Aurangzeb was the son of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. His reign lasted from 1658 to 1707, around 49 years. His real name was Muhi al-Din Muhammad (Alamgir I). He was born on 3 November 1618 at Dahod, Gujarat Subah.
Coronation: He was coronated twice.
- 1658: Battle of Samugarh: After the Battle of Samurgarh on 31 July 1658.
- 1659: Battle of Deorai: Second time at Delhi after the victory at the Battle of Deorai in 1659.
Info: Aurangzeb had four notable sons, Muhammad Azam Shah, Muhammad Sultan, Muhammad Akbar (Akbar II) and Muhammad Kam Bakhsh.
Info: Aurangzeb’s eldest son Muhammad Azam Shah was appointed as the governor of Bengal at the age of 17.
Info: Aurangzeb’s second son was appointed as the governor of Balkh and Badakhshan.
Info: Aurangzeb’s third son Muhammad Akbar rebelled against his father in 1681 to become the King.
Info: Aurangzeb’s fourth son Muhammad Kam Bakhsh was appointed as the governor of Kabul and Kashmir.
Kingdom Conquest & Revolts Supression:
North-West and Bengal:
- 1662: Bengal ruler Mir Jumla occupied Assam. But this success did not last long.
- 1666: Mir Jumla’s next governor of Bengal Shaista Khan (appointed by Aurangzeb) defeated Arakanraj and occupied Chittogram.
- 1664: Coochbehar’s king was defeated and submitted to Shaista Khan.
- 1665: On the orders of Aurangzeb, Shaista Khan suppressed the British in Bengal.
- 1667: The Yusufzai tribe, led by Bhagu, rebelled against the Mughals. Bhagu assumed the title of Raja and Muhammad Shah. Amin Khan temporarily suppressed this rebellion.
- 1672: The Pathan tribe led by Akmal Khan, revolted against the Afridi clan Mughals. Aurangzeb proceeded to suppress the revolt and returned to Delhi in 1675.
- 1672: Battle of Saraighat: Mughal forces were defeated by the Ahom Kingdom in Assam.
The North-West Frontier problem was one of the obstacles in Aurangzeb's expansion.Conflict with Rajput:
Among his Rajput policies, the conquests of Marwar and Mebar were the most notable.
Marwar:
- 1678: After the death of the Rajput king Jaswant Singh, Aurangzeb ordered the conversion of all Marwar into the Mughal Khalisa.
- Meanwhile, although Jaswant’s two wives gave birth to sons, Aurangzeb nominated Amar Singh’s (Jaswant Singh’s elder brother) grandson Inder Singh as the heir to Marwar.
- Aurangzeb granted the jagir of two parganas in Marwar to Ajit Singh.
- As a result, the angry Rajputs rebelled under the leadership of the Rathore chieftain Durga Das.
- Rana Rajsingh of Mewar came forward to help Marwar.
- 1679: Aurangzeb himself went to Ajmer and his son Muhammad Akbar invaded Marwar. But the revolt continued.
1709: Bahadur Shah I recognized The next king Ajit Singh as the Rana of Marwar in 1709.Extra Info: During Aurangzeb’s reign his son Akbar II rebelled and was supported by the Rathore chieftains Durgadas and Rajsingh.
Mewar:
- Rana Raj Singh of Mewar was angered by Aurangzeb’s reintroduction of the jizya tax, anti-Hindu policies and treatment of Marwars.
- As Ajit Singh’s mother was a princess of Mewar, Raj Singh advanced against the Mughals on behalf of Marwar.
- 1680: The forts of Udaipur and Chittor were captured by the Mughals. Aurangzeb’s son Muhammad Akbar proclaimed himself emperor in 1681.
- Shahzada Akbar fled to Persia and died in 1704.
- Aurangzeb, through trick, broke the alliance between Muhammad Akbar and the Rajputs.
- 1681: In June Mughal signed a treaty of alliance with Mewar’s successor, Rana Jaisingh. Jaisingh was recognized as the chief of Mewar.
Deccan Policy:
Aurangzeb’s Deccan policy had two major problems—the rise of Shivaji and Bijapur.
Bijapur:
- 1679: Daler Khan attacked Bijapur and failed.
