The Inner Conflict of Tradition: Essays in Indian Ritual, Kingship, and Society c19.s13.8

c19.s13.8

8. Conquest does not normally change the existing order of rights and holdings. Against this background M. Athar Ali’s statement that “Aurangzeb’s annexations in the Deccan were not the work of a military steam-roller, but of a slow and cumbrous machine, which sought energy and strength by recruiting deserters bribed to come over from the enemy” gains in depth (*The Mughal Nobility under Aurangzeb* [London, 1966], 173). The “deserters” were clearly important figures in the intricate web of rights and holdings, in which the conquering power had to gain a foothold.