Aurangzeb (allied with Murad Bakhsh) defeated his brother Dara Shikoh at Samugarh near Agra, a decisive turning point in the Mughal succession struggle that enabled Aurangzeb to consolidate control and later redirect imperial resources toward the Deccan.
Mughal commander Mirza Raja Jai Singh and Shivaji concluded the Treaty of Purandar, compelling the Maratha leader to cede many forts and accept Mughal terms—an important, if temporary, check on Maratha expansion before the larger Deccan escalation under Aurangzeb.
Mughal forces under Diler Khan defeated Maratha defenders and razed Bhupalgarh, illustrating the hardening Mughal posture on the Deccan frontier and foreshadowing intensified conflict with the Marathas in the following decade.
After moving south to pursue major strategic aims, Aurangzeb spent the last quarter-century of his reign campaigning in the Deccan—seeking to neutralize regional sultanates and the Maratha challenge—an imperial commitment that shaped Mughal frontier relations through 1707.
Aurangzeb reached the Deccan and personally directed a major imperial effort against the Marathas and Deccan polities, marking the start of a sustained, emperor-led southern war of movement and sieges.
Mughal forces began the prolonged Ramsej operations near Nashik, an early test of Mughal siege power against Maratha fort warfare that consumed manpower and time despite eventual Mughal success.
After a long siege, Mughal forces captured Bijapur, ending the Adil Shahi sultanate as an independent power and removing a key Deccan state from the regional balance, enabling deeper Mughal penetration southward.
Aurangzeb’s forces captured Golconda after an extended siege, leading to annexation of the Qutb Shahi state and a major expansion of Mughal authority in the eastern Deccan.
Maratha forces defeated a Mughal detachment at Wai, but the death of leading Maratha commander Hambirrao Mohite proved a serious blow to Maratha field leadership during the larger Mughal–Maratha war.
Mughal troops seized Maratha ruler Sambhaji at Sangameshwar, a critical intelligence-and-mobility success for Aurangzeb that briefly shifted momentum in the Deccan conflict.
Sambhaji was executed on Aurangzeb’s orders; rather than ending resistance, the episode hardened Maratha resolve and contributed to the conflict’s continuation under new Maratha leadership.
Aurangzeb dispatched Zulfiqar Khan to besiege Jinji (Gingee), aiming to eliminate a major Maratha stronghold and operational base in the far south that complicated Mughal supply and control in the Carnatic.
The long siege ended with Mughal capture of Jinji, tying down large forces for years but ultimately restoring Mughal leverage in the far south and narrowing Maratha options for a secure rear area.
Mughal forces under Aurangzeb pressed on Satara—an important Maratha center—culminating in Mughal capture of the fort, though Maratha resistance continued through dispersal and guerrilla-style counterpressure.
The Mughals captured Wagingera after a hard siege; the episode is often treated as Aurangzeb’s final major personal campaign action before declining health and the approaching end of his reign.
Aurangzeb died at Ahmednagar, closing the period of emperor-directed Deccan campaigning; succession conflict followed, while the long southern wars had already strained Mughal resources and frontier governance.
Aurangzeb's Deccan campaigns and the Mughal push south (1658–1707)
