Aurangzeb - The Mughal Emperor - History India – Mocomi.com

5/21/2018 Aurangzeb - The Mughal Emperor - History India Mocomi.com

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Aurangzeb, born in 1618, was considered as the lastgreat Mughal emperor. He was the third son of ShahJahan and Mumtaz Mahal. By the time he turned 16,

Shah Jahan gave him the post of the governor ofDeccan. Aurangzeb moved to Kirki in the Deccanregion, which he renamed, Aurangabad, after him. In1637, he married Rabia Durrani and it was around this

time that Shah Jahan began to favour his eldest son,Dara Shikoh.


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Aurangzeb soon earned his father's disfavour and wasasked to step down from his post. However aftermending ties with his father, he was made governor

of Gujarat where he did well and was rewarded. By1647, he was made governor of Balkh andBadakhshan (present day Afghanistan and Tajikistan),replacing his ineffective brother, Murad Baksh.


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These areas were constantly attacked by rebels andAurangzeb managed to quell them with his militaryskills. When he was appointed as the governor of

Multan and Sindh, he engaged in a long battle in aneffort to capture Kandahar from the Safavid army.Unfortunately, Aurangzeb failed to do so, and onceagain earned his father's anger.


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Aurangzeb was once again appointed the governorof Deccan. He set out to expand the Mughal Empire

but was stopped by his father and and eldest brotherevery time. Soon after Shah Jahan fell ill, all his sonsbegan to fight over the throne. Aurangzeb defeatedhis elder brother Dara's armies and took his father as

prisoner. Dara was condemned to death by his ownbrother. He defeated his other brothers too and soonafter took over the throne at Agra. Aurangzeb wenton to rule which last forty-nine years.

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Although Aurangzeb's predecessors were toleranttowards all religions, Aurangzeb enforced strict

Islamic law called the Fatwa-e-Alamgiri. He bannedmusic, art and dance in his courts. He also destroyedimages in art and architecture, as Muslim Lawdictates. He destroyed many Hindu temples,

prohibited religious meets and enforced unfair taxeson non-Muslims, which Akbar had removed. He alsobanned the practice of Sati and forced many toconvert to Islam.

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Aurangzeb now had the freedom of expanding hiskingdom with no one in his way. He extended theEmpire both in the Northwest and Northeast. His

armies consisted of some 500,000 camp followers,50,000 camels and 30,000 war elephants. In aquick span of time he invaded Punjab andAfghanistan and also tried to suppress territories

owned by the Marathas in the west who were led byShivaji. But these constant military campaignsdrained his treasury. As a result, the peasants of theKingdom had to pay heavy taxes.

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Because of his restrictive rule, Aurangzeb had manyenemies, especially the Sikhs. When Aurangzebinsisted that all Kashmir Brahmins must convert toIslam, the hapless Kashmiri's turned to the Sikh Guru,

Tegh Bahadur, for help. Aurangzeb refused to listen tohis pleas and insisted that he too must convert to Islam.When Tegh Bahadur refused, Aurangzeb had himexecuted which triggered a rebellion from the Sikhs.

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Aurangzeb's army continued to weaken. It was atthis time that his new enemies, the Marathasattacked him. For 27 years the two armies fought

many battles, and only after Shivaji's death in 1680,did Aurangzeb and his army get some respite.

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This relief was short lived as the Rajputs of Jodhpurand Mewar joined forces and rebelled against

Aurangzeb. They declared themselves independentof their rule. Aurangzeb, sent his son to quell theirrebellions, only to learn later that his son would deceivehim. Akbar, Aurangzeb's son declared himself King and

soon fled to the Deccan where he allied with Shivaji'sson, Sambhaji. Aurangzeb later sent his son into exile inPersia, from where he never returned. Aurangzebthen later captured Sambhaji and killed him.


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The decline of the Empire had already begun.Aurangzeb's political power had weakened becauseof the time he spent on military matters. His governors

and generals became powerful and many declaredthemselves independent rulers. His harsh rule,alienated the Hindus and the peasants, who lives inutter poverty. Aurangzeb breathed his last in 1707.The Empire was no longer and effective force thoughit officially came to an end in 1857 when EmperorBahadur Shah Zafar was put on trial. It was at this timethat the Mughal Empire was completely wiped out.

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The Sikhs established their Empire in Punjab, afterAurangzeb's death. Charat Singh established hisstronghold in Gujranwala in 1763. Maharaja RanjitSingh was the most powerful of all Sikh rulers and

ruled for over forty years. He was also know as the'Lion of Punjab' and died due to paralysis in 1839. Afterhis death the Sikh Empire was divided into smallprincipalities.

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