Aurangzeb, Ruler of the Mughal Empire

[A1Kaid]

The Reign of Aurangzeb, 1658-1707

Aurangzeb, A Mighty Persecutor of the Hindu Faith



Aurangzeb on the golden throne "Durbar"


Aurangzeb the warrior



Aurangzeb, crushing the Hindu rebellion

Aurangzeb was a well educated person with a strict religious orthodoxy. He had an acute sense of political realism and a fierce appetite for power. In the summer of 1659, Aurangzeb held a coronation durbar in the Red Fort where he assumed the title of Alamgir (World Conqueror). After a bitter struggle with his three brothers, Aurangzeb was the victor who took the throne.

Aurangzeb's harsh treatment of his brothers, Dara Shukoh, Shah Shuja and Murad Bakhsh, as well as of his father, Shah Jahan, is hard to justify. After having imprisoned his father, Aurangzeb was compelled during the first seven years of his reign to purchase the loyalty of Shah Jahan's amirs, writes Hambly. To provide plunder, Aurangzeb undertook aggressive frontier campaigns; these forays were generally unsuccessful.

Hambly writes that Aurangzeb maintained his court in the same manner as his father and grandfather. Like them, he celebrated the Nuruz (Persian New Year) and was publicly weighed against gold coins or precious stones.

As his predecessors had done, Aurangzeb appointed the Rajput chieftains to many of the highest offices of state where they worked side by side with Muslims, writes Hambly. But, continues Hambly, Aurangzeb eventually ended this practice. Bothered by Hindu and other Indian influences encroaching upon the Muslim state, Aurangzeb sought to bring Muslim orthodoxy to the empire.

Aurangzeb's policies totally alienated the Rajput element of the empire. Aurangzeb's inflammatory and discriminatory practices reached their zenith in 1679 when he re-imposed the jizya, a poll-tax on non-Muslims that had been abolished by Akbar.

Under Aurangzeb the Mughal empire reached its greatest extent, yet the emperor's puritanical outlook and his costly wars meant that the generous support given by his predecessors to learning and the arts was almost completely withdrawn.

Aurangzeb was, by temperament, an ascetic who avoided all forms of luxury and ostentation; he even refused to wear silk against his body. Aurangzeb limited his reading to works of theology and poetry of a devotional or didactic character, writes Hambly. And the emperor found both music and the representational arts to be distasteful.

Aurangzeb had none of his father's passion for the arts and architecture. Only a few monuments in Delhi are associated with Aurangzeb's name. These constructions, note Hambly, include the two massive outer defenses or barbicans protecting the gateway of the Red Fort and the exquisite Moti (Pearl) Mosque at Delhi. This mosque was built inside the palace to provide the emperor with a place for private prayers.

The decoration of this mosque, note Blair and Bloom, is made noteworthy by its exuberant floral carvings. The vases with stems of flowers fill the spandrels and spreading tendrils echo the cusps of the arches which culminate in a fleur-de-lys. In this exquisite mosque, continue Blair and Bloom, the realistic floral motifs that had been typical of the Shah Jahan period became increasingly abstract.

The most impressive building of Aurangzeb's reign, write Blair and Bloom, is the Badshahi (Imperial) Mosque which was constructed in 1674 under the supervision of Fida'i Koka. This mosque is adjacent to the fort at Lahore. The Badshahi is the last in the series of great congregational mosques in red sandstone and is closely modeled on the one Shah Jahan built at Shahjahanabad, note Blair and Bloom. The red sandstone of the walls contrasts with the white marble of the domes and the subtle intarsia decoration. The materials depart from the local tradition of tile revetment that is seen in the Mosque of Vazir Khan. According to Blair and Bloom, the cusped arches and arabesque floral patterns inlaid in white marble give the building, despite its vast proportions, a lighter appearance than its prototype.

Additional monuments from this period are associated with women from Aurangzeb's imperial family, writes Hambly. The construction of the elegant Zinat al-Masjid in Daryaganij was overseen by Aurangzeb's second daughter Zinat al-Nisa. The delicate brick and plaster mausoleum in the Roshan-Ara-Bagh in Sabzimandi was for Aurangzeb's sister Roshan-Ara who died in 1671. Unfortunately, the tomb of Roshan-Ara and the beautiful garden surrounding it were neglected for a long time and are now in an advanced state of decay.

Of all the men who sat upon the throne in Delhi no name evokes such an image of somber grandeur as that of Aurangzeb. His rule, which stretched across nearly half a century of Indian history, ended with his death in 1707. Despite Aurangzeb's personal hostility to the arts and his removal of the seat of government to the south, Delhi remained an artistic and cultural center and the foremost city of the empire.


Source: The Reign of Aurangzeb, 1658-1707



A history and biography of one of the most high profile Mughal Emperors of all time, Aurangzeb, Great Mughal Ruler, Legislator, and a Mighty Persecutor of the Hindu faith.

[A1Kaid]

Excerpt about Aurangzeb's policies in regards to Hindu traitors and rebels against their Mughal authority.

Many Hindu subjects rebelled against Aurangzeb's policies.

From the beginning of his reign, Aurangzeb permitted and encouraged the defacement and destruction of Hindu temples. Other edicts added to the impact. In 1665, he forbade Hindus to display illuminations at Diwali festivals. Hindu religious fairs were outlawed in 1668. The following year he prohibited construction of Hindu temples as well as the repair of old ones. In 1671, Aurangzeb issued an order that only Muslims could be landlords of crown lands. He called upon provincial viceroys to dismiss all Hindu clerks. In 1674, certain lands held by Hindus in Gujarat were confiscated. The customs duties levied on merchants was doubled for non-Muslims. In 1679, contrary to the advice of many of his court nobles and theologians, Aurangzeb reimposed the Jizyah tax on non-Muslims.

