History of India . s, who had retaken it in 1648, moresuccessful. Aurangzib had again to retreat discomfited,as his elder brother Dara did from a third attempt in1653. These campaigns in Afghanistan and beyond theHindu Kush are of no importance in the history ofIndia, except as illustrating the extreme difficulty ofholding the mountain provinces from a distant centre;but they were of the greatest service to Aurangzib,They put him in touch with the imperial army, andenabled him to prove his courage and tactics in the AXJRANGZIB IN THE DECCAN 109 eyes of the best soldiers in the land. The genera
History of India . s, who had retaken it in 1648, moresuccessful. Aurangzib had again to retreat discomfited,as his elder brother Dara did from a third attempt in1653. These campaigns in Afghanistan and beyond theHindu Kush are of no importance in the history ofIndia, except as illustrating the extreme difficulty ofholding the mountain provinces from a distant centre;but they were of the greatest service to Aurangzib,They put him in touch with the imperial army, andenabled him to prove his courage and tactics in the AXJRANGZIB IN THE DECCAN 109 eyes of the best soldiers in the land. The generalslearnt to appreciate him at his true value, and the mendiscovered that their prince was as cool and steady aleader as the best officer in India. He had gone overthe mountains a reputed devotee, with no military rec-ord to give him prestige. He came back an approvedgeneral, a prince whose wisdom, endurance, coolness,and resolution had been tested and acclaimed in threearduous campaigns. The wars over the northwest. TOMBS OF THE KINGS AT GOLKONDA. frontier had ended as such wars have often ended since,but they had done for Aurangzib what they did forStewart and for Eoberts: they placed their leader inthe front rank of Indian generals. The inevitable destiny of a prince who had displayedsuch ability was to govern the ever critical provinceof the Deccan. His arrival in 1655 was the sign fora vigorous forward policy. Not only were the kingsof G-olkonda and Bijapur in possession of provinceswhich had once been part of the kingdom of Delhi, but 110 SHAH JAHAIf they were Shi* a heretics, whom it was the duty of anorthodox Moslem to chastise. Aurangzib found an in-valuable ally in Mir Jumla, a Persian of brilliant mili-tary genius, who in many campaigns, as vizir of Grol-konda, had shown himself a very scourge of idolatry anda persecutor of Hindus. This talented and ambitiousofficer had fallen out with his king, and now threw him-self upon the protection of the Moghul. Overjoyed atthe
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