(Mughal Dynasty)

Zahir-Ud-Din Muhammad Babur(1526–30ad)

• Babur was the founder of the Mughal Empire in India.

• He was related to Timur from his father’s side and to Chengiz

Khan through his mother. Babur succeeded his father Umar Shaikh
Mirza as the ruler of Farghana.

• The Poltical situation in NW India was suitable for Babur’s entry

into India. Sikander Lodhi had died in 1517 and Ibrahim lodhi had
succeeded him.

• On 21st April 1526 the first Battle of Panipat took place between
Babur and Ibrahim Lodi, who was killed in the battle.

• Babur‟s success was due his cavalry and artillery. His artillery was led by Ustad Ali and Mustafa.

• Babur used the Rumi (Ottoman) device of lashing a large number of

carts to form a defending wall with breastwork in between to rest
guns (Tulghama system of warfare).

• Babur occupied Delhi and sent his son Humayun to seize Agra.
Babur proclaimed himself as “Emperor of Hindustan”. His
subsequent victories over Rana Sangha and the Afghans secured his
position as the ruler of India.

• Rana Sangha of Mewar marched against Babur and in the Battle of

Khanwa (near Agra) in 1527.

• Babur won a decisive victory over him. Babur assumed the title
„Ghazi‟.

• In 1528, Babur captured Chanderi from another Rajput ruler Medini Rai.
 • In 1529, Babur defeated the Afghans under Mahmud Lodi (brother
of Ibrahim Lodi) in the Battle of Ghagra in Bihar.

• Babur died at Agra in 1530 at the age of forty seven. Buried at Aram
Bagh in Agra; later his body was taken to Aram Bagh, Kabul.

• Babur wrote his memoirs, Tuzuk-i-Baburi in Turki language. It

provides a vivid account of India.

• Babur was a devoted follower of the famous Naqshbandiya Sufi

Khwaja Ubaidullah Ahrar.

Humayun (1530–1556AD)
• Humayun was the eldest son of Babur. Humayun had three
brothers, Kamran, Askari and Hindal.

• As per the Timurid tradition, Humayun had to share power with his
brothers which created multiple centres of power.

• Kamran – Kabul, Qandahar and Punjab

• Hindal – Alwar and Mewat

• Mirza Aksari – Sambhal

• When Humayun was busy with fighting the Afghans in the east, he
got the news that Bahadur Shah of Gujarat was advancing towards
Delhi.

Humayun (1530–1540AD)
• Humayun captured Gujarat from Bahadur Shah and appointed Askari
as its governor. But soon Bahadur Shah recovered Gujarat from Askari
who fled from there.

• In the meantime, Sher Khan became powerful in the east. Humayun

marched against him but in the Battle of Chausa, held in 1539, Sher
Khan destroyed the Mughal army and Humayun escaped from there.

• Humayun reached Agra to negotiate with his brothers. But as they

were not cooperative, Humayun was forced to fight with Sher Khan
alone in the Battle of Bilgram (also known as Battle of Kanauj) in 1540.

• Humayun was thoroughly defeated by Sher Khan.

