QUES . Should the era of the Great Mughals be considered as successful in creating a harmonious and strong empire in India? Discuss. UPSC IES/ISS EXAM 2014 General Studies. 200 Words. 5 Marks.

HINTS:

֍ The Mughal Empire was an early modern empire in South Asia.

֍ At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of present-day Assam and Bangladesh in the east, and the uplands of the Deccan Plateau in South India.

֍ The Mughal Empire had a significant impact on the history of India.

֍ It was a powerful empire that ruled over a vast geographical landmass and governed a diverse population with different religious, cultural, and political backgrounds.

֍ The Mughal Empire at its zenith commanded resources unprecedented in Indian history and covered almost the entire subcontinent.

֍ The Mughal Empire was important for bringing almost the entire Indian subcontinent under one domain, drawing the subcontinent’s regions together through enhanced overland and coastal trading networks.

֍ From 1556 to 1707, during the heyday of its fabulous wealth and glory, the Mughal Empire was a fairly efficient and centralized organization, with a vast complex of personnel, money, and information dedicated to the service of the emperor and his nobility.

֍ Much of the empire’s expansion during that period was attributable to India’s growing commercial and cultural contact with the outside world.

֍ The 16th and 17th centuries brought the establishment and expansion of European and non-European trading organizations in the subcontinent, principally for the procurement of Indian goods in demand abroad.

֍ Indian regions drew close to each other by means of an enhanced overland and coastal trading network, significantly augmenting the internal surplus of precious metals.

֍ With expanded connections to the wider world came also new ideologies and technologies to challenge and enrich the imperial edifice.

֍ The empire itself, however, was a purely Indian historical experience. Mughal culture blended Perso-Islamic and regional Indian elements into a distinctive but variegated whole.

֍ It was also known for its cultural influence and its architectural achievements (most famously, the Taj Mahal).

֍ The Mughals made a major contribution to the Indian subcontinent with the development of their distinctive architectural style. Mughal architecture is distinguished, among other things, by bulbous domes, ogive arches, carefully-composed and polished façades, and the use of hard red sandstone and marble as construction materials.

֍ Although by the early 18th century the regions had begun to reassert their independent positions, Mughal manners and ideals outlasted imperial central authority. The imperial centre, in fact, came to be controlled by the regions.

֍ The trajectory of the Mughal Empire over roughly its first two centuries (1526–1748) thus provides a fascinating illustration of premodern state building in the Indian subcontinent.

֍ The individual abilities and achievements of the early Mughals—Bābur, Humāyūn, and later Akbar—largely charted the course. Bābur and Humāyūn struggled against heavy odds to create the Mughal domain, whereas Akbar, besides consolidating and expanding its frontiers, provided the theoretical framework for a truly Indian state.

֍ Picking up the thread of experimentation from the intervening Sūr dynasty (1540–56), Akbar attacked narrow-mindedness and bigotry, absorbed Hindus in the high ranks of the nobility, and encouraged the tradition of ruling through the local Hindu landed elites. This tradition continued until the very end of the Mughal Empire, despite the fact that some of Akbar’s successors, notably Aurangzeb (1658–1707), had to concede to contrary forces.

֍ The empire’s military establishment, built by Emperor Babur and his successors, was highly sophisticated and transformed the conduct of warfare in South Asia.

֍ Indian agricultural production increased under the Mughal Empire. A variety of crops were grown, including food crops such as wheat, rice, and barley, and non-food cash crops such as cotton, indigo and opium. The Mughal administration emphasised agrarian reform.

֍ Up until 1750, India produced about 25% of the world’s industrial output. Manufactured goods and cash crops from the Mughal Empire were sold throughout the world.

֍ Cities and towns boomed under the Mughal Empire, which had a relatively high degree of urbanization for its time, with 15% of its population living in urban centres. This was higher than the percentage of the urban population in contemporary Europe at the time and higher than that of British India in the 19th century; the level of urbanization in Europe did not reach 15% until the 19th century.

֍ A new curriculum for the madrasas which stressed the importance of uloom-i-muqalat (Rational Sciences) and introduced new subjects such as geometry, medicine, philosophy, and mathematics. The new curriculum produced a series of eminent scholars, engineers and architects.

֍ However, the empire’s rule was characterized by autocratic centralism and drew heavily on Persian administrative traditions and the military organization of Turkic-Mongol conquest empires . The Mughal dynasty’s history is often associated with brutal invasions, bloodshed, and massacre in the name of religion and conquest . The empire’s oppressive treatment of women, filicide, fratricide, and animalistic behavior of emperors were dark aspects that coexisted with the splendor and wealth of the dynasty .

֍ Overall, the Mughal Empire played a significant role in shaping the history of India through its military prowess, governance, and cultural impact.

Must read: Foundation of Mughal rule in India

Jagir system under the Mughals

Mansab system under the Mughals

External link: https://ncert.nic.in/ncerts/l/gess104.pdf