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|+ <big>'''Aurangzeb'''</big>
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[[Image:Aurangazeb.jpg|Aurangzeb as the young emperor]]

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|align=left style="border-top:1px #CCCCCC solid"|'''Birth name:'''||style="border-top:1px #CCCCCC solid"|Abu Muzaffar Muhiuddin Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir
|-
|align=left style="border-top:1px #CCCCCC solid"|'''Family name:'''||style="border-top:1px #CCCCCC solid"|[[Timurid]]
|-
|align=left style="border-top:1px #CCCCCC solid"|'''Title:'''||style="border-top:1px #CCCCCC solid"|[[Emperor]] of [[Mughal Empire]]<br />
|-
|align=left style="border-top:1px #CCCCCC solid"|'''Birth:'''||style="border-top:1px #CCCCCC solid"|[[November 3]], [[1618]]
|-
|align=left style="border-top:1px #CCCCCC solid"|'''Birthplace:'''||style="border-top:1px #CCCCCC solid"| [[Dahod]]
|-
|align=left style="border-top:1px #CCCCCC solid"|'''Death:'''||style="border-top:1px #CCCCCC solid"|{{death date and age|1707|3|3|1618|11|3}}
|-
|align=left style="border-top:1px #CCCCCC solid"|'''Place of death:'''||style="border-top:1px #CCCCCC solid"|[[Ahmednagar]]
|-
|align=left style="border-top:1px #CCCCCC solid"|'''Burial:'''||style="border-top:1px #CCCCCC solid"|[[Valley of Saints]]
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|align=left style="border-top:1px #CCCCCC solid"|'''Succeeded by:'''||style="border-top:1px #CCCCCC solid"|[[Bahadur Shah I]]
|-
|align=left style="border-top:1px #CCCCCC solid"|'''Marriage:'''||style="border-top:1px #CCCCCC solid"|
*[[Nawab Bai Begum]], first wife of Aurangzeb, a [[Jarral Rajput]] princess from [[Rajauri]]
*[[Dilras Bano Begam]], second wife of Aurngzeb, a [[Safavid]] princess from [[Iran]]
*[[Begum Udepuri]]

|-
|align=left style="border-top:1px #CCCCCC solid"|'''Children:'''||style="border-top:1px #CCCCCC solid"|
*[[Muhammad Sultan]], eldest son of Aurangzeb from Nawab Bai Begum
*[[Bahadur Shah I]], originally known as Shah Alam, second son of Aurangzeb from Nawab Bai Begum
*[[Azam Shah]], third son of Aurangzeb from Dilras Bano Begum
*[[Sultan Muhammad Akbar]], fourth son of Aurangzeb from Dilras Bano Begum
*[[Muhammad Kam Baksh]], fifth son of Aurangzeb from Begum Udepuri
*[[Zeb-un-Nissa]], eldest daughter of Aurangzeb from Dilras Bano Begum
*[[Zinat-un-Nissa]], second daughter of Aurangzeb from Dilras Bano Begum
|}

'''Aurangzeb''' ({{lang-fa|اورنگ‌زیب}} (full title '''Al-Sultan al-Azam wal Khaqan al-Mukarram Abdul Muzaffar Muhiuddin Muhammad Aurangzeb Bahadur Alamgir I, Badshah Ghazi''') ([[November 3]], [[1618]] &ndash; [[March 3]], [[1707]]), also known by his chosen Imperial title '''Alamgir I''' (Conqueror of the Universe) ({{lang-fa|عالمگیر}}), was the ruler of the [[Mughal Empire]] from [[1658]] until his death. He was the sixth Mughal ruler after [[Babur]], [[Humayun]], [[Akbar]], [[Jahangir]], and [[Shah Jahan]]. He was known for his torture against Hindus such as the destruction of Hindu temples and the imposition of [[Jizya]] tax on all non-Muslims.

Aurangzeb ruled northern [[India]] for 48 years. He brought a larger area under [[Mughal]] rule than ever before <ref>The Great Mughals, by Bamber Gasciogne, page 233</ref>. He is generally regarded as the last 'great' Mughal ruler. His constant wars, however, left the empire dangerously overextended, isolated from its strong [[Rajput]] allies, and with a population that (except for the orthodox Sunni Muslim minority) was resentful, if not outright rebellious, against his reign. His last twenty five years were spent fighting in the Deccan and losing territory to rival states.
At his death, the Mughal Empire was shrunken, having lost most of its northwest and being replaced by the Hindu [[Maratha Empire]] in large areas of India.
Aurangzeb's successors, the 'Later Mughals', lacked his strong hand and the great fortunes amassed by his predecessors. The Marathas continued to gain at the Mughals' expense during the rest of the [[18th century]] {{Fact|date=November 2007}}.

