RESEARCH
friendship were made
to Shivaji and the
treaty of Purandhar
signed. A powerful
section of Mughal
courtiers consisting
of Diler Khan, Jaswant
Singh and Jahanara,
did not approve of
the policy, however.
These
courtiers
refused to ally with a
petty zamindar and
raider, and put an end
to Jai Singh›s efforts
to secure the support
of
the
Marathas.
The absence of an
alternative strategy
towards either the
Marathas
of
the
Deccan states, led
the
Mughals
to
waste a decade from
1666 to 1676 AD in
half-hearted attacks
against Shivaji and in
encouraging intrigues
at the Bijapur court.
Securing
Bijapur›s
support
to
help
defeat Shivaji, was
the third alternative
left to the Mughals.
Yet there were no
concrete efforts made
to achieve this aim.
to the Hindu powers.
Clearly Aurangzeb’s
Deccan policy was
misguided
as
it
was based more
on
his
religious
policies, rather than
emphasizing more on
diplomatic political
The
third
factor
policies as Akbar
in
influencing
did. His erroneous
Aurangzeb›s Deccan
judgment of Shivaji
policy
was
the
was another factor to
meteoric rise of the
add on (Aurangzeb
Marathas under the
himself
admitted
dynamic leadership
it during his last
of Shivaji in the
days.) which was
seventeenth century.
compounded
by
The Maratha-Mughal
annexation of Bijapur
contest lasted nearly
and
Golconda.
a quarter of a century,
Moreover beheading
and ended in disaster
of
Maratha
King
and
humiliating
Shambaji,
made
defeat
for
the
Marathas rise under
Mughals.
his son and showed
Aurangzeb’s
Sunni unusual
valor.
bigotry made him The Deccan ulcer
as hostile to the Shia ultimately
ruined
states of Bijapur and Aurangzeb.
Golkonda as he was
-Sga Thomas.
37