#History Archives

October 03, 2022

Aurangzeb Alamgir

Aurangzeb Alamgir Aurangzeb had proved himself a capable commander and administrator as a prince. He was certainly a more successful military strategist and practical statesman than his brothers who contended against him for the throne gave him success against all of them. Aurangzeb, the third son of Shah Jahan, was born on 21 October 1618, at Dohad, on the frontier of Gujarat and Rajputana. He was younger than Dara Shikoh and Shuja, but in competence and character, he easily excelled them. He was industrious, far-seeing, and thorough. He had distinguished himself as an able administrator. During the long years that he spent in the Deccan and other provinces of the Empire. He was a fearless soldier and a skillful general and in his addressing men, he was cool and cautious. At the same time a prince, Aurangzeb was known for his devotion to the Muslim religion and observance of Islamic injunctions. Aurangzeb referred in a number of his letters written to Shah Jahan during the war of succession that he was acting for the sake of verity faith and therefore the peace of the realm. As soon as he was secure on the throne, he started introducing reforms that might make his domain a correct Muslim State. After his coronation, he issued orders which were calculated to please the Orthodox. In the economic sphere, he showed a determined opposition to any or all illegal exactions and every one of the taxes which weren’t authorized by Islamic law. Immediately after his coronation, he abolished inland transport duty (radar) amounting to 10% of the worth of goods and also the doctor ( Pandari) on all articles of food and drink brought for sale into the cities. These measures gave relief to the people and were popular. Aurangzeb took early to restrict the administration, and a period of strong government began. Everywhere the provincial viceroys began to claim imperial prestige. Energetic Subedars extended the boundaries of the empire to Assam. Local notables discovered that disobedience of orders would be tolerated now. The border tribes were taught that no violation of the imperial frontier would unpunished. Revolts of the Jats The first organized revolt of the Hindus against the policy of non-secular persecution was that of the Jats. The local Muslim officers at Mathura, Abdul Nabi were destroying temples of the Hindus and disrespecting their women. In 1661 A.D., he destroyed a Hindu temple and raised a Mosque on its ruins. The Jats under their leader Gokal revolted against this, and in 1669 A.D., they killed Abdul Nabi. He defeated some small Muslim forces which were sent against him. He was however defeated and killed at the battle of Tilpat. The Jats were punished severely. North-West Policy Though a champion of Muslim orthodoxy, Aurangzeb had to wage wars with equally fanatic Muslim tribes of the North Western Frontier region. These people had always been a significant problem and a good headache for the rulers of India. The fanatic and unruly tribes of this region never tried to create themselves as a nation. They were divided into different tribes and were never gathered under one leader. that they had always followed robbery as their profession. The Mughal Emperor found it difficult to overcome and tamed the tribesmen by force and consequently, they bribed them to keep up peace to stay the routes in the frontier hospitable peaceful traffic. Aurangzeb paid the border chiefs six lakhs of rupees annually, but the policy of bribing the frontier chiefs didn’t always succeed, for fresh leaders arose among the tribesmen and they often restored to plundering the Mughal territory. In short, the Mughal Government was greatly uninterested in the activities of those tribesmen during this region. The first rebellion of the Yousaf Zai (1667 ) The first rebellion was caused by the Yousaf Zais tribe. They made a pretender, entitled Muhammad Shah because of the king of the clan. He crossed the river Indus and invaded the Mughals. It had been a good threat to the authority of Aurangzeb. He issued orders to test the further advance of the Yousaf Zais. Ultimately they were pushed back. Aurangzeb’s religious policy The idea of Aurangzeb was the creation of Muslim theocracy and the extinction of all other religions. He restored Islam to its original position because of the religion of the court and also the country. As an excellent Puritan ruler, he adopted the subsequent measures: He removed the Kalima from the coins, and abolished the celebration of the Persian ‘New Year Day” he also appointed Muhtasibs in all the important cities to enforce the Quranic law. He banned music and disallowed musical parties, he also dismissed the court musicians who had been employed by his ancestors. Aurangzeb stopped the practice of weighing his body against gold, silver, and other commodities. He stopped the custom of Jharoka Darshan, it deprived the people of a chance to induce their wrongs redressed directly by the emperor. He forbade the courtiers to use to Hindu mode of saluting each other and instead advocated the utilization of the words, Assalam- Alekum (Peace be upon you). He also dismissed the royal astronomers and astrologers. Drinking was forbidden, and therefore the kotwal was ordered to cut one hand and one foot of all those who used this liquor. He forbade women from visiting the shrines of the holy men. Prostitution was banned; the prostitutes got the choice to either get married or leave the Mughal Empire. Aurangzeb was a multi-dimensional personality. As a soldier and a scholar, as a statesman and a sovereign, he stands unsurpassed in the galaxy of stars of the Mughal Empire. He maintained himself on the sale proceeds of the caps and copies of the holy Quran. اورنگزیب عالمگیر اورنگ زیب نے ایک شہزادے کے طور پر خود کو ایک قابل کمانڈر اور ایڈمنسٹریٹر ثابت کیا تھا۔ وہ یقینی طور پر اپنے بھائیوں کے مقابلے میں ایک کامیاب فوجی حکمت عملی اور عملی سیاست داں تھے جنہوں نے اس تخت کے لیے

