Mughal Empire Notes for UPPCS & UPSC 2026 | Medieval Indian History

Mughal Dynasty Timeline

Ruler	Period	Key Fact
1. Babur	1526-1530	Founder, First Battle of Panipat
2. Humayun	1530-1540, 1555-1556	Defeated by Sher Shah, exile
Sher Shah Suri (Sur Dynasty)	1540-1545	Interregnum
3. Akbar	1556-1605	Greatest! Din-i-Ilahi, Mansabdari
4. Jahangir	1605-1627	Nur Jahan, William Hawkins, Sir Thomas Roe
5. Shah Jahan	1628-1658	Taj Mahal, Red Fort, Golden Age of Architecture
6. Aurangzeb	1658-1707	Longest reign, reimposed Jizya, empire declined

1. Babur (1526-1530) - The Founder

🎯 Major Battles

Battle	Year	Against	Result
1st Panipat	21 Apr 1526	Ibrahim Lodi	Won! Founded Mughal Empire PYQ!
Khanwa	17 Mar 1527	Rana Sanga (Mewar)	Won!
Chanderi	1528	Medini Rai	Won!
Ghaghra	1529	Afghans	Won! Consolidated empire

                Autobiography: "Tuzuk-i-Babri" (Baburnama) written in Turkish PYQ!

                Tomb: Kabul, Afghanistan

2. Humayun (1530-1556) & Sher Shah Suri

⚔️ Humayun's 4 Major Battles (Chronological)

Daurah/Devara (1531) - Won vs Afghan rebels
Chausa (26 Jun 1539) - Lost vs Sher Shah (water carrier Nizam saved him)
Kannauj/Bilgram (17 May 1540) - Lost vs Sher Shah, fled to Persia
Sirhind (22 Jun 1555) - Won! Recaptured Delhi

                Tomb: Delhi (built by wife Haji Begum, 1569-70)

                • First dome mausoleum with white marble PYQ!

                • Architect: Mirak Mirza Ghiyath (Persian)

👑 Sher Shah Suri (1540-1545) - The Great Administrator

Original name: Farid Khan (educated at Jaunpur)
Revenue System: Patta (document given to peasant) & Qabuliyat (acceptance) PYQ Hit!
Grand Trunk Road (Sadak-e-Azam): Bengal to Peshawar
Currency: Pure silver Rupiya (178 grains), copper Daam (380 grains)
Exchange rate: 1 Rupee = 64 Daam PYQ!
Buildings: Purana Qila (Delhi), Qila-i-Kuhna Mosque
Death: Kalinjar Fort (1545) - gunpowder explosion
Tomb: Sasaram, Bihar (middle of square tank)

3. Akbar (1556-1605) - The Greatest Mughal

👶 Early Life

Born: 15 Oct 1542, Amarkot (Sindh) in Raja Virsaal's palace
Coronation: Kalanaur (14 Feb 1556, age 13) PYQ!
Guardian: Bairam Khan (given title "Khan-e-Khana")

⚔️ Military Campaigns

Battle of Haldighati (18 Jun 1576): vs Maharana Pratap
• Akbar's commander: Man Singh
• Pratap's commander: Hakim Khan Sur
• Pratap defeated, took refuge in Aravali
Gujarat: Annexed 1572-73
Bengal & Bihar: Merged 1576
Gondwana: Defeated Queen Durgavati (1564, committed suicide)

💑 Rajput Policy

First matrimonial alliance: Kachhwaha Rajputs
• Married Harkhabai/Jodha (daughter of Raja Bharmal of Amber, 1562)
• Son: Salim (later Jahangir), born 30 Aug 1569
Mewar - only Rajput state that didn't accept willingly PYQ!

🎭 Administrative Reforms

                1. Mansabdari System (1574-75) Super PYQ!

                • Borrowed from Mongolia (Genghis Khan)

                • Decimal system based on rank

                • 3 classes: 10-500, 500-2500 (Amir), 2500+ (Amir-i-Azam)

                • 10 cavalrymen = 20 horses maintained

                • Dagh (branding horses) started 1573

                2. Revenue System - Zabti/Ain-i-Dahsala (1580) PYQ!

                • Also called "Todarmal Bandobast"

