Question

Essay on the life, work and failure of Aurangzeb

Answer 1

Aurangzeb, who won the war of succession, ascended the throne in 1658. He killed all his brothers one by one and imprisoned his father Shahjahan at Agra. By doing so he proved himself as a man of merciless character. His full name was Muhi-ud-din Mohammed Aurangzeb. He was born in 1618 and ascended the throne at the age of 40 years in 1658. He ruled for almost fifty years and died in 1707 A.D. During his long reign the Mughal Empire reached its territorial climax. It stretched from Kashmir in the North to Jinji in the South, and from the Hindu Kush in the West to Chittagong in the East.
Aurangzeb was a man with extraordinary abilities, and he was strict discipline and hard working. As he was a hard working ruler, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to the affairs of the state. He remained dutiful till the end of his reign. He was a strict disciplinarian who did not spare his own sons. He was deeply religious. He was an orthodox and God- gearing Muslim.  Even in the thick of the battle, he could kneel down to pray when the time for prayer come. Thus he was regarded as a Zinda Pir or a Unity Saint by many Muslims.
While all those personal qualities, Aurangzeb became a great failure as a ruler. According to some historians, he reversed Akbar's policy of religious toleration and thus undermined the loyalty of the Hindus to the empire. As a result, this led to popular uprisings which suppressed the vitality of the empire. 
His suspicious nature added to his problems and that ended in his failure.
However, his orthodox nature, unjust and harsh measures on Hindus, annoyance of Sikhs, Rajputs, Marathas and Deccan ulcer in fact ruined him and the complete downfall of the Mughal empire started just after his death.