BIOGRAPHY

October 03, 2022

0

Shah Jehan

Shah Jehan Shah Jahan was one of the four sons of Jahangir. His original name was Khurram, born on January 1592, in Lahore to a Hindu mother, the daughter of Raja Udai Singh of Mewar. He was born under the care of Akbar’s childless wife Ruquiah Begum. While very young, he can be acknowledged to be the successor of the Mughal throne after the death of Jahangir. Prince Khurram was liked by his father. It was on account of his bravery and sense of responsibility that he was held accountable for the many expeditions by his father. Shah Jahan ascended the throne at Agra on 4th February 1628 with the title of Abu_l_Muzaffar Shahab-ud Din Muhammad Sahib Kiran_i-Sani. However, his accession to the throne wasn’t all smooth and he had to meet up with a conflict for succession. Soon after the death of Jahangir in 1627, Nur Jahan put forward the claims of Shehryar to the throne and proclaimed him as king in Lahore. On the other hand, Asaf Khan (Father-in-law of Shah Jahan ) took up the explanation for Shah Jahan. He sent a message to the Emperor to hurry up to Delhi. In the meanwhile, Asaf Khan also moved against Shahryar and defeated him in a battle near Lahore. He took him prisoner and blinded him. Thus when Shah Jahan reached Agra, all his political rivals had been eliminated. He ascended the throne of Agra. Soon after his accession, Shah Jahan had to encounter a lot of disturbance and rebellions. The first such rebellion was led by Jahjar Singh, who started increasing his strength by raising forces, acquiring munitions of war, and strengthening the forts. Shah Jahan ordered Muhabat Khan to suppress the rebellion. Forces were sent by Shah Jahan from all sides of the country. Hemmed by forces from all sides, Jahjar Singh thought it expedient that he should surrender. He was pardoned on the condition that he should surrender part of his jagir and proceed to serve the Mughal in Deccan. The rebellion of khan Jahan Lodhi Another serious challenge to the authority of Shah Jahan was posed by Khan Jahan Lodhi, an able and turbulent officer. Soon after Jahangir’s death, he joined hands with Nur Jahan to advance the claims of Shahryar to the throne. When Shah Jahan ascended the throne, Khan Jahan Lodhi was forced to form a humble submission to Shah Jahan. Shah Jahan pardoned him and allowed him to retain the Governorship of Deccan. Apart from the rebellions, Shah Jahan had to encounter, at the beginning of his reign a heavy challenge in the shape of great famine. This famine from 1630-32 affected Gujrat, Khandesh, and Deccan and took an important toll on life. Soon, on the heels of famine, followed pestilence which further aggravated the sufferings of the people. Shah Jahan tried to alleviate the suffering of the people by remitting one-third of the land revenue, State kitchins were opened and food was distributed and freed from charge to the poor and needy. The Imperial Mughals, particularly, from Akbar to Shah Jahan( 1556_ 1657 )gave an extended era of peace and prosperity to the people of India for a century. During this era, the name and fame of the mighty Mughal monarchs of the best empire in Asia attracted a stream of foreign visitors from everywhere in the world. They were dazzled by the wealth, magnificence, and grandeur of the Mughal emperors and their nobility. His period of rule is usually noted because of the Golden Age of Mughal India because of the subsequent reasons; The Mughal Empire under Shah Jahan enjoyed maximum peace and order. The country was very little disturbed and he was ready to maintain perfect law and order. The Rajputs were faithful and also the Shia states of the Deccan had accepted the overlordship of the Delhi emperor. The extent of Shah Jahan’s empire was, extended from Sindh in the West to Assam in the East and from Afghanistan to Goa in the Deccan. Under the rule of Shah Jahan, the Mughal Empire reached its highest pitch of greatness and glory. Since there was peace and prosperity in the country, the provinces brought much revenue. The land was fertile, and therefore the royal income from land revenue alone amounting to 45 crores of rupees annually, had been so great that in any case of his vast expenses, he left a treasure of 24 million in coins, besides gold, silver, and jewels. Shah Jahan maintained his ancestral tradition of personally administering justice. He was very strict in punishing the oppressors and dispensing even-handed justice. The grievances of the people were removed and justice was done to all. Thus he was a just ruler. Shah Jahan’s buildings represent the climax in the evolution of Mughal architecture in the country and it’s especially in the domain of architecture that’s reign properly be called the Golden Age in the history of India. The red fort with its white marble palaces and Jamia Masjid at Delhi, the Moti Masjid, Diwan_i-Khas, Diwan_i_ Am other buildings, the Agra fort and therefore the famous Taj Mahal. As Seeable in the above buildings, Emperor is rightly called the “Prince of Builders” The spirit of tolerance and also the liberal policy pursued by Akbar under which he convinced the hearts of the Hindus who formed the majority of the population in India, unfortunately, disappeared under Shah Jahan. In the early years of his reign, he issued a royal edict to the effect of dragging down all the newly built temples in his empire and it’s said that in pursuance of this edict, the maximum amount of 72 temples in the province of Allahabad alone was pulled down. He revived the pilgrim tax on the Hindus and also checked the conversion of Muslims to other faiths, rather he encouraged the conversion of the Hindus to Islam, forbade intermarriages between Hindus and Muslims, and Hindu husbands of Muslim women were forced to embrace Islam. Thus we see that