Aurangzeb is remembered for his Sunni fundamentalist interpretation of Islam. Strict adherence to [[Islam]] and [[Sharia]] (Islamic law)&mdash;as he interpreted them&mdash;were the foundations of his reign. He attempted to institute Sharia law throughout the empire, abandoning the religious openness of his predecessors {{Fact|date=November 2007}}. It is said of his reign that many [[Hindu]] temples were defiled, destroyed, and replaced by mosques, a practice which had been largely discontinued since Babur's time. Many non-Muslims were supposedly converted to [[Islam]]. The hated [[Jizya]], a tax imposed on non-Muslims, was reinstated during his rule. In recent years, some historians have disputed these allegations <ref name="albalagh"> Dr. Habib Siddiqui in http://www.albalagh.net/general/0093.shtml Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb: Bad Ruler or Bad History?</ref>. Yet it is important to keep in mind that Muslims were made to pay both [[Zakah]] and [[Ushr]], and Aurangzeb is said to have abolished nearly sixty-five types of taxes, which resulted in a yearly revenue loss of fifty million [[rupees]] from the state treasury <ref name="albalagh" />{{Fact|date=November 2007}}.

==Rise to throne==
===Early life===
Aurangzeb (full name: ''Abu Muzaffar Muhiuddin Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir'' --[[Persian language|Persian]]: ابو مظفر محی الدین محمد اورنگزیب عالمگیر) was the third son of the fifth [[Mughal]] emperor [[Shah Jahan]] (builder of the [[Taj Mahal]]) and Arjumand Bānū Begum (also known as [[Mumtaz Mahal]]). After a rebellion by his father, part of Aurangzeb's childhood was spent as a virtual hostage at his grandfather [[Jahangir]]'s court. He had a friend anshi who helped him.

After Jahangir's death in [[1627]], Aurangzeb returned to live with his parents. Shah Jahan followed the Mughal practice of assigning authority to his sons, and in [[1634]] made Aurangzeb [[Subahdar]] (governor) of the [[Deccan]]. He moved to Kirki, which in time he renamed [[Aurangabad, Maharashtra|Aurangabad]]. In [[1637]], he married Rabia Daurrani. During this period the Deccan was relatively peaceful. In the Mughal court, however, Shah Jahan began to show greater and greater favoritism to his eldest son [[Dara Shikoh]].

In [[1644]], Aurangzeb's sister [[Jahanara Begum]] was accidentally burned in [[Agra]]. This event precipitated a family crisis which had political consequences. Aurangzeb suffered his father's displeasure when he returned to Agra three weeks after the event, instead of immediately on hearing of the accident. Shah Jahan dismissed him as the governor of Deccan. Aurangzeb later claimed ([[1654]]) he had resigned in protest of his father favoring Dara.
Aurangzeb's fortunes continued to decline. In [[1645]], he was barred from the court for seven months. Later, Shah Jahan appointed him governor of [[Gujarat]]. He performed well and was rewarded. In [[1647]], Shah Jahan made him governor of [[Balkh]] and [[Badakhshan]] (near modern [[Turkmenistan]] and [[Afghanistan]]), replacing Aurangzeb's ineffective brother [[Murad Baksh]]. These areas were at the time under attack from various forces. Aurangzeb's military skill proved successful.

He was appointed governor of [[Multan]] and [[Sindh]] alongside Osman Junaid and began a protracted military struggle against the [[Safavid]] army in an effort to capture the city of [[Kandahar]]. He failed, and fell again into his father's disfavor.

In [[1652]], Aurangzeb was re-appointed governor of the [[Deccan]]. But both man and place had changed. The Deccan produced poor tax revenue for the Mughals. In his previous term, Aurangzeb ignored the problem, allowing state-sanctioned corruption and extortion to grow. This time Aurangzeb set about reforming the system, but his efforts often placed additional burdens on the locals and were poorly received.

In an effort to extend boundaries of the Mughal empire, Aurangzeb attacked the border kingdoms of [[Golconda]] ([[1657]]), and [[Bijapur Sultanate|Bijapur]] ([[1658]]). Both times, Shah Jahan called off the attacks near the moment of Aurangzeb's triumph. In each case Dara Shikoh interceded and arranged a peaceful end to the attacks.

===War of succession===

[[Image:ShujaAurganzebMurad.jpg|thumb|220px|A painting from circa 1637 shows the brothers (left to right) Shuja, Aurganzeb and Murad Baksh in their younger years.]]
[[Shah Jahan]] fell ill in [[1657]], and was widely reported to have died. With this news, the struggle for succession began. Aurangzeb's eldest brother, [[Dara Shikoh]], was regarded as heir apparent, but the succession proved far from certain. When Shah Jahan supposedly died, his second son, [[Shah Shuja (Mughal)]] declared himself emperor in [[Bengal]]. Imperial armies sent by Dara and Shah Jahan soon restrained this effort, and Shuja retreated.

