Rajput–Mughal relations

In 1527, a Rajput confederacy under Rana Sanga fought Babur at Khanwa for control of north India — and lost. Less than a century later, Rajput princes were among the Mughal empire's most powerful generals and governors, commanding armies from Kabul to Bengal. How did enemies become partners? And why did the partnership fray under Aurangzeb? The story of Rajput–Mughal relations is one of the central themes of Rajasthan's history.

Phase 1: Confrontation (Babur and Humayun)

• Khanwa (1527) — Babur defeated Rana Sanga's confederacy, establishing Mughal power in north India.
• Under Humayun, the Mughals were driven out of India by Sher Shah Suri, who himself fought the Rathores at Giri-Sumel (1544).

At this stage, relations were largely hostile or transactional.

Phase 2: Akbar's Rajput policy

Akbar transformed the relationship. His approach combined force, diplomacy and partnership.

The key events

The elements of the policy

1. Alliance and marriage — Rajput princesses married Mughal emperors and princes; the alliances linked families and interests.
2. High office — Rajput rulers received high mansabs (ranks) and command of armies; Man Singh of Amber became one of the empire's greatest generals.
3. Watan jagir — Rajput rulers kept their ancestral lands as hereditary watan jagirs, unlike ordinary mansabdars whose jagirs were transferred.
4. Autonomy — internal administration, customs and religion of Rajput states were largely left alone.
5. Religious tolerance — Akbar abolished the pilgrim tax (1563) and the jizya (1564), policies that made alliance easier.
6. Force where needed — Chittor and Ranthambore showed that resistance would be met with overwhelming power.

The exception: Mewar

Mewar refused to accept Mughal suzerainty under Udai Singh and Maharana Pratap. The struggle continued under Pratap's son Amar Singh until 1615, when a treaty with Jahangir (negotiated through Prince Khurram, later Shah Jahan) ended the conflict on honourable terms:

• the Maharana would not have to attend the Mughal court in person;
• his heir would serve the emperor instead;
• Chittor was returned but was not to be refortified.

Phase 3: Jahangir and Shah Jahan

The partnership continued. Rajput generals served across the empire, and marriage and office links deepened. There were frictions — for example, over Chittor's walls — but no fundamental break.

Phase 4: Strain under Aurangzeb

Relations deteriorated sharply in Aurangzeb's reign:

Mewar made peace in 1681, but the Rathore struggle lasted until after Aurangzeb's death in 1707.

Historians debate the causes. Some emphasise Aurangzeb's religious policies; others stress political motives — his attempt to control succession in Marwar, pressure on the jagir system, and the empire's growing strains.

Phase 5: Decline and new challenges

After 1707, the Mughal empire weakened rapidly. Rajput states regained autonomy but faced new pressures — especially Maratha raids and demands for tribute. In 1734, Rajput rulers met at Hurda (near Bhilwara) to plan joint resistance to the Marathas, but rivalries prevented effective unity. By the early nineteenth century, most Rajput states turned to the British for protection (see our post on the princely states and the British).

Assessment

The relationship also produced a remarkable cultural synthesis: Rajput palaces adopted Mughal features, Rajput painting absorbed Mughal techniques, and Mughal courts absorbed Rajput music and customs.

Practice

Prelims-style:

1. Which Rajput ruler first allied with Akbar?
2. Where was the durbar of 1570 held, and which rulers attended?
3. Who surrendered Ranthambore to Akbar in 1569?
4. When did Mewar sign a treaty with the Mughals?
5. Where did Rajput rulers meet in 1734 to plan resistance to the Marathas?

Mains-style (50 words): What was a watan jagir?

Mains-style (100 words): Examine the main features of Akbar's Rajput policy and its consequences.