THE MUGHAL

EMPIRE

PRESENTED By:
ADITYA RANJAN KULKARNI(06)
MOHAMMAD AFAAN(48)
AYUSH KUMAR(33)
ADITYA KUMAR(23)
 Content
Introduction
Mughal Emperors
Administration under Mughal Empire
Society and economy
Religion
Literature Art and Architecture
Decline of Mughal Empire
 INTRODUCTION
The Mughals were descendents of Mongols and
Turks
Jahir-u-din Muhammad Babur, the founder of
Mughal Empire in India was related to Timur from
his father’s side and to Genghis Khan through his
mother
The rule of Mughal is starting from 1526 AD to
1857 AD has greatly contributed to the history of
India
The mughal empire survived till 1857. The last
mughal emperor was Bahadur shah zafar 2
 THE MUGHAL EMPERORS

Babur(1526-30 CE) – The Founder

• Zahir-ud-din Muhammad Babur was the founder of Mughal empire in
India.
• He was born on February 14, 1483 in Farghana . His father Umar Sheikh
Mirza was a small chieftain of Farghana. His father belonged to the Timur
line and his mother Qutlugh Nigar Khanam belonged to Mongols.
• When Babur ascended the throne of Farghana in 1494, he was just 11
years old. He was a brave soldier, an experienced general, a skilled horse-
rider, a sure shooter and a skilled swordman . Babur(1526-30 CE)
• Babur assumed the imperial title of Badshah (emperor) in 1507, after
consolidating his own win over Kabul.
• Babur become the ruler pf Hindustan by defeating the army of Ibrahim
Lodi in the first Battle of Panipat in 1526 CE.
• Babur wrote his autobiography in Turkish language which is known as
Tuzul-i-Baburi. The book gives a detail of contemporary affairs but it also
shows that Babur was keenly interested in nature. The book is regarded as
a classic of world literature.
 Humayun (1530-56) -'The Trembler‘
• Humayun was the eldest son of Babur.
• Sher Shah Suri an ambitious ruler of Bengal had fought Humayun inthe Battle
of Chausa in 1539 in which Humayun was defeated and Mughal force was
almost destroyed.
• In the beginning Humayun was helped by the ruler ofAmarkot Rana Virsal
where Hamida Banu gave birthto Akbar in 1542.
• Humayun finally got shelter in the court of Emperor Shah Tahmasp of Persia.
• Humayun reconquered his Indian empire with the help of Shah of Iran in 1555
Humayan(1530-56) by defeating Afghans. Hedied in 1556.
• Humayun was passionately devoted to the study of astronomy, loved painting
and wrote Persian poetry
Akbar (1556-1605) - The Great‘
• Akbar was born at Amarkot in 1542.
• At the age of 14 he became the emperor after the death of his
father Humayun. Bairam Khan was the regent up to 1560.
• In 1556 second Battle of Panipat was fought between the Hemu
and Mughals. Mughals won under the generalship of Bairam
Khan.
• Raja Bharmal the Kuchchhwaha King of Amber married his eldest
daughter to Akbar and subsequently Raja Bhagwan Das and Man
Singh were inducted into the Imperial Mughal service.
• Almost all Rajput states were subjugated and they submitted to Akbar(1556-1605
Akbar but the Rana of Mewar continued to defy Mughal
suzerainty.
• In the battle of Haldighati in 1576, Rana Pratap was defeated by the
Mughals under Man Singh.
• In 1562 Akbar discontinued the practice of enslaving the defeated soldiers
in the battles.
• In 1563 pilgrimage tax was abolished. In 1564 the discriminatory jaziya tax
was abolished.
• In 1575 Ibadatkhana was built at Fetahpur Sekri for religious discussions.
Initially only Sunni were allowed later all religious groups such as Shias,
Hindus, Christians and Zorastrians were allowed to participate.
• In 1579 Akbar read the Khutba composed by Faizi in his own name.
