ev
ery
pi
usMusl im mustcar ryonJihadi .
e.holywaragai nstdar-ul
-harbi.e.thelandsofthe
non- Musli
mst i
l
l t
heywer etur
nedi ntodar-
ul-
Islam i
.e.r
ealm ofIsl
am.
Aurangzeb’s narr
ow bi gotr
y made hi m tacit
urn and ext r
emel y pur i
tani
ci n hi
s
temperamentandt ookst epst ot r
ansl
atehi
sowni deasofmor oseser i
ousnessoflif
e
conforming to puncti
l
ious orthodoxy.He issued sev eralordinances t o make t
he
Muslims conform tot he orthodoxr ul
es ofconductpr escr
ibed byt he Quran.He
prohi
bitedthepracti
ceofinscribingtheKal
imaont hecoins.Observanceoft hePersi
an
NewYear ’sDay(Nauroj)wasdi sconti
nuedas,tohismind, i
twasun- Isl
ami c.

Heappoi ntedMuht asi

bsorcensor
sofPubli
cmor al
sinever
yimpor
tanttownandci tyt
o
enforceQur ani
clawandt oseet oitt
hatdr
inki
ng,gambli
ngandprosti
tutionetc.wer
e
effecti
vel
yputdown.Muht asibswerealsot
oseet hatt
heMuslimssaidt hei
rf i
vedai
l
y
prayersandkeptRamadanorRamzan.Theywer eempoweredtopuni sht hosewho
wer eguil
tyofheresyorbl
asphemy .

Aurangzebprohi bitedcul ti
vat
ionofbhangt hroughoutt heempi re.Hesi mpl i
fi
edt he
customarycelebr ationsonhi sbi r
thdayandt hedayofhi scoronation.Int heeleventh
yearofhisreignAur angzebdiscontinuedt hepr acticeofappear i
ngbef or
et hepeople
fr
om t hebalconyoft hepalaceev er
ymor ningt or eceivetheirsal ut
ation.Heal so
prohibi
tedmusi ci nt hecourtanddi smissedt heol dmusi ciansandsi ngers.Butsecr et
practi
ceofmusi cwentondespi tetheimper ialpr ohibit
ionanditwasonl yint heimperial
courtandinpr omi nentt ownst hattheor derf orbiddingmusi ccouldbeputi ntoeffect.
Aurangzeb’
spur itani sm ledhimt odi scardt hepr acticeofwei ghinghi mi ngol dand
sil
veronbir
thday sandt odismisst heastrologer soft hecourt.

Aurangzebdi dnothesi tat

et opunishtheSufi
sbecauseoft hei
rli
ber
alrel
igi
ousv i
ews
borderi
ngonpant heism.Sarmadwhowasacl oseassoci
ateofDarawasputt odeath
byAur angzebonchar geofapost asy.Manyconv er
tstoIslam whoweresuspectedof
havingrev er
tedtot heirori
ginalfai
thwerekil
ledunderor dersofAur
angzeb.Li
kewise
manyShi ahswer ebeheadedast heydenouncedt hef i
rstthr
eeCali
phs.Aurangzeb
rut
hlesslypersecutedtheIsmai l
iaandBohrasectsofGujarat.

Aurangzebdi dnotstopbyissuingreli
giousor
dersandordinancesforothers,inf
act,he
practi
ced“ whathepr ofessedandsoughtt oenforceonot her
s.Hewasabov et he
contempor aryvi
cesandkepthi mselfcl
eanofallt
hathadar emot etouchofi r
rel
i
giocit
y
orimmor ali
ty.To t
hedev outMusl imshewasa“ der
vishborni npur ple”
,hewas
veneratedasal i
vi
ngsaint,aZindaPir.

From theoffici
alguidebookoft her ei
gnofAur angzeb,wecomet oknow t hathe-
prohi
bit
ed the pract
ice ofSutt
ee (1633),butfrom the account
soft he European
tr
avel
lersofthetimewel ear
nthatt
hisprohibi
ti
veorderwasseldom obey
ed.

I
n 1679 Aur
angzeb i
ssued f
arman r
eimposi
ng Ji
zya on t
he non-
Musl
i
ms.The
i
naugurationofanew r
eli
giouspol
i
cywi
thr
egar
dt oi
mportantsect
ionsoft
hepeople
madeadeepadv er
ser
eacti
ononthemi
ndsofthepeopl
eaffect
edbyhisregul
ati
ons
andordinances.

Withoutdeny ingt heEmper orthecr editofbeingaconsci entiousandsi ncereexponent

ofthef ait
hhepr ofessed,i
tmustbement ionedthathisov erzeal ousnessmadehi m
obli
v i
ousoft hecomposi techaracteroft hepeopleov erwhom dest inyhadpl acedhi m
tor ule,notahomogenouspeopl ebutapopul ati
ont hati ncl
udeddi ver
ser eligi
ous
tr
aditions and i dealsthatneeded t act,underst
anding,friendl
inessand equal ityof
tr
eat mentt obewonov er.ButAurangzebmadet hecolossalmi stakeofi dentif
yinghis
personalr eli
gionwi ththest at
eofwhi chhewast heheadandt hathadt her uinous
eff
ectofgener ati
ngaf eel
ingofdi scontentamongdi f
ferentsect ionsoft hepeopl e
whichev endur i
nghi sli
feti
medi stractedhi senergi
esandwast hemaj orcauseoft he
declineandf alloftheEmpi rewhichBaburandAkbarhadbui ltup.