- 1686: Aurangzeb defeated Bijapur
- 1687: Aurangzeb conquered Golconda.
Marathas:
- 1665: On behalf of the Mughal forces, King Jai Singh defeated Shivaji and signed the Treaty of Purandar.
- But Shivaji could not be completely suppressed.
- After Shivaji’s death, his son Shambhuji continued the conflict.
- 1689: Shambhuji was captured and killed at Sangameshwar.
- Shambhuji’s brother Rajaram continued the conflict against the Mughals from Jangi.
- 1700: After Rajaram’s death his wife Tarabai led the anti-Mughal struggle (1700-1707).
- The Marathas overwhelmed the Mughal forces by guerrilla warfare.
Info: Aurangzeb’s campaigns in the Deccan had emptied the treasury and caused major disruptions to trade and commerce
Other Rebellions:
Aurangzeb had to face some revolts in the latter part of his reign.
Jath Revolt:
- 1669: The Jat rebellion started in the Mathura region under the leadership of Gokla.
- Aurangzeb suppressed this rebellion and brutally killed Gokla.
- 1686: Rajaram reorganized the Jats and the second Jat rebellion took place.
- 1691: Rajaram and his successor Churaman admitted defeat to Aurangzeb.
Bundela Revolt
- The Bundelas rebelled against the Mughals under the leadership of Champak Ray.
- Chhatrashal started a revolt against the Mughal powers in 1671.
- However, Aurangzeb successfully suppressed the revolt.
Satnami Revolt:
- The Satnamis were a peace-lover religious sect. They were mainly peasants and low-caste people.
- 1543: Birvan of Rijeswar village in Narnul was the founder of the Satnami sect.
- 1672: The Sannami peasant community of Narnul and Meerut regions of Punjab started the Satnami Revolt in 1672 against the exploitation of the princes.
Info: Aurangzeb did not trust his sons and kept them distant. As a result, they didn’t get the chance to learn how to govern properly. So empire was overly dependent on Aurangzeb’s control.
Religious Policies:
- Aurangzeb was famous for his intolerance of paganism.
- He was a follower of hardcore Sunni Islam.
- He was called ‘Zindapir‘.
- He dismissed musicians and painters in the Raj Sabha and banned drinking and opium.
- 1659: To check whether people following Sharia or not, he appointed officials called Muhtasibs in all provinces.
- 1659: He abolished Jharokha-Darshana Tuladan and the Nauraj system.
- 1663: He abolished Sati custom (Sati Daha Pratha)
- 1669: In an edict dated April 9, 1669, he ordered the destruction of pagan schools and educational institutions and the termination of their religious activities and education.
- 1668: Hindu fairs and Hindu cremation on the banks of the Sabarmati and Yamuna rivers were banned.
- 1669: In August 1669, destroyed the Vishwanath temple in Benares.
- 1670: The temple of Keshabaraya in Mathura and later the temple of Somnath were destroyed.
- 1671: He ordered the removal of all Hindus from the revenue department.
- 1674: He reintroduced Tirthakara.
- 1675: Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb beheaded the ninth Sikh Guru Tej Bahadur on 24 November 1675.
- 1679: He reintroduced the jizya tax on non-muslims.
- 1695: Aurangzeb banned non-Rajput Hindus from riding palanquins, riding elephants or horses, and openly carrying weapons in an order issued.
- Trade duties also differed between Hindus and Muslims.
- 1707: Aurangzeb breathed his last at Ahmadnagar on March 3, 1707.
Aurangzeb was buried near Sheikh Zainuddin’s mausoleum in Khuldababad (present-day Bauza, near Daulatabad).
Aurangzeb’s architectural contributions
- 1659-1660: He built Moti Masjid near Red Fort in Delhi.
- 1660-1661: Aurangzeb’s son built Bibi Ka Maqbara at Aurangabad.
- 1661: He built Jama Masjid in Mathura.
- 1671-1673: He also built Badshahi Mosque in Lahore.
- 1673: He constructed Alamgir Mosque at Varanasi.
Due to his radical religious policies, he lost the loyalty of Hindus Sikhs and other sects of Muslims (liberal). After his death, there was no strong leader in place. As a result, the administration quickly fell apart, and the empire crumbled.