• In September 1579 Mahzar was proclaimed by Akbar which made him the
Imam-i-Adil.
• In 1582 Din-i-Illahi or Tauhid-i-Ilahi was started by Akbar which is
considered by some historians a new religion started by Akbar.
• Abul Fazl wrote a three volume history of Akbar's reign, titled Akbar
Nama. The third volume is the Aziz-i-Akbari.
• Akbar died in 1605. He was buried at Sikandra.
 AKBAR'S NINE GEMS
Akbar's court was filled with talented men known as Nine gems or the Nav Ratna.
They were:-
1.Birbal: He was known for his statesmanship and wit.
2. Abdur Rahim Khan: He was son of Bairam Khan. He wrote poetry in Hindi. His dohas
are recited in India even today.
3. Abul Fazl: He was a great scholar and historian. He wrote Akbar-nama and Ain-i-
Akbari.
4. Faizi: He was brother of Abdul Fazl. He was a great poet and philosopher. He
translated theBhagwad Gita in Persian.
5. Tansen: He was a singer and musician of exceptional talent. He was world famous for
Raga-deepak.
6. Raja Todarmal: He was an efficient administrator.
7. Raja Maan Singh: He was one of the greatest Generals of Akbar's court.
8. Humam: He was a well-known physician.
9. Mullah Dopyaja: He was also a great scholar known for his ready wit.
Jahangir (1605-27) - 'The Justice King’
• Prince Salim ascended the throne in 1695. He assumed the title of Jahangir.
• He was the son of Jodhabai .
• He issued 12 ordinances after becoming emperor.
• In 1611 he married Mehrunnissa who was later on called Nur Jahan, her
father Gyas Beg was given the title of Itmaduddaulah.
• During Jahangir's time, relations with Rajput of Mewar improved and Amar
Singh submitted in 1615 to the Mughal.
• The practice of enrolling Marathas into the Mughal army and nobility was
started.
• In 1606 Jahangir's son Khusrau revolted but was defeated and imprisoned.
• Guru Arjun Dev 5th Guru of Sikhs was beheaded on the charge of blessing
Khusaru.
• In 1625 Mahabat Khan imprisoned Jahangir and Nurjahan.
• Jahangir wrote Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri in Persian. Jahangir(1605-27
• During his time, painting reached its zenith in Mughal court.
• Jahangir died in 1627 at Bhimbar in Kashmir. He is buried at Dilkush garden
in Lahore.
 Shah Jahan (1627-58) -'The Builder‘
Prince Khurram succeeded Jahangir and adopted thetitle of Shah Jahan in
1627.
In 1607 Jahangir had granted him a Mansab of 800 zat.
In 1632 Portuguese were defeated by him near Hugli.
In 1612 Shahjahan married Anjumand Bano Begum who later became famous
as Mumtaz Mahal.
In 1636 Ahmadnagar was annexed by Shahjahan.
His reign is described by French traveller Bernier and Taverier and the Italian
traveller Manucci.
In the end of his reign there was a bloody war of succession among his sons
in which Aurangzeb become successful due to Shahjahan; favour to Dara
Shikoh to the throne. Shah jahan(1627-58
Aurangzeb imprisoned Shahjahan at Agra Fort and he died in captivity in
1666. He was buried besides his wife's grave in Taj Mahal.
 Aurangzeb (1658-1707)- 'The firm Sunni Muslim‘
 Aurangzeb ruled for almost 50 years.
During his long reign the Mughal Empire reached itsterritorial climax.
At its height it stretched from Kashmir in the north to Jinji in the south and from the
Hindukush in the west to Chittagong in the east.
But much of the Aurangzeb's time was spent in tryingv to put down revolts in
different parts of the empire.
Aurangzeb sent his army to the Deccan to curtail the rising Maratha power and to
prevent them from overpowering the kingdoms of Bijapur and Golconda.
Aurangzeb's Deccan policy can be divided into four phases.
