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Aurangzeb

Muhi al-Din Muhammad (Arabic: محی الدین محمد), better known as Aurangzeb (Arabic: اورنگ‌زیب) was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire.[1][2] He ruled over most of the Indian subcontinent and imposed Islamic Sharia law. His reign lasted for 49 years, from 1658 until he died in 1707. During this time, Aurangzeb greatly expanded the territory of the Mughal Empire with victories in South India. He was the last of the most powerful rulers of the Mughal dynasty. After his death, the power of the Mughal Empire declined quickly due to ineffective successors and the rise of the Maratha Empire[3][4][5] which was conquered eventually by the East India Company which led to the British Raj.[6]

Aurangzeb
اورنگ زیب
Shah
Alam
Mirza
Sword of Islam
Equestrian portrait of Aurangzeb.jpg
Aurangzeb dressed in full armour mounted on a horse
6th Mughal Emperor
31 July 1658 – 3 March 1707
13 June 1659
PredecessorShah Jahan
SuccessorMuhammad Azam Shah
Born(1618-11-04)4 November 1618 (N.S.)
Dahod, Mughal Empire
Died3 March 1707(1707-03-03) (aged 88)
Ahmednagar, Mughal Empire
Burial
Khuldabad
HouseTimurid
DynastyTimurid
FatherShah Jahan
MotherMumtaz Mahal
ReligionSunni Islam (Hanafi)

His rule saw the spread of Islam in the Indian subcontinent and Islamic law was strictly imposed on all subjects of the empire, which led to dissatisfaction among the non-Muslim population towards the Mughal rule.[7] Aurangzeb is often considered the most controversial Mughal ruler in India, as his rule involved the imposition of a discriminatory jizya tax on non-Muslims and the demolition of many Hindu temples.[8]

Trade & Commerce

His administration of the Mughal Empire led to its apex in terms of territory and wealth. Emperor Aurangzeb's exchequer raised a record £100 million in annual revenue through various sources like taxes, customs, and land revenue. He had annual yearly revenue of $450 million, more than ten times that of his contemporary Louis XIV of France. He was popular with traders as he abolished many local taxes levied by the previous rulers.

Islamic Laws

He reintroduced the practice of Jaziya, an additional tax on non-Muslim subjects. He also banned the consumption of alcohol and singing in court. Under his rule, Islamic scholars compiled the Fatawa Alamgiri, which served as the Islamic law of India for several centuries.[9][10]

Destruction of Hindu Temples

Contemporary court chronicles mention that hundreds of Hindu temples were demolished by Aurangzeb or his chieftains upon his orders, including temples of Khandela, Jodhpur, Udaipur and Chittor;[11] and in September 1669, he ordered the destruction of one of the major Hindu temples, Kashi Vishvanath Temple at Varanasi.[12] He also converted many subjects to Islam and destroyed the Harmandir Saheb alias Golden temple at Amritsar, Kalka temple, Somnath temple, Keshav Rai temple at Mathura, temples on the Maharanasa's lake at Udaipur, Jagannath Rai temple at Udaipur and many other temples in the environs of Udaipur.[13]

Revolts against Aurangzeb

Aurangzeb had to deal with the Rajput rulers of Marwar, Mewar, and Jaipur states. Raja Jaswant Singh of Marwar, an ally of the Mughals, was deputed to the north-western frontier, where he died fighting the Afghan rebels in 1678. With no apparent successor to the throne of Marwar, it was occupied by Aurangzeb. Meanwhile, a son of Jaswant Singh, Ajit Singh, was born and claimed the throne, which Aurangzeb refused. This began a Rajput struggle against the Mughals until Aurangzeb's successor recognized Ajit Singh as the ruler of Marwar.[6]

Due to the reinstitution of discriminatory policies against Hindus, the Jaats of Braj, led by Gokula Jaat, launched a revolt against Aurangzeb.[14] Though Gokula was captured and executed, the revolt would continue under his successor Rajaram Jaat,[15] ultimately paving the way for the Bharatpur State.[16]

