UPSC Prelims 2000 Q36: Medieval History – Mughal Empire
- (a) Akbar at the time of capture of Khandesh in 1601
- (b) Akbar at the time of his death in 1605
- (c) Aurangzeb at the time of capture of Hyderabad
- (d) Aurangzeb at the time of his death in 1707
Answer: (d) Aurangzeb at the time of his death in 1707
Explanation
Reading the Mughal empire map
| Option | Extent of the empire |
|---|---|
| Akbar, capture of Khandesh (1601) | Up to Khandesh, Berar and part of Ahmadnagar — the Deccan south of the Godavari outside |
| Akbar at his death (1605) | About the same: Kabul to Bengal, southern edge at Ahmadnagar |
| Aurangzeb, capture of Hyderabad (1687) | Bijapur and Golconda just taken; the Carnatic not yet held |
| Aurangzeb at his death (1707) | Widest extent — Kabul to Bengal and down into the Carnatic; Maratha pockets on the west coast and the far south outside |
The map in the published copy (getmarks) draws the empire's border round Afghanistan, Kashmir, Bengal and the whole Deccan, reaching down into the Carnatic on the east coast.
Only the far southern tip and shaded pockets along the western coast (the Maratha hill country and Konkan) lie outside it.
That is the empire at its widest, which it reached under Aurangzeb after he took Bijapur (1686), Golconda (1687) and Jinji (1698): the empire at his death in 1707.
Under Akbar, in 1601 or 1605, the southern border ran near Khandesh and Ahmadnagar, so the whole peninsula below the Godavari would be outside.
Our question bank earlier held (a); that has been corrected to (d), which getmarks also gives.
Answer: (d) Aurangzeb at the time of his death in 1707.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. In 1601 Akbar's border stopped at Khandesh and Ahmadnagar; the map shows the whole Deccan inside.
- (b) Incorrect. Akbar's empire in 1605 did not reach south of the Godavari.
- (c) Incorrect. In 1687 the Mughals did not yet hold the Carnatic, which the map includes.
- (d) CORRECT. The map shows the empire at its widest, under Aurangzeb at his death in 1707.
Key point
Akbar: Kabul to Bengal, south to Ahmadnagar. Aurangzeb 1707: nearly all India except the far south and Maratha pockets.
Remember
Largest Mughal extent: Aurangzeb, 1707 (after Bijapur 1686, Golconda 1687, Jinji 1698).
Common mistakes
- Choosing a date with Khandesh in it without checking whether the Deccan is inside the border.
- Forgetting that the empire reached its greatest extent under Aurangzeb, not Akbar.
- Treating the shaded Maratha pockets as Mughal land.
Exam tip
Map questions on empires: look at the southern border first.
Sources
- Satish Chandra — Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals (Har-Anand)
- Irfan Habib — An Atlas of the Mughal Empire (Oxford University Press, 1982)