BIOGRAPHY

October 02, 2022

0

Nooruddin Jahangir

Nooruddin Jahangir Jahangir was the son of the many prayers. Akbar wanted an heir to succeed him, he not only prayed to God but also begged for the blessings of saints to own a son. All previous children of the emperor had died in their infancy, ultimately, a son was born in August 1569, and he was named Muhammad Saleem. It was as a result of the blessings of the famous Sheikh Saleem Chishti that he was blessed with a son and named him after the saint Muhammad Sultan Saleem, but Akbar wants to call Saleem by the nickname of Sheikho Baba. The child was noted with utmost care and affection. Akbar paid full attention to the education of Saleem and placed him under the guardianship of the most effective scholars and tutors of the age. Saleem learned Turki, Hindi, Geography, arithmetics, and other important sciences from his teachers. Saleem was married to Man Bai at the age of 15, but Saleem kept some eight hundred women in his harem. Saleem developed a great love for wine and other sensual pleasures at an early age. This wasn’t liked by Akbar and he tried to fix the young prince but without much success. The loose character of Saleem was a reason behind great concern for Akbar but the young prince wasn’t willing to pay any heed to Akbar’s advice. In 1599, when Akbar left for the Deccan expedition, he directed Saleem to attack Rana Amar Singh of Mewar. Rather than complying with the directions of Akbar, Saleem utilized the occasion to lift a banner of revolt. Saleem had declared his independence and founded a court in Allahabad. Akbar rushed back to Agra and crushed the revolt. Jahangir succeeded to the throne in November 1605, on the eighth day of Akbar’s death. Soon after accession to the throne, Jahangir proceeded to proclaim his policy within the shape of twelve rules of conduct ( Dastur_ul- Amal ). These rules or instructions were as follows: Prohibition of Cesses ( Zakat ) Regulations about Highway Robbery and Theft Free Inheritance of Property of Deceased persons Prohibition of Wine and every one style of Intoxicating Liquor Prohibition of the occupation of the homes and cutting the Noses and Ears of the criminals. Prohibition of Ghasbi Building of Hospitals and Appointment of Physicians to attend the Sick Prohibiting Slaughter of Animals The respect paid to Sunday General Confirmation of Mnsabs and Jagirs Confirmation of Aima Lands Amnesty for all Prisoners It was a crucial event of Jahangir’s reign, his marriage with Nur Jahan, which left a deep impact on the course of the history of his reign. He bestowed on her the title of Nur Mahal ( light of the harem ) which was subsequently turned into Nur Jahan Begum ( Light of the globe ). Once installed as empress the influence continued on the administration. She