History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v3.c36.s2: §2. Aurangzib's personal history and movements, 1657—1681.
History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v3.c36.s2
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§2. Aurangzib's personal history and movements, 1657—1681.
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A survey of the first half of the reign may well begin with the personal history of the Emperor. After his grand coronation at the commencement of the second year of his reign (13 May, 1659), Aurangzib lived at Delhi, guiding the State from the capital. News continued to reach him of the success of his armies and the removal of his domestic enemies one by one. Dara was put to death on 30th August, 1659, and Shuja driven out of India in May next, while Murad Bakhsh and Sipihr Shukoh were safe in prison. There remained only Sulaiman Shukoh, the eldest son of Dara; but he, too, was given up by his protector and brought to Delhi in chains, (27th December, 1660). A year afterwards Murad was done to death (4 Dec., 1661) and in the following May Sulaiman Shukoh also. The Emperor's eldest son, Muhammad Sultan deserted to the enemy, but soon came back (8 Feb., 1660) and was confined in a fortress for the rest of his life.
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At Prince Muhammad's going over to Shuja and the recovery of Rajmahal, the capital of Bengal, by the two, there was much alarm and slackness among the imperialists. Aurangzib advanced from Delhi to Garh Mukteshwar on the Ganges (13-24 Nov., 1659), in order to be nearer at hand to march to Bengal in case of need. But the danger was not really serious, and the Emperor spent most of his time in hunting. Early next January he left Garh Mukteshwar for Allahabad by way of Soron, again hunting on the way. But as the situation in the eastern theatre of war improved under Mir Jumla's able control, the Emperor found his own presence there unnecessary and turned aside from the way, reaching Delhi on 13th February, 1660. (A. N. 444—464).
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Thereafter he dwelt at the capital and received grand embassies sent from all parts of the outer Muslim world to wish him well on his accession. For the benefit of these foreign guests he made that lavish display of his wealth and power which "dazzled even eyes which were accustomed to the pomp of Versailles." From February 1661, when the first of these missions arrived, to October 1667, in the space of less than seven years, the Emperor spent over twenty-one lakhs of Rupees in receiving and sending out embassies, besides eleven lakhs given to the ex-king of Kashghar, who took refuge in India in 1668.
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In the 5th year of his reign, Aurangzib made a trip to Kashmir, leaving Delhi on 8th Dec. 1662 and returning to that city on 18th Jan. 1664. In February 1666 his father's death took him to Agra. So long as Shah Jahan lived in captivity, Aurangzib had naturally avoided Agra and held his Court at Delhi. But the death of the deposed Emperor removed this embarrassment, and his next enthronement (that of the 9th year) was held in Agra palace (March, 1666) with the utmost display and magnificence. In November 1662, on the eve of starting for Kashmir, he had removed the imperial treasures and precious articles of Agra fort—the hoardings of three long reigns,—to Delhi for safer keeping. They were now (May 1666) brought back to Agra in 1,400 carts and lodged in the fort for good. In October of the same year the Court returned to Delhi and stayed there for the next 7½ years, with the exception of two years (Dec. 1669—October 1671) spent at Agra again. (A. N. 759, 962.)
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In 1674 the seriousness of the Afridi rising forced the Emperor to go to Hasan Abdal, to be near enough to Peshawar to direct the operations of his armies. Here he lived from 26th June, 1674 to 23rd December, 1675, returning to Delhi on 27th March, 1676. Early in 1679, the death of Maharajah Jaswant Singh and the opportunity it presented of annexing the Jodhpur State drew him to Ajmir. His first stay in the latter city was short (19 Feb.—10
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March), as there was none to oppose his policy. But the Rathor nobles successfully conveyed Jaswant's heir, Ajit Singh, to Marwar and raised the flag of national independence which all the resources of the Mughal empire after a generation of struggle failed to defeat. So, Aurangzib had to leave Delhi again (3 Sep. 1679), never to return to his capital in life or death. In Rajputana he spent the next two years and then, early in the 25th year of his reign, he started for the Deccan where he finally exhausted his life and empire after 25 years of strenuous but un-availing toil. With this southward march from Ajmir (8 September, 1681), the first half of his reign ends, and a new scene, marked by complete dramatic unity, opens, which will be described in the Fourth and Fifth Volumes.
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§ 3. Correct dates of his regnal years and coronation celebrations.
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Some European writers have made the mistake of asserting that confusion was introduced into the dating of events and the keeping of accounts in consequence of Aurangzib's frequently changing the time of the official commencement of his regnal years. (Duff, i. 160 n.) But the truth is that every year of his reign began on exactly the same lunar month and day, viz., the first of Ramzan; and official documents and letters dated in the years of the reign, therefore, present no uncertainty at all as to the exact time meant. What Aurangzib did was to change, but only once, the date when the coronation *festivities* were to begin and he repeatedly curtailed their duration as his puritanical moroseness or financial distress increased. A clear statement of the case here will, I hope, set the matter at rest for ever.
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Aurangzib first sat on the throne on 1st Ziqada, year 1068 of the Hijera era (21 July, 1658); but his second or grand coronation took place on 24th Ramzan, 1069 (5 June, 1659), and only the next year's act of sitting on the throne on the same day of Ramzan. But, in the second year it was ordered that in official documents every year of the reign should be calculated from 1st Ramzan, both because it was the commencement of a holy month and also because on that day in 1068 he had crossed the Chambal to fight Dara. The actual *enthronement* took place on the 24th Ramzan of his second year, because the astrologers considered it a most lucky day.
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As for the coronation rejoicings,* they were kept in abeyance in the 1st year, but in the 2nd year they extended from 24th Ramzan (the day of enthronement) to 10th Zihijja (the day of the Id-uz-zuha), a period of 2½ months. In the 3rd year the Court festivities were reduced to eight days only, *i.e.*, from the day of actual enthronement to the 1st of Shawwal (the Id-ul-fitr). But it was found inconvenient to feast and rejoice in a season of religious fasting and prayer, and so, from the 4th year onwards the Emperor sat on the throne immediately at the end of the month of Ramzan, *i.e.*, on the day of the Id-ul-fitr, (sometimes a day later), and the celebrations ran for 10 days from that date. This rule was followed throughout the remainder of the reign. Only in his 6th year there was no rejoicing, as the Court was then in mourning for the death of Mir Jumla. In the 21st year (1677) he abolished the celebrations, the making of presents to him by the nobles, and all kinds of display at Court on the occasion of the coronation anniversary.
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∗ *A. N.* 155 (1st year); 388, 390 (2nd year); 481 (3rd year); 613 (4th year); 816 (6th year); *M. A.* 162 (21st year).