Aurangzeb(1658-1707) Phase-I (1658-68)
It was led by Jai Singh. The Mughals failed to lay siege on Bijapur in 1665 and Jai Singh
died in 1667.
Phase-II (1668-84)
 It was unsuccessful because of a tripartite alliance between Golconda, Shivaji and
Bijapur in which Madanna and Akanna played a crucial role.
Phase-III>
 This phase saw the capture of Bijapur (1686) and Golconda (1687).
Phase-IV
In this phase Sambhaji the son and successor of Shivaji was captured and executed.
 Administration under Mughal Empire
Central Administration in Mughal Empire
 In Islam the real sovereign of the world is Allah and Khalifh is his representative on the earth.
 Emperor: The form of Mughal government was despotic, monarchy, the emperor was the head of
the executive, legislature, judiciary and the Army, the only limits on the autocracy of the King
were the mobility and the Ulema
 Vakil: Vakil was the representative of king and hence exercises all powers on behalf and in the
name of king. Bairam Khan was the Vakil during Akbar's time.
 Wazir or Diwan: In his capacity as Diwan-i-Mulk he was the head of the revenue department
when there was no vakil, he acted as the PM as well and hence called the wazir.
 Mir Bakshi : Head of the military department and also the pay master general after the
introduction of the mansabdari system.
 Sudr-us-Sadar: Head of the ecclesiastical department. Regulation of religion and charitable works
was his prime concern.
 Khan-i-Saman: Head of Royal household and karkhans.
 Qazi-ul-Quzat: Head of the justice department.
 Subedar or Sipalibalar: He was the governor, his function were the maintenance of law and order,
enforcement of imperial decrees and administration of criminal justice in the suba. He was
appointed by the Emperor.
The Empire under the Mughals was divided into provinces which
were known as Subas.
• In the beginning of Akbar's reign total number of subas were 12
later on at the time of his death it were 15.
• During Shah Jahan 's time there were 19 subhas. During the
Aurangzeb's reign Mughal Empire had 21 subhas.
• The Suba's were further divided into sarkars which was headed by
Shiqdar.
• Sarkar was divided into Parganas which was a group of villages.
• Village was the lowest unit of administration and Patwari and
Qanuongo were the financial officials
• Mahals were the group of villages combined for fiscal purposes
 Society and economy
Society in Mughal times was organized on a feudal basis and the head of the social
system was Emperor.
Next in rank were the nobility along the zamindars.
Zamindars or the chieftians also constituted thenobility. They had their own armed
forces and generally lived in forts or garhis which was both a place of refuge and a
status symbol.
There was a large class of merchants and traders. They had their own rights based
on tradition and protection of life and property. They also maintained a high
standard of living.
Among the prevalent social practices the purdah system was one of that which was
practiced more by the women of upper classes. The child marriage, polygamy,
widow remarriage, dowry system, sati was prevalent though Akbar tried to
discourage sati by issuing orders but he could not forbid it altogether.
 Aurangzeb was the only Mughal who issued definite orders in 1664 for bidding
sati.
 RELIGION
• The Mughal emperors followed Islam.
• Akbar was the first Mughal ruler to adopt a policy of
religious tolerance (Sulh-e-Kul) towards other religions to
build a strong empire in India. It aimed at harmony
among different religions. He set-up a hall for worship
(Ibdat Khana), which was open to believers of different
religions like Jains, Hindus, Zoroastrians, Christians, etc.
• Jahangir and Shah Jahan were also tolerant towards
IBDAT KHANA
other religions but Aurangzeb was a staunch Muslim
• He forced the Hindus to adopt Islam. He imposed Jazia on
Hindus. His policy of religious intolerance weakened the
foundations of the Mughal empire.
 Literature Art and Architecture
Literature in Mughal Empire
Babur, the first Mughal emperor was one of the pioneers of Turkish poetry and also the author of a very
valuable autobiography in Turkish Babar Nama which was later translated into Persian. Gulbadan Begum
sister of Humayun wrote the Humayun Nama.
