Mughal Empire
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Mughal Empire
‫( گ ورک ان یان‬Persian)
Gūrkāniyān
‫( م غ ل یہ س لط نت‬Urdu)
Mug̱ẖliyah Salṭanat
↓
1526–1857
↓
Flag
The Mughal Empire during the reign of Aurangzeb c. 1700
Capital
Agra
(1526–1571)
Fatehpur Sikri
(1571–1585)
Lahore
(1585–1598)
Agra
(1598–1648)
Shahjahanabad/Delhi
(1648–1857)
Languages
Persian (official and court
language)[1]
Chagatai Turkic (only
initially)
Urdu (later period)
Religion
Islam
(1526–1582)
Din-e Ilahi
(1582–1605)
Islam
(1605–1857)
Government
Absolute
monarchy,unitary state
with federal structure
Emperor[2]
- 1526–1530
Babur (first)
- 1837–1857
Bahadur Shah II (last)
Historical era
Early modern
- Battle of Panipat
21 April 1526
- Siege of Delhi
21 September 1857
Area
- 1700[a]
3,200,000 km²(1,235,527
sq mi)
Population
- 1700[a] est.
Density
Currency
Preceded by
150,000,000
46.9 /km² (121.4 /sq mi)
Rupee
Succeeded by
Timurid
dynasty
Delhi
Sultanate
Suri dynasty
Adil Shahi
dynasty
Sultanate of
Bengal
Deccan
Sultanates
Today part of
1.
Maratha
Empire
Durrani
Empire
Indian
Empire
Hyderabad
State
Nawab of
Carnatic
Nawab of
Bengal
Nawab of
Awadh
Kingdom of
Mysore
Bharatpur
State
Sikh
Confederacy
Afghanistan
Bangladesh
India
Pakistan
Jump up^ Area source:[3] Population source:[4]
The Mughal Empire (Urdu: ‫مغلیہ سلطنت‬, Mug̱ẖliyah Salṭanat),[5] self-designated
as Gurkani(Persian: ‫ناینوکروگ‬, Gūrkāniyān),[6] was a Persianate[7][8] empire extending over large parts
of theIndian subcontinent and ruled by a dynasty of Chagatai-Turkic origin.[9][10][11]
In the early 16th century, northern India, being then under mainly Muslim rulers,[12] fell to the superior
mobility and firepower of the Mughals.[13] The resulting Mughal Empire did not stamp out the local
societies it came to rule, but rather balanced and pacified them through new administrative
practices[14][15] and diverse and inclusive ruling elites,[16] leading to more systematic, centralized, and
uniform rule.[17] Eschewing tribal bonds and Islamic identity, especially under Akbar, the Mughals
united their far-flung realms through loyalty, expressed through a Persianised culture, to an emperor
who had near-divine status.[16] The Mughal state's economic policies, deriving most revenues from
agriculture[18] and mandating that taxes be paid in the well-regulated silver currency,[19] caused
peasants and artisans to enter larger markets.[17]The relative peace maintained by the empire during
much of the 17th century was a factor in India's economic expansion,[17] resulting in greater
patronage of painting, literary forms, textiles, and architecture.[20] Newly coherent social groups in
northern and western India, such as theMarathas, the Rajputs, and the Sikhs, gained military and
governing ambitions during Mughal rule, which, through collaboration or adversity, gave them both
recognition and military experience.[21] Expanding commerce during Mughal rule gave rise to new
Indian commercial and political elites along the coasts of southern and eastern India.[21] As the
empire disintegrated, many among these elites were able to control their own affairs.[22]
The beginning of the empire is conventionally dated to the founder Babur's victory over Ibrahim
Lodi in the first Battle of Panipat (1526). It reached its peak extent under Aurangzeb, and declined
rapidly after his death (in 1707) under a series of ineffective rulers. The empire's collapse followed
heavy losses inflicted by the smaller army of the Maratha Empire in the Deccan Wars (1680–
1707),[23] which encouraged the Nawabs of Bengal, Bhopal, Oudh, Carnatic, Rampur, the Nizam of
Hyderabad and the Shah of Afghanistan to declare their independence from the
Mughals.[24]Following the Third Anglo-Maratha war in 1818, the Mughal emperor became a pensioner
of theRaj, and the empire, its power now limited to Delhi, lingered on until 1857, when it was
effectively dissolved after the fall of Delhi during the Indian Rebellion that same year.[25]
The Mughal emperors were Central Asian Turko-Mongols from modern-day Uzbekistan, who
claimed direct descent from both Genghis Khan (through his son Chagatai Khan) and Timur. At the
height of their power in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, they controlled much of theIndian
subcontinent, extending from Bengal in the east to Kabul & Sindh in the west, Kashmir in the north to
the Kaveri basin in the south. [26] Its population at that time has been estimated as between 110 and
150 million (quarter of the world's population), over a territory of more than 3.2 million square
kilometres (1.2 million square miles).[4]
The "classic period" of the empire started in 1556 with the ascension of Akbar the Great to the
throne. Under the rule of Akbar and his son Jahangir, India enjoyed economic progress as well as
religious harmony, and the monarchs were interested in local religious and cultural traditions. Akbar
was a successful warrior. He also forged alliances with several Hindu Rajput kingdoms.
