Aurangzeb: The Lonely Emperor Who Outlived His Loved Ones and Witnessed His Empire Crumble.

The Final 27 Years of Aurangzeb: Deaths of Loved Ones, a Succession Crisis, and an Obsession with Conquering Forts.

The Emperor Who Never Returned to Delhi

In 1680, Aurangzeb marched towards South India with an enormous military expedition. His army, the imperial household, and three of his four sons accompanied him on this ambitious campaign.

Audrey Truschke, in her biography Aurangzeb: The Man and the Myth, describes the spectacle of the imperial procession:

“The advancing army with its tents, markets, the imperial caravan, and the enormous crowd of officers and servants accompanying the emperor was a sight worth witnessing.”

Aurangzeb was following an old Mughal tradition according to which the imperial capital travelled with the emperor. Yet, in one extraordinary respect, he differed from his predecessors: once he departed for the Deccan, he never returned to Delhi.

His departure left Delhi deserted. The imperial city gradually lost its vitality, while a thick layer of dust accumulated on the walls of the Red fort.

Aurangzeb would spend the remaining decades of his life in South India, personally directing many of the military campaigns and sieges that increasingly consumed his reign.

The Obsession with Forts and the Loneliness of Old Age

Aurangzeb's relentless pursuit of military victories became particularly striking during the final years of his reign.

Bhimsena Saxena, a Hindu soldier serving in Aurangzeb's army, recorded his observations in his Persian memoir Tarikh-i-Dilkushah:

“I found the people of this world extremely greedy. To such an extent that even a king like Aurangzeb Alamgir, who lacked nothing, was desperate to conquer forts. His desire to possess a few stones was so great that he himself was constantly running around to achieve it.”

The final phase of Aurangzeb's reign was far from glorious. The emperor gradually realised that his ambition to establish firm control over India was slipping beyond his grasp.

Historian Jadunath Sarkar, in A Short History of Aurangzeb, describes the emperor's growing isolation:

“Aurangzeb became a victim of loneliness in his old age. One by one, all his close companions passed away. Only one companion from his youth, his wazir Asad Khan, remained alive.

“When he looked around his court, he saw nothing but cowardly, jealous, and flattering young courtiers everywhere.”

The emperor who had once commanded an empire now found himself surrounded by unfamiliar faces, distant from the companions who had shared his earlier years.

The Failure of His Sons and the Crisis of Succession.

At the time of Aurangzeb's death, three of his sons were still alive. Two others had already died.

None of the surviving princes, however, appeared capable of matching their father's political authority or military abilities.

Aurangzeb himself was increasingly disappointed with their performance.

In a letter written in the early eighteenth century, he reprimanded his second son, Muazzam, for failing to conquer Kandahar. The letter, preserved in Ruqaat-i-Alamgiri, reveals the emperor's frustration:

“It is better to have a daughter than an incompetent son.”

He concluded with another sharp rebuke:

“How will you show your face in this world to your rivals and to God?”

Ironically, Aurangzeb failed to recognize that his own interference in his sons' lives had contributed significantly to their weakness.

Historian Munis Faruqui, in The Princes of the Mughal Empire, argues that Aurangzeb undermined the independence of the Mughal princes by interfering excessively in their personal affairs.

By the beginning of the eighteenth century, Aurangzeb had begun placing greater confidence in his grandsons than in his own sons. Audrey Truschke observes that this further weakened the princes' standing.

At times, the emperor even appeared to trust his courtiers more than his own family.

One revealing episode involved his youngest son, Kam Baksh, who was arrested by the chief minister Asad Khan and military commander Zulfiqar Khan.

Kam Baksh's offence was his attempt to establish contact with the Maratha ruler Rajaram without his father's permission. Rajaram was the son of Shivaji and the half-brother of Sambhaji.

The incident demonstrated how fragile the relationship between Aurangzeb and his sons had become.

The Deaths of His Closest Loved Ones

As old age advanced, Aurangzeb's personal world grew increasingly bleak.

In March 1705, his daughter-in-law Jahan Zeb Banu died in Gujarat. His rebellious son Akbar II had already died in Iran in 1704.

Earlier, in 1702, his poetess daughter Zeb-un-Nisa had passed away. Soon afterwards, Gohar Ara, the only surviving sister among Aurangzeb's siblings, also died.

Her death deeply affected the emperor.

