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The main causes for this downfall were as follows.

(i) The government of the Mughals was a personal despotism and so its success depended on the character of  the reigning autocrat. The successors  of Aurangzeb were worthless and neglected the administration of the state.

(ii) With the absence of a definite law of succession there always occurred a war of succession; this weakened the stability of the government, and fostered partisanship at the cost of patriotism.

(iii) The deterioration of the army also proved disastrous for the empire.

(iv) The empire had become too vast and unwieldy to be efficiently governed from a central authority under weal rulers, especially in the medieval conditions of transport and communication.

(v) Aurangzeb's religious policy was largely responsible, causing revolts by Rajputs, Sikhs, Jats and Marathas.

(vi) Aurangzeb's Deccan policy was a complete failure andthis  to a major extent led the downfall of the Mughal empire.