                • Raja Todarmal (Finance Minister) + Khwaja Shah Mansoor

                • Average of 10 years (1571-1580) calculated

                • 1/3rd = State share, 2/3rd = Cultivator

🕌 Religious Policy

Abolished: Jizya (1564), Pilgrimage tax (1563), Slavery (1562)
Ibadat Khana (1575) - for religious discussions at Fatehpur Sikri
• Opened to all religions (1578)
Mahzarnama (1579) - "Infallibility Decree"
• Title: Sultan-i-Adil
Din-i-Ilahi (1582) - syncretic religion
• Only Birbal accepted among Hindus PYQ!
Sulh-i-Kul - policy of universal peace

🏛️ Architecture

Fatehpur Sikri (36 km from Agra, 1568-69)
• Jodha Bai Mahal, Panch Mahal (Buddhist monastery style!) PYQ!
• Diwan-i-Aam, Diwan-i-Khas, Birbal ki Kothi
Buland Darwaza - victory tower for Gujarat conquest (1572-73) PYQ!
Agra Fort, Allahabad Fort, Lahore Fort
Tomb: Sikandara (near Agra) - Domeless square apex! PYQ!

📚 Literature & Culture

Translations:
• Mahabharata → "Razmnama" (Persian) by Faizi, Badauni, Abul Fazl
• Ramayana → Persian by Abdul Qadir Badauni
Famous painters: Daswant, Basawan, Daswan
Jain scholars: Hari Vijay Suri ("Jagadguru"), Jin Chandra Suri ("Yug Pradhan")
First English visitor: Ralph Fitch (1583-86)
Contemporary: Queen Elizabeth I of England
• East India Company formed 1600

4. Jahangir (1605-1627) - "World Seizer"

Born: 30 Aug 1569 (son of Akbar & Harkhabai)
Original name: Salim
Title: Nuruddin Muhammad Jahangir Badshah Ghazi
Nur Jahan: Most powerful wife
• Nur Jahan Junta: Herself, Asmat Begum (mother), Itimad-ud-Daula (father Mirza Ghiyas Beg), Asaf Khan (brother), Prince Khurram
New System: Do-aspa (2x horses), Sih-aspa (3x horses) for Mansabdars
Treaty of Chittor (1615): Rana Amar Singh accepted Mughal supremacy
English visitors:
• William Hawkins (1608-11) - First English visitor, title "English Khan"
• Sir Thomas Roe (1615-18) - Ambassador of King James I
Tomb: Shahdara (Lahore)

5. Shah Jahan (1628-1658) - "King of the World"

🏛️ Architecture (Golden Age!)

Taj Mahal (Agra, 1632-1653) - for wife Mumtaz Mahal
• Symbol of love
• White marble from Makrana (Rajasthan)
Red Fort (Delhi, 1648) PYQ!
Jama Masjid (Delhi)
Peacock Throne (Takht-i-Taus)
Tomb: Agra (next to Mumtaz in Taj Mahal)

6. Aurangzeb (1658-1707) - "Alamgir"

Longest Mughal reign: 49 years
Battle of Samugarh (1658): Defeated brothers Dara Shukoh & Murad
Imprisoned father: Shah Jahan in Agra Fort
Religious policy:
• Re-imposed Jizya (1679) PYQ!
• Destroyed many temples
• Compiled "Fatawa-i-Alamgiri" (Islamic law)
Conflicts: Marathas (Shivaji), Rajputs, Sikhs (executed Guru Tegh Bahadur)
Death: 1707 at Ahmednagar
• Empire began declining after his death

🎯 PYQ Sniper Shots

Q: Where was Akbar coronated?
A: Kalanaur (14 Feb 1556, age 13).

Q: Humayun's 4 battles in chronological order?
A: Daurah → Chausa → Kannauj → Sirhind.

Q: Who introduced Patta & Qabuliyat?
A: Sher Shah Suri.

Q: Sher Shah's silver Rupee weight?
A: 178 grains. Exchange: 1 Rupee = 64 Daam.

Q: Mansabdari system borrowed from?
A: Mongolia (Genghis Khan).

Q: Ain-i-Dahsala also called?
A: Todarmal Bandobast.

Q: Only Hindu to accept Din-i-Ilahi?
A: Birbal.

Q: Panch Mahal built on pattern of?
A: Buddhist monastery.

Q: Mahabharata's Persian translation name?
A: "Razmnama" (by Faizi).

Q: Akbar's tomb location?
A: Sikandara (domeless square apex).

Q: Red Fort built by?
A: Shah Jahan (1648).