Master10
Indian History Module

Mughal Empire & Maratha Power

The Mughal Empire, founded by Babur following the First Battle of Panipat in 1526 CE, centralized authority across northern and central India. Under Akbar (r. 1556–1605 CE), the empire established the Mansabdari administrative hierarchy, the Dahsala revenue assessment system formulated by Raja Todar Mal, and a policy of religious synthesis reflected in Sulh-i-Kul and the Ibadat Khana at Fatehpur Sikri. Architecture and painting reached monumental heights under Jahangir and Shah Jahan. However, imperial expansion into the Deccan under Aurangzeb triggered fierce resistance from regional powers, most notably the Maratha kingdom established by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in 1674 CE, which later expanded across central and western India under the Peshwas.

Key Concepts & Examination Highlights

  • Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat on April 21, 1526, utilizing artillery and the Tulughma tactical formation.
  • Akbar introduced the Mansabdari system in 1571 CE, categorizing civil-military officials by Zat (personal rank) and Sawar (cavalry contingent).
  • Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was coronated as Chhatrapati at Raigad Fort in 1674 CE, establishing the Ashtapradhan council of ministers.
  • The Third Battle of Panipat on January 14, 1761, pitted the Maratha forces under Sadashivrao Bhau against Ahmad Shah Durrani of Afghanistan.
  • Sher Shah Suri reformed administrative governance by establishing the Sarkar-Pargana system, standardizing the silver Rupiya, and constructing the Grand Trunk Road (Sadak-e-Azam).
  • Akbar promulgated the Dahsala revenue assessment system in 1580 CE under his finance minister Raja Todar Mal, calculating taxes on the average yield of the preceding ten years.
  • Akbar established the Ibadat Khana (House of Worship) at Fatehpur Sikri in 1575 CE for inter-religious theological debates and later promulgated the ethical philosophy of Din-i-Ilahi (1582 CE).
  • Jahangir established the famous 'Zanjir-i-Adl' (Chain of Justice) linked to 60 bells at the Agra Fort to receive direct petitions from subjects.
  • Shah Jahan constructed the Taj Mahal (1631–1648 CE), the Red Fort of Delhi, and the Jama Masjid, with Ustad Ahmad Lahori serving as the chief architect.
  • Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj levied two primary agrarian levies: Chauth (one-fourth of estimated revenue for military protection) and Sardeshmukhi (an additional 10% tax).
  • The Treaty of Purandar was signed on June 11, 1665, between Shivaji and Mughal General Jai Singh I, compelling Shivaji to surrender 23 forts to Aurangzeb.
  • Babur composed his autobiography, Tuzuk-i-Baburi (Baburnama), in Chaghatai Turkic, providing vivid accounts of Indian flora, fauna, and topography.
  • Humayun established the Dinpanah citadel in Delhi and died in 1556 CE after falling down the steps of his library at Sher Mandal.
  • Akbar abolished the pilgrimage tax on Hindus in 1563 CE and revoked the Jizya tax in 1564 CE to promote administrative unity across the empire.
  • Bairam Khan served as the regent for the young Akbar and led Mughal forces to victory against Hemu at the Second Battle of Panipat on November 5, 1556.
  • Abul Fazl composed the Akbarnama and its third volume, the Ain-i-Akbari, documenting Akbar's administrative regulations and statistical surveys.
  • Jahangir granted the English East India Company permission to establish a factory at Surat following the diplomatic mission of Sir Thomas Roe in 1615.
  • Shah Jahan commissioned the construction of Shahjahanabad in Delhi in 1638, featuring the Red Fort and Chandni Chowk designed by Jahanara Begum.
  • Aurangzeb reimposed the Jizya tax in 1679 CE and executed the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, in Delhi in 1675 for resisting forced conversions.
  • Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj captured the strategic fort of Torna in 1646 at the age of sixteen, marking the beginning of his Swarajya campaign.
  • Shivaji signed the Treaty of Purandar with Raja Jai Singh I in 1665 and subsequently visited Aurangzeb's imperial court at Agra in 1666.
  • Shivaji's council of ministers, the Ashtapradhan, included key officials such as the Peshwa (Prime Minister), Amatya (Finance), and Senapati (Commander).
  • Peshwa Baji Rao I (1720–1740) championed the policy of Maratha northern expansion, winning the Battle of Palkhed against the Nizam of Hyderabad in 1728.
  • The Treaty of Salbai in 1782 concluded the First Anglo-Maratha War, recognizing Madhavrao II as Peshwa and securing peace with the British for twenty years.
  • The Maratha Empire was organized into a confederacy comprising five major houses: the Peshwas of Pune, Scindias of Gwalior, Holkars of Indore, Gaekwads of Baroda, and Bhonsles of Nagpur.
  • Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi in the First Battle of Panipat on April 21, 1526, utilizing Ottoman tactical warfare including the Tulughma flanking manoeuvre and Araba (gun-cart) formation.
  • Babur defeated Rana Sanga of Mewar in the Battle of Khanwa in 1527, declaring the conflict a 'Jihad' and assuming the title of 'Ghazi'.
