The given factors played a significant role in the decline and downfall of the Mughal Empire, which are as explained as follows:
(a) Aurangzeb’ Policies: Aurangzeb was an orthodox Sunni . His personal life and austerity won him the support of the clergy who called him a Zinda Pir, a Living Saint. In 1669, the Emperor forbade the building of new temples and permitted the destruction of a few existing temples as well. The temples at Mathura and Varanasi became special targets of *. He reimposed the old Jiziya on Hindus. This naturally cost him the sympathy and support of the Hindus, particularly, the Rajputs who had been the pillars of the Mughal Empire.
(b) Incompetence of the Later Mughals: The later Mughals were incompetent and did not have the skills that were needed to keep the system in working order. They let the affairs drift in their own way. R.C. Majumdar writes, “Province after province the Deccan, Oudth and Bengal slipped out of imperial control.” The Marathas, the Jats and Sikhs had also become very’ powerful by now. And in 1739, Nadir Shah, returned home laden with immense treasure including the famous Peacock Throne and the Kohinoor The invasion left the empire “bleeding and prostrate.” The last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah II was a symbolic head of the Great Uprising of 1857. He was imprisoned and banished to Rangoon, where he **** in 1862.
(c) Foreign Invasions: In 1739, the Emperor of Delhi was literally at the mercy of Nadir Shah. The already Shrunk Mughal empire was left exposed to further invasions. Ahmad Shah Abdali led a number of expeditions and in 1757, he advanced into India as far as Delhi. In 1759, he finally conquered the Punjab. Since Marathas had also become strong contenders for supremacy in northern India, a contest between Ahmad Shah Abdali and the Marathas was inevitable. Ahmad Shah defeated the Maratha army at the Battle of Panipat in 1761. This defeat not only checked the growing power of the Marathas, it also hastened the process of the disintegration of the Mughal empire. It indirectly contributed to the rise of the Sikh-power in Punjab and the north-west and the spread of British influence in the rest of the subcontinent.