He reportedly remarked:

“Among Shah Jahan's children, only she and I had remained alive.”

The losses continued. In 1706, his daughter Mehr-un-Nisa and his son-in-law Izid Bakhsh died in Delhi.

Shortly before Aurangzeb's own death, his grandson Buland Akhtar also passed away.

Two other grandsons died during this period, but the courtiers deliberately withheld the news from the emperor, fearing that further grief might severely affect his already fragile health.

By this stage, Aurangzeb had lost many of the people who had once formed the center of his personal life.

Drought, Plague, and Human Suffering in the Deccan

Aurangzeb's personal tragedies were accompanied by an enormous humanitarian disaster in the Deccan.

A devastating drought struck the region, followed by an epidemic of plague that brought widespread suffering.

Niccolao Manucci, the Italian traveller who visited India during Aurangzeb's reign, described the catastrophe in his book Storia do Mogor:

“There was absolutely no rainfall in the Deccan between 1702 and 1704. On top of that, an epidemic of plague spread. Nearly two million people died within two years.

“People suffering from starvation were even willing to sell their children for a quarter of a rupee. But there were no buyers for them either.”

Manucci's account of the treatment of the dead is particularly disturbing:

“Ordinary people were buried like cattle after their deaths. Before burying them, their clothes were searched to see whether they had any money. Then ropes were tied around their feet, and their bodies were dragged and buried in whatever pit happened to be nearby.”

He further wrote:

“Sometimes the stench spreading from them made me vomit. There were so many flies everywhere that eating food became impossible.”

Describing the devastation, Manucci observed:

“They left behind trees and fields without crops. In their place lay the bones of human beings and cattle. The population of the entire region had declined so much that during a journey of three or four days, one could not see a single fire or light burning anywhere.”

The Deccan campaign, which had consumed so much of Aurangzeb's life, was now unfolding against a background of famine, disease, and widespread human misery.

Udaipuri: A Companion Until the End

Amid the loneliness of his final years, Aurangzeb found particular comfort in the companionship of Udaipuri, the mother of his youngest son, Kam Baksh.

In a letter written to Kam Baksh from his deathbed, Aurangzeb mentioned that Udaipuri had remained beside him throughout his illness and would accompany him even in death.

His words proved prophetic.

Within a few months of Aurangzeb's death, Udaipuri herself passed away.

Rebellions in the North and the Weakening of the Empire

Towards the end of his life, Aurangzeb established his final residence at Ahmednagar.

His prolonged absence from northern India had serious consequences for the Mughal Empire.

Stanley Lane-Poole, in Aurangzeb and the Decay of the Mughal Empire, describes the growing disorder:

“Aurangzeb's prolonged absence created disorder in the north.

“The Rajputs openly rebelled, the Jats began raising their heads near Agra, and the Sikhs around Multan started challenging the Mughal Empire. The Mughal army began feeling demoralised. Even the Marathas gained the courage to launch secret attacks against the Mughal forces.”

Aurangzeb had deliberately sent his sons away, fearing that they might repeat against him the treatment he had inflicted upon his father, Shah Jahan.

Yet, his decision to remain in the Deccan while the northern provinces grew increasingly unstable further weakened imperial authority.

Historian Abraham Eraly, in The Mughal Throne: The Saga of India's Great Emperors, argues that Aurangzeb's territorial expansion ultimately weakened the empire rather than strengthening it.

The empire had grown so enormous that governing it became increasingly difficult. It began collapsing under the burden of its own expansion.

Eraly also records Aurangzeb's own words:

“Azma-st hamah fasad-i-baqi” — meaning, “After me, everything will be disorder.”

The Emperor's Final Illness

As the empire struggled with rebellion and administrative disorder, Aurangzeb faced another problem that could no longer be postponed: the question of succession.

The imperial throne had numerous claimants.

Manucci describes the complicated situation:

“The claimants to the throne included the emperor's sons, who themselves had become old. After them came his grandsons, whose beards had also turned white and who had crossed the age of 45.

“Among the claimants were even Aurangzeb's great-grandsons, who were around 25 or 27 years old.

“Only one of them could become Aurangzeb's successor. In the struggle for power, the others would either have to lose their hands and feet or lose their lives.”

In 1705, after capturing the Maratha fort of Wagingera, Aurangzeb established his camp in a village near the Krishna River, hoping to allow his exhausted soldiers some rest.