Some Rajput kingdoms continued to pose a significant threat to Mughal dominance of northwestern
India, but they were subdued by Akbar. Most Mughal emperors were Muslims. However Akbar in the
latter part of his life, and Jahangir, were followers of a new religion calledDeen-i-Ilahi, as recorded in
historical books like Ain-e-Akbari & Dabestan-e Mazaheb.[27]
The reign of Shah Jahan, the fifth emperor, was the golden age of Mughal architecture. He erected
several large monuments, the most famous of which is the Taj Mahal at Agra, as well as the Moti
Masjid, Agra, the Red Fort, the Jama Masjid, Delhi, and the Lahore Fort. The Mughal Empire
reached the zenith of its territorial expanse during the reign of Aurangzeb and also started its
terminal decline in his reign due to Maratha military resurgence under Shivaji Bhosale. During his
lifetime, victories in the south expanded the Mughal Empire to more than 1.25 million square miles,
ruling over more than 150 million subjects, nearly 1/4th of the world's population, with a combined
GDP of over $90 billion.[4][28]
By the mid-18th century, the Marathas had routed Moghul armies, and won over several Mughal
provinces from the Deccan to Bengal, and internal dissatisfaction arose due to the weakness of the
Mughal Empire's administrative and economic systems, leading to the declaration of independence
by the Nawabs of Bengal, Bhopal, Oudh, Carnatic, Rampur, the Nizam of Hyderabad and Shah of
Afghanistan. In 1739, the Mughals were crushingly defeated in the Battle of Karnal by the forces
of Nader Shah, and their capital sacked and looted, drastically accelerating their decline. During the
following century Mughal power had become severely limited and the last emperor, Bahadur Shah II,
had authority over only the city of Shahjahanabad. He issued a firman supporting the Indian
Rebellion of 1857 and was therefore tried by the British for treason, imprisoned, exiled
to Rangoon and the last remnants of the empire were taken over by the British Raj.
Etymology
Contemporaries referred to the empire founded by Babur as the Timurid empire,[29] which reflected
the heritage of his dynasty, and was the term preferred by the Mughals themselves.[30] Another name
was Hindustan, which was documented in the Ain-i-Akbari, and which has been described as the
closest to an official name for the empire.[31] In the west, the term "Mughal" was used for the
emperor, and by extension, the empire as a whole.[32] The use of Mughal, deriving from the Arabic
and Persian corruption of Mongol, and emphasising the Mongol origins of the Timurid
dynasty,[33] gained currency during the nineteenth century, but remains disputed
by Indologists.[34] Babur's ancestors were sharply distinguished from the classical Mongols insofar as
they were oriented towards Persian rather than Turko-Mongol culture.[35]
History
The Mughal Empire at its zenith spanned from Afghanistan to Cape Comorin c. 1700.
