Question

Shivaji was succeeded by Sambhaji who gave shelter to the son of Aurangzeb. Identify him.
A) Akbar
B) Muazzam
C) Murad
D) Kam Bakhsh

Answer 1

Hint: Sambhaji was the elder son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He gave shelter to the youngest son of Emperor Aurangzeb and his first wife Dilras Banu.

Complete answer:
The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the ‘Maratha Confederacy’, is situated in the southwest of present-day India. They ruled from 1674 to 1818 and expanded their territories. Shivaji Bhonsle I, better known as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, is regarded as the founder and consolidator of the Maratha Empire. After the death of Shivaji in 1640 AD, Sambhaj, his elder son, succeeded to the throne.

Let us analyze the given options:
Option A) Akbar: Jalaluddin Muhammed Akbar was a Mughal prince and the youngest son of Emperor Aurangzeb and his first wife Dilras Banu. In the year 1682, Sambhaji provided shelter to Akbar, which angered Aurangzeb. Thus, it is the correct answer.
Option B) Muazzam: Bahadur Shah I, also referred to as Muhammad Mu'azzam and Shah Alam, was the eighth Mughal emperor of India, ruled from 1707 until his death in 1712. He was the second son of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb born with his wife Nizam Bai. Thus, it is an incorrect option.
Option C) Murad: Murad Mirza was the second surviving son of Mughal Emperor Akbar and was a Mughal Prince. As he was not the son of Aurangzeb, hence it is an incorrect option.
Option D) Kam Bakhsh: Muhammad Kam Bakhsh, also known as ‘Kam Bakhsh', was the fifth son of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb from his Rajput concubine Udaipuri Mahal in 1667. Thus, it is an incorrect option.

Thus, the correct answer is Option ‘A’ i.e, Akbar.

Note: A war was fought between the Maratha Empire and the Mughal Empire from 1680 to 1707. It is known as the Mughal–Maratha Wars also called The Deccan War or The Maratha War of Independence. This war began with the invasion of the Maratha Enclave in Bijapur by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Bijapur was instituted by the Maratha leader Shivaji.