Soon after, Shuja's youngest brother [[Murad Baksh]], with secret promises of support from Aurangzeb, declared himself emperor in [[Gujarat]]. Aurangzeb, ostensibly in support of Murad, marched north from Aurangabad, gathering support from nobles and generals. Following a series of victories, Aurangzeb declared that Dara had illegally usurped the throne. Shah Jahan, determined that Dara would succeed him, handed over control of his empire to Dara. A Rajastani lord opposed to Aurangzeb and Murad, [[Maharaja Jaswant Singh]], battled them both at Dharmatpur near [[Ujjain]], leaving them heavily weakened. Aurangzeb eventually defeated Singh and concentrated his forces on Dara. A series of bloody battles followed, with troops loyal to Aurangzeb battering Dara's armies at [http://horsesandswords.blogspot.com/2006/01/battle-of-samugarh.html Samugarh]. In a few months, Aurangzeb's forces surrounded Agra. Fearing for his life, Dara departed for [[Delhi]], leaving behind Shah Jahan. The old emperor surrendered the [[Agra Fort|Red Fort]] of Agra to Aurangzeb's nobles, but Aurangzeb refused any meeting with his father, and declared that Dara was no longer a Muslim.

In a sudden reversal, Aurangzeb then had Murad arrested after intoxicating him and later executed him;<ref>The Great Moghuls, ''Aurangzeb'', [[Discovery Channel]]</ref> Murad's former supporters, instead of fighting for Murad, defected to Aurangzeb. Meanwhile, Dara gathered his forces, and moved to Punjab. The army sent against Shuja was trapped in the east, its generals [[Jai Singh I]] and Diler Khan, submitted to Aurangzeb, but allowed Dara's son Sulaiman to escape via the Himalayan foothills and join his father in Punjab. Aurangzeb offered Shuja the governorship of [[Bengal]]. This move had the effect of isolating Dara and causing more troops to defect to Aurangzeb. Shuja, however, uncertain of Aurangzeb's sincerity, continued to battle his brother, but his forces suffered a series of defeats at Aurangzeb's hands. At length, Shuja went into exile in [[Arakan]] (in present-day [[Myanmar]]) where he disappeared, and was presumed to be dead.

With Shuja and Murad disposed of, and with his father Shah Jahan confined in Agra, Aurangzeb pursued Dara, chasing him across the northwest bounds of the empire. After a series of battles, defeats and retreats, Dara was betrayed by one of his generals, who arrested and bound him. In [[1659]], Aurangzeb arranged a formal coronation in [[Delhi]]. He had Dara openly marched in chains back to Delhi; when Dara finally arrived, he had his brother executed. Legends about the cruelty of this execution abound, including stories that Aurangzeb had Dara's severed head sent to the dying Shah Jahan. With his succession secured, Aurangzeb kept Shah Jahan under house arrest at the Red Fort in Agra. Twice he allegedly sent poison to the ailing Shah Jahan with the hakims treating him. On both occasions, the loyal hakims took the cup to Shah Jahan but themselves drank the poision. It is also said that he had the window of the Red Fort from where Shah Jahan would look at the resting place of his beloved Mutaz Mahal—the[[Taj Mahal]].

==Aurangzeb's reign==
===Enforcement of Islamic law===

The Mughals had for the most part been tolerant of non-Muslims, allowing them to practice their customs and religion without too much interference. Though certain Muslim laws had been in place (e.g., prohibitions against building new Hindu temples), the protection tax on non-Muslims (the [[Jizyah]]) was repealed by Emperor [[Akbar]] in [[1562]]. Akbar also encouraged political tolerance toward the non-Muslim majority.

Aurangzeb abandoned many of the more liberal viewpoints of his predecessors. He espoused a more fundamentalist interpretation of Islam and a behavior based on the [[Sharia]] (Islamic law), which he set about codifying through edicts and policies {{Fact|date=November 2007}}. Aurangzeb took personal interest in the compilation of the [[Fatawa-e-Alamgiri]], a digest of Muslim law {{Fact|date=November 2007}}.