The Mughal Empire was founded by Babur, a Central Asian ruler who was descended from the
Turko-Mongol conqueror Timur on his father's side and from Chagatai, the second son of the Mongol
rulerGenghis Khan, on his mother's side.[36] Ousted from his ancestral domains in Central Asia,
Babur turned to India to satisfy his ambitions. He established himself in Kabul and then pushed
steadily southward into India from Afghanistan through the Khyber Pass.[36] Babur's forces occupied
much of northern India after his victory at Panipat in 1526.[36] The preoccupation with wars and
military campaigns, however, did not allow the new emperor to consolidate the gains he had made in
India.[36] The instability of the empire became evident under his son, Humayun, who was driven out of
India and into Persia by rebels.[36]Humayun's exile in Persia established diplomatic ties between
the Safavid and Mughal Courts, and led to increasing Persian cultural influence in the Mughal
Empire. The restoration of Mughal rule began after Humayun's triumphant return from Persia in
1555, but he died from a fatal accident shortly afterwards.[36]Humayun's son, Akbar, succeeded to the
throne under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped consolidate the Mughal Empire in India.[36]
Through warfare and diplomacy, Akbar was able to extend the empire in all directions and controlled
almost the entire Indian subcontinent north of the Godavari river. He created a new class of nobility
loyal to him from the military aristocracy of India's social groups, implemented a modern
government, and supported cultural developments.[36] At the same time, Akbar intensified trade with
European trading companies. India developed a strong and stable economy, leading to commercial
expansion and economic development. Akbar allowed free expression of religion, and attempted to
resolve socio-political and cultural differences in his empire by establishing a new religion, Din-i-Ilahi,
with strong characteristics of a ruler cult.[36] He left his successors an internally stable state, which
was in the midst of its golden age, but before long signs of political weakness would
emerge.[36] Akbar's son,Jahangir, ruled the empire at its peak, but he was addicted to opium,
neglected the affairs of the state, and came under the influence of rival court cliques.[36] During the
reign of Jahangir's son, Shah Jahan, the culture and splendour of the luxurious Mughal court
reached its zenith as exemplified by the Taj Mahal.[36] The maintenance of the court, at this time,
began to cost more than the revenue.[36]
Shah Jahan's eldest son, the liberal Dara Shikoh, became regent in 1658, as a result of his father's
illness. However, a younger son, Aurangzeb, allied with the Islamic orthodoxy against his brother,
who championed a syncretistic Hindu-Muslim culture, and ascended to the throne. Aurangzeb
defeated Dara in 1659 and had him executed.[36] Although Shah Jahan fully recovered from his
illness, Aurangzeb declared him incompetent to rule and had him imprisoned. During Aurangzeb's
reign, the empire gained political strength once more, but his religious conservatism and intolerance
undermined the stability of Mughal society.[36] Aurangzeb expanded the empire to include almost the
whole of South Asia, but at his death in 1707, many parts of the empire were in open
revolt.[36] Aurangzeb's son, Shah Alam, repealed the religious policies of his father, and attempted to
reform the administration. However, after his death in 1712, the Mughal dynasty sank into chaos and
violent feuds. In 1719 alone, four emperors successively ascended the throne.[36]
During the reign of Muhammad Shah, the empire began to break up, and vast tracts of central India
passed from Mughal to Maratha hands. Thecampaigns of Nadir Shah, who had reestablished
Iranian suzerainty over most of West Asia and Central Asia, culminated with the Sack of Delhiand
shattered the remnants of Mughal power and prestige.[36] Many of the empire's elites now sought to
control their own affairs, and broke away to form independent kingdoms.[36]But, according to Sugata
Bose and Ayesha Jalal, the Mughal Emperor, however, continued to be the highest manifestation of
sovereignty. Not only the Muslim gentry, but the Maratha, Hindu, and Sikh leaders took part in
ceremonial acknowledgements of the emperor as the sovereign of India.[37]
The Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II made futile attempts to reverse the Mughal decline, and
ultimately had to seek the protection of outside powers. In 1784, the Marathas under Mahadji
Scindia won acknowledgement as the protectors of the emperor in Delhi, a state of affairs that
continued until after the Second Anglo-Maratha War. Thereafter, the British East India
Company became the protectors of the Mughal dynasty in Delhi.[37] After a crushed rebellion which
he nominally led in 1857–58, the last Mughal, Bahadur Shah Zafar, was deposed by the British
government, who then assumed formal control of the country.[36]
List of Mughal emperors
Main article: Mughal emperors
Emperor
Birth
Reign
Death
Period
Notes
Babur
Feb 23,
1483
1526–
1530
Dec
26,
1530
Was a direct descendant of Genghis Khan through his
mother and was related to Timur through his father.
Founded the Mughal Empire after his victories at the Battle
of Panipat (1526) and theBattle of Khanwa.
Humayun
Mar 6,
1508
1530–
1540
Jan
1556
Reign interrupted by Suri Dynasty. Youth and inexperience
at ascension led to his being regarded as a less effective
ruler than usurper, Sher Shah Suri.
