| He was
publicly weighed against gold coins or precious
stones. Under Aurangzeb the Mughal empire reached
its greatest extent. Because of his outlook on life
and his costly wars (including with the English)
he did not support learning and the arts although
he did have the exquisite Moti (Pearl) Mosque at
Delhi and the Badshahi (Imperial) Mosque at Lahore
built.
He
was given many very fine presents by the Company,
especially of gold and silver. But even these
did not always ensure that they got what they
wanted. In 1701 he was presented with gifts of
cannon, horses, cartloads of cloth and assorted
glassware to the sound of trumpets, drums and
bagpipes and with flags waving by Sir William
Norris, the Company's ambassador to the Mughal.
He was not impressed and kept Norris waiting.
When Norris left without permission he was brought
back and had to pay a fine. The whole affair cost
the Company a staggering £80,000.
It
was during his reign that the company gained the
city of Bombay (Mumbai), which was part of the
dowry given to Charles
II.
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