Latest / Aurangzeb: The Emperor Who Expanded and Broke the Mughal Empire — Fexingo History / Aurangzeb's Siege of Chittorgarh: When Faith and Empire Collided
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- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about Aurangzeb's wars in the Deccan, his battles against the Marathas, his policies toward the Sikhs and Rajputs. But one event that really set the tone for his reign happened before he even became emperor — the siege of Chittorgarh in 1657. Luna: Chittorgarh — that's the massive Rajput fortress in Mewar, right? Lucas: Exactly. It's one of the largest forts in India, perched on a hilltop, with walls that stretch for miles. By the 17th century, it had become a symbol of Rajput resistance. The Sisodia clan had held it for centuries, and it had been besieged before — famously by Akbar in 1567, when the Rajputs performed jauhar, the mass self-immolation of women to avoid capture. Luna: So when Aurangzeb attacked, there was already a powerful history attached to that place. Lucas: Exactly. And Aurangzeb wasn't even the emperor yet. He was a prince, sent by his father Shah Jahan to deal with a rebellion in the Deccan, but on the way, he decided to lay siege to Chittorgarh. Officially, it was because the Rajputs had been harassing Mughal supply lines. But really, it was about proving himself. His brother Dara Shikoh was the favorite to inherit the throne, and Aurangzeb needed a military victory to bolster his reputation. Luna: So it was as much about politics as it was about military strategy. Lucas: Absolutely. The siege lasted about three months. Aurangzeb's forces bombarded the fort with artillery, but the Rajputs held out. The defenders were led by a commander named Shyam Singh Rathore, who had only a few thousand men against Aurangzeb's army of perhaps 50,000. But the fort's defenses were formidable — seven gates, massive walls, and a series of reservoirs that gave them water. Luna: How did he finally take it? Lucas: He mined the walls. Mughal sappers dug tunnels under the bastions and set off gunpowder charges. The first attempt failed, but the second breach allowed his troops to pour in. When the Rajputs realized they couldn't hold, they performed jauhar again — the women threw themselves into a fire, and the men charged out in a final, suicidal attack. According to the maasir i alamgiri, Aurangzeb's chronicle, the Rajputs fought with incredible ferocity, but they were overwhelmed. Luna: And then what did Aurangzeb do? Lucas: He ordered a general massacre of the surviving defenders. He also destroyed several Hindu temples inside the fort, including one dedicated to the goddess Kali. This was a pattern he would repeat later in his reign — temple destruction as both a religious statement and a political message. But what's interesting is that even then, his actions were controversial. Some Mughal nobles advised him to show mercy, arguing that crushing the Rajputs so brutally would make future conquests harder. Aurangzeb ignored them. Luna: It sounds like this siege set the tone for his later campaigns. Lucas: It really did. Chittorgarh was a template for how Aurangzeb would wage war in the Deccan — overwhelming force, siegecraft, and no quarter given. But it also revealed a flaw: by destroying temples and alienating the Rajputs, he was eroding the alliances that had held the Mughal Empire together under Akbar. Akbar had married a Rajput princess and given Rajputs high positions. Aurangzeb's approach was more rigid. Luna: If today was actually useful to you, the way these stay ad-free is listener support — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Lucas: Yeah, it's a small thing that keeps this show going episode after episode. Luna: Anyway, so Chittorgarh was a turning point for Aurangzeb personally. Lucas: It was. The siege happened in early 1657, and by September of that year, Shah Jahan fell ill, setting off the war of succession. Aurangzeb's victory at Chittorgarh gave him a reputation as a capable commander, but it also alienated many Rajput allies. When he later became emperor, the Rajputs of Mewar remained hostile, and he spent years trying to suppress them. The siege also set a precedent for his treatment of non-Muslims — a policy that would ultimately weaken the empire. Luna: So would you say that Chittorgarh was a strategic success but a political failure? Lucas: That's a good way to put it. Militarily, it was a textbook siege — mines, artillery, overwhelming force. But politically, it created a blood feud that lasted decades. The Rajputs didn't forget. When Aurangzeb's empire started cracking under the pressure of the Maratha wars, the Rajputs were among the first to break away. In the long run, Chittorgarh was a pyrrhic victory. It showed that Aurangzeb could take any fort, but it also showed that he didn't understand how to keep an empire together. Luna: And there's a personal dimension too — he was still a prince, trying to prove himself to his father. Lucas: Yes. Shah Jahan was still alive, and Aurangzeb was very conscious of his image. The maasir i alamgiri records that after the victory, Aurangzeb sent the heads of Rajput commanders to the imperial court in Agra — a grisly trophy. He also sent a report exaggerating the number of enemies killed. It was typical Mughal propaganda, but it worked. Shah Jahan was impressed, though he also expressed concern about the destruction of temples. Aurangzeb's response was that he was merely following Islamic law. Luna: So even at this early stage, he was already justifying his actions in religious terms. Lucas: Exactly. And that becomes a dominant theme of his reign. The fatawa e alamgiri — his legal code — would later codify this approach. But at Chittorgarh, it was still personal. He wanted to show that he was more pious and more decisive than Dara Shikoh, who was known for his intellectual and syncretic tendencies. The siege was a statement: I am the warrior prince, the defender of Islam. Luna: It's fascinating how one event can foreshadow so much. Lucas: Absolutely. And Chittorgarh also reveals something about Aurangzeb's character. He was willing to do whatever it took to win, even if it meant sacrificing long-term stability for short-term gain. That pattern — total war, no compromise — would play out again and again in the Deccan, until the empire was exhausted. By the time he died in 1707, the Mughal treasury was empty, the countryside was devastated, and the Rajputs were among the first to reassert their independence. Luna: So in a way, Chittorgarh was the beginning of the end. Lucas: It was a symptom of the disease that would eventually kill the Mughal Empire. Aurangzeb was a brilliant general, but he was a terrible statesman. He conquered more territory than any Mughal emperor before him, but he couldn't hold it. And the seeds of that failure were sown on the bloody slopes of Chittorgarh.