The 'Tarikh-i-Dilkusha', a Persian account of Aurangzeb's campaigns in the Deccan, was written by:

The "Tarikh-i-Dilkusha" (also called "Nuskha-i-Dilkusha"), a Persian account of Aurangzeb's campaigns in the Deccan, was written by Bhimsen Saxena (Bhimsen Burhanpuri).

About Bhimsen:

• He was a Kayastha from Burhanpur, born in 1649.
• He served as an official in the Mughal army in the Deccan, under the Bundela chief Rao Dalpat Rai, a Mughal general.
• He took part in many of the Mughal campaigns against the Marathas and the Deccan Sultanates.
• He was an eyewitness to many of the events he described.

About the Tarikh-i-Dilkusha:

• It is a valuable first-hand account of the Mughal wars in the Deccan in the late 17th century.
• It describes the campaigns, sieges, the condition of the army, and the effects of the long war on the people and the land.
• It gives a critical picture of the Mughal administration in the Deccan, describing the corruption of officials, the suffering of the peasants, and the effects of famine and war.
• It also contains descriptions of places Bhimsen visited, including temples and pilgrimage sites.
• It is considered one of the best sources for Aurangzeb's later reign.

Hindu writers of Persian histories in this period:

• Ishwardas Nagar: wrote "Futuhat-i-Alamgiri", about Aurangzeb's reign and the Rajput wars.
• Sujan Rai Bhandari: wrote "Khulasat-ut-Tawarikh" (1695), a general history of India.

Other histories of Aurangzeb's reign:

• "Alamgirnama": by Mirza Muhammad Kazim, the official history of the first ten years.
• "Muntakhab-ul-Lubab": by Khafi Khan, written secretly after Aurangzeb banned official history-writing.

Aurangzeb and history-writing:

• After about ten years of his reign, Aurangzeb stopped the writing of official histories, possibly because he disliked flattery.
• This is why private histories are important for his later reign.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Khafi Khan, Ishwardas Nagar and Sujan Rai Bhandari wrote other works.