Another viewpoint which is now gaining momentum is, in recent years quite a few Hindu historians have come out in the open disputing those allegations. For example, historian Babu Nagendranath Banerjee rejected the accusation of forced conversion of Hindus by Muslim rulers by stating that if that was their intention then in India today there would not be nearly four times as many Hindus compared to Muslims, despite the fact that Muslims had ruled for nearly a thousand years. Banerjee challenged the Hindu hypothesis that Aurangzeb was anti-Hindu by reasoning that if the latter were truly guilty of such bigotry, how could he appoint a Hindu as his military commander-in-chief? Surely, he could have afforded to appoint a competent Muslim general in that position. Banerjee further stated: "No one should accuse Aurangzeb of being communal minded. In his administration, the state policy was formulated by Hindus. Two Hindus held the highest position in the State Treasury. Some prejudiced Muslims even questioned the merit of his decision to appoint non-Muslims to such high offices. The Emperor refuted that by stating that he had been following the dictates of the Shariah (Islamic Law) which demands appointing right persons in right positions." During Aurangzeb's long reign of fifty years, many Hindus, notably Jaswant Singh, Raja Rajrup, Kabir Singh, Arghanath Singh, Prem Dev Singh, Dilip Roy, and Rasik Lal Crory, held very high administrative positions. Two of the highest ranked generals in Aurangzeb's administration, Jaswant Singh and Jaya Singh, were Hindus. Other notable Hindu generals who commanded a garrison of two to five thousand soldiers were Raja Vim Singh of Udaypur, Indra Singh, Achalaji and Arjuji. One wonders if Aurangzeb was hostile to Hindus, why would he position all these Hindus to high positions of authority, especially in the military, who could have mutinied against him and removed him from his throne?



Under Aurangzeb, Mughal court life changed dramatically. He (in consultation with clerics), allegedly did not allow [[music]] (though some scholars dispute this), and around 1668 commanded court musicians, dancers and singers to cease performing in his presence. Further, based on Muslim precepts forbidding images, he stopped the production of representational artwork, including the miniature painting that had reached its zenith before his rule {{Fact|date=November 2007}}. There is however a miniature portrait of the aged Aurangzeb with Qur'an in hand. Soldiers and citizens were also given free rein to deface architectural images such as faces — even on the walls of Mughal palaces. Untold thousands of representational images were destroyed in this way. Aurangzeb abandoned the Hindu-inspired practices of former Mughal emperors, especially the practice of 'darshan', or public appearances to bestow blessings, which had been commonplace since the time of Akbar, as well as lavish celebrations of the Emperor's birthday {{Fact|date=November 2007}}.

Aurangzeb began to enact and enforce a series of edicts with punishments. Most significantly, Aurangzeb initiated laws which interfered with non-Muslim worship. These included the destruction of several temples (mostly Hindu), a prohibition of certain religious gatherings, collection of the [[jizya]] tax, the closing of non-Islamic religious schools, and prohibition of practices deemed immoral by him, such as temple dances. Aurangzeb also banned the practice of burning widows alive, and declared "never again should the officials allow a woman to be burnt".<ref name = Pritchett>[http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00islamlinks/ikram/part2_17.html XVII. Economic and Social Developments under the Mughals] from ''Muslim Civilization in India'' by S. M. Ikram edited by Ainslie T. Embree New York: Columbia University Press, 1964. This page maintained by Prof. [[Frances Pritchett]], [[Columbia University]]</ref>

There were a great many rebellions during Aurangzebs's reign, including those by the Rajput states of Marwar and Mewar, and the [[Sikhs]]. Things came to such a head that [[Guru Tegh Bahadur]], the ninth guru (spiritual pontiff) of Sikhism, was executed by Aurangzeb for refusing to convert to Islam <ref>{{cite book |last=Mahajan |first=Vidya Dhar |authorlink= |coauthors= |editor= |others= |title=Muslim Rule In India |origdate= |origyear= |origmonth= |url= |format= |accessdate= |accessyear= |accessmonth= |edition=fifth |series= |date= |year=1970 |month= |publisher=S. Chand & Co. |location=New Delhi |language= |isbn= |oclc= |doi= |id= |pages=234 |chapter=10 |chapterurl= |quote= }}</ref>. Aurangzeb had demanded that all Kashmiri Brahmins convert to Islam. The Kashmiris then asked for assistance from the Sikh Guru. Guru Tegh Bahadur was proclaimed their Guru, and he advised Aurangzeb that if Tegh Bahadhur could be converted to Islam, then the Brahmins would convert to Islam. Tegh Bahadhur was then executed after his refusal to convert. This day, November 11 is still commemorated by the Sikh community. The son of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the 10th Guru of Sikhism, [[Guru Gobind Singh]] led an open revolt against Aurangzeb's forces. It is thought that a letter to Aurangzeb by Guru Gobind Singh (The [[Zafarnama]]) contributed to the death of the aged Emperor. The letter highlighted all the atrocties that the Emperor had committed. He his said to have had extreme remorse after reading it, and soon ceased many of his hostilites towards his non-Muslim subjects, especially before his death.