Aur
angzeb’
sAdmi
nist
rat
ion:

Aurangzeb’
sadminist
rat
ionwasacent r
ali
sedper
sonaldespoti
sm wher
eever
ymi nist
er
tookordersfr
om theEmper ori
ntowhosehandsallauthor
it
ywasconcent
rated.Inhis
despoti
ccontrolovertheadmi ni
str
ati
onhecouldonlybecompar edwi
thEur opean
contemporar
yLouisXIV,ki
ngofFrance.

Aurangzebwas,likeLouisXIVofFrance,washi sownpr imemi nisterandwouldnev er

sharecounselwithanyofhi smini
stersorof fi
cer
s.Thepol i
cyoft hegov er
nmentand
thepri
nciplesadmini
str
ationwerealldeter
mi nedbyhim personally
.Hewasext remely
i
ndustri
ousandl ookedintotheminutestdetail
sofadmi ni
strat
ion.Heper sonal
lywent
thr
ought hepeti
ti
onssubmi t
tedt
ohim andei t
herdict
atedordersorhi msel
fwr ot
et hem.

Therewasanel ementofsuspicioninAur angzeb’sexcludingallhi

smi ni
ster
sand
offi
cersininit
iat
ingorformul
ati
ngpl ansorpol i
ciesoft hegover
nment .Hecouldnot
reconcil
e himselftot he pr
esence ofr iv
alaut hor
it
y withinthe st
ate orint he
administr
ati
onandwasev ensuspiciousofsuperi
ori nt
ell
ect
.

Aur angzebtookpunct i
l
iouscar et oseethatrulesofet iquetteandr oy
alprerogati
ves
wer eobser vedandnott ransgressedbyany body .ForinstancePr i
nceMuazzam was
takent ot askforsay i
ngpr ay
ersbyput ti
ngupcanv asscr eenwhi chwasonl ythe
i
mper i
alprerogati
ve.Li
kewi sewhenhewasi nformedt hatI brahi
m Khangov ernorof
Bengalhel dhiscourtbysitt
ingonacouchwhi l
et heQazi, di
wanet c.weresi
tt
ingont he
farashi.e.fl
oor,Aur
angzebcausedasar casti
cl ett
ertobewr i
ttentothegovernorthati
f
hi
sil
l
nessprecl
udedhi
ssi
tt
ingont
hef
loorwi
thot
her
shewoul
dbet
tersoongethi
m
medi
cal
lyt
reat
ed.

Thesy st
em ofadmi nistr
ationunderAur angzebr emai
nedsubst anti
all
ythesameasi n
theday sofAkbarorhi simmedi atepr edecessors.Buttoomuchconcent r
ati
onofpower
i
nt he hands oft he emper orr esulted in greatadmi ni
strat
ive degener
ation and
helplessness.Aurangzebcanal izedhi spol i
ti
cal,administ
rat
ive,economicinonewor d,
everyef f
orttoconvertIndiaintoaMusl im state.Theresul
twast hatheef f
ectedagreat
changei nthemanner ,principl
eandt hespi r
itinwhichhispredecessorshadwor kedthe
i
nst r
umentoft hegov ernment .

Inthel at
teryearsofAur angzeb’
sreignthetot
alnumberofsubahsoft heMughal
empirenumber edtwentyone.UnderAkbarthenumberwasf i
ft
een.From thereignof
Aurangzebmustbedat edt hewideextensi
onoffarmi
ngofr evenues,aninordinat
e
i
ncreaseint herevenuedemandwhi chcompell
edthepeasantstof l
eethei
rlandor
resor
ttopassiveresi
stance.

Accordi
ngto’SirJadunathSar
kartherev
enueoft heempi r
eunderAurangzebamounted
to33cr or
esand85l akhsofrupees.Besi
deslandr evenueotherpri
ncipalsour
cesof
revenuewereZakatort it
hepayablebytheMusl i
ms,Ji zy
aorapol ltaxpayablebyal
l
Hindus,asal
ttax,cust
omsdut i
es,i
ncomefrom themi ntandspoil
sofwar .

Aurangzeb,immediatel
yonassumpt i
onofthei mper i
althr
onehadabol ishedcer tai
n
taxesandcesseswhi chwer er eal
isedabovet hel egal
lypayablet axes.Aur angzeb
all
owedt hesy st
em ofrevenueassessmentandr evenuecoll
ect
ionint r
oducedbyRaj a
TodarMaiunderAkbar ,t
of all
int
odi suseandintroducedthesystem ofrevenuef arming
thatis all
owing contr
actors,thati s,the middleman,tor eal
ise revenue f r
om t he
peasants,i
nsteadofentrusti
ngt hest at
eoff
icerstodosoundert hesuper visi
onoft he
stategover
nment .

Ther evenuef armer

swoul dber equi
redtopayast ipulat
edamountt otheimperial
treasuryandt hebalanceaftermeeti
ngtheexpensesofcoll
ecti
onwouldbeenjoyedby
them.For ei
gntradedidnotconst
it
uteanimport
antsourceofrevenuet
othestat
eunder
Aur angzeb.Agr i
cult
ureandmanuf actur
eofcot t
onpiecegoodsandcl ot
hwer ethe
occupat ionsofmostoft hepeopleandt heit
emsofexpor tweremainl
yindi
goand
cottongoods.

Import
swer emai nlyhorsesfr
om Persia,spi
cesfrom t
heDutchIndia,wine,gl
asswar e
andcuriosit
iesfrom Europeancountri
es,superi
orkingoftobaccof rom Americaand
slav
esf r
om Aby ssinia.Consi
deredbyt hetotalamountofcust omsdut iescoll
ected
duri
ngAur angzeb’sreigninayear,ofonly30lakhsofrupees,i
tiseasyt oreal
isethat
t
hev
olumeoff
orei
gnt
radewassmal
l
.