Suri Empire (1540–1555ad)
• The founder of the Sur dynasty was Sher Shah, whose original name
was Farid. Farid served under the Afghan ruler of Bihar, Sultan
Muhammad Nuhani, who gave him the title Sher Khan for his
bravery.
• After defeating Humayun at the Battle of Chausa, he became the
ruler of Delhi in 1540 with the title Sher Shah Sur.
• His conquests include Punjab, Malwa, Sind, Multan and
Bundelkhand. His empire consisted of the whole of North India
except Assam, Nepal, Kashmir and Gujarat.
• He died in 1545 while campaigning against Kalinjar Fort.
Sher Shah’s Administration
• Although his rule lasted for five years, he organized a brilliant
administrative system.
• The central government consisted of 4 main departments.
• Diwan–i- Wizarat – also called as Wazir - in charge of Revenue and
Finance.
• Diwan-i-Ariz – in charge of Army.
• Diwan-i-Rasalat- Foreign Minister.
• Diwan-i-Insha- Minister for Communications.
• Sher Shah introduced new silver coins called “Rupaya” and copper coins “Dam”, which remained in
circulation even during Mughal times.
• Sher Shah had also improved the communications by laying four important highways.
• Sonargaon to Sind
• Agra to Burhanpur
• Jodhpur to Chittor
• Lahore to Multan
• Rest houses were built on the highways for the convenience of the travellers.
• He promoted the cause of trade and commerce by reducing the number of the customs duty collection
points to just two: Bengal-Bihar border in the East and Indus River in the West.
• The military administration was also efficiently reorganized and Sher Shah borrowed many ideas like
daag & chehra from Alauddin Khalji.
• Sher Shah personally supervised recruitment of soldiers and paid them directly.
• He was also a patron of art and architecture. He built a new city on the banks of the river Yamuna near
Delhi - now called Purana Qila. He also built a Mausoleum at Sasaram, which is considered as one of
the master pieces of Indian architecture.
• Malik Muhammad Jayasi wrote the famous Hindi work Padmavat during his reign.
 • Abbas Khan Sarwani was his historian, who wrote Tarikh-i-Shershahi.
Humayun (1555-1556ad)
• After Sher Shah‟s death in 1545 his successors ruled till 1555 when
Humayun reconquered India.
• When Humayun left India in 1540, he married Hamida Banu
Begum on his way to Sind.
• When they stayed in Amorkot, a Hindu kingdom ruled by Rana
Prasad, Akbar was born in 1542.
• Humayun then proceeded to Iran and sought help from its ruler
Sah Tahmasp.
• He later defeated his brothers, Kamran and Askari.
• In the meantime, the Sur dynasty in India was declining rapidly. In 1555, Humayun defeated the
Afghans and recovered the Mughal throne.
• After six months, he died in 1556 due to his fall from the staircase of his library.
• Although Humayun was not a good general and warrior, he was kind and generous.
• He loved painting and wrote poetry in Persian language.
• Humayun‟s sister Gulbadan begum wrote Humayunama.
Akbar (1556–1605)
• He succeeded the throne after his father Humayun‟s death. But his position
was dangerous because Delhi was seized by the Afghans. Their
commander-in-Chief, Hemu, was in charge of it.
• In the second Battle of Panipat in 1556. During the first five years of Akbar‟s
reign, Bairam Khan acted as his regent. He consolidated the Mughal
Empire.
• Akbar‟s military conquests were extensive. He conquered northern India
from Agra to Gujarat and then from Agra to Bengal.
• He strengthened the northwest frontier. Later, he went to the Deccan. It
was in order to commemorate his victory of Gujarat that Akbar got
Buland Darwaza constructed at Fatehpur Sikri.
• The Rajput policy of Akbar proved to be beneficial to the Mughal state
as well as to the Rajputs.
• The alliance secured to the Mughals the services of the bravest warriors.
On the other hand, it ensured peace in Rajasthan.
• Akbar‟s Rajput policy was combined with a broad religious toleration.
He abolished the pilgrim tax and the jaziya (1562)
• He believed in Sul-i-Kul or peace to all.
 • He built Ibadatkhana (Hall of Prayers) at Fatehpur Sikri. He used to conduct religious discussions there
with Purshottam Das (Hindu), Maharaji Rana (Parsi), Harivijaya Suri (Jain), Monserate and Aquaviva
(Christian).
• Formulated an order called Din-i-Ilahi or Tauhind-i-Ilahi in 1581.

