New History of the Marathas v1.c9.34

v1.c9.34

2. Political situation of 1657.—Nine years senior in age to Shivaji, Aurangzeb was born at Dohad on 24th October 1618 and shared his father's hardships and wanderings during his boyhood. As he grew up, he developed austere ways and a hardened heart, which marked his career throughout life. He witnessed the war which his father had waged in the Deccan and in which Shivaji's father came to be expelled from his homeland. When after the conquest of the Nizam-Shahi territories, Shah Jahan returned to the north, he appointed Aurangzeb his representative or Subahdar in the Deccan with a commission to settle the conquered territories. In this office he continued first for 8 years (1636-44), and again for five years from January 1653 to February 1658. During the break of the nine years between the two charges (1644-52), Aurangzeb was occupied with imperial wars on the north-west frontier, which did not touch the Marathas. During his first Viceroyalty of eight years, Aurangzeb was occupied in consolidating the Mughal power and creating an orderly government. But there is nothing noteworthy about his work or movement during this period. Shivaji was then young and no disturbance was expected from the Marathas. Aurangzeb was fond of hunting and selected for his official residence, in preference to the northern far away Burhanpur, 'the newly erected town of Khadki in the vicinity of Daulatabad, which had been founded by Malik Ambar, and named it after himself. This new town of Aurangabad was a more suitable place from which to watch the Maratha activities centering on Poona.