was a brave and shrewd lady and came to exercise tremendous influence on Jahangir during the amount from 1611 to 1627. Two Sides to his character: (A) the bright side of his character. Jahangir possessed an amiable personality. He always showed great relationships with his mother and other elders of his family. Though he rebelled against his father, he showed much repentance over his folly. He always cherished the memory of Akbar and wanted to pay his homage to the departed soul. Jahangir was a highly educated man. He had acquired sufficient knowledge of Arabic, Hindi, and Persian languages. His memoirs called Tuzak_i_ Jahangiri may be proof of his excellent composition. He was a great deal fascinated by the fine arts like music, architecture, painting, and others. Jahangir had an excellent passion for justice, allowing all men to approach him with complaints that he heard. To make him accessible to any or all the seekers of justice, he caused gold chains with bells to be hung between the Shah Burj and the Agra fort and a post on the road near the bank of the river Jumna and so on to enable the suitors to ring the bell of justice. (B) Dark Side of His Character. Jahangir had many good qualities in his character, but he had certain shortcomings too which eclipsed his great qualities in him. He was a notorious drunkard but punished other drunkards very severely. He had formed such a powerful habit of wine that wine didn’t intoxicate him. Thus he became more and more engrossed in pleasure and ease, till he became a figurehead within the State, and real powers being thus enjoyed by Nur Jahan, he never interfered with the work of Nur Jahan. The health of Jahangir was completely shattered on account of excessive drinking. He was trying to revive it by visiting Kashmir and Kabul. On his way from Kabul to Kashmir, he returned to Lahore on account of severe cold and died on the way in October 1627, probably within the vicinity of Murree and Abbottabad, in step with one account, his body was delivered to Lahore and was ultimately interred within the tomb near Shahdara, Lahore. نورالدین جہانگیر جہانگیر بہت دعاؤں کے بعد آنے والا بیٹا تھا۔ اکبر اس کے بعد ایک وارث چاہتا تھا، اس نے نہ صرف خدا سے دعا کی بلکہ اولیاء سے بیٹے کی دعا بھی مانگی۔ شہنشاہ کے تمام سابقہ بچے بچپن میں ہی فوت ہو چکے تھے، بالآخر اگست 1569 میں ایک بیٹا پیدا ہوا اور اس کا نام محمد سلیم رکھا گیا۔ یہ مشہور شیخ سلیم چشتی کی عنایت کا نتیجہ تھا کہ ان کو ایک بیٹا نصیب ہوا اور اس کا نام ولی محمد سلطان سلیم رکھا، لیکن اکبر سلیم کو شیخو بابا کے نام سے پکارتے تھے۔ بچے کی پرورش انتہائی پیار اور محبت سے ہوئی۔ اکبر نے سلیم کی تعلیم پر پوری توجہ دی اور اسے اپنے زمانے کے بہترین اسکالروں اور اساتذہ کی سرپرستی میں رکھا۔ سلیم نے اپنے اساتذہ سے ترکی، ہندی، جغرافیہ، ریاضی اور دیگر اہم علوم سیکھے۔ سلیم کی شادی 15 سال کی عمر میں من