Dr.Smit
hobservesthatunderAurangzeb“Thearmywhi chmadeabr aveshowonpaper
orincamp,wasofl itt
lemil
itar
yv al
ue.
”Heagr eeswithManucci ’
sremarkthat“30,
000
goodEuropeansoldi
erscouldsweepawayt heimperi
alauthori
tyandoccupythewhole
empire.
”SirJadunath’
sestimateofAur angzeb’
st ot
alforceasi n1674was:cav alr
y
2,
00,000mansabdars8,000,ahdisandbarqandazes7,000,
troopsunderpri
nces,nobl
es
andmansabdars,40,
000infantr
yar medwithmusketsandguns.

Duri
ngtheDeccanwart
henumberwasfurt
herincr
eased.Theexpendi
turefort
hear
my
underAur
angzebwastwiceasmuchasunderShahJahanandi tsef
fici
encywasnot
hal
fasmuchasunderAkbar.Thenav
ywasalsoutt
erl
yinef
fi
cient
.

Aur
angzebandt
heNobi
li
ty:

Theor ganisat
ionoft henobil
i
tyundert
heMughalswasoneoft hemosti mport
ant
i
nstit
uti
ons dev ised bythem,upon whom depended i
nav er
ylarge measur
et he
funct
ioningoft headmi ni
str
ati
vesyst
em,duedi
schargeofci
vi
landmi l
i
taryaswellas
poli
ti
calfuncti
onsoft hestat
e.

TheMughalnobi li
tyinit
sinst
it
uti
onal
i
zedform hasal onghistoryofevolut
ion.The
nobil
it
y played and extr
emel
yi mport
ant partint he f
oundi ng,expansi
on,and
consoli
dat
ionoftheMughalempi r
eduri
ngt
hel at
terhal
fofsixt
eent handthefir
sthal
f
ofeight
eenthcentur
y.

Befor
eAkbart henobi li
tyhadnodef i
niteorganisati
on.Undert heSultanat
eperiodthe
Zamindar swerenoti ncl
udedintheli
stofnobi l
i
tyandt her
ef ore,theHindushadnothing
todowi thwhatwasknownas“ nobi
l
ity”duri
ngt hatperi
od.I twasunderHumay unthat
anelabor ateclassi
fi
cationofthenobleswasmadeandt henobi li
tywasdi v
idedinto
thr
eecl assesorsect i
ons,eachsectionsubdi videdint
ot wel vegr ades.Wehav eno
defi
nit
ei nformati
onast otheorderofprecedenceoft hedif
fer entsecti
ons.

UnderAkbarwef i
ndt hefamousmansabdar isy st
em wasgi venadef i
nit
ef orm and
orderandanumberofnew el ementswer eintr
oducedi nt
oi t
.I twillbeami staketo
supposethatAkbarwasf i
rstt
oi ntr
oducemansabdar isystem.Inf actthesy stem was
notentir
elynew.Ithadlongexistedinrudi
ment s.Akbari nsti
tutional
iseditgiv i
ngita
defi
nit
ionandf or
m.Akbarclassifi
edthemansabs,i .e.thenobl esont hebasisoft he
numberoft hesarwarstobemai ntai
nedbyt hem.Thel owestr ankwasof10andt he
hi
ghest5,000sarwars.

Soon,
howev
er,
mansabbecameani
ndexofr
ankandof
fi
cialst
atusandsal
aryr
ecei
ved
notconnectedwitht heact ualnumberofsar warsmai nt
ainedbyamansabdar .For
i
nstance,mansabdarsof1, 000andabov ewer ecall
edami rs.Attimesev enmansabs
bel
ow500orl esswer ealsor egardedasami r
s,al
thoughgener al
l
yspeakingonlyhigher
mansabscar ri
ed thenameofami rwiththem.Zami ndarsand smal lmansabdar s
for
medsepar ategroups.Subdi vi
sionsofmansabsort her anksofmansabsmi ghtbe
i
ncreased.Fori
nstanceAkbarr ai
sedt hehi
ghestmansabf rom 5,000to7,000andlater
to8,000.

TheMughalsdidnotshowanyet hni
cpreferenceinadmi t
ti
ngpersonsofdiff
erentr
acial
ori
ginint
oitsnobil
i
ty.Hencei
tincl
udedIranis,Turani
s,Uzbegs,andevenAfghans.The
descendant
soft heearl
ierMusl
imimmi grantsfrom westernandcentralAsi
aandt he
I
ndianconvert
stoIslam al
sof
oundplaceint heMughal nobi
li
ty.

Akbar
’smansabdar isyst
em wasanat temptt oweldthehetreogenouselement softhe
Mughalnobili
tyintoahar moni
ouswhol e.Akbarwaswi seenought or ecognisethe
posi
ti
onoft heRaj putsrulersandchiefsi nt heHindusociet
yandgav et
hem aspeci al
posi
ti
onintheimper i
alservi
ce.Theactual numberoft heRajputsincl
udedint henobi
lity
wasnotverylargebuti nclusi
onofgiftedi ndivi
dualsl
ikeJaiSingh,ManSi ngh,Jaswant
Si
nghetc.benefit
tedbot htheMughalsandt heRajput
s.