The climate of religious orthodoxy is often cited as the reason for these rebellions, as well as for the collapse of the Mughal empire after Aurangzeb. But many historians today are re-assessing the period, and offer economic and political reasons for the many rebellions and the disintegration that followed, rather than religious, including the fact that the empire had become too huge and unwieldy. In addition, Aurangzeb's long wars of expansion, especially his decades in the Deccan, seriously strained the imperial treasury, while the many new nobles created and promoted by him (many of them Deccanis) did not share the old loyalty to the empire. Above all, the peasantry was steadily getting bled to death {{Fact|date=November 2007}}.

===Expansion of the empire===
[[Image:Darbarscene.jpg|thumb|250px|Emperor Aurangzeb seated on a golden throne holding a [[hawk]] in the [[Durbar]]. Such scenes would be rare in the latter part of his reign as he was permanently camped in the Deccan, fighting wars.]]
From the start of his reign up until his death, Aurangzeb engaged in almost constant warfare. He built up a massive army, and began a program of military expansion along all the boundaries of his empire.

Aurangzeb pushed into the northwest — into the [[Punjab region|Punjab]] and what is now [[Afghanistan]]. He also drove south, conquering Bijapur and [[Golconda]], his old enemies. He attempted to suppress the [[Maratha]] territories, which had recently been liberated by [[Shivaji]].

But the combination of military expansion and religious intolerance had far deeper consequences. Though he succeeded in expanding Mughal control, it was at an enormous cost in lives and to the treasury. And, as the empire expanded in size, the chain of command grew weaker.

The [[Sikh]]s of the Punjab grew both in strength and numbers in rebellion against Aurangzeb's armies. When the now weakened Muslim kingdoms of Golconda and Bijapur fell beneath Aurangzeb's might, the Marathas waged a war with Aurangzeb which lasted for 27 years.

Even Aurangzeb's own armies grew restive — particularly the fierce [[Rajput]]s, who were his main source of strength. Aurangzeb gave a wide berth to the Rajputs, who were mostly Hindu. While they fought for Aurangzeb during his life, mostly out of fear, on his death they immediately revolted against the Empire, an essential after-effect of Aurangzeb's Islamic fundamentalist policies.

With much of his attention on military matters, Aurangzeb's political power waned, and his provincial governors and generals grew in authority.

===Conversion of non-Muslims===
The forcible conversion of non-Muslims to Islam was a policy objective under Aurangzeb's rule.<blockquote>Aurangzeb's ultimate aim was conversion of non-Muslims to Islam. Whenever possible the emperor gave out robes of honor, cash gifts, and promotions to converts. It quickly became known that conversion was a sure way to the emperor's favor.<ref>{{cite book | last = Richards | first = John F. | title = The Mughal Empire | year = 1995 | publisher = Cambridge University Press | location = Cambridge | id = ISBN 0-521-56603-7 | pages = 130,177}}</ref> </blockquote>In economic and political terms, Aurangzeb's rule significantly favored Muslims over non-Muslims:"In many disputed successions for hereditary local office Aurangzeb chose candidates who had converted to Islam over their rivals. Pargana headmen and quangos or recordkeepers were targeted especially for pressure to convert. The message was very clear for all concerned. Shared political community must also be shared religious belief."<ref>Richards 1995:177</ref>. Aurangzeb created a climate favorable for conversion by discriminating against non-Muslims who refused to give up their ancestral faiths and rewarding those who converted.

Interestingly, the 1946 edition of the history textbook Etihash Parichaya (Introduction to History) used in Bengal for the 5th and 6th graders states: "If Aurangzeb had the intention of demolishing temples to make way for mosques, there would not have been a single temple standing erect in India. On the contrary, Aurangzeb donated huge estates for use as Temple sites and support thereof in Benares, Kashmir and elsewhere. The official documentations for these land grants are still extant."

===Attitudes towards Hindus===
Most Hindus like Akbar over Aurangzeb for his multi-ethnic court where Hindus were favored. Historian Shri Sharma states that while Emperor Akbar had fourteen Hindu Mansabdars (high officials) in his court, Aurangzeb actually had 148 Hindu high officials in his court. (Ref: Mughal Government) But this fact is somewhat less known.

