Mughal Empire

Akbar's Tomb, Humayun Tomb, Buland Darwaza, Fathepur Sikri, Panch Mahal, Agra Fort, Lahore Fort

1. agra fort,
2. lahore fort,
3. allahabad fort
4. ,fatehpur sikri
5. panch mahal
6. buland darwaza
7. fort of ajmer
8. jahangiri mahal

The decline was gradual and although some historians blame Aurangzeb for sowing the seeds of decline, the empire continued for another 150 years after his death. There are several causes for the decline of the Mughal empire. The major reasons are:

1. The government of the Mughals was a personal despotism and so its success depended on the character of the reigning autocrat. The later Mughals were worthless and neglected the administration of the state.
2. With the absence of a definite law of succession, there always occurred a war of succession; this weakened the stability of the government, and fostered partisanship at the cost of patriotism.
3. The degeneration of the rulers led to the degeneration of the nobility, with factious quarrels and intrigues costing the empire heavily.
4. The deterioration of the army also proved disastrous for the empire.
5. The empire had become too vast and unwieldy to be efficiently governed from a central authority under weak rulers, especially in the medieval conditions of transport and communication.
6. Aurangzeb's religious policy was largely responsible, causing revolts by Rajputs, Sikhs, Jats and Marathas.
7. Aurangzeb's Deccan Policy was a complete failure and to a major extent caused the downfall of the Mughal empire.
8. Invasions of Irani and Durrani kingdoms gave a death-blow to the Mughal empire.
9. Lastly, the arrival of the British. Since the time of Jehangir the English East India Company tried to take advantage of the wealth to be gained by trade with India. England had been the first country to experience the industrial revolution. Its industries were producing cheap manufactured goods which were sold around the world. The weaknesses of the Mughal empire, together with the strength of the British, meant that the fall of one of the mightiest dynasties in history was almost inevitable.

They brought back the non-Muslim tax

= Mughal Contribution to Indian Literature = by thresiapaulose, Apr 2, 2008

India is a rich mine of hidden literatures! The vast wealth of literature still in palm leaves has to be brought out for open studies which surely will have a great impact on history as well as the knowledge of so many sciences. Tamil, Sanskrit, Urdu and other languages have contributed unimaginable wealth to the Indian literatures. When the countries enjoyed a peaceful life, literature and arts were flourishing well. That we can see in the history of India, especially during the Sangam periods, the Guptas and the Mughals. Most of the Indian literatures were in palm leaves till the arrival of the printing technology in the sixteenth century. Printing was a turning point in the Indian history. It came with the missionary movement of the Portuguese and others. Fifty-nine years after the landing of Vasco da Gama in India, the printing press opened its account at Goa, a few decades after the beginning of the 16th century. Within a hundred years of the printing of Gutenberg's Bible in Germany, India initiated its groping towards fashioning of types for the many Indian languages. Mughal Empire which was established in the north in the sixteenth century and the Vijayanagara Empire in the south witnessed the changes that were brought by the printing technology in India. There was tremendous literary activity during the Mughal period, because with the return of a stable and prosperous empire. There was once again patronage for the literary works. Languages like Persian, Sanskrit, Hindi and Urdu saw tremendous creative activity as did many vernacular languages. The Mughal Emperors, themselves interested in literature, encouraged literary contributions. Vast number of works were written during the period of the Mughals. We can easily divide the contributions of the Mughals into three categories: historical works, translations ,poetry and novels. Our understanding of the Mughal period was greatly enhanced by these books, and most of the historical works of this period provide us with a fairly reliable source of information. The important historical works written in this time were Ain-I-Akbari , and Akbarnama by Abul Fazl, the Ta'rikh-I-'Alfi by Mulla Daud. Akbar, though was not educated in any formal educational institution, could contribute much to literature. Jehangir possessed a keen interest in literature, and his autobiography is one of the finest amongst the Mughal emperors. During his reign important historical works like Ma'asir-I-Jahangir , the Igbalnamah-I-Jahangiri and the Zubud-ut-Tawaikh were written. Many important works in translation were also written during this period, with the translation of the epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana taking place. Many of the Vedas were also translated and several previous historical books were also translated. All this translation added to the wealth of Indian literature and spread ancient knowledge to a greater audience. This renewed interest in Indian literature would be an important tool used by the social reformers of the eighteenth century to educate the people about what the ancient texts really said as opposed to the distorted interpretations that were being followed. The Mughal empire encouraged a large number of poets and writers and hence there were a lot of new contributions published in this era. During the reign of Akbar, Jehangir and Shah Jahan the literary people had tremendous patronage and many remarkable works were composed. Since the Mughal emperors had integrated themselves into Indian society, they patronized many Indian languages leading to some good quality literature being developed for these languages. The main themes of the period were essentially religious, covering most of the major religions of the period. One of the fine Hindu works composed during this time was Ramcharitmanasa (the life of Rama) by Tulsidasa, which was a simplified version of the Ramayana. In Bengal there was a lot of work being created in Vaishnava literature. Writers like Krishnada and Kaviraj were popular authors of the time. Many biographies were also written during this period. The Mughals established a mighty empire that dominated India for more than two centuries. Their passion for nature and literature contributed much for the Indian literature. Books were very precious to the Mughal kings. Expensive and laborious contributions were as marked the symbols of royal wealth, power and intelligence. At the height of the Mughal power, the imperial studios hummed with the activity of hundreds papermakers, printers and business people of books. Today we can see and enjoy the books and manuscripts illustrated with exquisite miniature paintings of the Mughal Emperors treasured by museums around the world. The Mughal contribution to the Indian literatures is really great.

1. The first aspect that helped the Mughal Empire to succeed was the idea of giving women more rights. As women were given more rights and privileges, the Mughals could take better decisions, establish a better family life, and govern the society more effectively.
2. The second aspect that helped the Mughal Empire to succeed was their system of government. The Mughal Empire was divided in provinces; each province ruled by a landlord, who collected taxes from the people. As the Mughals divided their empire into various provinces, it created a formal division of powers, a hierarchy among offices, and a well-defined administrative system.
3. The third aspect that helped the Mughal Empire to succeed was their consolidation of the empire. As the Mughal Empire covered the subcontinent, it was easier to travel in case of an enemy attack, or provide supplies in case of a flood or famine.

Because of Mughal Empire's consolidated rule, its hierarchy of power, and its tolerance for women, the Mughal Empire was more successful than any other Empire that existed in India.
they made it illegal to practice any religion other than Islam

and they had a very good leader plus they worked toogether and had a very good army. Until the british came
they created strong central governments in the lands they conquered.

The word 'mughal' is derived from the word 'mongol'. The Mughals were the descendants of the Mongols of Mongolia in Central Asia. They used artillery in war.

Babur, the founder of Mughal dynasty, was a direct descendant of Timur through his father, and a descendant also of Genghis Khan through his mother.

the mughal empire was very vast. it replaced the Delhi sultanate in India it was the first mughal rule in India there were great kings like Akbar Jahangir etc. it covered nearly the whole of India