Wi t
ht heexpansi onoft heempi r
ei ntheDeccant heMughali mperi
ali
sm lacki
ngi ts
essentialhumani sm andgener osi
tyasal soitshighsenseofpur poseasunderAkbar ,
al
lowedr eli
giousandsect ari
andi f
ferencestoaf fectt henobles.Itappearsthatfrom
1666Aur angzebbegant oadoptapol icy,ifnotdi rectl
yopposedt o,cert
ainl
ywas
diff
erentinspi r
itfr
om hispredecessorswi t
hr egar
dt ot henobil
ity
.Consist
entlywithhis
emphasi s on the Isl
amic characteroft he Empi r e Aurangzeb began tof ol
low a
discri
mi nator
ypol i
cytowardstheHi nduscoupl edwi thanat tempttoassociateMusl i
m
orthodoxyascl oselyaspossibletotheEmpi re.

Musl i
m divineswer ecal ledupont osupporthisev erypol i
ticalacti
onandi nthishewent
sof arast oprov okepr ot estfrom t hesanersect ionoft henobili
ty.MahabatKhan
expressedhi ssurpr iseatt heEmper or
’spolicyinthel ate70st hathetermedhi saction
i
nal etteras maki ng “ fowlersi nto captives and spar rows into huntsmen.The
experiencedandt heabl eof fi
cer softhest atearedepr i
v edofal ltr
ustandconf i
dence
whilef ul
lreli
ancei spl acedonhy pocri
ti
calmy sti
csandempt yheadedschol ars.Since
thesemenar esellingt hei rknowl edgeandmanner sf ort hecompanyofki ngs,t or ely
upont hem wasnei therinaccor dancewi ththedi v
inelypr escr i
bedpath,norsuitedt othe
way soft hewor l
d.Thust hesemenar erobbersinev eryway .Thecountryisbei nglai d
waste;t hear mydi shear tened;t hepeasant ryravaged;t hel owl ycry
ingofdi stress;the
higheronesseeki ngt oraisedi sturbances.(Ast hesay ingi s)thefi
nancesaregi v enov er
t
otheQazi
andt
heQazi
issat
isf
iedonl
ywi
thbr
ibes.
”

AccordingtoManuccial lthehi gh-pl

acedandi mportantmenatt hecour topposed
themselvestothi
smeasur e.Theybesoughtt hekingmosthumbl yt orefr
ain.Aurangzeb
i
npur suanceofhisnewpol icyofmi l
it
aryorthodoxyofferedt hej
agirsoft heRaj putsto
hisMusl i
m nobil
i
tyinor dert orall
yitmoref irml
ybehi ndt hethrone.Ont hewhol ehis
poli
cysucceededi nconsolidati
nghispositi
onagai nsttheRat hor
sandr ebelli
ousPr ince
Akbarduet otheindi
ffer
enceoft herestoftheRaj put
s, atleastt
empor ari
ly,alt
houghi n
thelongrunhisRajputpoli
cypr ovedharmful fort
heEmpi re.

Innorther
nI ndiaMughalconquest shadbeenqui cklyconsoli
dated,butnotsoi nt
he
Deccanduet o,amongot hercauses,thepecul
iarat
ti
tudeoftheMusl im nobi l
it
yt owar
ds
thequesti
onoft heannexat i
onoft heDeccan.Accor di
ngt oBerniert hef ail
ureofthe
Mughal stoannexBi j
apurwasl argelyduet othelangourwi t
hwhi chev erygeneral
conductedtheoper at
ionandav ai
l
edt hemselv
esofev er
ypretestofpr olongationofwar
whichwasal ikethesourceoft hei
remol umentanddigni
ty.BothBerinerandFr yercal
l
ed
“Deccan,t
heBr eadoft hemi l
it
arymen” .

Owi ngtoconst antr

evagesofwart heDeccanhadsuf fer
edheav ilyi
nitseconomi c
resourceswhichwereprogressi
vel
ydiminishing.Mughalnobleswhower epostedinthe
Deccan,t heref
ore,found itdiff
icul
t,tor aise enough revenue to maint
aint heir
cont i
ngent
s and ceased t o be mi l
it
aril
y superior t
o t hei
r Deccan opponent s.
Circumstanced as t
his,the Mughalgener alsinevi
tabl
ywer ei n col
l
usi
on wi t
ht he
Deccanis.

MahabatKhant ooseemst ohavedonethesamet hi

ng.Fr
om KhafiKhan,weknowt hat
hiscy ni
cism aboutAurangzeb’
seff
ort
sintheDeccanwasr eveal
edinar epor
ttot he
Emper or’
ssuggest i
onthatitwasnecessar
ytocr ushShiv
aji
.MahabatKhanr eported
thattherewasnoneedt osendanyarmytotheDeccanonlyaFat waoftheQaziwoul d
suffi
ce.I n1671r epor
treachedtheEmperorthatMahabatKhanhadent er
edintoan
all
iancewi thShi
vajiandwasnotexert
inghimselfagai
nsttheMarathaswhereuponhe
wasr eplacedbyBahadurKhan.

InthewaragainstGolcondathePer si
annobleswer esuspectedofsympat hizi
ngwi th
QutbShahast helat
terwasaShi ahast hemsel
v es.Butduri
ngthet wentyf iv
ey ears
fr
om 1682to1707Aur angzebremainedintheDeccanandi nthefi
rstpartofthisper iod
hesucceededinsmashi ngthreecentr
esofpolit
icalpower,namely,Bij
apur,Gol conda
andcaptur
ingandexecutingShambhuji.

