Aurangzeb: The Man and the Myth

by Audrey Truschke

For instance, detractors trumpet that Aurangzeb destroyed certain temples without acknowledging that he also issued many orders protecting Hindu temples and granted stipends and land to Brahmins. They denounce that he restricted the celebration of Holi without mentioning that he also clamped down on Muharram and Eid festivities. They omit altogether that Aurangzeb consulted with Hindu ascetics on health matters and employed more Hindus in his administration than any prior Mughal ruler by a substantial margin.

For Aurangzeb, Raghunatha’s religious identity was irrelevant to his memorialized status as a great officer of the Mughal Empire.

Aurangzeb was a man of his times, not ours.

Vinay Lal’s website, Manas (https://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/), offers short, accessible articles on the most controversial aspects of Aurangzeb’s reign.