Explore the regional independence movements and popular revolts led by the Jats, Satnamis, Afghans, and Sikhs during the Mughal era. Analyze the impact of these revolts on the disintegration of the Mughal Empire, succession crises, and Aurangzeb’s policies. Discover political developments in Northeast, East, and North India during Aurangzeb's rule.

Conflict with the Mughal Government: Agrarian and Religious Tensions

• The Jats of the Agra-Delhi region, living on both sides of the Yamuna river, were among the first to clash with the Mughal government.
• Mostly peasant cultivators, with a few zamindars, the Jats frequently conflicted with the government over land revenue and used their difficult terrain to their advantage in rebellions.

Rebellion under Gokla (1669): Early Jat Resistance

• In 1669, the Jats of the Mathura region, under local zamindar Gokla, rebelled.
• The rebellion quickly spread among the peasants, prompting Aurangzeb to march from Delhi to suppress it.
• Despite their numbers reaching 20,000, the Jats were defeated by the organized imperial army. Gokla was captured and executed.
• The movement was not entirely crushed, and discontent remained.

Conflict with the Satnamis (1672): A Religious and Social Uprising

• In 1672, armed conflict erupted between peasants and the Mughal state at Narnaul, near Mathura.
• The conflict involved the Satnamis, a religious group largely composed of peasants, artisans, and lower-caste individuals.
• The Satnamis rejected caste distinctions and followed a strict code of conduct.
• Starting with a clash with a local official, the conflict escalated into open rebellion, requiring the emperor's personal intervention.
• Local Hindu zamindars, many of them Rajputs, sided with the Mughals.

Second Uprising of the Jats (1685): From Guerrilla Warfare to Principality

• In 1685, a second Jat uprising occurred under Rajaram.
• The Jats were better organized and employed guerrilla warfare combined with plunder.
• Aurangzeb appointed Raja Bishan Singh, the Kachhwaha ruler, as faujdar of Mathura, granting him the entire area in zamindari, to crush the uprising.
• Conflict over zamindari rights arose between the Jats (primary zamindars) and Rajputs (intermediary zamindars).
• By 1691, Rajaram and his successor, Churaman, were forced to submit, but peasant unrest persisted.
• In the 18th century, Churaman exploited Mughal civil wars and weakness to establish a separate Jat principality, ousting the Rajput zamindars.
• The peasant uprising eventually evolved into a state ruled by Jat chiefs.