RAS question
Aurangzeb's conflict with the Marathas, Sikhs, and Rajputs is considered a major reason for:
Correct answer: (D) Decline of the Mughal Empire.
Aurangzeb's prolonged conflicts with the Marathas, Sikhs and Rajputs are considered a major reason for the decline of the Mughal Empire.
Explanation
Aurangzeb's wars did not strengthen Mughal power; instead, they burdened it. His 25-year Deccan campaign from 1682 to 1707 against the Marathas, conflict with the Sikhs, including the execution of Guru Tegh Bahadur, and policies that alienated the Rajputs weakened the treasury and army. NCERT states that Aurangzeb depleted the empire's military and financial resources through the long Deccan war. After him, the central administration's hold weakened, provincial governors, local chieftains and other groups expanded their power, and revenue sent to Delhi declined. The rise of Maratha, Sikh and Rajput power therefore fits the wider pattern of Mughal decline after Aurangzeb's death in 1707.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) The rise of British power was a later development. NCERT instead focuses on the strain on Mughal resources and the shift of authority to regional powers in the eighteenth century after Aurangzeb.
- (B) The conflicts did not strengthen the Mughal Empire because they drained its military and financial resources and created powerful enemies instead of consolidating imperial control.
- (C) These conflicts did not unify India; they contributed to fragmentation as authority moved away from the Mughal centre towards regional rulers and groups.
Concept
The focus is on the causes of Mughal decline and the rise of regional powers in the eighteenth century. This topic recurs in RAS because medieval Indian history links imperial overextension and pressure on military and financial resources with the growing power of regional groups.