Aurangzeb ruled India for 49 years. On his death 1707 he left behind one of the greatest empires in World history. It's a pity that this vast empire disintegrated within 30 years of his death. as no one of any calibre was  available who could hold such a massive empire.

Aurangzeb built up a massive army.It should not be confused that Aurangzeb's army was a Muslim force. In reality it was a heterogeneous force and consisted of Rajputs, Jats, Hindus, Afghans, Turks and had a string of Hindu generals. His most famous general was a Hindu named Raja Jai Singh. He was the man who defeated Shivaji and forced him to attend the Imperial Durbar at Agra.

Aurangzeb himself was a good strategist and an able commander. He followed the principles of war and used his military knowledge to good effect. His campaign against the ruler of Golconda brings out his positive qualities as a commander. Golconda in the 17th  century was ruled by a descendent of the slave dynasty of Delhi.At that time the ruler was Abul Hasan Qutb Shah. Golconda  was a rich state and home to the famous diamond mines of that region.The ruler had built an impregnable fort which could even withstand a charge by elephants.

Aurangzeb set out to conquer Golconda in 1687. He had a force of 100,000 foot soldiers and 50,000 cavalry along with 240 Cannons.  He was aware that the fort could not be easily captured and he decided to lay siege to the fort. The siege continued for 8 months and Aurangzeb bided his time. The defenders many times repulsed the attacks of the Mughal forces.

Aurangzeb now ordered that scaffolding be erected parallel to the walls of the fort. This was a brilliant step as the Mughal soldiers would climb the scaffolding and hurl hath gole ( hand grenades) inside the fort. This demoralized the defenders and they wondered how to escape this new form of bombardment. Over time the defenders wondered what would happen next.. Aurangzeb thus waged a psychological war on the defenders. One of the commanders  Sarandaz Khan now betrayed his ruler. He allowed the Mughal army to enter the fort through a secret back gate.  Abul Qatb Shah was surprised and had no option but to surrender. The Mughals were the victors and an impregnable fortress was captured after a siege of 8 months in 1688.

Aurangzeb spared most of the defenders, but Abul Qatb Shah was imprisoned. The diamond mines came under the control of the Mughals making Aurangzeb the richest ruler in the world. The military campaign in the Deccan was a success. 

The mughal rule was however short lived as after the death of the emperor in 1707, the southern parts broke from the Delhi Darbar and independent states mushroomed. One of them being the Nizam of Hyderabad. The Mahrattas also rose up and later the Sikh empire was created in the Punjab. Whatever the aftermath, the military campaign of Aurangzeb in the Deccan showed he was a master of the art of war. All credit to him.

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