Such was the mode in which Autsngzebe spent the day while he was at Delhi, as described s, when he was on a journey, the court of Instice was held in the camp, at the same hours as in the city But as it :night have been inconvenient, or beyond the .titan„f many, to follow the king for the sake of obtaining j•stice, to these was granted a sum adequate to defray their veiling expences.
That most curious traveller, Bernier, who followed the camp of Aurengzebe from Delhi to Cashmere, describes, with great accuracy, the immense moving city. The guard of cavalry consisted of :15;000 men, that of infantry of i0,000. It was computed that the camp contained 150,000 horses, mules, and elephants ; 50,00'S camels ; 50,000 ox en ; and between 300,000 and 400.000 persons. Almost all Delhi followed the court, whose magnificence support ed its industry.
Such is the picture of the manners and magnificence of the Mogul empire at the period of Au•engzehe's reign, when it had attained its utmost extent and splendour, and before the peculiarities of its manners were broken in up on by the intermixture or those of foreign nations.
Aurengzebe seemed sensible, before his death, that his empire, which had been extended so much by himself, by means not the most justifiable, and which was composed in a great degree of parts so discordant and distant, would, in all probability, not long remain quiet and undivided ; and this apprehension was increased by his observation and experience of the character of his sons. It has been thought that, under this apprehension, he made a parti tion of it before his death; but this statement or conjec tore is not accurate ; for in two letters, which are extant, written by him to two of his sons, a few clays before his death, he does not even allude to any intention of dividing the empire. Ia these letters, however, he expresses, in doubtful terms, his apprehensions of civil wars. He IcIt behind him four sons ; Mauzum, afterwards emperor un de• the title of Bahauder Shah ; Azim, and Kaum Buksh, duo severally contested the empire with their elder bris tlier; and Aeber, who, thirty years before, had been en gaged in rebellion, and fled into Persia. Scarcely was Au rengzcbe dead, when a civil war broke out between tue partizans of Mauzum and Azim. The former approached
front Cabul, and the latter from the Decan, and disputed the possession of the empire. Their respective armies consisted of about 300,000 men. Near Agra a battle was fought, in which Azim was slain, and his brother was con firmed in his kingdom ; for Kaum Buksh was not more successful in his attempts than Azim. He reigned nearly live years. Ile seems to have been a prince of consider able talents, and who paid great attention to business ; but his efforts to keep the empire up to that high pitch of greatness, and to that firm state of consolidation and strength, to which Aurengzebe had raised it, were utterly fruitless. In fact, the long absence of his father in the Decan had given rise to many disorders, and sown the seeds of much discontent and sedition near the scat of empire. Bahauder Shah very wisely quitted the scene of his father's mistaken ambition, as soon as he had succeed ed is crushing the •ebebion of his brother Kaum Buksh, whiCh had been raised in chat The Rajpoot princes of Ajnicer, who had taken advantage of Aurengzebe's ab sence in the Decan, next railed for his attention. They had formed a strong confederacy, against which he was about to act, when an evil of a more pressing nature drew the emperor's thoughts and measures to another quarter. A short time before Aurengzebe's death, the Seiks, a par ticular sect of religionists, who had established themselves along the foot of the eastern mountains, during the reign of Shah khan, were governed by Gooro Govind. This chief new-modelled their whole government, and convert ed them into a band of ferocious soldiers. The Seiks re vere him as the founder of their greatness and independ ence. During the confusion which took place in Ilindos tan, on the death of Aurengzebe, they increased in strength, and laid waste the country under the command of a bairaggi, or religious mendicant. These the empc marched against in person, and succeeded in defeat ing. Their leader was taken prisoner, and executed. After this the elsocror took up his residence at Lahore, for the purpose of the Seiks in check. Here lie died, at ter a short illness, in the year 1712.