History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v3.c36.s1.7

v3.c36.s1.7

But the affairs of the Deccan during these 25 years are excluded from the present volume, because they did not affect the administration in Northern India nor influence the fate of the empire in general, as they did in the second quarter century of the reign. Moreover, there was such intricate action and reaction between the four Powers in the Deccan,—namely, Bijapur, Golkonda, Shivaji and the Mughals,—that the history of the Peninsula can be studied only as a whole. It is impossible to get a proper historical perspective and to trace events to their real causes if we follow the Mughals only—their wars and alliances with any of the Deccani kingdoms, without taking note of what was happening in the other two kingdoms at the same time. The internal history of each of these three States as well as their foreign relations must be studied if we wish to understand the true course of affairs in the Deccan from the rise of Shivaji to the fall of Shambhuji. There is an organic unity in the theme and it will form the subject matter of a volume by itself.