Jahangir the great connoisseur of painting wrote his autobiography the Tuzuk-i- Jahangiri.
Hindi literature made significant progress during Akbar's reign.
Tulsidas and the Surdas wrote in this period.
Keshavdas a great poet wrote on themes of love. Rahim's dohas or couplets were extremely popular.
It was also in Akbar's time that the great Sanskrit work on styles of writing, the Alankarashekhara by
Keshava Misra appeared.
Abul Fazl wrote the Ain-i-Akbari and Akbar Nama.
Abul Fazl's brother Faizi was a great poet of Persian and was responsible for the translation of many
Sanskrit works into Persian. Akbar had started a whole department for translation of works like
Mahabharata, the Ramayana, the Atharva -Veda, the Bhagvad Gita and the Panchatantra.
Some of the important historians during Akbar's reign were Abdul Hamid Lahori, Khafi Khan, Muhammad
Kazim and Sujan Rai Bhandari. The famous book of Bihari called the Satsai in Hindi belongs to this period.
One of the most significant developments during the medieval period was the birth of the Urdu language.
It produced great poets like Wali, Mir Dard, Mir TaqiMir, Nazir Akbarabadi, Asadullah Khan Ghalib.
 Mughal Architecture
During the Afghan period the mausoleum of Sher Shah was built at Sasaram which
stands in the middle of a tank.
Akbar
The Mughal architecture began in the reign of Akbar.
The first building of Akbar's period is Humayun's tomb at Delhi. The tomb is
influenced by Persian style.
The significant features of the Mughal architecture are the large gateways and the
tomb built in the midst of a large Park.
Akbar also built forts at Agra and Lahore, Living beings- elephants, lions, peacocks and
other birds were sculptured.
Akbar's new capital Fatehpur Sikri was one of the most magnificent capitals in the
world.
The arch of the Buland Darwaza is about 41 metres high and is perhaps the most
imposing gateway in the world.
During the period of Jahangir the mausoleum of Akbar was built at Sikandara. The
minar was the main feature of this building. It has beautiful arches and domes.
 Jahangir
Noor Jahan built the tomb of Itmad-ud-daula (Her father). It was built in white marble
and beautiful coloured inlay work was done.
 Noor Jahan also built mausoleum of Jahangir (her husband) at Shahdara near Lahore
Shah Jahan
The greatest builder of the Mughal period was Shah Jahan.
He built a large number of buildings - The Agra Fort, the city of Shahjahanabad and the
Red Fort of Delhi, Jama Masjid at Delhi and The Taj Mahal in Agra.
 Diwan-i-aam and the Moti Masjid in the Agra Fort are built mainly in white marble
with coloured inlay work. The Diwan-i-khas and the Diwan-i aam in the Red Fort are
richly decorated.
 The Jama Masjid at Delhi with its imposing domes and minarets is the most famous
mosque in the country.▸ The Taj Mahal is built in the memory of his wife Mumtaj Mahal.
It has been aptly described as 'the dream in marble'. Its main features are the gateways,
the central dome, the elegant minars, and the inlay work in coloured marbles and
stones, the lovely gardens surrounding it and fountains in front of the building.
 Decline of Mughal Empire
Aurangzeb's death in 1706 set off the rapid decline ofthe Mughal Empire.
His successors were weak and increasingly became mere tools in the hands of the
nobles.
Taking advantage of this the Rajputs, Sikhs and the Afghans openly defied the
authority of Mughal emperor.
Even more disturbing was the fact that the assertion of independence had spread
to other parts of the empire.
The governors of Hyderabad, Bengal and Awadh established independent
kingdoms and the Marathas reorganized under a new system of government that of
the Brahman ministers the Peshwas. They were gradually extending their control
towards north India.
Foreign invasions such as those of Nadir Shah (1729) and Ahmad Shah Abdali
(1747-61) further weakened the empire.
The rising power of the Marathas was temporarily checked by their defeat at the
hands of Ahmad Shah Abdali in the third battle of Panipat in 1761.