Aurangzeb and Mughal Administration

1.1 Who was Aurangzeb?

Aurangzeb was born on 3 November 1618. He was the third son of Shah Jahan. He ruled from 1658 until his death in 1707. His reign lasted almost 49 years. Under him the Mughal Empire reached its greatest size.

1.2 How did he win the throne?

Shah Jahan fell ill, and his sons fought a war of succession. Aurangzeb beat his brothers Dara Shikoh, Shuja and Murad. Dara was executed on 30 August 1659. The charge was apostasy. Aurangzeb kept his father confined at Agra Fort.

1.3 What did he do before he became emperor?

Aurangzeb served as viceroy of the Deccan twice, from 1636 to 1644 and again until 1658. These years also gave Aurangzeb his first knowledge of the Deccan Sultanates that he later conquered.

1.4 What title did he take?

He took the title Alamgir, which means Conqueror of the World. Katherine Brown's chronology of the reign dates his proclamation as emperor to 21 July 1658. It dates the formal coronation to 5 June 1659.

1.5 Why does this reign matter for exams?

Aurangzeb’s reign sits at the turning point of Mughal history. Questions test his religious policy, his Deccan wars and the strain that followed. Read each topic with the documented facts in mind, not with popular labels.

2.1 What did Aurangzeb do about the jizya?

Akbar abolished the jizya in 1564. He did so because it rested on religious discrimination. Aurangzeb re-imposed it in 1679. Historians still debate his motive. It may have been religious belief, the need for money to fund the Deccan wars, or both.

2.2 Which temple demolitions are documented?

Eaton lists specific demolitions. In 1669 the Vishvanath temple at Banaras was destroyed. In early 1670 the Keshava Deva temple at Mathura followed. Around 1679 several temples in Rajasthan were destroyed, including those at Udaipur, Chittor and Jodhpur. The Mathura order came after a Jat rebellion, in which the patron of the town mosque was killed. Historians do not seriously dispute these events.

2.3 Did he also protect and fund temples?

Yes. In 1659 he ordered officials at Banaras to protect Brahmins and their temples. Grants were also issued to repair temples damaged in war, under Shah Jahan and under Aurangzeb.

2.4 How many temples were destroyed?

Popular claims are far larger. Richard Eaton tested the claim against the records. His list of documented cases for Aurangzeb’s reign is short. He finds no single total in the sources. He argues that rulers of this era punished disloyal Hindu officers by destroying temples tied to them. Other historians give more weight to religion. The debate is about motive, not about whether the demolitions happened.

2.5 Can one label explain the whole policy?

No. A single label cannot cover both demolitions and grants. Eaton notes that Aurangzeb’s Banaras order followed older Indo-Muslim practice: old temples should not be torn down, but new ones should not be built. Politics, revenue and belief all shaped what he did.

3.1 How did Aurangzeb live?

Aurangzeb was known as a deeply pious ruler. Tradition says he lived on what he earned from copying the Quran and sewing caps. This image is common in textbooks. Contemporary records do not clearly prove the income story. Brown calls the cap-stitching and Quran-copying story a legend that built his reputation for piety.

3.2 Did he ban all music?

Tradition says he banned music at court in 1668. Historians say the ban was not total. Brown finds the ban was not total. The royal naubat band played on. The court chronicler records instrumentalists and dancers at the coronation anniversary celebrations for years after 1668-69. Brown also finds few near-contemporary sources for the dramatic story of music being buried.

3.3 What did he commission and write?

He commissioned the Fatawa-i-Alamgiri, a large Hanafi law digest. Many jurists worked on it. It became a reference text for Islamic law. A Persian translation was later made at the request of a British official.

3.4 Who served in his administration?

Aurangzeb appointed Rajputs to high positions. Marathas formed a sizeable part of his officer body. Jai Singh and Jaswant Singh received the title Mirza Raja. The mansabdari system ranked every noble and fixed the troops he must keep.

3.5 Whom did he punish for belief?

His religious policy also had harsh cases. Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed in 1675. This case shows how religion and politics mixed in his decisions.

3.6 What do the key administrative terms mean?

Use this short list for exams.

• Khilat: a robe of honour given by the emperor as a mark of favour.
• Madad-i-maash: a grant, handled by the sadr-us sudur.
• Banjaras: travelling traders who carried grain in bullock caravans.

4.1 How did the Deccan Sultanates fall?

Aurangzeb wanted to end the sultanates of Bijapur and Golconda. Bijapur was conquered in 1686-87. Golconda was annexed in 1687, ending the Qutb Shahi dynasty. Aurangzeb annexed Golconda into the Mughal Empire. Both conquests brought the empire to its greatest extent.

4.2 What happened to the Marathas?

Sambhaji, Shivaji’s son, was captured and executed in 1689. Accounts of his last days differ, but all agree that he died on the emperor’s orders. The Marathas did not give up. They fought on under Rajaram and later leaders.

4.3 What was the cost to Aurangzeb?

Aurangzeb moved his court to the Deccan. He spent the last 26 years of his life there. He died in the Deccan in 1707. Long wars drained the treasury. The fort sieges ate up men, money and food. The army followed the emperor, so the camp itself became a moving city. Armies stayed far from the north for years.

5.1 How big did the empire get?

The empire reached its largest extent in Aurangzeb’s reign, after the Deccan conquests of 1686-87. No other Mughal ruler held more land.

5.2 What turning point came with the Sikhs?

Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru, was executed in Delhi on 11 November 1675. The execution deepened Sikh anger against Mughal rule. Guru Gobind Singh then openly rebelled against Mughal rule.

5.3 What strained the empire?

Historians agree that the Deccan wars, administrative overreach and religious policy strained the empire. They disagree on the weights. Britannica says the Deccan conquests left a long-building economic crisis, made worse by the wars with the Marathas. After 1707 the strain broke into open weakness.

6.1 What did UPSC ask about the Banjaras?

UPSC CSP 2016 asked what the Banjaras generally were in the medieval period. The answer is traders. They carried grain and other goods in bullock caravans called tandas.

6.2 What was the CAPF 2020 question on Mughal religious policy?

CAPF (ACs) 2020 asked which statement on Mughal religious policy is not correct. Use the textbook account as your guide here. Akbar abolished the pilgrim tax in 1563 and the jizya in 1564. Aurangzeb re-imposed the jizya. Grants were issued to repair temples under both Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb. Check each option against these lines.

6.3 What should I remember for exams?

Link each ruler to one policy. Akbar means sulh-i kul. Aurangzeb means the jizya and the Deccan wars. Remember that both temple demolitions and temple grants are documented under Aurangzeb.