It was here that the emperor fell ill.

In October of that year, he moved towards Ahmednagar with the intention of travelling to Delhi. However, this journey would prove to be his final one.

On 14 January 1707, the 89-year-old emperor fell seriously ill once again.

Although his condition improved after a few days, he resumed holding court. Yet, this time, he understood that his remaining time was limited.

The growing impatience of his son Azam only added to his anxiety.

Aurangzeb's Final Letters to His Sons

Jadunath Sarkar describes the emperor's final days:

“Four days later, he sent Azam to Malwa as its governor. But the clever prince, knowing that his father's end was near, did not hurry too much in leaving. He proceeded slowly, stopping at several places along the way.

“Four days after sending his son away, the emperor developed a high fever. Despite this, he insisted on attending court and, even in that condition, performed his five daily prayers.”

During his final days, Aurangzeb wrote two letters to his sons, expressing his fear of the bloodshed that might follow his death.

He wrote:

“I wish that there should be no struggle for power between you two. Yet I can see that there will be considerable bloodshed after my departure.

“I pray to God that He may instil in you the desire to work for your subjects and the ability to govern.”

On 3 March 1707, Aurangzeb came out of his bedroom for the final time.

Jadunath Sarkar describes the emperor's last moments:

“Aurangzeb performed his morning prayers and began counting the beads of his tasbih.

“Gradually, unconsciousness began to overcome him, and breathing became difficult. Yet, despite the weakness of his body, the beads of the tasbih did not slip from his fingers.

“His heartfelt wish was that Friday should be the last day of his life. In the end, this wish of his was also fulfilled.”

Before his death, Aurangzeb had instructed that his body should be buried at a nearby place without a coffin.

Two days after his death, his son Azam arrived.

After mourning and consoling his sister, Zeenat-un-Nisa Begum, he carried his father's body a short distance away.

Aurangzeb was subsequently buried at Khuldabad, near Daulatabad, beside the tomb of the Sufi saint Sheikh Zain-ud-Din.

He lived to the age of 89.

Jadunath Sarkar records that Aurangzeb possessed an extraordinary memory:

“Once he saw someone's face, he never forgot it. Not only that, he remembered every single word spoken to him by people.

“Towards the end of his life, he began to hear somewhat less through one ear, and his right leg also developed a problem, causing a slight unsteadiness in his gait.”

The War Among Aurangzeb's Sons

Although Aurangzeb had designated Shah Alam, also known as Muazzam, as his successor, the succession was far from settled.

Muazzam was serving as the governor of Punjab when Aurangzeb died.

Azam Shah, however, arrived immediately after his father's death and declared himself emperor.

He then marched towards Agra, hoping to secure formal recognition of his claim to the throne.

Manucci describes the race for succession:

“Meanwhile, Shah Alam also marched towards Agra after receiving news of his father's death. He reached Agra before his brother Azam, where the people welcomed him enthusiastically.

“The armies of the two brothers clashed at Jajau. Years earlier, Aurangzeb and his brother Dara Shikoh had fought a battle at the same place.

“In this battle, Shah Alam emerged victorious, and the following day, on 20 June, he ascended his father's throne.”

The Mughal succession crisis had once again been resolved through warfare rather than peaceful transfer of power.

The Decline of the Mughal Empire

The defeated Azam Shah committed suicide with a dagger before he could fall into the hands of his brother Shah Alam.

Shah Alam titled Bahadur Shah -1,himself died in 1712, just five years after Aurangzeb's death.

Between 1712 and 1719, four Mughal emperors successively occupied the throne of India within a period of only seven years.

By contrast, during the preceding 150 years, only four Mughal emperors had ruled India.

The rapid succession of rulers reflected the growing instability of the imperial system.

Gradually, the old prestige and authority of the Mughal dynasty disappeared.

Jadunath Sarkar offers a critical assessment of Aurangzeb's legacy:

“Despite all his achievements, Aurangzeb was politically an unsuccessful emperor.

“The decline of the Mughal Empire after him was not caused solely by his personal character. It may also not be appropriate to say that the Mughals declined only because of him.

“However, it is also true that he did nothing to prevent that decline.”

After Aurangzeb's death in 1707, the Mughal Empire continued living in the memories and dreams of its glorious past.

After somehow surviving for nearly 150 years, the empire finally came to an end in 1857 with Bahadur shah Zafar.

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