Hedeclar
edhi
swaragai
nsttheMar
athasasaJihadi
.e.ahol
ywar.Thel
ongdrawn
Deccanwarcr
eat
edapr of
oundpol
it
icalcr
isi
stowhi
cht henobl
esdidnotr
emain
i
ndif
ferent
.Thenobleoft
heol
dfamil
i
eswer eagai
nsti
nfl
uxoft
heDeccannoblesi
nto
Mughalnobil
it
yandsoughtt
orevi
vethei
rformerpowerandpr
est
igeaswellasthei
r
dominantposi
ti
on.

Othernoblesdesi
redanagr eementwi ththeMar at
has,sothatbot
hpart
iesmi ghtliv
ei n
peaceintheDeccanoral ter
nativel
yther et
urnoft heEmper ort
onorthI
ndialeav i
ngt he
Deccanwart osubordinat
emi li
taryoffi
cers.Butal lt
hesesuggest
ionswereindignant l
y
spurnedbyAur angzebandt henobl escar r
iedont heDeccanwari nahal f-heart
ed
fashi
on requi
ri
ng personalpr esence ofAur angzeb i
nthe Deccan i
mper ati
v e.The
DeccaniandHy derabadinobleswhohadbeent akenint heMughalnobil
i
tyr ecent l
y
causedgreatdamaget otheimper i
alcauseint heDeccan.

I
nsuchcircumstancesi
nt r
iguesi ntheimperialcour
tandmutualj
eal
ousiesandpursuit
ofsel
fi
shendswentonf reely.Forinst
anceTar biy
atKhanwasjeal
ousofFathul
lahKhan.
Muqarr
abKhanwhocapt uredShambhuj icouldnotbegiv
enpromoti
onbyt heEmperor
duetothestif
fopposit
ionofot hernobles.Therewasr i
val
rybet
weenSay yi
dLashkar
KhanandZulf
iqrKhan.

Inthisatmospheresur char
gedwi thsuspicion,cl
iquesandf acti
ousquar r
elsgr oupsof
noblespull
i
ngindi f
ferentdirect
ionswasi nevit
able.Everynobleandev er
ygroupl ooked
toit
sowni nter
est.Thepr i
nces,Kings,governorsandgener al
sbegant ofoll
owt heirown
l
inesofpolicywit
hav iewtosecur ingsuccessoft hei
rowndesi gns.I
mpor tantgroups
amongt hegreatnoblesnat ural
l
yar oseandt ypi
fi
edt henewf act
ionali
sm intheMughal
court.

TheI rani,TuraniandHi ndustanigr oupsofnobl esbyt heirjeal

ousies,r
ivalri
esand
fact
ionalism i
ndicatedt heseri
ouspol i
ti
calcr
isi
sthatt heMughalEmpi r
ewast ofacein
theimmedi at
ef uture.Thefactionali
sm amongt henobl eswhilerevealedt
heirinternal
contradicti
onsal soshowedt heirlackofconf i
dencei ntheEmper orandt hei mper i
al
poli
cyandabov eal l
intheabili
tyoft heEmperortor educethem toor
deranddi scipl
ine.

Def
ect
sofweakl
awofSuccessi
on:

Inamonar chi
calsy
stem ofdespoti
cnatur
east heMughalr
ulehadbeen,thefutur
e,i
.e.
theprospectsandpr omoti
onsofal loff
icer
sdependeddirect
lyorindi
rect
lyont he
approbat
ionofEmper or
.Itwast hecourttowardswhi
chtheey esofallnobleswere
tur
ned.

Towardsthelatterpar
tofAurangzeb’srei
gnandearlyi
ntheeighteent
hcenturytwo
groupsofnoblescamei nt
oforef
rontinthecour
t.Wehaveseenthatthedescendant
s
oftheear
li
erimmi gr
ant
sf r
om WesternandCentr
alAsi
aasal
sotheIndianconver
tsint
o
I
slam foundpl aceint heMughalnobil
it
ywhichtheref
ore,comprisedI r
anis,Turani
s,
Uzbegs,Afghansandt heIndi
anconver
tsint
oIsl
am knownasHi ndustaninobles.Under
AurangzebtheHi ndunobil
i
ty—Raj
put
’sortheMarat
hashadbeenexcl uded.

Thet wo groupst hatcameintot heforef

rontfrom t
owar dsthelatterpar
toft he
seventeent
hcenturyintheimperi
alcourtweretheIr
aniandTurnipart
ies.Theleadi
ng
fi
guresoft hefirstpartywereAsad Khanand hi ssonZul fi
qarKhan.Thisf amil
y
belongedtoawel lknownfamilyofIran.AsadKhan’sfatherhadmi grat
edtoI ndi
a
towardstheendofJahangir
’srei
gn.

AsadKhanwhoseor i
ginalhamewasMuhammadI brahi
m wasaf avouri
teofEmper or
ShahJahanandmar r
iedthedaughterofAsafKhan.Hewasal soagr eatfavourit
eof
Aurangzebandin1669wasmadet hewazi
r .Hetookpar tint hesiegeofBi japur,in
Rajputcampaignandi nt hecaptur
eofGol conda.Hewaspr omotedt ot her ankof
masnadofwazi r
atwhichmeantt hathewasent i
tl
edt ositonamasnadi npresenceof
theEmperor,
andmadeamansabdarof7, 000.AsadKhan’ ssonZul fi
qarKhanmadehi s
mar kbycommandingt heMughalTroopsinthecapt ureofJi
njifrom theMar at
has.Hi s
servi
ceswererecogni
sedbyAur angzebbypromot i
nghi mtotheposi ti
onofMi rBakshi
i
n1702.

