14.8 Aurangzeb (1658–1707) · Part 2

death at the age of in . Aurangzeb was severely tested by the Marathas till his death in as the sons of Shivaji continued the rebellion. The death of Aurangzeb in marked a watershed in Indian history as the Mughal empire virtually came to end even though the weak successors of Aurangzeb held the throne the next years. Aurangzeb against Others Aurangzeb nursed a grudge against the Sikhs for having supported his brother and the Sikhs rebelled against Aurangzeb. The Jat rebellion ( ), a constant feature even during the reign of Jahangir and Shah Jahan, was crushed temporarily but they remained restive even after the death of Aurangzeb. The Satnamis revolt was crushed with the help local Hindu zamindars. The Sikh (The Punjab) rebellion erupted due to the political intrigues of Ram Rai, a claimant for the position of Sikh Guru, against the incumbent Guru Tegh Bahadur. This finally ended with the execution of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru. Aurangzeb’s decision that the jizya (poll tax) should be levied on Hindus of all classes agitated the chiefs of Rajasthan, who had until then served the empire faithfully. The death of Jaswant Singh of Marwar brought about a succession issue. The Rajput queen Rani Hadi, wife of Raja Jaswant Singh, resented the move of Aurangzeb to install Indra Singh, a grandnephew of Jaswant Singh, a titular chief of the state. This led to a revolt with the help of Rathor Rajputs, but was effectively put down. The Rana of Mewar, Rana Raj Singh, resenting the interference of Aurangzeb in the affairs of Marwar rose in revolt and he was supported by Prince Akbar, the rebellious son of Aurangzeb. However, the Rana could not match the Mughal forces and fought a guerrilla warfare till his death in . In Rana Jai Singh, the new Rana of Mewar, signed a peace treaty with Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb’s Deccan Policy The Deccan policy of Aurangzeb was motivated by the policy of containing the growing influence of the Marathas, the Gol Gumbaz : Bijapur (modern Vijayapura) was the capital of