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Home , Fatehpur Sikri, Moti Masjid (Agra Fort), Moti Masjid (Red Fort), Razmnama, Shaista Khan

Class – 7

Subject – History & Civics

Chapter – 5 (The ) (Part – II)

Shah Jahan (1628-1658 AD)

The reign of marks the climax of the Mughal empire.

Conquests

The Deccan states of Ahmednagar, and Golconda had been a source of constant trouble for the Mughals. After annexing Ahmednagar in 1632, the Emperor ordered the states of Bijapur and Golconda to submit to the Mughal authority. The Emperor himself marched to Deccan to seek compliance of his orders. The rulers of Golconda acknowledged the Mughal authority in 1636, but Bijapur submitted only after military action.

In the North-West, he was also able to recover Kandahar in 1630, but could not retain it for a long.

Cultural Accomplishment

Shah Jahan is famous in history for his cultural achievements, especially in the field of architecture. He modeled his court after the style of the old Persian monarchs. The exquisite takht-e-taus, (the peacock shaped throne) and the celebrated diamond Kohinoor added to the magnificence of his court. The famous at , the and Jama Masjid of are some of the finest specimens of of his time.

War of Succession

Shah Jahan fell seriously ill in 1657. Although he had executed his will and nominated his eldest son Dara as his successor, Shah Jahan’s other three sons decided to contest for the throne. A war of succession began among the four brothers – Dara (the heir designate) who was also governor of and Delhi, Shuja (governor of , and Orissa), (governor of Deccan provinces) and Murad (governor of and Multan).

Shuja began to march towards Agra where he was defeated by the force led by Dara’s son near Varanasi. The combined armies of Aurangzeb and Murad defeated Dara’s troops. Aurangzeb then imprisoned his father Shah Jahan, got his brothers killed and declared himself Emperor of . Shah Jahan spent his last eight years as a prisoner in the gazing at the Taj Mahal, until he died in 1666.

Aurangzeb (1658-1707 AD) Aurangzeb was the last great Mughal Emperor who ruled for almost half a century. He was an able general. At its height, his rule extended over almost the entire subcontinent- from Kashmir in the north to river Kaveri in the South and from Kabul in West to in the East.

Religious Policy

Aurangzeb was an orthodox Sunni Muslim. He ruled strictly according to the Islamic laws. He reversed ’s policy of religious toleration to one of persecution, discrimination and intolerance. He ordered the destruction of famous Hindu temples including the temples of Somnath and Vishwanath. He reimposed Jaziya on the Hindus in 1679. The Hindu festivals such as Diwali and Holi were banned. He also offered jobs to those who would convert to .

His religious policy annoyed the Hindus. Revolts of Jats, Satnamis, Sikha and took place which weakened the empire. His Deccan and religious policies ruined him weakened the Mughal empire. He died at in 1707.

Rise of the Marathas

The Marathas had become powerful by 1630s. in (1627-1680), the Marathas found an able leader. Shivaji organized the Marathas as one unit and provided them with political guidance and leadership.

In 1659, the Sultan of Bijapur sent his general to bring Shivaji dead or alive. Shivaji concealed a metallic claw weapon underneath his garments and killed Afzal Khan. Next came his Confrontation with Shaista Khan, the governor of Deccan, who had been sent by Aurangzeb. In 1663, Shivaji made a raid on Shaista Khan’s camp during night. Shaista Khan was wounded and his son Abdul Fateh was killed.

These successes of Shivaji alarmed Aurangzeb and compelled him to take some stren action against him. Aurangzeb a huge army under the command of Raja Jai Singh of Amber to deal with Shivaji. After a heroic resistance, Shivaji agreed to come to terms and the Tready of Purandar was signed in 1665.

In 1674, Shivaji formally crowned himself as an independent king. He assumed the title of Chhatrapati. His life was cut short by his premature death in 1680.

The Mughal Architecture

The Mughals build up an extensive empire and provided it with efficient administration. They also contributed to the development of literature and arts. Various arts flourished under the royal patronage. In fact, the political unification of the country and preservation on peace under Akbar, and Shah Jahan certainly stimulated commerce and agriculture. The wealth and splendour of the Mughal rulers enabled them to spend lavishly on palaces, monuments and forts.

Babur

Babur has written in his autobiography that he constructed monuments at Agra, Dholpur, Bayana, Sikri, Kol, Gwalior and some other places. Unfortunately, only two of his monuments have survived. One is a giant of Kabulibagh at Panipat and the other is Sambhal’s Jama Masjid in .

Humayun

Humayun did not get much time to devote to architecture. He got the palace of Dinpanah built in Delhi in a hurry. There has been mention about two of his times one at Agra and the other at Firozabad, city of Hissar.

Akbar

The first important monument of the Mughal architecture is the tomb of Humayun at Delhi, built by Humyun’s wife during Akbar’s reign. It was set in the centre of a huge garden. It has a tall dome with a slender neck.

