Introduction

• Aurangzeb, born Abdul Muzaffar Muhi-ud-Din Mohammed, also known as Alamgir, was the sixth Mughal Emperor.
• His reign lasted for 49 years and began in July 1658, with formal accession taking place in June 1659.
• Aurangzeb was a notable expansionist, and during his reign, the Mughal Empire reached its greatest territorial extent.
• He was one of the wealthiest Mughal rulers, with an annual tribute of $38,624,480 (in 1690).
• Known for being a pious Muslim, Aurangzeb’s policies largely abandoned the secularism of Akbar.
• Victories in the south led to the expansion of the empire to over 3.2 million square kilometers, with a population estimated between 100-150 million.
• He was a strong and effective ruler, but after his death, the Mughal Dynasty’s period of greatness came to an end, and central control of the subcontinent declined rapidly.
• After settling conflicts with his brothers, Aurangzeb ascended the throne in 1658 and assumed the title Alamgir in 1659.

Early Measures

• Confusion prevailed in the country due to wars of succession.
• The Mughal armies caused significant damage to the crops of the people, and the existing tolls and taxes added to the difficulties of the people, disrupting trade.
• Aurangzeb abolished the Rahadari, a tax collected from every highway.
• He also abolished the Pandari, a ground tax, and about 80 cesses collected from both Hindus and Muslims were abolished.
• Aurangzeb prohibited the Kalima (the Islamic declaration of faith) on coins, so they would not be touched by non-Muslims.
• He abolished intoxicants prohibited by the Holy Koran.
• Repair of mosques was ordered, and Imams and Muazzims were regularly paid.
• Strong measures were taken against Sufis who were associated with Dara.
• Aurangzeb’s reign is traditionally divided into two phases:
  1. First twenty-five years: Spent in the North, during which peace prevailed in the Deccan and South India.
  2. Next twenty-five years: Focused on Deccan affairs until his death.

Policy towards North -East and North – Western borders The Frontier Wars

• Since 1639 A.D., the North-East Border had been peaceful, but Shuja’s negligence in Bengal and the civil war allowed the Ahoms to reassert their autonomy.
• The Assamese infringed the Mughal borders and occupied Gauhati.
• The Mughals, distracted by the civil war, remained helpless until 1660 A.D., when Aurangzeb appointed Mir Jumla as the Governor of Bengal.
• Mir Jumla, one of Aurangzeb’s most trusted lieutenants, was ordered to punish the lawless Zamindars of Arrakan.
• In 1661 A.D., Mir Jumla occupied Kutch Bihar, expelled Jayadhwaj, the Raja of Garhgaon, and collected enormous booty.
• However, Mir Jumla was affected by a fever epidemic, which devastated both the Assamese and the Mughal army, leading to a hasty peace in December 1662 A.D..
• According to Khafi Khan, the Raja agreed to pay 120,000 tolas of silver, 2000 tolas of gold, and fifty elephants to the Emperor and to surrender all captured towns and forts.
• Mir Jumla’s untimely death in 1663 A.D. disrupted the peace.
• By 1667 A.D., under Chakradhwaj, the Ahoms regained their lost territories, including Gauhati.
• From 1670-1680 A.D., a series of weak rulers tilted the scales in favor of the Mughals, and by 1711 A.D., the Raja was forced to confirm the Mughal seizure of Rangpur and western Kamrup districts.