Introduction
- India had been invaded from the west/north-west several times over the centuries, beginning with Alexander.
- Various parts of north India had been ruled by foreigners like the Indo-Greeks, Sakas, Kushans and Afghans.
- The Mughals, descended from the Mongol Chengiz Khan and the Turk Timur, founded an empire in India which lasted for more than three centuries.
- But we remember them not as rulers of foreign origin, but as an indigenous, Indian dynasty.
- Babur was the founder of the Mughal empire which was established in 1526 after Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi in the battle of Panipat.
- Thus a new epoch and a new empire in India began, lasting for nearly three centuries beginning from 1526 to 1857.
- Six major rulers of this dynasty, Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb, known as the “Great Mughals”, left their mark on Indian history.
- The empire declined after the death of Aurangzeb in 1707.
- The empire formally ended a century and a half later, when power passed to the British crown after the great revolt of 1857.
- At the height of its power the Mughal empire stretched from Afghanistan to Bengal and from Kashmir down to the Tamil region in the south.
- Mughal rule created a uniform, centralized administration over the entire country.
- The Mughals, especially Akbar, created a polity integrating Hindus and Muslims into a unified nation, forging a composite national identity.
- In addition, the Mughals left behind a heritage of great architecture, literature and art which has enriched India.