History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v5.c80.s1.3

v5.c80.s1.3

The material waste caused to the empire by this quarter century of warfare was frightful. The desolation of the Deccan was complete. As a contemporary European observer notes, "Aurangzib withdrew to Ahmadnagar leaving behind him the fields of these provinces devoid of trees and bare of crops, their place being taken by the bones of men and beasts. Instead of verdure all is blank and barren. The country is so entirely desolated and depopulated that neither fire nor light can be found in the course of a three or four days' journey...There have died in his armies over a hundred thousand souls yearly, and of animals, pack-oxen, camels, elephants, &c., over three hundred thousand......In the Deccan provinces from 1702 to 1704 plague [and famine] prevailed. In these two years there expired over two millions of souls." [Storia do Mogor, iv. 252 and 96.]