The Rise and Decline of Maratha Empire

The Mughal Empire was an empire that at its greatest territorial extent ruled parts of what is todays Afghanistan, Pakistan and most of the Indian Subcontinent, then known as Hindustan, between 1526 and 1707. The empire was founded by the Timurid leader Babur in 1526, when he defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the last of the Delhi Sultans at the First Battle of Panipat. "Mughal" is the Persian word for "Mongol". The religion of the Mughals was Islam.

Under Akbar the Great, the empire grew considerably, and continued to expand until the end of Aurangzeb's rule. Jahangir, the son of Akbar, ruled the empire between 1605 and 1627. When Shah Jahan, Jahangir's son, became emperor in October 1627, the empire was large and wealthy enough to be considered one of the greatest empires in the world at that time. It was Shah Jahan who commissioned the building that represents the pinnacle of Mughal architectural achievement, the Taj Mahal, between 1630 and 1653. Sponsors of art and of learning, the Mughals left a rich heritage of buildings, paintings and literature.

The Mughals effectively ruled India for about 150 years during the 16th and 17th centuries, a period roughly comparable with that of the British Raj. On the whole, comparisons favour the latter. The British bequeathed India an impressive network of communications, a legal system and viable administration, a tradition of democratic government that has survived, battered but unbroken.

The Mughal Empire, which had reached its zenith during the rule of Shah Jahan and his son, began to decline after the rule of Aurangzeb. In fact, the decline began during the last days of Aurangzeb. There were many causes for the downfall of this great dynasty. Let us view the causes that hastened the fall of the Mughal Empire after Aurangzeb. The present book accounts all the major factors responsible for the downfall of Mughal empire.