The Cambridge History of India, Vol. IV: The Mughul Period v4.c20.120

v4.c20.120

THE death of Aurangzīb was followed by a short and sharp contest for the throne which ended in the death of two of his sons and three of his grandsons in the field. His eldest surviving son, Mu‘azzam (Shāh ‘Ālam), was at Jamrūd when, on 22 March, 1707, he heard of his father’s death and set out for Āgra, taking six and a half million rupees from the public treasuries on the way, crowning himself emperor with the title of Bahādur Shāh at the bridge of Shāh Daula, twenty-four miles north of Lahore, and arriving at Āgra on 12 June. He could march in full strength so rapidly because for some years before he had made secret preparations, through his able and energetic revenue minister Mun‘im Khān, for the inevitable war of succession by keeping an army in the Jullundur Dūāb, collecting transport animals and boats for bridges on the way, and enlisting large numbers of Rājputs. In the meantime, Bahādur Shāh’s second son ‘Azīm-ush-shān, the viceroy of Bengal and Bihār, on recall to the Deccan by order of Aurangzīb, had heard of his grandfather’s death in Korā, and after enlisting more troops had pushed on to Āgra, occupied that city and laid siege to its fort. With his Bengal treasure (reputed to exceed 100 million rupees) he quickly increased his army to 40,000 men. On the arrival of Bahādur Shāh, Bāqī Khān Qul, the commandant of Āgra fort, capitulated, and thus the new emperor gained possession of the accumulated treasures of the Delhi empire, valued by report at 240 million rupees.