Decline of the Mughal Empire

Q) Were the invasions by the Persians and Afghans the main reason for the decline of the Mughal Empire? Explain your answer. [14]

Ans) Mughal empire was ruled over a vast area of the subcontinent by Muslims The Mughal dynasty started in 1526 with the accession of babar Aurangzeb was the one who strengthened the Mughal empire and he was also responsible for its decline It took 150 years after the death of Aurangzeb in 1707 for decline of Mughal empire.

In 1738 Nadir Shah of Persia invaded India and took the KOHINOOR DIAMOND and the ROYAL PEACOCK THRONE After which he plundered the cities and left them burnt The Persians under Nadir Shah captured much of the Empire’s wealth and returned home with gold, jewels and the Peacock throne from Delhi.

In 1761 Ahmed Shah Abdali from Afghanistan invaded India. The Afghans under the leadership of Ahmad Shah Abdali defeated the Marathas at Panipat. They had been in control of much of the Empire for some time. The Afghans however were unable to make the most of their victory and returned to Kabul. However they were able to invade the Empire a number of times during the 18th Century.

Aurangzeb re-imposed JIZYA TAX on non muslims. He imposed jizya on non muslims for them to pay money if they wanted their rights and protection. However, instead of giving protection to non muslims, he banned their culture and burnt many temples. Non muslims were converted to muslim by force and they were also removed by the top posts. Aurangzeb divided the empire into districts and appointed separate mansabdars in each district. Mansabdars responsibility was to collect taxes and administer. Unfortunately these mansabdars were corrupt and used the taxes for unfair means. As soon as he ascended the throne, he started the introduction of reforms which made his dominion a truly Islamic state, and which pleased the orthodox muslims. He appointed censors of public morals in all important cities to enforce Islamic laws and to put down unislamic practices such as drinking, gambling and prostitution.

There was always succession dispute when a ruler dies because there was no law of succession Only Akbar came to throne without fighting. Aurangzeb divided his empire among his sons to before his death to avoid any conflict But after his death, his sons fought for power Due to this conditions worsened, not only causing disunity but also there was lass of lives, money and army- Succession often depended upon the ability of the candidates to gain support, such rulers may have been popular but they did not necessarily have the skills to run a large empire.

Mughal rulers were always pleasure seeking and they were fond of luxuries. They wasted their time and money in luxuries instead of administering the empire Aurangzeb spent an enormous amount of money for the construction of the PEARL MOSQUE in delhi- This also set a bad example to the future successors The successors were busy in women drinking and gambling. They become neglect of their duties and were moving away from the Islamic teachings Mughal Emperors were renowned for living an extravagant lifestyle and spending money without regard to the effect on the economy of the Empire.

The marathan forces had become quite powerful, constantly causing difficulty. to the Mughal The Marathas were skilful Hindu guerrilla fighters who defeated a Mughal army in 1737 and took control of Delhi and eastwards towards Bengal- By 1760 they were the most powerful people in India and nothing could the Mughals do to stop it By 1760s marathas had also spread and turned out to be a big problem for the empire until their advancement towards DELHI.

As Mughal empire was declining, British took advantage and entered into the sub-continent British liked the Mughal treasury so the british played a game First they entered as trading company British then introduced policies and entered into the politics. The british were developed and prepared due to industrial revolution British expansion into the subcontinent was rapid They were experienced in warfare and had many weapons and other resources, so they were difficult to defeat British won war of independence of 1857 which marked the end of Mughal rule.

I do not agree with the statement Although invasion by afghans and Persians was one of the main reason for the decline of Mughal empire but in my opinion the most important reason which contribute to the downfall of Mughal empire was arrival of British.