New History of the Marathas v1.c12.3

v1.c12.3

1. Fresh wave of Mughal fanaticism.—Soon after peace was concluded by Shivaji with the Emperor through the Shahzada, there occurred serious differences between that Prince and his overbearing lieutenant Dilir Khan of which Shivaji was not slow in taking advantage. The Emperor held the Khan in high esteem and credited his slanderous reports in preference to his son's statements. This produced a strong ill-feeling between them, the Shahzada being guided by Jashvant Sinh who was a great opponent of Dilir Khan. Their growing enmity came to a head just about the time that Shivaji was negotiating his peace and when the Emperor's attention was directed more to his preoccupations in north India involving as a consequence an utter neglect of the affairs in the Deccan. Sambhaji lived at Aurangabad under the guardianship of Pratāp Rāo Gujar and Nirāji Rāoji. They formed a close friendship with the Shahzada and Jashvant Sinh, all sharing the pleasures of hunting and the amusements of camp-life. This phase of Mughal-Maratha fraternity so disgusted Dilir Khan that he went to the length of reporting to the Emperor that the Shahzada was planning to depose him with the help of the Marathas. Thereupon the Emperor sent urgent and explicit orders to his son to place under immediate arrest the two Maratha officials Pratāp Rāo Gujar and Nirāji Rāoji. The Shahzada being friendly to the Marathas, contrived to communicate the news of this order privately to the two officials and thus enabled them to return home. This conduct further embittered the relations between Muazzam and Dilir Khan and produced utter confusion in the Mughal administration of the Deccan. Just at this time Aurangzeb launched his cherished policy of persecuting his Hindu subjects by issuing on 9 April 1669 general orders “to demolish all the schools and temples of the infidels and put down their religious teaching and practices.” A new large department was organized for a wholesale attack on the unbelievers throughout his dominions, and he called for periodical reports of what actual results were achieved as regards the demolition of schools and temples, the imposition of Jazia, the exclusion of the Hindus from public offices, the banning of Hindu fairs and festivities and similar measures.¹