In the city of Agra in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, there is a Mughal tomb, which was built in 1604 AD and owned by Akbar the Great, the most famous in Indian history. Akbar was the most famous emperor of the Mughal Empire in India, and during his reign, the Mughal Empire reached its peak of power, and after Akbar's death, his son Jahangir built a spectacular tomb for his father, but the tomb was eventually destroyed by war.
Akbar in film and television
In 1659, more than fifty years after the death of Akbar the Great, Akbar's great-grandson Aurangzeb became the ruler of the Mughal Empire. Aurangzeb, though no less meritorious than Akbar, did not have a very good reputation, and many Indians considered Aurangzeb to be a feared tyrant and not as tolerant as his ancestor Akbar. During aurangzeb's reign, he abandoned the tolerant policies of his ancestors, which led to several rebellions against Aurangzeb within the empire.
In 1681, the Jats, who lived in northern India, rebelled against Aurangzeb against their leader Raja. The Jats have always been a brave and warlike people in The history of India, and whenever a foreigner invades India, there will be countless Jat warriors defending their homeland, as the Hindu proverb says:
"Where there are Jats, there is majesty."
A Jat nobleman
Long before Raja started the war, the Jats had been fighting the Mughal armies under the leadership of Ragja's father, Gukula, but were defeated soon after, and the defeated and captured Gukula was later executed by order of Aurangzeb. By 1681, Raja led Jat's warriors to defeat the Mughal army stationed in the city of Agra in a decisive battle, killing about 400 Mughal soldiers, and then Raja led an army to occupy Agra, the former capital of the Mughal Empire.
Immediately after entering Agra, Raja looted the Mughal tombs, snatching many precious gems and gold from Akbar's cemetery and destroying other items that could not be carried.
After the looting, in order to avenge his father Gukula, Raja ordered the destruction of Akbar's mausoleum and carried Akbar's remains out of the sarcophagus, and according to rumors, Raja later burned the remains of Akbar the Great to ashes.
Mausoleum of Akbar the Great
The destruction of the ancestral tombs undoubtedly disgraced the members of the Mughal Empire, and after the destruction of Akbar's mausoleum, the buildings on the surface were razed to the ground, leaving only the underground palace unscathed on a large scale. After learning that the tomb of his ancestors was destroyed by the Jats, the grief-stricken Aurangzeb left tears on the spot, and Aurangzeb must have been thinking at this time
When has the royal family of the Mughal Empire suffered such humiliation since Tamerlane, the conqueror of Central Asia?
The humiliation of the destruction of the ancestral tomb is probably more painful than the expulsion of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire, from Samarkand.
In order to maintain the glory of the family, Aurangzeb decided to personally carry out an expedition against the Jats,
He also threatened to kill Raja, who had ordered the destruction of Akbar's mausoleum.
At that time, Raja also knew the strength of the Mughal army, he led his soldiers to flee back to his hometown, and was regarded as a hero by the Jats in his hometown, during that period, the resourceful Raja had been avoiding engagement with the main army of the Mughal Empire, and he continued to flee under the pursuit of the Mughal army.
Portrait of Aurangzeb
However, in July 1688, Raja and others encountered a Mughal army, and the well-trained Mughal soldiers sneaked from the rear of Raja's army, resulting in the jats led by Raja being killed and wounded, and Raja himself was captured. Three days after Raja was captured, Mughal soldiers sent him to Agra and handed him over to Aurangzeb for disposal.
Aurangzeb, on the other hand, had long hated the Jat who had destroyed his ancestral tomb, and he quickly kept his promise
He ordered Raja to be beheaded and hung his head on the ruins of Akbar's mausoleum.