Canberra, 12 January 2021 On 5th June 1659 (or on 15th June, according to some historians), Aurangzeb celebrated his coronation for the second time, after two decisive victories, over Shuja at Khajuha and Dara at Deorai. Unlike the earlier crowning, grand banquets and dazzling illumination enlivened these functions with many loyal officers and nobles promoted […]
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Tag Archives: Aurangzeb
Indian History Part 83 Shah Jahan Section IV The War of Succession 2. Civil War
January 1, 2021 
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Canberra, 1 January 2021 The four sons of Shah Jahan had started preparing for the inevitable succession struggle even before he actually fell ill. Each one attempted to win over as many nobles as possible to their individual camps; and the nobles responded in the only manner they would—attempting to side with the prince who […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 83 Shah Jahan Section IV: The War of Succession – Background
December 15, 2020 0 Comments
Kiama, 15 December 2020 ‘Dara was not an apostate. “Born a Mahometan [sic], he continued to join in the exercise of that religion,” states Bernier. Dara was a devotee of Mian Mir, a celebrated Muslim saint, and he even compiled a biography of Muslim saints, which he would not have done had he ceased to […]
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 83 Shah Jahan Section II: An Emperor’s Ambition Laid Low
November 22, 2020 0 Comments
Canberra, 22 November 2020 Even after the Khan-i-Jahan Lodi was chased down and killed, the Deccan campaign continued. Gradually all the major Shahi kingdoms—Ahmadnagar, Bijapur and Golconda—were involved in the conflict in different ways and to different extent. The fortunes of these three kingdoms and that of the Mughal forces in the Deccan ebbed and […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 83 Shah Jahan Section I: Early Years
November 11, 2020 0 Comments
Canberra, 11 November 2020 Although it was common knowledge that Emperor Jahangir had been gravely ill for some time and the possibility of his death was very real, the actual event on his way back from Kashmir came as a great blow to Nur Jahan. Her absolute hold on power and personal enthusiasm had emanated […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 82 Jahangir Section IV: An Assessment
November 4, 2020 1 Comment
Canberra, 04 November 2020 ‘What is immediately striking as we look at the portraits of Jahangir and compare his face with that of his father is the contrast between the two. Akbar appears self-contained; there is about him the inner orientation of a man who has to prove himself to no one but himself. In […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 77 The Aravidu Dynasty Section VII Sri Ranga Deva Raya III: The Curtain Falls
February 2, 2020 0 Comments
Canberra, 2 February 2020 Venkata Deva III left no male heirs although he had an illegitimate son who was debarred from succeeding him to the throne by the laws of the land. The senior chiefs, the Nayakas, of the kingdom disputed and debated the claim of possible successors and finally chose Sri Ranga, Venkata’s nephew, […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 68 The Qutb Shahis of Golconda-Hyderabad Section VI: The Obliteration of a Dynasty
December 27, 2018 0 Comments
Singapore, 27 December 2018 Abdullah Qutb Shah left no male heirs to succeed him. He had three daughters—the eldest was married to the Mughal prince Muhammad Sultan, who was imprisoned for life by his father during the succession struggle for the Mughal throne. The second was married to Mirza Nizam ud-Din Ahmed of Mecca who […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 68 The Qutb Shahis of Golconda-Hyderabad Section V: Plateauing and Decline
December 8, 2018 0 Comments
Canberra, 08 December 2018 Muhammad Quli was succeeded to the throne by Muhammad Qutb Shah, the son of his brother Muhammad Amin who had pre-deceased him. The nephew Muhammad was also Muhammad Quli’s son-in-law, having married his daughter Hayat Bakshi Begum in 1607. There was some fear amongst the nobles that other contenders to the […]
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