WhenAurangzebdi
edin1707,AsadKhanwast heWazirwhil
ehissonZulfi
qarKhan
wasMirBakshit
wotoppost
sunderthestat
e.Besi
desZul
fi
qarwasagreatgener
aland
hadDaudKhanPanni,RaoDalpatBundel
aandRaoRam Si nghHaraashisstaunch
suppor
ter
s.

Thesecondpar t
y,namelytheTuranipart
ywasledbyGhazi-
ud-di
nFiruzJang,hi
ssons
ChinQili
chKhan( LaterNizam-
ul-
Mul k)andHamidKhan,andhi scousinMuhammad
Ami nKhan.FatherofFiruzJang,Khwaj aAbi
dhadmi gratedtoIndiafrom Bukhara
towardstheendoft herei
gnofShahJahan.Khwaj aAbi
dt ookpartinthewaragainst
DaraShukoh,ShujaandJaswantSinghandwasmadeSadr -
i-Kul
.Hediedatthesi
egeof
Golcondain1687.

ChinQili
chKhanpar ti
cipat
edi ntheearlycampai gnsofhisf at
her.I
n1699hewas
appoint
edgovernorofBij
apur.Hishal
f-
brotherHami dKhanalsoserv
edunderhi
sfat
her
Fi
ruzJang.Ami nKhan,cousinofChi nQil
ichKhancamet oI ndi
ain1687andserved
underFiruzJang,and earned anameasav al
i
antwar r
ior.Hewasappoi nt
ed by
AurangzebasSadrinrecogni
tionofhi
smer it
.

Asthi
sgroupcamef r
om Tur anthi
spartywasknownasTuranipar
tyandtheTurani
s
for
medal ar
gepartofthei
rfoll
owing.Ther
ewasgreat
ersol
i
darit
yinthi
spart
ythanin
theIr
anipart
y.Butcoldrelati
onbetweenFir
uzJangandChi nQili
chKhanandt he
bl
i
ndnesst
hatdev
elopedi
nthef
ormerbecameaser
iousweaknessoft
hispar
ty.

Betweent heIraniandt heTuraniPart

iest her
ehadbeenasenseofcompet it
ionand
ri
val
ryfr om thev erybeginni
ngandeachwasv yi
ngwi t
htheotherfortheroyalfav
our
.
Part
icularl
yther iv
alrybetweenthetwoy oungernoblesoft
hetwoparties—Zul
fi
qarKhan
andChinQi l
ichKhansoont ur
nedintomut ualj
ealousyandnat
ural
lythetwodidnotget
onwel l
t ogether.

The thi
rd par t
yknown as Hi ndust
anipar t
ycompr ised t
he Musli
ms borninI ndi
a
alt
hought heirf
orefat
her
shadcomef rom out
side.Thi
spartyhadsupport
ersamongthe
JatsRajput sandmanyHi ndulords.AccordingtoPr of
.Sat i
shChandrathegeneral
assumptiont hatthepar
tiesandpoliti
csattheMughalcour twerebasedonethnicor
rel
igi
ousgr oupingsamongthenobili
tyisnotborneoutbyfacts.

Thegr oupswhi chwer eformed t owar dstheend oft her ei

gnofAur angzeb were
essenti
all
ybasedonf ami
lyrel
at i
onsandper sonalaffi
l
iationsandinter
ests.“Henceit
wouldappear”remarksProf.Chandr a“thatt
hesl ogansofr aceandreli
gionwerer ai
sed
byindivi
dualnoblesonlytosuitt heirconvenience,andt hattheactualgroupingscut
acrossethni
candr el
i
giousdivi
sions.”

Def
ect
sofMughalNobi
li
tyofMughalEmpi
re

(a)Decli
neofthepowerandprest
igeoftheEmperorduetoAurangzeb’
sfai
lur
etodeal
eff
ecti
vel
ywiththeopposit
ionsoft heMarathas,Raj
puts,Jatetc.andthewarsof
successi
onaf
terthedeat
hofAurangzebandeveryoneofhissuccessor
s,

(
b)Absenceofcompet
entr
uleraf
terAur
angzeb,

(c)System ofthegrantofjagir
sst eadi
lyworsened,gr
antofjagi
rswasunnecessari
l
y
delay
ed,discrepanci
esint he income oft he j
agir
sshown and the act
ualincome
recei
ved,gr
antofjagi
rexceedingthet ot
alamountofKhasland,

(
d)Scr
ambl
efort
hebestandt
hemostpr
ofi
tabl
ejagi
ramongt
henobl
es,

(e)Compet
it
ionbet
weendi
ff
erentpart
iesf
orleadi
ngposi
ti
oni
nthecour
t,par
ti
cul
arl
yby
securi
ngt
hepostsoft
heWazirandtheMirBakshi
,

(
f)Lackofmut
ual
trustbet
weent
hepar
ti
esandi
ndi
vi
dual
nobl
esatt
hecour
t.

Itmustbepar t
icul
arl
ypointedoutt hatthestr
uggleforthewazi r
atwasnol essa
str
uggl
eforimplementi
ngofpolicies.Thequesti
onoftheatti
tudetobet akentowards
theRaj
puts,Mar at
has,Jat
set c.,thest atusoftheHindusandi mposit
ionofj i
zya
becameissuesofpartypoli
ti
cs.Fact ual
lythequest
ionwaswhet herthestatewast o
r
estonr aci
standrel
i
giousfoundati
onsandonMusl
i
msal
oneoronHi
ndu-
Musl
i
m
l
oyal
tyandall
egi
ancei
naspir
itofsecular
ism.