BIOGRAPHY

October 02, 2022

0

Jalaluddin Akbar

Jalaluddin Akbar Akbar, the Great was one of the foremost eminent rulers of Indian history. He was one of the 2 greatest and after all the foremost controversial personalities together with Aurangzeb. Both are variously held responsible for the downfall of the Mughal Empire. Akbar came to the throne in 1556 after the sudden death of his father, Humayun. The news of Humayun’s death was kept secret for 17 days. When he came to power he was a toddler of hardly 14. The first aim of Akbar was to bring all of India under one ruler and to accomplish this task in a very great measure by enlisting in its favour several races which he desired to bring into his fold. Hemu, Commander of Adil Shah occupied Agra and Delhi, and Tardi Beg, Mughal Commander fled away. For this, he was awarded death punishment and Bairam Khan became Commander of the Mughal Army. Second Battle of Panipat Hemu occupied Delhi and Agra. He proclaimed himself king under the title of Vikrama Jit. When the news of the autumn of Delhi and Agra reached Akbar, he ordered an on-the-spot march towards Sirhind. At Sirhind, Tardi Beg joined with the remnant of his forces. In the meantime, Hemu was setting his troops so as, and when he heard of the arrival of Akbar at Sirhind, he marched from Delhi, sending his artillery earlier to Panipat. From Sirhind Akbar moved towards Panipat, on the day, 1556, the fight began at the battlefield of Panipat. Hemu succeeded in overthrowing the correct and left of the Mughal forces and was attempting to crush the center with his elephants, but suddenly an arrow pierced through his eyes which made him unconscious. On seeing their leader fall, the military of Hemu fled away, and also the Mughals came out victorious. The second Battle of Panipat proved to be of far-reaching importance. The Mughals gained a decisive victory over the Afghans. Akbar’s Rajput Policy Akbar probably was the first Muslim ruler of India who adopted the liberal policy of conciliation toward Rajputs and his other non-Muslim subjects. The Rajput chiefs not only offered submission to the Mughal Emperor but fought for him together with Mughal soldiers in the expansion of the Mughal Empire yet as in the subjugation of the Rajput rulers and rebels. He secured Rajput friendship by matrimonial alliances with them still as by granting posts of trust and responsibility to the Hindus within the civil and military administration. Except that the first step towards friendship with them was that he removed the religious restrictions imposed by the Delhi Sultans over the Hindus. Akbar abolished the pilgrim tax imposed on the Hindus and also remitted jizya or the capitation on the non-Muslims. The Promulgation of Din-i-Illahi The third or ultimate stage in the evolution of his religious views was reached in 1582 when he promulgated a replacement religion, the Din_i_llahi or Divine Religion. He opened the Ibadat Khana to the people of various faiths towards the tip of the year 1578. Although discussions within the Ibadat Khana continued, Akbar arranged private meetings with the students and holly men of various faiths. He lost faith in Sunni orthodoxy, then he turned to Shia scholars, but yet he got no mental satisfaction from the Shia faith, then he turned to Sufism but in vain. Now he attempted to determine consolation in other religions by freely mixing with Hindus Sanyasis, Christian missionaries, Zoroastrian priests, and Hindu philosophers. After long inquiries about all the religions, he concluded that there have been sensible men in altogether religions. So he decided to establish a standard religion that was acceptable to any or all the faiths, by including all the nice points taken from all the religions, investigated by him. The essential principles of the new religious faith were: (a) The principle of toleration. (b) Grant of liberty of conscience and worship to all or any. (c) Removal of all distinctions between the 2 communities. The effects of toleration pursued toward the Hindus endeared the latter to him so strongly that they became so loyal and faithful supporters altogether the matters of the state. The danger from the Rajputs and Hindus was also over now. They were afterwards utilized by him as a valuable weapon against his enemies – the Uzbeks and other rebellious officers. In 1556 when Akbar came to power, he had no territory, but when he died in 1605, he left a long powerful, and consolidated empire. Akbar as an Administrator Akbar wasn’t only the founding father of the Mughal Empire in India, but he was also an excellent administrator. He laid the muse of a splendid system of administration that continued for two centuries. Salient features of his administration were as follows: The Central Ministers: For their assistance in the administration of the country, the Mughal Emperors had appointed ministers under them. The subsequent ministers had been appointed. (a) The Prime Minister ( vakil ) (b) The government minister ( diwan or Wazir ) Provincial Government Akbar had divided his empire into well-defined provinces in which he founded a well-established and uniform system of administration. In each such province or Suba, there was a Governor, styled as Sipah Salar, Commander_in_chief, the Diwan, a Bakhshi, a Faujdar, a kotwal, the Qazi, the Sadar, the Amil, the Bitikchi, the Potdar and other officers of the revenue department. Apart from that Akbar established an efficient Mansabdari system in 1570, to manage the Imperial services. All the gazetted Imperial officers of the state were styled as Mansabdars. To start with they were classified into sixty-six grades, from the mansab of ten to 10 thousand. Thus it was Akbar who organized the mansabs of his Imperial officers in a very systematic form that became related to his name. جلال الدین اکبر اکبر، عظیم ہندوستانی تاریخ کے نامور حکمرانوں میں سے ایک تھے۔ وہ اورنگ زیب کے ساتھ دو عظیم اور یقیناً سب سے زیادہ متنازعہ شخصیتوں میں سے ایک تھے۔ دونوں کو مغلیہ