Home > Indian History > History of India > Conquest of Golconda by Aurangzeb
Conquest of Golconda by Aurangzeb
Conquest of Golconda by Aurangzeb was an impressive achievement of the emperor. Golconda had for long been coveted by the Mughal, and it was finally under the able leadership of Aurangzeb that it was finally annexed to the Mughal Empire.

Share this Article:

GolcondaConquest of Golconda by Aurangzeb was one of the greatest achievements of the Emperor. This rich kingdom, which controlled the famous diamond mines of the Carnatic, had long been coveted by the Mughals. Shah Jahan had invaded it in 1635. He adopted a religious pretext to justify his action. He posed as the `Champion of the True Faith` and warned Qutb Malik, the Sultan of Golconda, that he was ordained by God, not just as the leader of the Sunnis, but to be the destroyer of those who did not conform to His idea of Islam. Shah Jahan then ordered him to establish Sunni practices in his kingdom if he wanted to protect himself from being invaded. The ensuing negotiations led to a compromise- the Sultan would pay tribute to the Emperor and the Emperor would withdraw his troops. In fact, the Mughal army was under pressure to forego its intention of conquest, being harrassed by the Maratha tribes.

In 1655, Mir Jumla, an ambitious Persian from Ardistan, who had visited Aurangzeb`s court a few times, became the means by which to capture Golconda. He had come to India in the retinue of a horse trader, and went on to become a prosperous merchant, made a lot of money, and owned several armed ships. His magnificent style of living and sharpness brought him several contacts at the court of Golconda. He started passing himself off as a Sayyed a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, and slowly sought to gain the favour of the Sultan, Abdullah Shah Qutb, on whom he lavished presents of beautiful elephants, textiles from China and Europe, etc. The Sultan was impressed by his wealth, and courtiers spoke highly of him, so he condescended to accept the presents, and thus the Persian slipper-merchant established himself at court. He attended promptly to any task the Sultan gave him, and won his favour so that finally the Sultan made him Governor of Karnatic.Abdullah Shah Qutb In this position he built up a fabulous fortune by collecting diamonds from the mines and pillaging gems from the idols in Hindu temples. He built up his own personal army with artillery, and hired elite European cannoneers. Even the Sultan began to feel envious and suspicious of his powerful Governor. A situation of conflict and tension arose between the Sultan and Mir Jumla and Muhammed Amin, his son, was arrested.

In his attempt to free him Mir Jumla sought allies against the Sultan. Aurangzeb`s capital was only a fifteen-day journey away, so he went to him. Aurangzeb welcomed Mir Jumla and the two men became personal friends. The prince gave him forty thousand cavalry and led the attack himself. When the troops advanced, the frightened Sultan fled, abandoning his palace and treasure, part of which was buried in the tombs of his ancestors, but Aurangzeb was not able to appropriate his because of subsequent developments.

Aurangzeb behaved considerately towards the women of the harem, freeing them and allowing them to rejoin their husband if they so wished. Mir Jumla retrieved his son, and then the three of them began the pursuit of Abdullah Shah Qutb. However, Shah Jahan intervened in Shah Qutb`s favour and ordered Aurangzeb to return to Aurangabad. The only condition imposed on the Sultan was that he should pay for the cost of the expedition. Aurangzeb recognized that Dara Shikoh, his younger brother, was the mind behind this move of the Emperor that foiled his victory before it was complete. To offset the damage, he sent a marriage proposal for the daughter of the Sultan to be wed to his son Muazzam, which the now yielding Sultan readily accepted. By this move, Aurangzeb hoped that by this match his son would succeed to the kingdom of Golconda, thus his heir would inherit this rich stronghold in the Deccan, not be subject to Shah Jahan`s whims, and be independent when Dara Shikoh eventually became the emperor, as seemed most likely.

Later, Shah Qutb died without a male issue and the nobles put up a scion of the noble family, Abul Hasan, to the throne. He however was an incompetent ruler not too interested in the matters of administration. At this point in time Aurangzeb ordered his son Muazzam to invade Golconda with a view to annexing it to the Mughal Empire. There was no scope for compromise anymore especially as Golconda was a Shia ruling state. When the battle broke out, the Sultan`s arny was defeated as not only was it small in size but Aurangzeb had bribed the commander of the army to join the Mughal Army at Hyderabad. The Sultan fled the fort of Hyderabad without fight and fled to Golconda. The Mughal Army captured Hyderabad and swiftly moved to Golconda. The Sultan made a last bid to make peace with the Mughals and a temporary settlement was made by Prince Muazzam. However, when Aurangzeb returned he attacked the fort of Golconda against the terms of the treaty and after almost eight months it fell to the Mughals in 1687 AD. Sultan Abul Hasan was imprisoned in the Daulatabad Fort and was given a pension for his life. Golconda was annexed to the Mughal Empire. All the wealth of the Golconda dynasty including seven crores of rupees in cash, heaps of jewellery and gold and silver ornaments and other extremely valuable items were seized and acquired by Aurangzeb.


Share this Article:

Subscribe to Newsletter
Learn unknown facts about India from a curated list of informative articles.