Foraquar t
erofacenturytofoll
ow,ther
ival
ri
esandjeal
ousi
esoft het
hreeparti
es,
part
icul
arl
ytheI
rani
sandtheTuranis,
asal
soconfl
i
ctofper
sonali
ti
esandt
heirst
ruggl
e
tocl
earthewaytothesupr
emepowerconstit
utedt
hemainhist
ori
calt
heme.

SuccessandFai
lur
eofAur
angzeb:

Ithasbecomemor eorlessfashionabletoacclaim anyhet erodoxv

iew aboutany
hist
ori
calpersonal
i
tyofhisdoings,whet heritstandst or easonornot.Thereisa
secti
onofwr i
ter
swhohavebeenatpai nstoprovethatAur angzebwasnotar el
igi
ous
bigotand i
nf acthemadel i
beralgr antst o Hi
ndu templ esand wherev
erhehad
destr
oyedHindutempl
esthi
swasnecessi tatedbytheexigenciesofwar.

Thisv i
ewisal abour edv i
ewunr el
atedtohistori
calfactsandsopal pabl
yincorrectthat
oneneednothav et orefuteit
.Itshould,howev er,bemadecl earinor dertoav oid
confusionthatthere,wer einst
ancesofbest owalofgr antsoflandsonaf ewpr iestsor
thei
rt emples,butt hesegr ant
swer ei nthenat ur
eofr enewalorconfir
mat i
onoft he
grantsmadebyhi spr edecessorsormadewi t
hthepur poset owinthegranteesov erto
hisside.Hencethesewer enotinstancesofli
berali
tybutst r
okesofdipl
omacy .

Further,tocont endt hatthedestruct

ionofHi ndut empleswasonl yameasur eof
wartimenecessi tyisapureandsimpleinvent
ionunsuppor t
edbyanyhi stor
icalevidence.
Historyisrespect erofnoper sonandi tisbasedont ruthandnot hingbutt ruthSir
Jadunat hSarkari nhisHistor
yofAur angzeb(5v ol
s.)hasgi venusacor rectwi nthe
granteesovert ohi sside.Hencethesewer enotinstancesofl i
beral
it
ybutst rokesof
di
plomacy .Fur ther,t
o contend t
hatt hedestructi
on ofHi ndu templeswasonl ya
measur eofwar t
imenecessityisapur eandsi mpleinv enti
onunsuppor tedbyany
hi
stor i
calevi
dence.Hi st
oryisrespecterofnoper sonandi tisbasedont ruthand
nothingbuttr
ut h.

SirJadunat h Sarkarin hi
sHi st
oryofAurangzeb (
5v ols.
)hasgiven usacor rect
balancedpi ct
ureoft hepersonali
tyandchar
acterofAurangzebanditisdoubtfulif
moder nresearcheswillbecapabl
eofalt
eri
ngtheconclusi
onsdrawnbySirJ.N.Sarkar
aboutAur angzeb.

Aurangzeb’
spriv
ateli
fewasabov ethecont empor
ar yvi
cesandunquest ionabl
yideal
.
Hewasani ndef
ati
gabl
ewor ker
,ofdisci
pli
nedhabits,andmethodicali
nhi sway s.He
hadaf ewwivesbutneverdi
dhet r
ansgresstheQuranicinj
unct
ionofhavingmor ethan
fourwivesatat ime.Hisfoodhabitswer esimpl
eanddi dnottouchwi ne.Hehad
acqui
redpr
ofi
ciencyi
nAr
abi
candPer
sianandcoul
dspeakTur
kiandHi
ndi
wit
hease.

Hei nheri
tedt heschol
arl
ytemperofhishouseandl overofbooksandpat ronof
scholar
s.Inmat ter
sofrel
igi
onhewasabi got
,str
ict
lyadheri
ngt oQuranicl
aw,say ing
hisdail
ypr ayersfi
veti
mesadayandkeptRamzan.Toomuchr egardforrel
i
gi osit
y
madehi mt aci
turn,
pur
it
ani
candint
oler
antnotonl
yofHinduism butalsoofShi
ahism.

Heenf or
cedJizyaont henon-Hi ndus.Allthi
sear nedforhi
mt herever
enceofthe
devoutMusli
ms.Thechi efdefect
sofhi scharacterwerehi
sobst
inacy,ov
er-
ambit
ion,
narr
ow rel
igi
ousbigotr
y,unfil
i
alatti
tudetohi sf at
herandhisbetr
ayalandinhuman
tr
eatmentofhisbr
other
s.Yethewasnotapar ri
cide.

KhafiKhanal sotri
est odraw abalancedpi ctureoft hechar acterandper sonal
ityof
Aurangzebandwhi lecal
li
nghi mthemostdi sti
nguishedsov ereignofDelhifordevotion,
austeri
tyandjust
ice,hecri
ti
ciseshimforhisintensesuspiciousnessandl ackoft r
ustin
anybody .Hisrel
ianceonmer ecunningast hepr inci
palinstrumentofst atecraf
twas
bornoft hesmallnessofhismi nd.Asasol dierandagener al,Aurangzebr ankedwi t
h
BaburandAkbar .Hepossessedgr eatphysicalstrengt
h,coolnessoft emper amentand
greatcourage.

SuccessandFai
lur
e:

Whenwej udgeAurangzebasasov er
eign,
hisfai
lur
emorethansetoffshi
ssuccess.To
j
udget hemeasur esofhi ssuccessandf ail
ureasalsohispoli
cyisrat
herperpl
exing.
Themannerofhi ssecuringaccessiont ot
het hr
onewasnothingnewinthetr
adit
ionof
theMusl i
m hist
oryinIndiaandhi ssuccessinthewarofsuccessionwasmor eint he
natureoft hesurvi
valoft hefit
testandifhewoul dhavelostsomeoneofhi sot her
brother
swoul dsei
zethet hrone.

