Latest / Aurangzeb: The Emperor Who Expanded and Broke the Mughal Empire — Fexingo History / Aurangzeb's Deccan Capital: Aurangabad's Rise and Fall
Transcript
- Lucas: So Luna, we've talked a lot about Aurangzeb's campaigns, his policies, his building projects across the empire. But one place that really encapsulates his vision is Aurangabad — the city he founded and made his Deccan capital. Luna: Aurangabad — that's in present-day Maharashtra, right? I know it's famous for the Bibi Ka Maqbara, but I didn't realize he founded it. Lucas: Exactly — it's often called the 'poor man's Taj', but it's much more than that. Before Aurangzeb, the site was just a small village called Khadki. When he was appointed governor of the Deccan in the 1630s, he recognized its strategic value. It was on major trade routes and close to the impregnable Daulatabad fort. Lucas: He built a palace and a garden there, and the settlement grew. By the time he became emperor, it had become a bustling town. In 1653, he officially renamed it Aurangabad — 'the city of Aurangzeb' — and made it the capital of the Deccan provinces. Luna: So it was a deliberate administrative choice, not just a whim. Lucas: Absolutely. The Deccan was a huge, volatile region. Shah Jahan had conquered the Ahmadnagar Sultanate and parts of Bijapur and Golconda, but the Mughals needed a strong base to project power. Aurangabad was perfectly positioned — not too far from the northern heartland, but deep enough in the Deccan to keep an eye on the Marathas and the Deccan sultanates. Lucas: Aurangzeb invested heavily in its infrastructure. He built a massive wall around the city with twelve gates, some of which still stand today — like the Delhi Gate and the Jaipur Gate. The city was divided into wards, each with its own market, mosque, and water supply. Luna: It sounds like a planned city, almost like a Mughal version of a company town. Lucas: In a way, yes. It was designed to project imperial order. The centrepiece was the Bibi Ka Maqbara, built by his son Prince Azam Shah in memory of his mother Dilras Banu Begum. It's a remarkable structure — a marble mausoleum that mirrors the Taj Mahal but on a smaller scale, with stucco work instead of inlay. Lucas: There's a story that Aurangzeb himself didn't want it built because he thought it was wasteful, but he allowed it because it honoured his wife. Whether that's true or not, the Bibi Ka Maqbara is a testament to the cultural synthesis of the Deccan — you see Persian, Indian, and even some European influences in its design. Luna: What was daily life like in Aurangabad under Aurangzeb? Lucas: It was a cosmopolitan city. Merchants from Persia, Central Asia, and the Ottoman Empire traded there. We have records from European travellers like Jean-Baptiste Tavernier and Niccolao Manucci, who visited and described its bustling bazaars, where you could buy everything from diamonds from Golconda to horses from Arabia. Lucas: The city also became a centre of Islamic learning. Aurangzeb founded a madrasa and a library, and scholars from across the Islamic world came to study and debate. The fatawa e alamgiri, the legal code we discussed earlier, was compiled by scholars who were based in Aurangabad and Delhi. Luna: So it wasn't just a military headquarters — it was a cultural and intellectual hub too. Lucas: Definitely. But it was also a place where the tensions of the empire played out. The city's population included a large number of Deccani Muslims, Hindus, Jains, and even Christians. Aurangzeb's religious policies, like the reimposition of jizya, caused friction. There were protests and even riots in the city over tax collection. Lucas: And then there were the Marathas. Even as Aurangzeb made Aurangabad his base, the Maratha guerrilla campaigns under Shivaji and later his successors kept the region in a state of war. The city was attacked several times, and its walls were tested. Luna: I can imagine — it must have been a city on edge, with the emperor living there but the countryside in rebellion. Lucas: Exactly. After Aurangzeb's death in 1707, the Marathas eventually overran the Deccan. Aurangabad declined rapidly. The Mughal governors couldn't hold it, and by the mid-18th century, the city fell to the Marathas. The Nizam of Hyderabad later took control, but it never regained its former glory. Luna: It's almost a metaphor for the empire itself — a great capital built by an ambitious emperor, only to crumble after his death. Lucas: Right. And yet, the city survives today as a major city in Maharashtra, with a population of over a million. The Bibi Ka Maqbara is a major tourist attraction, and the old city still has its Mughal-era gates and mosques. It's a living reminder of Aurangzeb's Deccan project. Lucas: Speaking of which — if you've been enjoying these deep dives into South Asian history, we'd like to mention something. This show is part of Fexingo History, and we're entirely listener-supported. We don't run ads, and that's only possible because of people like you who chip in. Luna: Yeah, it really helps us keep the research thorough and the episodes ad-free. If you'd like to support us, you can do so at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Every little bit goes a long way. Lucas: So — back to Aurangabad. One fascinating detail is how Aurangzeb used the city to project his authority even after his death. He chose to be buried in a simple, open-air grave in Khuldabad, near Aurangabad, rather than in a grand mausoleum. That says a lot about his personal piety and his rejection of ostentation. Luna: It's interesting — he built a capital to project power, but his own grave is almost the opposite. Lucas: Exactly. It's a paradox that runs through his whole reign. Aurangabad was his attempt to create a lasting Mughal presence in the Deccan, but the empire's overreach and his own policies made it unsustainable. Still, for a brief moment, it was the centre of the most powerful empire in India.