i) The Mughal Emperor Jahangir looked upon the Sikh communiry as a potential threat and he ordered the execution of Guru Arjan in 1606. The Sikh movement began to get politicised in the 17th century, a development that culminated in the institution of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. The community of the Sikhs, called the Khalsa panth, became a political entity.
ii) He emphasised the worship of one God.
iii) He laid stress on the importance of right belief and worship, honest living and helping others.

In Aurangzeb's time the Rajputs and the Marathas challenged Mughal authority for the longest time. Mughal intervention in the internal politics of Rajput kingdoms led to the rebellion of Marwar. Initially Mughal's campaign against Shivaji was successful, but later Shivaji started his campaigns against the Mughals till his death.
Moreover Sikhs, jars, Satnami of North India and Ahoms in the North-East rebelled against the Mughal Emperor.

i) The people of Awadh relied solely on the local bankers and mahajans for loans. It sold the right to collect tax to the highest bidders.
ii) These revenue farmers known as ijaradars agreed to pay the state a fixed sum of money. Local bankers guaranteed the payment of this contracted amount to the state.
iii) In turn, the revenue farmers were given considerable freedom in the assessment and collection of taxes. Thus, the position of moneylenders and bankers became influential which was not in the past.

After becoming the governor of Deccan, Asaf Jah took some important steps to strengthen his positions
(i) He brought skilled soldiers and administrators from northern India.
(ii) He appointed mansabdars and granted jagirs.
(iii) He ruled quite independently without seeking any direction from Delhi or facing any interference.

The Nawabs of Awadh and Bengal tried to do away with the jagirdari system because they wanted to reduce the Mughal influence in their kingdoms.

i) During the 17th century the Sikhs paid attention into the state-building in the Punjab state. Several battles were fought by Guru Gobind Singh against the Rajput and Mughal rulers, both before and after the institution of the Khalsa in 1699. After his death, 1708, the Khalsa revolted against the Mughal authority under Banda Bahadur's leadership. The Sikhs declared their sovereign rule by striking coins in the name of Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh and established their own administration between the Sutlej and the Jamuna. Under a number of able leaders in the 18th century, the Sikhs organised themselves into a number of bands called Jathas and later on misls. Their combined forces were known as the grand army (Dal Khalsa).
ii) A system called rakhi was introduced. By the late 18th century, the Sikh territories extended from the Indus to the Jamuna. Maharaja Ranjit Singh reunited the different Sikh groups.

The common features of the three states are
(i) Though many of the larger states were established by erstwhile Mughal nobles, they were highly suspicious of some of the administrative systems that they had inherited, specially the Jagirdari system
(ii) All the three regimes contracted with revenue farmers for the collection of revenue rather than relying upon the officers of the state.
(iii) The third common feature in these three states was their emerging relationship with rich bankers and merchants. These people lent money to revenue farmers, received land as security and collected taxes from these lands through their own agents.