Aurangzeb ruled for almost 50 years and assumed the title of ‘Alamgir’. His empire stretched from Kashmir in the North to Jinji in the South and from the Hindukush in the West to Chittagong in the East.
Within the empire, he had to deal with a number of difficult problems, such as the problems of the Marathas in the Deccan, the Jats and Satnamis and Rajputs in North India and that of the Afghans and Sikhs in the North-West.
Aurangzeb’s direct attention was concentrated on the affairs of North India. During 1681 AD, the affairs of the South centred around the rise of the Maratha power under Shivaji.
For about 25 years (1682-1707 AD), he made desperate efforts to crush the Marathas, exhausting himself and his empire in the process.
REVOLTS DURING AURANGZEB
COOCH-BEHAR AND AHOM
The first 10 years of Aurangzeb’s rule were militarily and politically a great success. By 1661 AD, Mughal Governor of Bengal, Mir Jumla, seized Cooch Behar and marched up the Brahmaputra.
Next year, he entered Garhgaon (near Gauhati), the Ahom capital. The Ahom army was defeated, but Mughals failed to suppress the feelings of regional independence, among the people of Ahom kingdom. Finally, Mir Jumla made peace with the Ahom Raja. After Mir Jumla’s death, Aurangzeb appointed Shaista Khan as Governor of Bengal.
AFGHAN REVOLT
In 1667 AD, Afghans revolted under leadership of Bhagu. It was suppressed by Mughal subedar Amir Khan. In 1672 AD, Afghans again revolted under leadership of Akmal Khan Afridi.
SATNAMI PEASANTS OF PUNJAB
The revolt by the Satnami peasants of Punjab in 1672 AD was sparked off by a minor dispute between a Satnami peasant and a Mughal foot soldier. Satnamis established an independent government, but the imperial army crushed the rebellion.
BUNDELKHAND
The Bundelas under the leadership of Champat Rai and Chhatrasal Bundela in Bundelkhand revolted against the reactionary policies of Aurangzeb. Chhatrasal attacked imperial troops and began collecting Chauth (tax) from the neighbouring tracts of the Mughal empire.
He soon captured Kalinjar and Dhamoni and later became the champion of freedom in Bundelkhand. After the death of Aurangzeb, an independent Bundela state was established in the early 18th century.
The death of Aurangzeb led to the establishment of an independent Jat kingdom, with its capital at Bharatpur.
JAT REVOLT
Aurangzeb’s early success is overshadowed by his later setbacks. The excesses committed by Abd-un-Nabi, the faujdar of Mathura, aroused the Jats around Mathura and Agra to rise in Revolt in 1699-70 AD.
Gokula, a zamindar of Tilpat, became the Jat leader and killed the faujdar. The emperor himself marched to the area and put down the rebellion temporarily by capturing and executing Gokula (1669 AD). These rebellions were the outcome of the agrarian tension and the conservative policies of Aurangzeb.
After Gokula, the leadership of revolt passed to Rajaram, the Jat zamindar of Sinsani, Agra. Under his leadership, the Jats virtually blockaded the overland route to the Deccan. The Jats were suppressed, but their rage discontent led them again to rise in Revolt 1691 AD under Churaman.
Churaman, Rajaram’s son and successor, strengthened the Jat fort of Sinasani near Baharatpur and they fearlessly sacked regions around Agra and Delhi. Even Akbar’s tomb at Sikandara was dug open in the hope of obtaining hidden treasure.
SIKH REVOLTS
The peaceful spiritual movement Sikhism, started by Guru Nanak, was pushed on to the path of militarism under Guru Hargobind, after the assassination of Guru Arjan Dev, by Emperor Jahangir
The Sikhs maintained hostility with the Mughal emperors since then when Aurangzeb ascended the throne, Har Rai (1645-61 AD) was the Guru of the Sikhs. His good relations with Dara Shikoh brought him into direct conflict with the emperor.
The next Guru, Tegh Bahadur, opposed the religious policy of Aurangzeb openly and resented against it, in a public meeting. Aurangzeb arrested him and forced him to accept Islam. Guru’s refusal led to his torture and finally his execution. In 1675 AD, Tegh Bahadur was beheaded on the orders of the Qazi of Delhi.
Guru Gobind the tenth guru of the Sikhs, reinterpreted the Sikh ideologies to justify military action and created Khalsa (the army of pure). The Sikhs and the imperial troops went clashing till Aurangzeb’s death. After the death of Gobind Singh, the Khalsa rose in revolt against Mughals, under the leadership of Banda Bahadur.
NORTH WESTERN INDIA (MARWAR)
The most serious revolt against Aurangzeb, however, was done by Rajputs of Jodhpur. This begun when Maharaja Jaswant Singh died in the North-Western tribal region in 1678 AD. He had no heirs, but one of his pregnant queens gave birth to his son Ajit Singh.
As the paramount power, Aurangzeb captured the Maharaja’s property upon his death and resumed the whole of Marwar into the Khalisa.
Indra Singh Rathor, a grand nephew of Jaswant, was subsequently made Raja of Jodhpur. Though Ajit was put under house arrest in Delhi, the Rathors under Durgadas rescued and took him to Marwar.
Maharana Raj Singh of Mewar joined Jaswant’s chief queen, Rani Hadi, in pressing Ajit’s right to his father’s throne. In 1679 AD, the emperor ordered his fourth son, Akbar, to invade Marwar. But, the prince instead declared himself emperor in 1681 AD with the support of the Rajputs.
Aurangzeb marched against him and managed to alienate the Rajputs from Akbar by having a fake disloyal letter, addressed to Akbar, delivered to Durgadas camp. Rajputs deserted Akbar. He then fled to the court of Shivaji’s son Sambhaji. Meanwhile Raj Singh’s son, Jai Singh, made peace with the emperor.
POLICIES OF AURANGZEB
Aurangzeb was a moralist so he abolished all practices in the court which were not in conformity with the order of Islam. He replaced Ilahi year introduced by Akbar with the Muslim Lunar calendar. He forbade the cultivation of Bhang throughout the empire. Mir Ba inform He appointed censors of public morals to enforce Islamic laws and put down practices forbidden by the Shariah such as drinking. gambling and prostitution. He put a ban on singing and dancing in the court. Akbar’s practice of Jharokha darshan was abandoned, as was the practice of weighing the emperor on his birthday. The pilgrimage tax and Jizya, abolished by Akbar, were reintroduced by Aurangzeb. He abolished all taxes offensive to Islam. He also abolished octroi (local tax collected on various articles brought into a district for consumption) and other inland transport duties. Initially. Aurangzeb had granted higher posta to Hindu officials, but later he ordered the appointment of Muslim officials only.