Aurangzeb

Aurangzeb or Aurangzib , 1618-1707, Mughal emperor of India (1658-1707), son and successor of Shah Jahan . He served (1636-44, 1653-58) as viceroy of the Deccan but was constantly at odds with his father and his eldest brother, Dara Shikoh, the heir apparent. When Shah Jahan fell ill in 1658, Aurangzeb seized the opportunity to fight and defeat Dara and two other brothers in a battle for succession. He imprisoned his father for life and ascended the throne at Agra with the reign title Alamgir [world-shaker]. A scholarly, austere man, devoted to Islam, he persecuted the Hindus, destroying their temples and monuments. He executed the guru of the Sikhs (see Sikhism ) when he refused to embrace Islam. Although the Mughal empire reached its greatest extent under Aurangzeb, it was also fatally weakened by revolts of the Sikhs, Rajputs, and Jats in the north and the rebellion of the Marathas in the Deccan. From 1682, Aurangzeb concentrated all his energies on crushing the Marathas, but his costly campaigns were only temporarily successful and further weakened his authority in the north. The Mughal empire fell apart soon after his death.

Bibliography: See biographies by Sir Jadunath Sarkar (5 vol., 1912-24) and M. Lal (1988); studies by S. Lane-Poole (1964) and R. C. Hallissey (1977).

Aurangzeb (1619–1707) Emperor of India (1659–1707). The last of the great emperors of the Mogul, Aurangzeb seized the throne from his enfeebled father, Shah Jahan. He reigned over an even greater area, and spent most of his reign defending it. Aurangzeb was a devout Muslim, whose intolerance of Hinduism provoked long wars with the Maratha. The empire was already breaking up before his death.

Aurangzeb (1618–1707) Mogul emperor of Hindustan (1658–1707). Having usurped the throne from his father, Aurangzeb assumed the title Alamgir (Conqueror of the World). His expansionist policies increased the Mogul empire to its widest extent, and it experienced a period of great wealth and splendour, but constant rebellions and wars greatly weakened the empire and it declined sharply after his death.