Mughal Annexation of Bijapur and Golcunda

On this day, 12 September, 1686 AD, the Bijapur fort was seized by Mughal forces under the command of 6th mughal emperor Aurangzeb which was began in March 1685. Aurangzeb sent his son, Muhammad Azam Shah, with an army of almost 50,000 troops to seize Bijapur Fort and beat Sikandar Adil Shah, the then-ruler of Bijapur, who refused to remain a vassal of the Mughal Empire. The siege of Bijapur was one of the Mughals' longest military conflicts, lasting more than 15 months before Aurangzeb personally arrived to engineer a triumph.

Annexation of Bijapur and Golcunda

Aurangzeb believed the Maratha menace could not be removed unless Bijapur and Golcunda were annexed to the Mughal Empire. Aurangzeb supervised the siege of Bijapur in 1685 to remove Mughal noble jealousy and encourage hard work. The emperor promised Bijapuri nobles prominent places in these operations.

After 14 months of sieges in which both sides suffered tremendous losses, the Bijapuris capitulated in 1686. The Adil Shahi dynasty ended when Sikandar Adil Shah was captured. After a few days, Aurangzeb returned to Islampuri. Golcunda came after Bijapur. Aurangzeb turned to Qutb Shah, who was willing to accept Mughal overlordship and all conditions, but Aurangzeb insisted on annexing the kingdom. In 1686, Golcunda was besieged; its army put up stout fight, and Mughal forces had a hard time due to the fort's strength. Aurangzeb bribed generals. Nobles were promised high mansabs to defect. Many lords fled Qutb Shah for Aurangzeb and were promoted. Aurangzeb bribed the qiledar of Golcunda, who unlocked the fort's gate. Abdul Razzaq Lari, commander-in-chief of Golcunda's army, battled against advancing Mughal soldiers in the fort alone, saying that at least one life should be spent defending it. After the fort's capture, he was critically injured and captured. Aurangzeb wished him well. Aurangzeb invited him to join the Mughal side after he recovered consciousness; he refused, saying, "I can't change my masters."

Only due to the treason of most Golcunda nobility did the Qutb Shahi dynasty fall in 1687. Two years later, Sambhaji was captured, the Marathas were crushed, and Aurangzeb became subcontinent's unquestioned monarch.