Question

Assuming the title of Alamgir Aurangzeb crowned himself as the emperor on July 21, 1658, at _______.
a.Agra
b.Aurangabad
c.Fatehpur Sikri
d.Delhi

Answer 1

Hint: Aurangzeb became the Mughal Emperor after his father Shah Jahan in the Mughal capital city. Also, Shah Jahan had shifted the capital city of the Mughal Empire from Agra to Shahjahanabad and ruled from the Red Fort.

Complete answer: Shah Jahan’s sons had a war of succession amongst themselves after Shah Jahan fell seriously ill in his later days. After emerging victorious amongst the four brothers, Aurangzeb crowned himself as the emperor in 1658.
a. Agra: Since Agra was not the capital of the Mughal empire in the year 1658, the coronation of Aurangzeb could not have taken place in Agra. Instead, Aurangzeb had kept Shah Jahan as a captive in Agra. So, it is an incorrect option.
b. Aurangabad: Aurangabad did not exist in 1658, that is at the time of Aurangzeb’s coronation. Hence, it cannot be the correct answer as Aurangabad was established after Aurangzeb had become the Mughal Emperor. So, it is an incorrect option.
c. Fatehpur Sikri: This was an abandoned city near Agra which had served the capital of the Mughal Empire during the reign of Akbar from 1571 to 1585. However, the city was abandoned completely in 1610 and Agra again became the Mughal capital. So, it is an incorrect option.
d. Delhi: Delhi was rebuilt as a new city in the Mughal empire during the reign of Shah Jahan who wanted to build a new capital city for the Mughals. He built the city called Shahjahanabad, northwards to the existing Tughlaqabad in Delhi region. The Mughals ruled from this city until 1857 and Aurangzeb crowned himself at this city in 1658. So, it is the correct option.

Thus, The correct answer is Option D.

Note: Although Aurangzeb lived his later part of his life in Deccan, he never made a capital city in the deccan region. Hence, there was a single capital of the Mughals, from Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Lahore, Agra and then lastly Shahjahanabad (Delhi).