Gaṛhi Kapūra Inscription of the Time of Aurangzeb ‘Ālamgīr

Abstract

The massive tribal movement from Afghanistan into the valley of Peshawar and adjacent hills towards the end of the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, initiated first by the Yusufzais and then by the Ghoria Khels, resulted in the complete eviction of the earlier populations such as the Shalmanis and the more populous Dilazaks. The victory gave a tremendous psychological boost to the invader whose turbulence soon became a
source of trouble for the Mughal emperors of lndia. Fighting in the fastnesses of their country, which afforded the best of natural defences, they resisted any attempts to bring them into subjugation. Their attitude towards
the Mughals was based upon enmity since the time of Mirza Ulugh Beg, the ruler of Kabul towards the end of the fifteenth century, who not only murdered their leaders but also took active steps to push them out of Afghanistan. The Mughal emperors of India made several attempts to subdue them; sometimes they won but at other occasions they miserably failed.