CH 4 THE MUGAL EMPIRE

Shiites gradually became the glue that held Persia together and distinguished it from the Ottoman Empire to its west, which was Sunni, and the Mughal Muslims to the east in India, also Sunni.

Babur had invaded India at the behest of Daulat Khan Lodi and won the kingdom of Delhi by defeating the forces of Ibrahim Khan Lodi at Panipat in 1526 AD. Thus he laid the foundation of the Mughal Empire. Most Mughals contracted marriage alliances with Indian rulers, especially Rajputs.

Babur had invaded India at the behest of Daulat Khan Lodi and won the kingdom of Delhi by defeating the forces of Ibrahim Khan Lodi at Panipat in 1526 AD. Thus he laid the foundation of the Mughal Empire. Most Mughals contracted marriage alliances with Indian rulers, especially Rajputs.

During his rule Aurangzeb expanded the Mughal Empire, conquering much of southern India through long bloody campaigns against non-Muslims. He forcibly converted Hindus to Islam and destroyed Hindu temples.

The eyes sparkled brightly and were “vibrant like the sea in sunshine.” His complexion, sometime, described by the Indian term “wheat-coloured,” was dark rather than fair. His face was clean shaven, except for a small, closely trimmed moustache worn in the fashion adopted by young Turks on the verge of manhood.

Kosala Devi Issue Ajatashatru Dynasty Haryanka (by marriage) Ikshvaku (by birth) Father King Maha-Kosala Religion Buddhism

Bahadur Shah IIThe last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah II, also known as Zafar, died in a British prison in Burma in 1862.

Religious intolerance led to the destruction of Hindu and Sikh temples and schools. These policies created widespread resentment and rebellion against the Mughals, fragmented their kingdom, and greatly weakened their rule.

The first group to invade India were the Aryans, who came out of the north in about 1500 BC. The Aryans brought with them strong cultural traditions that, miraculously, still remain in force today.

Mughal power rapidly dwindled during the 18th century and the last emperor, Bahadur Shah II, was deposed in 1857, with the establishment of the British Raj.