  • Babur authored his candid autobiography 'Tuzuk-i-Baburi' (Baburnama) in the Chaghatai Turkic language, which was later translated into Persian by Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan.
  • Sher Shah Suri defeated Humayun at the Battle of Chausa in 1539 and the Battle of Kannauj (Bilgram) in 1540, establishing the Second Afghan Empire (Sur Empire).
  • Sher Shah Suri standardized Indian coinage by issuing the silver 'Rupiya' (178 grains) and copper 'Dam', while renovating the ancient highway from Sonargaon to Attock into the Grand Trunk Road (Sadak-e-Azam).
  • Sher Shah introduced the 'Patta' (title deed of landholding) and 'Qabuliyat' (deed of agreement) revenue system and built the majestic Rohtas Fort in Punjab and Purana Qila in Delhi.
  • Akbar defeated Hemu (Hemchandra Vikramaditya) in the Second Battle of Panipat on November 5, 1556, with the strategic guidance of his regent Bairam Khan.
  • Akbar abolished the pilgrimage tax in 1563 and the discriminatory Jizya tax on non-Muslims in 1564, consolidating his policy of universal peace and tolerance (Sulh-i-Kul).
  • Akbar established the Ibadat Khana (House of Worship) at Fatehpur Sikri in 1575 for theological debates and issued the Mahzar (Infallibility Decree) in 1579 drafted by Sheikh Mubarak.
  • Akbar promulgated the syncretic ethical-spiritual code 'Din-i-Ilahi' (Tauhid-i-Ilahi) in 1582, with Raja Birbal (Mahesh Das) being the only Hindu courtier to formally join.
  • Raja Todar Mal, Akbar's finance minister, introduced the 'Zabti' or 'Dahsala' land revenue system in 1580, calculating taxes based on the average agricultural yield of the preceding ten years.
  • Akbar organized the imperial civil-military administration under the 'Mansabdari System', classifying officers by dual ranks: 'Zat' (personal status and salary) and 'Sawar' (number of cavalrymen maintained).
  • Jahangir installed the 'Zanjir-i-Adl' (Chain of Justice) comprising 60 golden bells suspended between the Shah Burj of Agra Fort and a stone pillar on the Yamuna bank.
  • Captain William Hawkins in 1608 and Sir Thomas Roe in 1615 visited Jahangir's court as envoys of King James I of England to secure trading concessions for the East India Company.
  • Shah Jahan constructed the Taj Mahal in Agra between 1631 and 1648 in memory of his empress Mumtaz Mahal (Arjumand Banu Begum), designed by chief architect Ustad Ahmad Lahori.
  • Shah Jahan founded the walled city of Shahjahanabad in Delhi in 1638, building the Red Fort (Lal Qila) and Jama Masjid with red sandstone and white marble.
  • Aurangzeb executed the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, in 1675 at Chandni Chowk in Delhi for championing religious freedom for Kashmiri Pandits.
  • Aurangzeb re-imposed the Jizya tax in 1679, annexed the Sultanate of Bijapur in 1686 and Golconda in 1687, and spent his final two decades engaged in draining Deccan campaigns.
  • Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was born in 1630 at Shivneri Fort, founded the Maratha Empire, and captured Torna Fort in 1646 as his first military conquest.
  • Shivaji used guerrilla tactical warfare known as 'Ganimi Kava' and signed the Treaty of Purandar in 1665 with Mughal general Mirza Raja Jai Singh I.
  • Shivaji was formally coronated as 'Chhatrapati' at Raigad Fort on June 6, 1674, by the celebrated Varanasi scholar Gaga Bhatta, adopting the title 'Haindava Dharmoddharak'.
  • Shivaji's central council of ministers was known as the 'Ashtapradhan', headed by the 'Peshwa' (Prime Minister) and 'Amatya/Mazumdar' (Finance Minister).
  • The Marathas levied two primary revenue contributions from neighbouring territories: 'Chauth' (one-fourth of land revenue) for protection and 'Sardeshmukhi' (an additional 10% hereditary levy).
  • Peshwa Baji Rao I (1720–1740) championed the policy of Maratha northern expansion ('Hindu Pad Padshahi'), famously declaring his objective to strike at the trunk of the decaying Mughal tree.
  • The Third Battle of Panipat was fought on January 14, 1761, where the Afghan invader Ahmad Shah Abdali decisively defeated the Maratha forces led by Sadashivrao Bhau and Vishwasrao.
Curriculum & Reference Sources: NCERT Class XII Themes in Indian History Part II, Satish Chandra's 'Medieval India', Jadunath Sarkar's 'Shivaji and His Times'.

Sample Solved Questions & Concept Explanations

8 Verified Concept Questions
Q1.EASY

In which year did the First Battle of Panipat take place, establishing Mughal rule?

Q2.EASY

Which Mughal Emperor commissioned the construction of the Red Fort in Delhi?

Q3.MEDIUM

Which Mughal Emperor promulgated the syncretic ethical code 'Din-i Ilahi' in 1582?

Q4.MEDIUM

The Treaty of Purandar (1665) was concluded between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and which general?

Q5.EASY

In which decisive battle in 1526 did Babur defeat Ibrahim Lodi to establish the Mughal Empire in India?

Q6.EASY

Which Mughal Emperor formulated the syncretic religious-ethical doctrine called Din-i Ilahi in 1582?

Q7.EASY

The magnificent white marble Taj Mahal in Agra was commissioned by which Mughal Emperor in memory of Mumtaz Mahal?

Q8.EASY

Which Mughal Emperor reimposed the Jizya tax on non-Muslim subjects in 1679 after it had been abolished by Akbar?