Aurangzeb has been widely characterized as being [[anti-Hindu]], unlike other more liberal emperors who preceded him. This characterization came about largely due to his disparaging views against Hindus and his attempts to induce the conversion of Hindus to Islam.<ref name="Singhal">
{{cite book
| last = Singhal
| first = Damodar Prasad
| authorlink = Damodar Prasad Singhal
| title = A History of the Indian People
| year = 2003
| publisher = Cosmo (Publications, India); New Ed edition
| language = English
| url =
| isbn = 8170200148
}}</ref><ref name="&quot;>
{{cite book
| last = Prasad
| first = Ishwari
| authorlink = Ishwari Prasad
| title = A Short History of Muslim Rule in India, from the Advent of Islam to the Death of Aurangzeb P 609
| year = 1965
| publisher = Allahabad. The Indian Press. Private Ltd.
| language = English
| isbn = N/A
}}</ref>The anti-Hindu measures of Aurangzeb were intended to help the orthodox Sunni faith gain prominence in India in an indirect manner.<ref>{{cite book
| last = Lalwani
| first = Kastur Chand
| authorlink = Kastur Chand Lalwani
| title = The medieval muddle (Philosophy of Indian history) P90
| year = 1978
| publisher = Prajñanam
| language = English
}}</ref>
His various edicts against Hindus, such as banning the celebration of [[Diwali]] and imposition of jizya on non-Muslims are also factors in determining his attitudes. Pro British Indian historian, Sir [[Jadunath Sarkar]] has traced the anti-Hindu policies of Aurangzeb from as early a year as [[1644|1644 CE]].<ref>{{cite book
| last = Joshi
| first = Rekha
| authorlink = Rekha Joshi
| title = Aurangzeb, Attitudes and Inclinations Pg 34
| year = 1979
| publisher = Original from the [[University of Michigan]]
| language = English
}}
</ref> Historian E. Taylor writes that his negative views on Hindus were the primary reason for his reversal of the liberal policies of the previous Mughal emperors and "resume the persecution of Hindus" in the Empire, and the many rebellions that arose against him in [[Rajasthan]] and among the [[Marathas]].<ref>{{cite book
| last = Taylor
| first = Edmond
| authorlink = Edmond Taylor
| title = Richer by Asia P147
| year = 1947
| publisher = Houghton Mifflin Co.
| language = English
| url = http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000JW8ZOW/
| isbn = N/A
}}
</ref>.If there had ever been a dark age in the history of the 5000 years old Hindu religion, it was during the reign of Aurangzeb. It would not be an exaggeration to say that they were just "existing and not living." The plight of the Hindus under Aurangzeb can be compared with that of the Jews under Hitler or the kulaks under Stalin. The privileges of riding a horse; flying a flag; growing a moustache, chewing a beetle leaf or tying a turban were reserved only for the muslim members of the Indian society.

Aurangzeb had started a campaign of converting Hindus to Islam en masse, with the ultimate objective of converting Dar-al-Harb (land of infidelity) into Dar-Al-Islam (land of faith). He had been advised by the Qazis to convert the Brahman priests into Islam, for the rest of the Hindus would automatically follow their example; owing to the respect that the Brahman priests enjoyed in the Hindu society. One further point to note is that by a mass conversion of the Brahmans, Aurangzeb had aimed at uprooting Hinduism root and branch, for under the traditional Hindu society, knowledge was the confine of the Brahmans, and if they were converted, then no one could read the ancient scriptures that were written in Sanskrit. Anyone, who did not wish to embrace Islam, had to pay a tax called [[Jizya]]. Another instrument of the policy of putting economic pressure on "non-believers" was the granting of rewards to the converts, and the offering of posts in the public service, release from prison, or succession to disputed property, as a reward for accepting Islam.

contrasting view of another historian is:
"Aurangzeb's imposition ofthe jizya tax which had drawn severe criticism from many Hindu historians. It is true that jizya was lifted during the reign of Akbar and Jahangir and that Aurangzeb later reinstated this. Before I delve into the subject of Aurangzeb's jizya tax, or taxing the non-Muslims, it is worthwhile to point out that jizya is nothing more than a war tax which was collected only from able-bodied young non-Muslim male citizens living in a Muslim country who did not want to volunteer for the defense of the country. That is, no such tax was collected from non-Muslims who volunteered to defend the country. This tax was not collected from women, and neither from immature males nor from disabled or old male citizens. For payment of such taxes, it became incumbent upon the Muslim government to protect the life, property and wealth of its non-Muslim citizens. If for any reason the government failed to protect its citizens, especially during a war, the taxable amount was returned.

It should be noted that zakat (2.5% of savings) and ‘ushr (10% of agricultural products) were collected from all Muslims, who owned some wealth (beyond a certain minimum, called nisab). They also paid sadaqah, fitrah, and khums. None of these were collected from any non-Muslim. As a matter of fact, the per capita collection from Muslims was several fold that of non-Muslims. Further to Auranzeb's credit is his abolition of a lot of taxes, although this fact is not usually mentioned. In his book Mughal Administration, Sir Jadunath Sarkar, foremost historian on the Mughal dynasty, mentions that during Aurangzeb's reign in power, nearly sixty-five types of taxes were abolished, which resulted in a yearly revenue loss of fifty million rupees from the state treasury.