Hismili
tarycampai
gnshowedhimt obenotonlyacapabl
esol dierbutal
soagener alof
greatabili
tywhoknew how tot hwarthisenemybydi plomacyandst r
atagem.He
possessedawonderfulmemoryandremember edev
erydetailoftheadmini
strat
ionand
i
ssuedor derst
ohismini
ster
saccordi
ngly
.

Hewasapast -mast
erindi pl
omacyandst atecr
aft
.Hewasofi ndef
ati
gableener
gyand
wentt
hroughthepetit
ionsoft hepeopl
ehi mselfandpassedorder
sont hem.Gemell
i
-
Car
eri
,anItal
i
anphysicianwhov isi
tedI
ndiaduringAurangzeb’
srei
gnsawt heEmper
or
whenhewassev entyf i
vey ear
sol d(1695)and“ admiredtoseehi m endor
sethe
peti
ti
ons wi t
h his own hand wi
thout spect
acl
es and by hi
s cheer
ful
,smi
l
ing
countenanceseemedtobeextr
emel
ypleasedwitht
heemployment
.

Yetwi t
hallthev i
tal
ity,str
engthandphy si
calf
it
nessAur angzebpr ov
edaf ai
lureasa
soverei
gn,forhef ai
ledt oreal
i
sethatthegreat
nessofI ndiadependedont heuni ty
,as
wellastheprogressoft hepeopleofIndi
aasawhol e.Thel essonsofthepasthi stor
yof
Indi
a,thatpoli
ti
calpr ogressandper manenceoft hest atei nIndi
adependedont he
poli
cyofr el
igi
oust olerati
onandt heabil
it
yandt heforesi ghtintherulertocr eatea
senseofhar monyanduni t
yamongt hevari
ousdi
scordantel ements,werelostonhi m.

Further,despi
tehi sintell
igenceandshrewdnessAur angzebf ail
edtodev i
seacor r
ect
poli
cyt omeetanemer gencyorev entomeett
henor mal l
egisl
ativeneedsoftheempir
e.
Hisst udyofpol it
icalpr oblemsaswel lasremediest hathesoughtt odev isewere
colouredbyr eli
giouspr ejudiceswhichnatur
all
yv i
ti
atedt hemeasur estakenbyhi m.
Lit
tledidher eal
iset hatmor ethanei
ghtyper
centoft hepopul ati
onoftheempi r
ewas
non-Musl i
msandt omaket hingsworsehesystematical
lyper secut
edtheMusl i
msof
theShiah,Ismail
i,Daudi andBohr acommuniti
es.

Aurangzeb’
sov er-confi
dencei nhisindustr
y,str
engthandabi l
it
ywhi chgenerateda
dist
rustandsuspicionofof f
icersinhi
smi ndledtoapolicyofholdi
ngalll
ocaloff
icer
s
i
nst ri
ct,perpet
ualt utel
agepr oducedadmi ni
str
ati
vedegenerati
on,lackofi ni
ti
ati
ve,
senseofresponsibil
it
yandef fi
ciencyi
ntheadminist
rat
ion.

Oneoft hemaj orcausesofAurangzeb’sfai

lur
ewast heali
enat
ionofthesy mpathyand
fr
iendship ofthe Rajput
s who pl ay
ed so impor t
anta partint he expansi
on and
organi
sationoft heMughalEmpi r
eunderAur angzeb’
spredecessor
s.Thi sisnicel
y
stat
edbyMul laShiri
nthat“TheHinduwi el
dstheswordofIsl
am.”

Aurangzebalsohadal ienat
edot hermateri
alel
ementsi ntheHindupopul
ati
onsuchas
theJats,Bundel
as,
Si khsandt heMar at
haswhobyt heirr
ebell
i
onsdrai
nedtheempireof
i
tsbloodandmoney ,anddi st
ractedtheEmperor’
sattenti
onintimesofcri
sis.Hi
slong
absencei ntheDeccant hr
ew nor t
hernIndi
aindisorderandconfusionfr
om whichit
coul
dnotber
ecov
ered.Di
sint
egr
ati
onoft
heEmpi
rehadbegundur
ingt
hel
att
erpar
tof
hi
srule.

SoEmper orAur angzebl i

vedanddi ed.Thef amousl et
ter
swr i
ttenshort
lybeforehis
deathtohisson“ expresst heweari
nessofamanwhol i
vedtoolong,hadf ai
l
edi n
cheri
shedplans,andwast ormentedbymor bidfearsabouthisf
ateinthenextworld…”
Aurangzebwr ot
e“ Myy earshavegonebypr ofi
tl
ess.Godhasbeeni nmyhear tyetmy
darkenedey eshav enotr ecogni
sedhi slight
….… Thereisno hopef ormei nt he
fut
ure………whenIhav elosthopeinmy sel
f,howcanIhopei nother?”

Fr
equent
lyaskedquest
ions:

1.Thr
owl
i
ghtont
heexpansi
onpol
i
cyofAur
angzeb.

2.Discusst
heI
mper
ial
i
sti
cPol
i
cyofAur
angzeb.How f
arwashesuccessf
uli
nhi
s
pol
i
cy ?

3.Gi
veabr
iefsket
chofAur
angzeb’
sadmi
nist
rat
ion.

4.Wr i
teashortessayonAurangzeb’
srel
i
giouspol
i
cyandhow f
art
hispol
i
cywas
responsi
blef
ort
hedownfal
lofMughalEmpi
re?