In 1668, the Hindu Jats in the Agra district revolted. Though they suffered horrendous loss of life, the revolt continued for years. In 1681, the Jats attacked and desecrated Akbar's tomb in Sikandra.

In 1672, the Satnamis, a Hindu sect concentrated in an area near Delhi, staged an armed rebellion, plundering villages and defeating Mughal forces in a press toward Delhi. Aurangzeb sent an army of ten thousand, including his Imperial Guard, and put the rebellion down at great cost of life.

Source: Aurangzeb - New World Encyclopedia


Many Hindus perpetrated treason against their Muslim Mughal authorities, their treacherous behavior and treason working with the British East India Company compromised Muslim-subcontinent security and power.

[Neo]

A1Kaid, if you sincerely want to discuss history please do it without dragging religion into it. The title is provoking just like the Timur threadand must be edited into something more appropriate.

[A1Kaid]

Originally Posted by Neo

A1Kaid, if you sincerely want to discuss history please do it without dragging religion into it. The title is provoking just like the Timur threadand must be edited into something more appropriate.

Okay change it into "Aurangzeb, Ruler of the Mughal Empire"


I think Aurangzeb is a controversial figure so discussing his rule, policies, and actions will be interesting.

[Adux]

This is what damn thing was about, just this. It all faded in 400 years.

YouTube - The Mughal Empire in Northern India 1500 - 1900

YouTube - The Mughal Empire in Northern India 1500 - 1900

[Adux]

Look where the Treacherous Hindus are today, and where the pious muslims (once hindus, refer: Taimur thread) are today!!!

[Singh]

The will was recorded by Maulvi Hamid-ud Din in chapter 8 of his hand written book in Persian about the life of Aurangzeb.

1
There is no doubt that I have been the emperor of India and I have ruled over this country. But I am sorry to say that I have not been able to do a good deed in my lifetime. My inner soul is cursing me as a sinner. But know it is of no avail. It is my wish that my last rites be performed by my dear son Azam, nobody else should touch my body.

2
My servent, Aya Beg, has my purse in which I have cearfully kept my earnings of 4 Rs and 2 annas. In my spare time I have been writing the Koran and stitching caps. It was by selling the caps that I made an hounest earning of 4 Rs and 2 annas. My coffin should be purchase with this amount. No other money should be spent for covering the body of a sinner. This is my dying wish.
By selling the copies of the koran I collected 305 Rs. That money is also with Aya Beg. It is my will that poor Mohammedans should be fed with sweet rice purchased by this money.

3
All my articles - clothes, ink stand, pens and books should be given to my son Azam. The labour charges for digging my grave will be paid by Prince Azam.

4
My grave should be dug in a dense forest. When I am buried my face should remain uncovered. Do not bury my face in earth. I want to present myself to Allah with a naked face. I am told whoever goes to the supreme court with a naked face will have his sins forgiven.

5
My coffin should be made of thick Khaddar. Do not place a costly shawl on the corpse. The route of my funeral should not be showered with flowers. No one should be permitted to place any flowers on my body. No music should be played or sung, I hate music.

6
No tomb should be built for me. Only a chabootra or platform may be erected.

7
I have not been able to pay the salaries of my soldiers and my personal servents for several months. I bequeath that after my death at least my personal servents be paid in full as the treasury is empty. Niamat Ali has served my very faithfully he has cleaned my body and has never let my bed remain dirty.

8
No mausoleum should be raised in my memory. No stone with my name should be placed at my grave. There should be no trees planted near the grave. A sinner like me does not deserve the protection of a shady tree.

9
My son, Azam has the authority to rule from the throne of Delhi. Kam Bakhsh should be entrusted with the governance of Bijapur and Golconda States.

10
Allah should not make anyone an emperor, the most unfortunate person is he who is an emperor. My sins should not be mentioned in any social gathering. No story of my life should be told to anyone.

Translated from an historical article published by S.Ajmer Singh MA in the Fateh weekly Nov. 7th, 1976.


(According to wishes of the emperor, his grave made of 'kuccha' bricks can still be seen in Aurangabad).

[sohamsri]

In my opinion,

Aurangzeb was the real reason for the demise of the Mughal demise. A lunatic that he was, his persecution only helped the Marathas get more support and power, along with launching off rebellions throughout the country. Had we got another Akbar, East India would have faced far more resistance .

About the thread, lets say I expected nothing else from the creator. ;)

[vinod2070]

Aurangzeb was a bigot. He ensured that Islam will forever be looked upon as an intolerant religion in India. Something imposed from outside and that doesn't belong here.

Just like Spain kicked out every last Muslim invader even after hundreds of years and reclaimed its civilization, the same could have happened in India when the native sons of the soil were kicking the arse of the filthy barbaric invaders. Within a few decades of the death of this barbarian Aurangzeb, Marathas and Jats and Sikhs had most of the country in control. The Mughals were isolated in Delhi at the mercy of the surrounding Hindu rulers.

I think the painful end of the Mughals by the British was befitting. I read of the way the "princes" were killed without mercy (after making them naked in front of Bahadur Shah Jaffar). The British officer in question took delight in dispatching them to jahannum. Almost every last Mughal was dispatched to hell, many of their girls were sold to kothas. The few who survived hid like the dogs they were.

Their end was befitting and every last invader will meet the same end. Its just a matter of time.

[Singh]

Anyone who has read about Mughal history , knows that it was the "barbaric" Muslims of Seraikistan and NWFP (present day Pakistan) that defeated the Mughal empire in teh 1857 rebellion and ensure british rule.

Death to the killers of Mughals, A1 Kaid ?