The Persianate Mughal Empire - Essay Example

Mughal Empire to Indian society The Persianate Mughal Empire extended over large areas of India. In the 16th century,the Muslim ruled Northern India fell to the firepower and mobility of the Mughals. In as much as the Mughals were superior, they did not eliminate local societies under their rule. They pacified and balanced these societies through administrative practices leading to the establishment of a centralized, systematic and uniform rule. Mughals avoided the formation of Islamic identities and tribal bonds. They focused on uniting the far-flung regions through royalty expressed through the Persianized culture (Schimmel and Burzine 19). The Mughal state had an economic policy that ensured taxes were paid using the silver currency and revenues were derived from agriculture. The policies created platforms for artisans and peasants to participate in the large markets. The resultant economic expansion in India during this period can be attributed to the relative peace maintained by the Mughal Empire. Major Contributions of the Mughal Empire to Indian Society and Culture One of the main contributions of the Mughal Empire to the Indian society was its unique architecture. Monuments such as the Taj Mahal were built using Mughal’s architectural styles. In addition to the Taj Mahal, Muslim emperors of the Mughal Dynasty also built tombs, splendid palaces and forts that are still standing in Dhaka, Delhi, Jaipur and Lahore. The remarkable architectural advancements under the Mughal Empire can be attributed to many factors. The Mughal Empire provided a framework on which architects and artists could practice (Schimmel and Burzine 27). The Empire also commanded resources and wealth allocated to architectural projects. The Mughals were patrons of architecture. Their cultural outlook and intellectual caliber was expressed through their refined taste for arts and architecture. The Mughal Empire also influenced the Indian culture through the development of language. Though Persian was the official and dominant language used in the Empire, the language used by elite rulers evolved to Urdu. This was a highly Persianized language that was also influenced by Turkic and Arabic (Schimmel and Burzine 35). The Urdu language had specialized vocabularies and literary convections that were retained from Turkic, Persian and Arabic. Currently, Urdu is a co-official language and national language of India and Pakistan respectively. The Mughal society also influenced the Indian economy. Mughal’s economic policies ensured that India remained economically prosperous during their reign. The Empire focused on infrastructural development and the establishment of a uniform currency in order to facilitate the payment of taxes. The Indian economy also benefited from the unification of the diverse tribes and religions in India. Peasant grown crops and manufactured goods were sold throughout the subcontinent and global markets (Schimmel and Burzine 38). The Mughal Empire also supported industries such as steel and textile. The Mughal Empire helped in the development of the concepts of science and technology in India. In the sphere of astronomy, Mughal astronomers made advances in observational astronomy. Humayun constructed an observatory in Delhi using techniques derived from Islamic traditions. One of the most influential astronomical inventions made by the Mughals in India was the seamless celestial globe (Schimmel and Burzine 54). Indians and Europeans learnt chemistry from the Mughals. For instance, the chemistry of producing shampoos was learnt from Mughals. Factors That Led to the fall of Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire established by Babur was extensive and vast in the early 16th century. In the early 1700s, the empire had shrunk to a small area around Delhi. A number of factors led to the decline of the empire (Agrawal 15). One of the main factors for the decline was the empire’s despotic rule (Agrawal 21). The Mughal Empire used a centralized despotism government that was dependent on the character and personality of the rulers. The empire was successful during a period in which the monarch was seen to exercise control. In the 1700s, the monarch had lost control over the empire, which led to confusion and chaos. The second factor that led to the decline was the degeneration of the Mughal army (Agrawal 23). The composition and origin of the Mughal army was defective. Nobles and high officers recruited military officers. The officers were assigned tracts of land and huge revenues for their maintenance. Military officials did not have any bond or working relations with the emperor. However, they worked closely with the nobles and high officers. The army did not support Mughal emperors during the time when it was considered weak because the nobles were manipulating military officials. During the reign of Shah Jahan, military efficiencies of the army were first noticed. The army was exposed by the failures experienced during the Qandahar campaigns. These inefficiencies were also evident during the Aurangzeb war. The third factor that led to the decline was the lack of laws of succession (Agrawal 25). The Mughal Empire lacked uniform laws of succession. The death of a king would be followed by a war of succession. These fratricidal struggles for the empire negatively influenced the stability of the empire. Instead of serving their administrative purposes, the court and palace became centers of plotting for the throne. The destabilizing effects of these struggles led to the independence of a number of provinces. The independence of these provinces meant that the empire would loss labor and money. The fourth factor that led to the decline was the fall of the nobles (Agrawal 27). During the reign of the early Mughals, nobles were notable during times of peace and war. They performed useful administrative functions and supported the unification of the subcontinent. The decline of the powers of later Mughal rulers led to the decline in the character of the nobles. They entrenched corruption and perjury. They also fought over personal ascendency and rise to the throne. Arrival of British Colonialists in India The British arrival in India changed the history of the subcontinent. The British first arrived in the subcontinent in the early 1600s following the establishment of the East India Company. The company was established to challenge the Dutch monopoly of the spice trade. In 1612, Sir Thomas Roe was instructed by James I to visit Mughal Emperor Nuruddin Jahangir with an aim of drafting a commercial treaty (Cohn 41). East India Company wanted to build a factory in the empire’s territory of Surat. After the company was granted exclusive rights to Surat, it embarked on expanding its trading operations. It increased its power by entering into joint attacks with the Dutch against the Portuguese and Spanish traders (Cohn 45). Later, East India Company began to administer India. However, Indians disliked the policies of the company leading to revolts against the Britons. The revolts led to the collapse of East India Company and the administration of India went to the Queen. After the Queen assumed administration of India, Britain started to annex Indian states. They formed policies and laws to govern these states. Works Cited Agrawal, Ashvini. Studies in Mughal History. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1983. Print. Cohn, Bernard S. Colonialism and Its Forms of Knowledge: The British in India. Princeton, NJ [u.a.: Princeton Univ. Press, 1996. Print. Schimmel, Annemarie. and Burzine K. Waghmar. The Empire of the Great Mughals: History, Art and Culture. Lahore: Sang-E-Meel Pub, 2005. Print. Read More