Related Articles

More Articles in History of India

History of Indian Drama
History of Indian Drama is rich with Vedas and Indian epics and has gradually changed with time and remains unaffected by any foreign influence.
History of Khajuraho Temple
Located in the Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh, Khajuraho is country’s most magnificent groups of temples.
History of Ayurveda
History of Ayurveda dates back to 5,000 years old and is widely considered to be the oldest form of health care in the world.
History of Uttar Pradesh
The state was the heart of Mahabharata war and the history of Uttar Pradesh is very much the history of India. The place finds its mentions in Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata.
History of Indian Photography
An overview of the development of photography, through the various stages in India.
History of Delhi
History of Delhi began with the advent of Indian regal dynasties. Delhi witnessed the rise and fall of Hindu dynasties, Muslims and the British as well.
History of Indian Radio
History of Indian Radio dates back to late 1930s with the first establishment of All India Radio in 1936 that improved further after independence.
History of Punjab
History of Punjab dates back to the 16th century; however its formation is traced in the great epic Mahabharata.
History Of Archaeology In India
History of archaeology in India contributes a lot to define the past history and the social life of India.
History of Maharashtra
Maharashtra, the land of charismatic Marathas, unfolds the legend of diverse culture and tradition, keeping in pace with the modernity. The gallant history of Maharashtra is still echoed amidst its historical relics and archeological wonders.
History of Kerala
History of Kerala can be interpreted from the inscriptions of Ashoka, Mauryan Emperor. History of Kerala is as interesting as its wide-ranging geographical features that make the land a place of versatile appeal.
History of Bihar
History of Bihar goes back to the very dawn of the human civilizations. Many eminent personalities and leaders from Bihar contributed for India’s freedom struggle.
History of Assam
In the ancient Indian epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata, Assam was known as `Kamarupa` or `Pragjyotish`. In the Mahabharata, the Puranas, the Tantras there are references of Assam as Kamrupa kingdom.
History of Andaman and Nicobar Islands
History of Andaman and Nicobar Islands dates back to the settlement of the East India Company in the territory of the Islands.
History of West Bengal
History of West Bengal is rooted in richness and is an important episode in the history of India. The history of Bengal played an important role in shaping the history of India.
History of Jharkhand
One of the fairly newer states, Jharkhand was carved out of the southern portion of Bihar in 2000. The history of Jharkhand is seeped with a variety of cultural significances starting from the Vedic era to Mughal period and finally the British administration.
History of Sikkim
History of Sikkim declares the pre historic culture and the colonial era hilly politics and the rules of Sikkim.
History of Nagaland
The history of Nagaland mainly revolves around and deals with the customs and economic activities of the Naga Tribes and how the state has evolved since the Indian Independence.
History of Mizoram
History of Mizoram includes the various historical events and incidents which occurred during the various ages, right from before the age of the Mughals.
History of Jammu & Kashmir
History of Jammu and Kashmir involves a series of political and geographical transformations from every ancient era to the modern times also. Even now, Jammu and Kashmir has its political tension between Pakistan and India.
History of Puducherry
Puducherry was invaded by different invaders in different times. The invaders include Pallava Kingdom of Kanchipuram, dynasties of the South, Cholas of Thanjavur, Pandyas and Muslim invaders.
History of Chandigarh
In 1947, the British India was partitioned into India and Pakistan. Punjab was also included in this partition. So, there was a need for a new capital for Punjab, as the old capital Lahore became part of Pakistan during the partition. So, in 1948, under the leadership of chief architect Mr. P.L. Verma the construction of Chandigarh city began.
History of Daman and Diu
During the early stage, i.e. from 8th to 13th century, Daman and Diu was part of Goa.
History of Lakshadweep
History of Lakshadweep defines the first settlement on these islands under the Union Territory of India that was ruled by Cheraman Perumal, who was the last king of Kerala.
History of Karnataka
History of Karnataka comprised of the different rulers of different dynasties of various religions like Hindus, Buddhists, and later the Muslims.
History of Goa
History of Goa dates back to the 3rd century BC and reflects the rule of the mighty rulers and gained its independence under Jawaharlal Nehru.
History of Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh possesses a rich historical heritage of culture of the ancient tribes. Being a bordering state of India, Arunachal Pradesh also has a history of military unrest since ancient Indian age.
History of Andhra Pradesh
History of Andhra Pradesh traces its origin back to the 5th century BC. According to the inscriptions, Kuberaka, the oldest Kingdom in South India had an empire in the coastal Andhra during that period.
History of Himachal Pradesh
History of Himachal Pradesh narrates about the various settlements and dynasties that emerged in the region over time.
History of Uttarakhand
History of Uttarakhand finds mention in the early Hindu scriptures as Kedarkhand, Manaskhand and Himavat. Uttarakhand is called as the Land of the Gods (Dev Bhoomi) because of its various holy places and shrines.
History of Rajasthan
The history of Rajasthan is dotted with tales of valor, chivalry, camaraderie and romance.
History of Tamil Nadu
History of Tamil Nadu reveals that this ancient place in South India was ruled by various kingdoms like the Pandyas Dynasty, Cholas Dynasty, Nayakas Dynasty and Pallavas Dynasty.
History of Haryana
History of Haryana depicts various events and influences that have cast a profound effect on the culture and people of the district. The place gained statehood on 1st of November 1966
History of Odisha
History of Odisha goes back a rather long way. Most of the history of the state is replete with the dynastic as well as tribal struggle for territorial superiority. Odisha is a place where one can find the religion, culture and history flow in away that lead to cultural amalgamation of early India.
History of Manipur
History of Manipur can be traced back to the prehistoric ages and this was followed by a number of rulers who reigned the land from age to age till it came under British rule and later joined the union of India.
History of Gujarat
History of Gujarat can be dated back to the 14th century that later witnessed the supremacy of many powerful dynasties.
History of Tripura
History of Tripura is dealing with the early mythological history and the history of British rule in North eastern part of India.
History of Meghalaya
The history of Meghalaya predominantly comprises of the three tribes of the state- Garo, Khasi and Jaintia tribes. Later on Meghalaya was formed by carving out two districts from the state of Assam.
History of Chhattisgarh
History of Chhattisgarh dates back to the era of epics and traces through the reign of powerful dynasties in India like Marathas. The area developed a rich cultural heritage during British era.