The siege of Bijapur was one of the longest military engagements of the Mughals, lasting more than 15 months until Aurangzeb personally arrived to organise a victory.

The siege, however, was unsuccessful as the Adil Shahi dynasty sought peace with Shah Jahan, mainly through the cooperation of his son and Aurangzeb's brother Dara Shikoh.

In 1685, Aurangzeb dispatched his son Muhammad Azam Shah alongside Ruhullah Khan, the Mir Bakhshi (military administrator), with a force of nearly 50,000 men to capture Bijapur Fort.

After the encirclement was complete, Prince Muhammad Azam Shah initiated siege operations by positioning cannons around Bijapur Fort.

Things worsened when a Bijapuri cannonball struck a Mughal gunpowder position causing a massive explosion into the trenches that killed 500 infantrymen.

Abdullah Khan Bahadur Firuz Jang, a highly experienced Mughal commander positioned at the outpost of Rasulpur, routed a 6,000-strong infantry contingent led by Pam Naik intended to carry supplies to Bijapur Fort during a night attack.

The lengthy siege turned into a stalemate; therefore, Aurangzeb himself gathered a massive army in July 1686 and marched slowly towards Bijapur Fort.

After eight days of intense fighting, the Mughals had successfully damaged the five gates of Bijapur Fort and collapsed substantial portions of the fortified walls, thus enabling them to breach the moat and conquer the city.