Sher Shah Suri
1472
1540–
1545
May
1545
Deposed Humayun and led the Suri Dynasty.
Islam Shah Suri
c.1500
1545–
1554
1554
2nd and last ruler of the Suri Dynasty, claims of sons
Sikandar and Adil Shah were eliminated by Humayun's
restoration.
Humayun
Mar 6,
1508
1555–
1556
Jan
1556
Restored rule was more unified and effective than initial
reign of 1530–1540; left unified empire for his son, Akbar.
Oct
27,
1605
He and Bairam Khan defeated Hemu during the Second
Battle of Panipat and later won famous victories during
the Siege of Chittorgarh and the Siege of Ranthambore; He
greatly expanded the Empire and is regarded as the most
illustrious ruler of the Mughal Empire as he set up the
empire's various institutions; he married Mariam-uzZamani, a Rajput princess. One of his most famous
construction marvels was the Lahore Fort.
1627
Jahangir set the precedent for sons rebelling against their
emperor fathers. Opened first relations with the British East
India Company. Reportedly was an alcoholic, and his wife
Empress Noor Jahan became the real power behind the
throne and competently ruled in his place.
Under him, Mughal art and architecture reached their
zenith; constructed the Taj Mahal, Jama Masjid, Red
Fort, Jahangir mausoleum, and Shalimar
Gardens in Lahore. Deposed by his son Aurangzeb.
Akbar
Nov 14,
1542
1556–
1605
Jahangir
Oct 1569
1605–
1627
Shah Jahan
Jan 5,
1592
1627–
1658
1666
Aurangzeb
Oct 21,
1618
1658–
1707
He reinterpreted Islamic law and presented the Fatawa-eAlamgiri; he captured the diamond mines of the Sultanate
of Golconda; he spent the major part of his last 27 years in
the war with the Maratha rebels; at its zenith, his conquests
Mar 3, expanded the empire to its greatest extent; the over1707 stretched empire was controlled by Mansabdars, and faced
challenges after his death. He is known to have transcribed
copies of the Qur'an using his own styles of calligraphy. he
died during a campaign against the ravaging Marathas in
the Deccan.
Bahadur Shah I
Oct 14,
1643
1707–
1712
Feb
1712
First of the Mughal emperors to preside over an empire
ravaged by uncontrollable revolts. After his reign, the
empire went into steady decline due to the lack of
leadership qualities among his immediate successors.
Jahandar Shah
1664
1712–
1713
1713–
1719
Feb
1713
Was an unpopular incompetent titular figurehead;
1719
His reign marked the ascendancy of the manipulative Syed
Brothers, execution of the rebelliousBanda In 1717 he
granted a Firman to the English East India
Company granting them duty-free trading rights
for Bengal, the Firman was repudiated by the
notable Murshid Quli Khan.
Furrukhsiyar
1683
Rafi Ul-Darjat
Unknown 1719
1719
Rafi Ud-Daulat
Unknown 1719
1719
Nikusiyar
Unknown 1719
1743
Muhammad Ibrahim
Unknown 1720
1744
1702
1719–
1720,
1720–
1748
1748
Ahmad Shah Bahadur 1725
1748–
54
1775
Muhammad Shah
Alamgir II
Shah Jahan III
1699
1754–
1759
1759
Unknown In 1759 1772
Got rid of the Syed Brothers. Countered the emergence of
the renegade Marathas and lost large tracts
of Deccan and Malwa in the process. Suffered the invasion
of Nadir-Shah of Persia in 1739.[38]
The Mughal Empire had impulsively began to re-centralize
after subjects anxiously sought his gratification, he was
murdered according to the conspiracy of the
unscrupulous Vizier Imad-ul-Mulkand his
schismatic Maratha associate Sadashivrao Bhau (Peshwa);
Was ordained to the imperial throne by Sadashivrao Bhau
(Peshwa) who went on to loot the Mughal heartlands, he
was generally regarded as an usurper and was overthrown
after the Third Battle of Panipat by Prince Mirza Jawan
Bakht.
