Fall of the Mughal Empire v4.c47.s4.22

v4.c47.s4.22

Land was the only source of wealth and of social status among the Rajputs. So long as the Mughal empire was expanding, the Rajas and barons of Rajasthan could carve out new estates for themselves and their younger sons by service under the banners of Delhi. But in the middle of the 18th century, the Emperor became a mere shadow, and the Rajputs came to be cooped up within their small sterile districts; they had no means of advancement left to them except by devouring each other.