Akbar was a keen builder. His most ambitious building project was his new capital , situated 43 km west of Agra. The prominent buildings of the city were: Diwan-i-Aam, Diwan-i-Khas, Jodhabai’s Palace, Panch Mahal, Rang Mahal, the Palace of , the Jami Masjid, the tomb of Sheikh Salim Chisti and the .

Jahangir

Akbar’s tomb at Sikandara was completed by Jahangir. During his reign, built the tomb of her father Itmad-ud-daula. It was built entirely of white marble.

Shah Jahan

Architecture reached its climax under Shah Jahan. He built a number of monuments. Some of them are the Red Fort at Delhi, and its Diwan-i-AAm and Diwan-i-Khas, the Jama Masjid at Delhi, the at Agra and the most famous of them is the Taj Mahal at Agra.

Mughal Paintings

Daswanth illustrated the Persian translation of . Many artists attained distinct skills. Books were illustrated with pictures. Paintings illustrate hunting expeditions, battle scenes.

Music

The Ain-i-Akbari has listed more than 30 musicians patronized by Akbar. The best known among them was . Akbar, Shah Jahan and Jahangir continued to patronize musicians.

Literary Development Abul Fazl wrote Ain-i-Akbari and . Many works of Sanskrit were translated into Persian. literature also flourished. Abdur Rahim Khan-I-Khana was a distinguished Hindi poet.

Activities:-

i) Collect pictures of all the Mughal rulers up to 1707. Mention one important achievement and one failure of each ruler.

Question and Answers:-

Ques-1) Name the four sons of Shah Jahan.

Ans- Shah Jahan had four sons named – Dara, Shuja, Murad and Aurangzeb.

Ques-2) Where is Humayun’s tomb located?

Ans- Humayun’s tomb is located in Delhi.

Ques-3) Mention some important monuments built by Shah Jahan.

Ans- Some important monuments built by Shah Jahan are the Red Fort, the Jama Masjid at Delhi and the Moti Masjid and the Taj Mahal at Agra.

Ques-4) Name any two prominent monuments located at Fatehpur Sikri.

Ans- The two prominent monuments located at Fetehpur Sikri are Panch Mahal and Rang Mahal.

Ques-5) Name one prominent painter and two prominent historians of Akbar’s court.

Ans- A prominent painter of Akbar’s court was Daswanth who illustrated and two prominent historians were Abul Fazl who wrote Ain-i-Akbari and Akbarnamah and Badauni who wrote Muntakhab- ut-Twarikh.

Ques-6) Write a critical note on the significance and impact of Noor Jahan’s role on the Mughal empire.

Ans- Noor Jahan was an ambitious lady and had practically taken over the reigns of administration in her hand. After her marriage with Jahangir in 1611, she began managing the empire. However, her influence in political and administrative affairs and matters of state policy was definitely injurious to the Mughal empire. Her ambitions and interference in the affairs of the state involved the empire in a civil war. Thus, her influence on the copurt and the empire produced unhealthy results and weakened the Mughal empire.

Ques-7) Write a note on the cultural accomplishment of Shah Jahan.

Ans- Shah Jahan is famous in history for his cultural achievements, especially in the field of architecture. He modeled his court after the style of the old Persian monarchs. The exquisite takht-e-taus, (the peacock shaped throne) and the celebrated diamond Kohinoor added to the magnificence of his court. The famous Taj Mahal at Agra, the Red Fort and Jama Masjid of Delhi are some of the finest specimens of Mughal architecture of his time.

Ques-8) Discuss the war of succession among Shah Jahn’s sons.

Ans- Shah Jahan fell seriously ill in 1657. Although he had executed his will and nominated his eldest son Dara as his successor, Shah Jahan’s other three sons decided to contest for the throne. A war of succession began among the four brothers – Dara (the heir designate) who was also governor of Punjab and Delhi, Shuja (governor of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa), Aurangzeb (governor of Deccan provinces) and Murad (governor of Gujarat and Multan).

Shuja began to march towards Agra where he was defeated by the force led by Dara’s son near Varanasi. The combined armies of Aurangzeb and Murad defeated Dara’s troops. Aurangzeb then imprisoned his father Shah Jahan, got his brothers killed and declared himself Emperor of India.

Ques-9) Discuss the religious policy of Aurangzeb. What were its consequences?

Ans- Aurangzeb was an orthodox Sunni Muslim. He ruled strictly according to the Islamic laws. He reversed Akbar’s policy of religious toleration to one of persecution, discrimination and intolerance. He ordered the destruction of famous Hindu temples including the temples of Somnath and Vishwanath. He reimposed Jaziya on the Hindus in 1679. The Hindu festivals such as Diwali and Holi were banned. He also offered jobs to those who would convert to Islam.

His religious policy annoyed the Hindus. Revolts of Jats, Satnamis, Sikha and Rajputs took place which weakened the empire.