Shah Alam II
1728
1759–
1806
1806
Was nominated as the Mughal Emperor by Ahmad Shah
Durrani after the Third Battle of Panipat. Defeat of the
combined forces of Mughal, Nawab of Oudh & Nawab of
Bengal, Bihar at the hand of East India Company at
the Battle of Buxar.Post the defeat in the Battle of Buxar in
1764, Shah Alam II left Delhi for Allahabad. Treaty of
Allahabad(1765). Shah Alam II was reinstated to the throne
of Delhi in 1772 by Mahadaji Shinde under the protection
of the Marathas.[39] He was the last Mughal Emperor to
have de jure control over the empire.
Akbar Shah II
1760
1806–
1837
1837
He designated Mir Fateh Ali Khan Talpur as the
new Nawab of Sindh, Although he was under British
protection his imperial name was removed from the official
coinage after a brief dispute with the British East India
Company;
Bahadur Shah II
1775
1837–
1857
1862
The last Mughal emperor was deposed by the British and
exiled to Burma following the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
End of Mughal dynasty.
Influence on the Indian subcontinent
Mughal influence on South Asian art and culture
Main article: Indo-Persian culture
Outline of South Asian history
History of Indian subcontinent
7000–3000 BC: Stone Age[show]
3000–1300 BC: Bronze Age[show]
1200–26 BC: Iron Age[show]
21–1279 AD: Middle Kingdoms[show]
1206–1596: Late medieval period[show]
1526–1858: Early modern period[show]
1510–1961: Colonial period[show]
Other states (1102–1947)[show]
Kingdoms of Sri Lanka[show]
Nation histories[show]
Regional histories[show]
Specialised histories[show]



V
T
E
Emperor Shah Jahan, who ruled from 1628–1658 CE
A major Mughal contribution to the Indian subcontinentwas their unique architecture. Many
monuments were built by the Muslim emperors, especially Shahjahan, during the Mughal era
including the UNESCO World Heritage SiteTaj Mahal, which is known to be one of the finer
examples of Mughal architecture. Other World Heritage Sites includeHumayun's Tomb, Fatehpur
Sikri, the Red Fort, the Agra Fort, and the Lahore Fort The palaces, tombs, and forts built by the
dynasty stands today in Agra, Aurangabad,Delhi, Dhaka, Fatehpur
Sikri, Jaipur, Lahore, Kabul,Sheikhupura, and many other cities of India, Pakistan,Afghanistan,
and Bangladesh.[40] With few memories ofCentral Asia, Babur's descendents absorbed traits and
customs of the South Asia,[41] and became more or less naturalised.
Mughal influence can be seen in cultural contributions such as:[citation needed]

Centralised, imperialistic government which brought together many smaller kingdoms.[42]





Persian art and culture amalgamated with Indian art and culture.[43]
New trade routes to Arab and Turkic lands.
The development of Mughlai cuisine.[44]
Mughal Architecture found its way into local Indian architecture, most conspicuously in the
palaces built by Rajputs and Sikh rulers.
Landscape gardening
Although the land the Mughals once ruled has separated into what is now India, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, their influence can still be seen widely today. Tombs of the emperors
are spread throughout India, Afghanistan,[45] and Pakistan.
The Mughal artistic tradition was eclectic, borrowing from the European Renaissance as well as from
Persian and Indian sources. Kumar concludes, "The Mughal painters borrowed individual motifs and
certain naturalistic effects from Renaissance and Mannerist painting, but their structuring principle
was derived from Indian and Persian traditions."[46]
Urdu language
Main articles: Persian language in South Asia and Persian and Urdu
Although Persian was the dominant and "official" language of the empire, the language of the elite
later evolved into a form known as Urdu. Highly Persianized and also influenced by Arabic and
Turkic, the language was written in a type of Perso-Arabic script known as Nastaliq, and with literary
conventions and specialized vocabulary being retained from Persian, Arabic and Turkic; the new
dialect was eventually given its own name of Urdu. Compared with Hindi, the Urdu language draws
more vocabulary from Persian and Arabic (via Persian) and (to a much lesser degree) from Turkic
languages where Hindi draws vocabulary from Sanskrit more heavily.[47] Modern Hindi, which
uses Sanskrit-based vocabulary along with Urdu loan words from Persian and Arabic, is mutually
intelligible with Urdu.[48] Today, Urdu is the national language of Pakistan and also an important coofficial language in India.
Mughal society
A silver coin made during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Alamgir II.