Akbar’s Navratnas
1. Abul Fazl

2. Faizi
3. Tansen
4. Raja Birbal
5. Raja Todar Mal

6. Raja Man singh

7. Abdul Rahim khan-E-Khana
8. Faqir Aziao Din
9. Mullah Do Piaza
Highlights of Akbar’s Reign
• Abolition of Pilgrimage Tax – 1563
• Abolition of Jajiya – 1564
• Establishment of Ibadat Khana – 1575
• Issue of Mahzar – 1578
• Foundation of DiniIlahi – 1582
• Ban on killing animals on certain day 1583
Jahangir (1605–1627)
• Jahangir‟s rule witnessed a spate of rebellions. His son Khusrau
revolted but was defeated and imprisoned. One of his supporters,
Guru Arjun, the fifth Sikh Guru, was beheaded.
• An important event of his reign was loss of Kandhar to Persians in
1622.
• In 1611, Jahangir married Mehrunnisa who was known as Nur
Jahan (Light of World).
• Her father Itimaduddauala was given the post of chief diwan. Nur
Jahan‟s elder brother Asaf Khan was appointed as Khan-i-Saman.
• It was believed by some historians that Nur Jahan formed a
“junta” and dominated the Mughal court. This drove Shah Jahan
into rebellion against his father in 1622, since he felt that Jahangir
was completely under Nur Jahan‟s influence.
• Nur Jahan dominated the royal household and set new fashions
based on Persian traditions. She encouraged Persian art and
culture in the court. She was a constant companion of Jahangir and
even joined him in his hunting.
Shah Jahan (1627–1658)
• Shah Jahan launched a prolonged campaign in the northwest frontier
to recover Kandahar and other ancestral lands.
• Though he recovered Kandahar in 1639, but it was finally lost in 1647
during Shah Jahan‟s failed Balkh campaign.
• His Deccan policy was more successful. He defeated the forces of
Ahmadnagar and annexed it. Both Bijapur and Golkonda signed a
treaty with the emperor.
• Shah Jahan carved four Mughal provinces in the Deccan – Khandesh,
Berar, Telungana and Daulatabad. They were put under the control of his son Aurangzeb.
War Of Succession
• The last years of Shah Jahan‟s reign were clouded by a bitter war of succession among his four sons –
Dara Shikoh (crown prince), Shuja (governor of Bengal), Aurangzeb (governor of Deccan) and Murad
Baksh (governor of Malwa and Gujarat).
• Aurangzeb emerged victorious in this struggle. He entered the Agra fort after defeating Dara Shikoh in
battles of Dharmat and Samugarh.
• Shah Jahan was imprisoned in the Agra fort and put under strict vigil. But he was not ill-treated.
ShahJahan lived for eight long years lovingly nursed by his daughter Jahanara. He was buried beside
his wife‟s grave in the Taj Mahal.
Aurangzeb (1658-1707)
• He created a separate department to enforce moral codes under a high-
powered officer called Muhtasib.
• Drinking was prohibited. Cultivation and use of bhang and other drugs
were banned.
• Aurangzeb forbade music in the Mughal court. He discontinued the
practice of Jarokhadarshan. He also discontinued the celebration of
Dusehra and Nauroz.
• Initially Aurangzeb banned the construction of new Hindu temples and repair of old temples. Then he
began a policy of destroying Hindu temples. In 1679, he re-imposed jiziya and pilgrim tax.
• He was also not tolerant of other Muslim sects. The celebration of Muharram was stopped. His
invasions against the Deccan sultanates were partly due to his hatred of the Shia faith.
• He executed the ninth Sikh Guru Tej Bahadur. This resulted in the transformation of Sikhs into a
warring community.
• His religious policy was responsible for turning the Rajputs, the Marathas and Sikhs into the enemies
of Mughal Empire. It had also resulted in the rebellions of the Jats of Mathura and the Satnamis of
Mewar
Mughal Architecture Forts
• The Mughal emperors were great builders and that is why the Mughal period is called the Golden Age
of Architecture in Indian history.
• Babur built two mosques: Kabuli Bagh in Panipat and Shahi JamaMasjid mosque at Sambhal.
• Haji Begum (wife of Humayun) built a beautiful mausoleum in New Delhi, famous as ‘Humayun’s
Tomb’.
• Akbar gave permission to build the Panch Mahal in Fatehpur Sikri, Marium Palace, Diwan-i-Aam and
Diwan-i-Khas at the Sikri fort.
• Buland Darwaja formed the main entrance to Fatehpur Sikri, and was built by Akbar.
• In Fatehpur Sikri, Salim Chisti’s tomb was the first pure marble building.
• Jahangir built the Moti Masjid in Lahore and his wife Narjahm built the mausoleum at Shahdara Lahore.
• Humayun laid the foundation of the city of Din Panah at Delhi.
• Akbar adorned his capital, Agra with magnificent buildings and the palace known as Jahangiri Mahal.
• Shahjahan built the Moti Masjid at Agra, which is the only marble Masjid of India.
• Aurangzeb built Moti Masjid in Red Fort, New Delhi.
• The special contribution of the Mughals was the laying out of beautiful gardens. Babur laid the first
such garden in Agra.