Guru Tegh Bahadur, who was the ninth Sikh guru, was executed in 1675 under the orders of Aurangzeb in Delhi, leading to a Sikh revolt.[17]

Aurangzeb Media

References

  1. ↑ Dictionary of Wars (2013). Hoboken: Taylor and Francis. p. 387. ISBN 9781135954949.
  2. ↑ Thackeray, Frank W.. Events that formed the modern world : from the European Renaissance through the War on Terror (2012). Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO. p. 248. ISBN 9781598849011.
  3. ↑ Pearson, M. N.. Shivaji and the Decline of the Mughal Empire. The Journal of Asian Studies 35 (2) (February 1976). p. 221–235. doi:10.2307/2053980.
  4. ↑ Delhi, the Capital of India By Anon, John Capper, p. 28. "This source establishes the Maratha control of Delhi before the British"
  5. ↑ An Advanced History of Modern India By Sailendra Nath Sen p.Introduction-14. The author says: "The victory at Bhopal in 1738 established Maratha dominance at the Mughal court"
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Seiple, Chris. The Routledge handbook of religion and security (2013). New York: Routledge. p. 96. ISBN 978-0-415-66744-9.
  7. ↑ McLeod, Hew. Sikhs and Muslims in the Punjab. South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies 22 (sup001) (1999)Taylor & Francis. p. 155–165. doi:10.1080/00856408708723379.
  8. ↑ "Why Aurangzeb is so controversial? Here is everything you should know about the Mughal emperor". Economic Times. 11 June 2023. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/how-to/why-aurangzeb-is-so-controversial-here-is-everything-you-should-know-about-the-mughal-emperor/articleshow/100893118.cms. Retrieved 19 June 2023. 
  9. ↑ Brown, Katherine Butler. Did Aurangzeb Ban Music? Questions for the Historiography of his Reign. Modern Asian Studies 41 (1) (January 2007). p. 79. doi:10.1017/S0026749X05002313.
  10. ↑ AurangzebHistory & Information. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
  11. ↑ Mukhia, Harbans. For Conquest and Governance: Legitimacy, Religion and Political Culture", The Mughals of India (2004)John Wiley & Sons. p. 25. ISBN 9780470758304.
  12. ↑ Eaton, Richard. Temple Desecration and Indo-Muslim States (2000)Journal of Islamic Studies. 11 (3): 307–308. p. 230.
  13. ↑ Aurangzeb, as he was according to Mughal Records. Aurangzeb (2008-06-04). Retrieved 2026-04-19.
  14. ↑ Metcalf, Barbara D.. A Concise History of Modern India (in en) (2006-09-28)Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-139-45887-0.
  15. ↑ Sarkar, Jadunath. Fall of the Mughal Empire: 1789-1803 (1934). Calcutta: Sarkar & Sons.
  16. ↑ Asher, Catherine. India before Europe (2006)Cambridge University Press. p. 272. ISBN 978-0-521-80904-7. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  17. ↑ Pashaura Singh. The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies (2014)Oxford University Press. p. 236–238. ISBN 978-0-19-969930-8. Retrieved 12 June 2017.;
    Fenech, Louis E.. Martyrdom and the Execution of Guru Arjan in Early Sikh Sources. Journal of the American Oriental Society 121 (1) (2001)American Oriental Society. p. 20–31. doi:10.2307/606726.;
    Fenech, Louis E.. Martyrdom and the Sikh Tradition. Journal of the American Oriental Society 117 (4) (1997)American Oriental Society. p. 623–642. doi:10.2307/606445.;
    McLeod, Hew. Sikhs and Muslims in the Punjab. South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies 22 (sup001) (1999)Taylor & Francis. p. 155–165. doi:10.1080/00856408708723379.

Other websites

Media related to Aurangzeb at Wikimedia Commons

Aurangzeb
Born: 4 November 1618 Died: 3 March 1707
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Shah Jahan 		Mughal Emperor
1658–1707 		Succeeded by
Bahadur Shah I
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