===Hindu temple desecration===
No aspect of Aurangzeb's reign is more cited - or more controversial - than the desecrations and destruction of Hindu temples.

During his reign, many hundreds -- perhaps many thousands -- of temples were desecrated: facades and interiors were defaced and their [[murti]]s (idols) looted. In many cases, temples were destroyed entirely; in numerous instances mosques were built on their foundations, sometimes using the same stones.His edicts show that he authorized and encouraged these acts. The history of the Mughal reign under Aurangzeb was chronicled as the Maāsir-i-ʻālamgiri, which states that:

#Aurangzeb issued a general order to destroy all centers of Hindu learnings including Varnasi and destroyed the temple at Mathura and rename it as Islamabad<ref name="Harbans">Mukhia, Harbans,"The Mughals of India" P25,Blackwell Publishing,2004,ISBN 0631185550</ref><ref name="Maasir">
{{cite book
| last = Khan
| first = Saqi Mustad
| authorlink = Saqi Mustad Khan
| coauthors = Jadunath Sarkar
| title = "Maasir-i-' Alamgiri : a history of the emperor Aurangzib-'Alamgir, reign 1658-1707 A. D. / of Saqi Musta'ad Khan ; translated into English and annotated by Jadu-Nath Sarkar"
| year = 1986 (reprint)
| publisher = Oriental books Reprint Corporation
| language = English
| url = http://www.amazon.com/Maasir-I-Alamgiri-History-Emperor-Auranzib-Alamgir-1658-1707/dp/8170690013/sr=8-1/qid=1171876614/ref=sr_1_1/103-5884052-1974266?ie=UTF8&s=books
| isbn = 8170690013
}}</ref>
#In Khandela (Rajastan) he killed 300 Hindus in one day for they resisted the destruction of their temple.
#In [[Multan]] and [[Thatta]] in [[Sind]], Aurangzeb ordered the governors to "demolish the schools and temples of the infidels and with utmost urgency put down the teachings and practices of these religious misbelievers [Hindus]"<ref name="Harbans"/><ref name="Maasir"/>
#In Udaipur all Hindus of the town were killed as they vowed to defend the temple of Udaipur from destruction.172 temples were destroyed in Udaipur.<ref name="Maasir"/>
#66 temples were pulled down in Amber. All Hindu clerks were dismissed from the office of the Imperial empire.
#In [[Pandhpur]], [[Maharashtra]], the Emperor ordered and executed the destruction of temple and butchering of cows within the temple.<ref name="Maasir"/>

From the beginning of his reign, Aurangzeb permitted and even 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.<ref name="Mehta">{{cite book
| last = Mehta
| first = Jaswant Lal
| authorlink = Jaswant Lal Mehta
| title = Advanced Study in the History of Medieval India P362
| year = 1987
| publisher = Stosius Inc/Advent Books Division; 2nd Rev edition
| language = English
| isbn = 8120705734
}}</ref> Hindu religious fairs were outlawed in [[1668]]. The following year, he prohibited construction of new Hindu temples as well as the repair of existing ones. In [[1671]] Aurangzeb issued an order that only Muslims could be landlords of crown lands. He ordered provincial Viceroys to dismiss all Hindu clerks. In [[1674]] certain lands owned 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 [[Jizya]] tax on all non-Muslims.<ref name="Mehta"/>

Speaking of the devastating persecution of the Hindu and his architectural symbols,[[V.S. Naipaul]] has written ''" This is such a big and bad event that people still have to find polite, destiny-defying ways of speaking about it" ''

Among those that Aurangzeb is said to have destroyed were two most sacred to Hindus, in [[Varanasi]] and [[Mathura]]. In both cases, he had large mosques built on the sites. Some historians opine that these temples were destroyed more for political reasons than religious, e.g. the [[Kesava Deo]] temple in [[Mathura]], which marked the place believed to be the birth place of Shri [[Krishna]], was destroyed as a reprisal for the peasant rebellions in the locality. The temple had large, gilded spires that could be seen from [[Agra]]. In [[1661]] Aurangzeb ordered the demolition of the temple, and constructed the [[Katra Masjid]] mosque. Traces of the ancient Hindu temple can be seen from the back of the mosque.

