Extension of Mughal Empire in the Deccan

The Mughal Empire

With the defeat of Ibrahim Lodhi, the last ruler of the Lodhi dynasty, in the First Battle of Panipat in 1526, the Delhi Sultanate came to an end. The victory of Babur laid the foundations of the Mughal empire in India. However, he could not rule long enough, as he died four years later. After him, his son Humayun ascended the throne. It was Humayun’s son Akbar, under whose regime the Mughal empire reached new heights of glory. The reign of Akbar to Aurangzeb was the most significant chapter of Mughal history. With the death of Aurangzeb, his successors, who came to be known as the Later Mughals, were inefficient in handling major crises occurring within the empire, or the least, in keeping the empire together. This led to a decline in the Mughal dynasty.

The Mughals, starting from Babur himself, tried expanding the empire to the southern regions as well. But it was Akbar who seriously implemented the expansion policy. By his time, the only Deccan states remaining were ahmadnagar, Khandesh, Golconda and Bijapur. Under Aurangzeb, the Deccan policy implemented by him was a key factor in the decline of the Mughal empire, gradually.

Deccan Policy of the Mughals

When Babur invaded India, there were seven Southern states, one state of Vijayanagar with a Hindu ruler and the remaining six states with Muslim rulers; Ahmadnagar, Golconda, Bijapur, Khandesh, Berar and Bidar. Vijayanagar was the most prosperous and powerful among the Deccan states, according to Babur. However, as he was preoccupied with the regions of Gujarat, Bengal and Bihar, Babur did not have sufficient time to focus on the Deccan areas. 

During Humayun’s reign, the ruler of Khandesh, Muhammad Shah, irked the Mughal ruler by supporting the Gujarat ruler Bahadur Shah against the annexation of Mewar. Therefore, at Mandsaur and Mandu, Humayun retaliated against Muhammad Shah by invading Khandesh after conquering Gujarat. Later, Muhammad Shah pleaded for mercy which was accepted by Humayun.

It was Akbar who seriously implemented the expansionist policy towards the Deccan. In 1591, he sent ambassadors to the states of Ahmadnagar, Golconda, Bijapur and Khandesh to accept the Mughal suzerainty. No state accepted the treaty except Khandesh, that too after the capture of its fort of Asirgarh. Ahmadnagar was attacked in 1593, with Chand Bibi bravely defending the state against the Mughals. Hence, under Akbar, the Deccan states forming a part of the Mughal territories were Khandesh, some areas of Ahmadnagar and the important forts of Daulatabad, Ahmadnagar, Asirgarh and Burhanpur.

Jahangir followed in his father’s footsteps regarding the Deccan policy. Though he forced the states of Golconda, Ahmadnagar and Bijapur to accept the Mughal sovereignty, it did not work out. A key role behind the failure was the role of Malik Ambar, who was the wazir of Ahmadnagar. Malik Ambar restructured the economic conditions of Ahmadnagar, fought the Mughal armies aggressively and used to train the Maratha soldiers in guerrilla warfare. Due to this, he could recover the fort of Ahmadnagar and some territories back from the Mughals. 

In 1617, prince Khurram marched ahead in Ahmadnagar, forcing the state to sign a treaty and surrender the Ahmadnagar fort and the Balaghat territory. Jahangir gave him the title of Shah Jahan after this incident. However, Ahmadnagar was still not ready to accept the Mughal sovereignty and began the clashes afresh. But they were suppressed yet again, along with Golconda and Bijapur.

By the time Aurangzeb ascended the throne, the situation in the Deccan had turned complex and hostile due to the growing strength and influence of the Marathas, as well as the resilience against Mughal suzerainty. Unlike his predecessors, who preferred diplomacy over wars, Aurangzeb chose the latter in an aggressive manner. Though we enjoyed some gains down south, they were short-lived. The anecdotes about the clashes between Aurangzeb and the greatest leader of the Marathas, Shivaji, are too well-known. Thus, under Aurangzeb, the Deccan policy came full circle. Though he had made significant gains, the losses, which included severe blows to the economic conditions, the growing power of the nobles, corruption, lawlessness and an overly centralised administration, were way too much for the Deccan policy to become a success.

Important Factors for the Conquest of the Deccan

1. Strategic importance: After Akbar won the territory of Gujarat in 1572-73, he decided to expand the empire in the Deccan so as to secure the trade routes to the Gujarat ports.
2. Expansion of the empire: With the hope of annexing the southern states, the Mughals aimed at increasing the prosperity of the empire. The Deccan regions were prosperous and hence, could have significantly contributed to the filling of the royal treasures.

Conclusion

In this article, we saw an overview of the Mughal empire, which began in Babur in 1526, and the significance of the empire ended with Aurangzeb’s demise. We also saw how the Mughals were keenly interested in the Deccan region and thus, adopted the Deccan policy, which required the southern states to accept the nominal suzerainty of the Mughals. However, with short-term gains, the Mughal empire suffered a lot in the long run. Be it in terms of a declining economy, rampant lawlessness and corruption, growth of powerful nobles and facing hostile conditions from the Deccan regions- these factors played a major role in the failure of the Deccan policy.