Canberra, 25 October 2021 THE VACILLATING MUGHAL DECCAN POLICY During his long tenures as the viceroy of the Deccan during his father’s reign, and subsequently as the emperor, Aurangzeb had felt the deep-seated mistrust of the Deccan kingdoms towards the Mughals. In the two decades that he had been away from the Deccan, initially during […]
Continue reading
Tag Archives: Ali Adil Shah
The Marathas Part 6 Shivaji Bhonsle Section IV Dealing with the Mughals 1. Shayista Khan and After
August 1, 2021 
0 Comments
Canberra, 1 August 2021 Busy with settling his newly captured throne, Aurangzeb deputed Shayista Khan as the viceroy of the Mughal Deccan. Shayista Khan was Aurangzeb’s maternal uncle, a highly regarded noble of the court, and a veteran soldier who had knowledge of the Deccan since he had been part of the force that had […]
Continue readingThe Marathas Part 6 Shivaji Bhonsle Section III: A Decade of Conquest
July 13, 2021 0 Comments
Canberra, 13 July 2021 Even though Shivaji had emphatically asserted his independence, he carefully maintained peace with the Mughals for two primary reasons. First was that from 1653, the Mughal territories in the Deccan were being governed by Aurangzeb, a prince of singular efficiency and vigour who no one wanted to offend. The second, Shivaji […]
Continue readingThe Marathas Part 4 Shahji Bhonsle Section II: Later Career
June 6, 2021 0 Comments
Canberra, 6 June 2021 [The later career of Shahji Bhonsle and the early development of his son Shivaji overlap in several areas and took place in parallel. This chapter only examines the aspects of Shivaji’s early activities that had a direct bearing on Shahji’s actions and the progress of his career. Shivaji’s actions will be […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 83 Shah Jahan Section III: The Deccan Campaign
November 30, 2020 0 Comments
Canberra, 30 November 2020 Prior to Shah Jahan’s accession, Mughal interest in the Deccan had waxed and waned in direct proportion to the stability and turmoil in North India. Akbar had started a concerted effort to bring the Deccan under the Mughal flag and in 1569 had conquered Khandesh. By 1600, parts of Berar had […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 76 Collapse of an Empire Section II: The Aftermath
November 27, 2019 0 Comments
Canberra, 27 November 2019 The four Shahi kings moved from the battlefield towards Vijayanagara and halted at Anegundi. They send out advance parties of soldiers to prepare the capital for a great triumphal entry of the victors. After a few days they entered the capital in a state procession with the four kings at the […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 67 The Nizam Shahis of Ahmadnagar Section IV: The Zenith of Power: Murtaza Nizam Shah
September 1, 2018 0 Comments
Canberra, 1 September 2018 Murtaza Nizam Shah commenced his rule immediately on the death of his father, although the assumption of the throne was delayed on the advice of astrologers. He was officially crowned only on 26 January 1566, seven months after becoming king. At this time, Murtaza was a callow youth and a complete […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 66 The Adil Shahis of Bijapur, Section V: The Final Collapse
July 1, 2018 0 Comments
Canberra, 1 July 2018 The fall of Daulatabad and end of Malik Amber’s rule also heralded the beginning of the end of the Deccani Muslim kingdoms. (Malik Amber’s foray into the Deccan and his eventful rule is described in a later chapter in the section dealing with the Nizam Shahi kingdom of Ahmadnagar.) By the […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 66 The Adil Shahis of Bijapur Section III Growing Strength
May 28, 2018 0 Comments
Canberra, 28 May 2018 On Ibrahim Adil Shah’s death, even though the succession was trouble free, the Bijapur kingdom was thrown into a brief period of confusion. Taking advantage of this limited time of uncertainty the ruler of Ahmadnagar, Hussein Nizam Shah invaded Bijapur. He was assisted by the Qutb Shahi ruler of Golconda. Ali […]
Continue reading
Sanu Kainikara 
Recent Comments