0Introduction:-
Babur laid down the foundation stone of the mighty Mughal Empire by defeating Ibrahim Lodi (Lodi Dynasty of the then Delhi Sultanate) in the First Battle of Panipat (1526). The Mughal Empire has reserved an important space in Indian history in the field of art and culture until its downfall after the death of Aurangzeb. Some of the important reasons contributing towards the downfall of the mighty empire are as follows-
1) Vastness of the Empire
The Mughal emperors followed expansionist policy, and the vastness of the empire was so immense that it was not possible to administer properly from the capital at Delhi. As such, misgovernance arose in the outskirt provinces due to which the provinces broke down into independent kingdoms under the leadership of local governors. Thus, the disintegration of the territory started igniting the spark for the Mughal downfall.
2) Deccan Policy of Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb was an imperialist and he was keen towards the annexation of Deccan kingdoms of the Golconda and the Bijapur. He was defeated during the action of his annexation of the two kingdoms. This is one of the immediate causes behind the downfall of the Mughal Empire.
3) Religious Policy of Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb did not respect other religions except Islam. He forced to convert all the non-Islamic people into Islam and indulged himself in the destruction of many Hindu temples and shrines, which ultimately hurt the religious sentiment of the Hindu people. It resulted in a massive protest and agitation of the people against him.
4) Land Grant System (Zagirdari System)
The officials of the empire and the military chiefs or Mansabdars were paid their salaries in Zagirs or lands. This enabled the Jagirdars to collect land revenues from the people, which ultimately resulted in autonomy in the hands of the Jagirdars.
5) Weak Successors of the emperors
The successors after Aurangzeb were weak as compared to the predecessor emperors. As a result, the local governors and the military chiefs took advantages out of it to start the autonomous government in their administered territories.
6) The arrival of the European traders
The Portuguese were the first to arrive in India. However, James Hawkins was sent to the court of Jahangir by the king of England, James I for trade concessions. However, it was not permitted. It was followed by Thomas Roe who finally acquired the trade concessions from the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. Since then, the trading ambition of the East India Company got converted into the power politics, thereby kickstarting its imperialism in the soil of India.
Thus, the Mughal Empire, which was once mighty in the sense of its expansion and rich culture, disintegrated on account of the above reasons.