The Indian economy remained as prosperous under the Mughals as it was, because of the creation
of a road system and a uniform currency, together with the unification of the country.[49] Manufactured
goods and peasant-grown cash crops were sold throughout the world. Key industries included
shipbuilding (the Indian shipbuilding industry was as advanced as the European, and Indians sold
ships to European firms), textiles, and steel. The Mughals maintained a small fleet, which merely
carried pilgrims to Mecca, imported a few Arab horses in Surat. Debal in Sindh was mostly
autonomous. The Mughals also maintained various river fleets of Dhows, which transported soldiers
over rivers and fought rebels. Among its admirals wereYahya Saleh, Munnawar Khan,
and Muhammad Saleh Kamboh. The Mughals also protected the Siddis ofJanjira. Its sailors were
renowned and often voyaged to China and the East African Swahili Coast, together with some
Mughal subjects carrying out private-sector trade.
Cities and towns boomed under the Mughals; however, for the most part, they were military and
political centres, not manufacturing or commerce centres.[50] Only those guilds which produced goods
for the bureaucracy made goods in the towns; most industry was based in rural areas. The Mughals
also built Maktabs in every province under their authority, where youth were taught
the Quran and Islamic law such as the Fatawa-e-Alamgiri in their indigenous languages.
The Bengal region was especially prosperous from the time of its takeover by the Mughals in 1590 to
the seizure of control by the British East India Company in 1757.[51] In a system where most wealth
was hoarded by the elites, wages were low for manual labour. Slavery was limited largely to
household servants. However some religious cults proudly asserted a high status for manual
labour.[52]
The nobility was a heterogeneous body; while it primarily consisted of Rajput aristocrats and
foreigners from Muslim countries, people of all castes and nationalities could gain a title from the
emperor. The middle class of openly affluent traders consisted of a few wealthy merchants living in
the coastal towns; the bulk of the merchants pretended to be poor to avoid taxation. The bulk of the
people were poor. The standard of living of the poor was as low as, or somewhat higher than, the
standard of living of the Indian poor under the British Raj; whatever benefits the British brought with
canals and modern industry were neutralized by rising population growth, high taxes, and the
collapse of traditional industry in the nineteenth century.[citation needed]
Science and technology
Muhammad Salih Thattvi headed the task of creating a seamlesscelestial globe using a secret wax casting method,
the famous celestial globe was also inscribed with Arabic and Persian inscriptions. [53][54]
Astronomy
While there appears to have been little concern for theoretical astronomy, Mughal astronomers
continued to make advances in observational astronomy and produced nearly a hundred Zij
treatises. Humayun built a personal observatory near Delhi. The instruments and observational
techniques used at the Mughal observatories were mainly derived from the Islamic tradition.[55][56] In
particular, one of the most remarkable astronomical instruments invented in Mughal India is the
seamless celestial globe.
Alchemy
Sake Dean Mahomed had learned much of Mughal Alchemy and understood the techniques used to
produce various alkali and soaps to produce shampoo. He was also a notable writer who described
theMughal Emperor Shah Alam II and the cities of Allahabad and Delhi in rich detail and also made
note of the glories of the Mughal Empire.
Sake Dean Mahomed was appointed as shampooing surgeon to both Kings George IV and William
IV.[57]
Technology
See also: History of gunpowder: India
Fathullah Shirazi (c. 1582), a Persian polymath and mechanical engineer who worked for Akbar,
developed a volley gun.[58]
Akbar was the first to initiate and utilize metal cylinder rockets known as bans particularly
against War elephants, during the Battle of Sanbal.[59]
In the year 1657, the Mughal Army utilized rockets during the Siege of Bidar.[60] Prince Aurangzeb's
forces discharged rockets and grenades while scaling the walls. Sidi Marjan himself was mortally
wounded after a rocket struck his large gunpowder depot and after twenty-seven day's of hard
fighting Bidar was captured by the victorious Mughals.[60]
Later onward's the Mysorean rockets were upgraded versions of Mughal rockets utilized during
the Siege of Jinji by the progeny of the Nawab of Arcot. Hyder Ali's father Fatah Muhammad the
constable at Budikote, commanded a corps consisting of 50 rocketmen (Cushoon) for the Nawab of
Arcot. Hyder Ali realized the importance of rockets and introduced advanced versions of metal
cylinder rockets. These rockets turned fortunes in favor of the Sultanate of Mysore during
the Second Anglo-Mysore War particularly during the Battle of Pollilur.[61]