ISS Previous Year Paper 2025 GS Solution Question 1(d)

ISS Previous Year Paper 2025 GS Solution Question 1(d)

(d) Review how far Aurangzeb was responsible for the disintegration of the Mughal Empire. Give reasons for your answer.

Answer:

Aurangzeb's policies contributed significantly to the weakening of the Mughal Empire, but he cannot be regarded as the sole cause of its disintegration.

His prolonged Deccan campaigns against the Marathas and Deccan states exhausted the imperial treasury and overstretched the Mughal army. The annexation of Bijapur and Golconda created administrative difficulties rather than permanent stability. His religious policies, including the reimposition of jizya and conflicts with certain temples and religious groups, alienated sections of the population.

Aurangzeb also faced prolonged resistance from the Marathas, Jats, Sikhs and Rajputs. His conflict with some Rajput rulers weakened an alliance that had previously supported Mughal authority. The jagirdari and mansabdari systems also came under increasing financial pressure.

However, deeper structural problems were equally important. After Aurangzeb's death in 1707, weak successors, succession disputes, factionalism among nobles and the rise of regional powers accelerated decline. Foreign invasions by Nadir Shah and Ahmad Shah Abdali further weakened the empire.

Therefore, Aurangzeb accelerated Mughal decline, but structural and post-Aurangzeb factors completed the disintegration.