History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v5.c81.s3.6

v5.c81.s3.6

forces in the Deccan began to feel the increasing pressure of the revived Maratha power under their able regent Ramchandra and their brilliant generals Dhanaji Jadav and Santaji Ghorpare, and the Emperor began to look out wistfully for some means of ensuring peace in his rear in Rajputana. There was another and a stronger motive working with him: he must recover his grand-daughter who had been left with the Rathors by her father Akbar in his flight soon after her birth. This girl was now thirteen and Aurangzib's family honour required that she should come to his house before attaining the age of marriage, which for a Mughal princess was usually fourteen. He could have made an honourable and lasting peace and turned the Rathors again into devoted allies, by restoring Ajit Singh to all his father's territory and rank. But a strange obsession, or more probably religious bigotry,* made Aurangzib cling blindly to the soil of Jodhpur. He higgled like a Jew and waited for some turn in the die of war which would enable him to keep the bulk of Marwar and especially its capital in his own hands and delude Ajit with a small tract as jagir. Negotiations inspired by such a motive were bound to fail, though a truce was secured to his weary during the year (1692) through which they protracted. But this fanatical obstinacy or obse born of unlimited power and old age, was re by wiser counsels, and at last in 1696 he agree restore a portion of Marwar to Ajit Singh in ret for the delivery of Akbar's children.