Akbar claimed absolute power over the entire country. As a result, he was determined that the rulers of the Deccani states, like the Rajputs, acknowledge his suzerainty. Earlier ambassadors sent by him suggesting that the Deccani states recognise his overlordship and be friends with him, however, had no positive results. The Deccani states were clearly unwilling to accept Mughal suzerainty until the Mughals could exert military pressure on them. In this article, we will discuss the Conquest of Berar, Ahmednagar and Khandesh which will be helpful for UPSC exam preparation.

Akbar’s Diplomatic Mission

• Akbar launched a diplomatic offensive in 1591. He dispatched envoys to all Deccani states, 'inviting' them to accept Mughal suzerainty.
• As might be expected, none of the states accepted this demand, with the exception of Khandesh, which was too close to and vulnerable to the Mughals to resist.
• The ruler of Ahmednagar, Burhan Nizam Shah, was rude to the Mughal envoy; the others only made friendly promises. Akbar appeared to be on the verge of making a decisive move in the Deccan.
• When factional fighting erupted among the Nizam Shahi nobles following the death of Burhan in 1595, he was given the opportunity he needed.
• There were four candidates for the throne, each supported by a different political party. The strongest claim was made by Bahadur, the deceased ruler's son. Bijapur's ruler, Ibrahim Adil Shah II, was sympathetic to Bahadur's claim.
• Chand Bibi was Burhan's sister and the widow of Ibrahim Adil Shah's uncle, the former ruler of Bijapur. She was a remarkable woman who had ruled Bijapur for nearly ten years while Ibrahim Adil Shah was still a minor.
• She had gone to Ahmednagar to mourn the death of her brother Burhan, but she stayed to fight for her nephew, Bahadur, who was a minor.
• Against this backdrop, the leaders of the opposing party, the Deccanis, invited the Mughals to intervene.
• The struggle that had now begun was primarily between Bijapur and the Mughals for control of Ahmednagar state.

Mughal Invasion

• The Mughal invasion was led by the governor of Gujarat, Prince Murad, and Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan. Khandesh's ruler was asked to cooperate.
• The Mughals met little resistance until they reached the capital, Ahmednagar, due to factional fighting among the Ahmednagar nobles.
• Chand Bibi barricaded herself in the fort with Bahadur, the minor king. After a four-month siege in which Chand Bibi played a heroic role, the two sides reached an agreement.
• They agreed to cede Berar to the Mughals in exchange for recognition of Bahadur's claim. Mughal suzerainty was also acknowledged. This occurred in 1596.

Mughal Annexation of Berar and Ahmednagar

• The Deccani states were concerned by the Mughal annexation of Berar. They believed, not without reason, that Berar would provide the Mughals with a permanent foothold in the Deccan, which could be expanded at any time.
• As a result, they sided with Ahmednagar and obstructed the Mughals' takeover of Berar.
• Soon after, a combined force of Bijapur, Golconda, and Ahmednagar led by a Bijapur commander invaded Berar in force.
• In a hard-fought battle in 1597, the Mughals defeated a Deccani force three times their size.
• The Bijapuri and Golconda forces withdrew, leaving Chand Bibi alone to deal with the situation. Despite her support for the treaty of 1596, Chand Bibi was powerless to stop her nobles' harassing attacks on the Mughals in Berar.
• As a result, Ahmednagar was subjected to a second Mughal siege. In the absence of assistance from any source, Chand Bibi began negotiations with the Mughals. A hostile faction, however, accused her of treachery and murdered her.
• Thus ended the life of one of Deccani politics' most romantic figures. Ahmednagar was now attacked and captured by the Mughals.
• Bahadur, the minor king, was sent to the fortress of Gwalior. Balaghat was also incorporated into the empire, and a Mughal garrison was stationed in Ahmednagar in the year 1600.

Annexation of Khandesh

• The fall of the fort and city of Ahmednagar, as well as the capture of Bahadur Nizam Shah, did not end Akbar's problems in the Deccan. There was no longer a Nizam Shahi prince or noble with enough clout to negotiate with.
• At the same time, the Mughals were not eager to advance beyond Ahmednagar or seize all of the state's remaining territories. The situation was exacerbated by constant wrangling among Mughal commanders.
• Akbar advanced into Malwa and then into Khandesh to assess the situation on the ground.
• He was told there that the new ruler of Khandesh had not shown prince Daniyal proper respect when he passed through his territory on his way to Ahmednagar.
• Akbar was also eager to secure Asirgarh Fort in Khandesh, which was reputed to be the strongest fort in the Deccan.
• After a tight siege and a pestilence in the fort, the ruler came out and surrendered in 1601. Khandesh was absorbed into the Mughal empire.

Agreement

• Meanwhile, Prince Daniyal, Akbar's youngest son, who had been given command of Mughal armies in the Deccan, reached an agreement with Murtaza Nizam Shah II, who had been proclaimed ruler by a group of Nizam Shahi nobles following the fall of Ahmednagar.
• The Mughals were given Ahmednagar, Balaghat, and parts of Telengana in exchange for Murtaza Nizam Shah's loyalty and promise not to rebel. This occurred in 1601.
• Following the capture of Asirgarh, Akbar returned to the north to deal with his son, Salim's rebellion.

Fall of Ahmednagar and Asirgarh

• The fall of Ahmednagar and Asirgarh alarmed the remaining Deccani rulers. The rulers of Bijapur, Golkonda, and Bidar sent envoys to Akbar, who received them graciously. Akbar dispatched envoys to them as well.
• Khan Khana, one of Akbar's closest confidants, was assigned to oversee Deccan affairs. The Nizam Shahi nobles rallied around Malik Ambar after Akbar left the Deccan for Agra in 1601.
• Following the fall of Ahmednagar, Malik Ambar enthroned Murtaza, the grandson of Burhan Nizam Shah-I, and became his peshwa.
• He established Khirki as the new state capital and used guerilla tactics to combat the Mughal forces.
• The challenge posed by Malik Ambar and Raju Deccani, as well as mutual bickering and rivalry among Mughal generals and the prevailing situation in the North, persuaded Akbar to rely on diplomatic manoeuvring rather than military might to consolidate Mughal authority in the Deccan.

Conclusion

Despite the conquest of Khandesh, Berar, and Balaghat, as well as Mughal control over the fort of Ahmednagar, the Mughals had yet to consolidate their position in the Deccan. Akbar was well aware that no long-term solution to the Deccan problem could be reached unless an agreement with Bijapur was reached. As a result, he sent assurance messages to Ibrahim Adil Shah II, who offered to marry his daughter to Prince Daniyal. However, soon after the marriage (1602), the prince died as a result of excessive drinking. As a result, the situation in the Deccan remained ambiguous, and had to be addressed again by Akbar's successor, Jahangir.