Commentators are divided on the issue of whether or not Aurangzeb indiscriminately destroyed temples, with some arguing that he went so far as to protect some of them. eg. Aurangzeb ordered the local officials in Benares to protect the temples and Brahman temple functionaries.<ref>Firman ordering mansabdar Abulhasan in Benares dt. Feb. 28, 1659, quoted by the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Page 689-90, 1911</ref> These commentators claim that, despite decades of campaigning in the [[Deccan]], little record is to be found of temple destruction in the region only (although records are abound of Aurangzeb's [[iconoclasm]] elsewhere in the subcontinent). And, following the practice of earlier emperors, he continued to confer jagirs upon some Hindu temples, such as the Someshwar Nath Mahadev temple in Allahabad, Jangum Badi Shiva temple in Banaras, and Umanand temple in Gauhati.<ref> Professor Vinay Lal in http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/History/Mughals/Aurang2.html</ref>.

Some scholars, like [[Romila Thapar]] and [[M.N. Roy]] have gone even beyond that, and argue that Aurangzeb was a benevolent ruler and very tolerant towards other religions{{Fact|date=April 2007}}. Thapar has even attempted to dismiss "local legends" of Aurangzeb's cruelty as "mere rumours." These issues continue to be politically contentious in India; for example, Thapar has come under fire from a well-known politician, [[Arun Shourie]], who claims that she "white-washes" the historical record.<ref>Arun Shourie, Eminent Historians: Their Technology, Their Line, Their Fraud, New Delhi: ASA Publications,1998, ISBN 81-900199-8-8.</ref>.

Interestingly, the 1946 edition of the history textbook Etihash Parichaya (Introduction to History) used in Bengal for the 5th and 6th graders states: "If Aurangzeb had the intention of demolishing temples to make way for mosques, there would not have been a single temple standing erect in India. On the contrary, Aurangzeb donated huge estates for use as Temple sites and support thereof in Benares, Kashmir and elsewhere. The official documentations for these land grants are still extant."

A stone inscription in the historic Balaji or Vishnu Temple, located north of Chitrakut Balaghat, still shows that it was commissioned by the Emperor himself. The proof of Aurangzeb's land grant for famous Hindu religious sites in Kasi, Varanasi can easily be verified from the deed records extant at those sites. The same textbook reads: "During the fifty year reign of Aurangzeb, not a single Hindu was forced to embrace Islam. He did not interfere with any Hindu religious activities." (p. 138) Alexander Hamilton, a British historian, toured India towards the end of Aurangzeb's fifty year reign and observed that every one was free to serve and worship God in his own way.

===Impact of Aurangzeb's reign===
This is again a disputed issue. Mainstream historians, such as [[Irfan Habib]] (who refers to a severe agrarian crisis) and [[Athar Ali]] (who blames the never-ending Deccan wars), believe that the real crisis was in the political and economic policies. Some, like [[Satish Chandra]] believe in addition that the Mughal empire was already weakened (a jagirdari crisis) before Aurangzeb came to the throne, so it was only his steadfast commitment to strong rule and expansion that kept it from falling apart during his reign itself. In fact [[Athar Ali]] holds that the Islamicist propaganda of his reign was just that, propaganda to cover up the dubious methods he had used to come to power, and then the failed military expansions.{{Fact|date=April 2007}}

===Rebellions===
Many subjects rebelled against Aurangzeb's policies, among them his own son, Prince Akbar.

*In [[1667]], the Yusufzais revolted near Peshawar and were crushed.
*In [[1668]] the Sikhs raised the banner of revolt from the fortress of [[Anandpur Sahib|Anandpur]]. Though they suffered horrendous loss of life, the rebellion continued for years.
*In [[1669]], the Jats of [[Mathura]], under the leadership of [[Gokula]], the Jat [[Zamindar]] of [[Tilpat]] in today's [[Harayana]], rose in rebellion. It was only in January, 1670, that the imperial authorities finally suppressed the revolt, with the execution of Gokula and many of his followers.
*In [[1670]], Chhatrapati [[Shivaji]] Maharaj, had opened the war with the Mughals. He opposed Aurangzeb with full strength and stopped him from entering Maharashtra. It was Shivaji who was praised by Aurangzeb for his bravery and noble attitude after his death.
*In [[1672]] the [[Satnami]]s, a Kabirpanthi sect concentrated in an area near Delhi, staged an armed revolt, taking over the administration of Narnaul, and defeating Mughal forces in an advance on Delhi. Aurangzeb sent an army of ten thousand, including his Imperial Guard, and put the rebellion down. <!-- (to one side or both?) with great loss of life.-->

Soon afterwards the [[Demographics of Afghanistan|Afghan]] [[Afridi]] clans in the northwest also revolted, and Aurangzeb was forced to lead his army personally to [[Hasan Abdal]] to subdue them.

When Maharaja Jaswant Singh of [[Jodhpur]] died in [[1679]], a conflict ensued over who would be the next Raja. Aurangzeb's choice of a nephew of the former Maharaja was not accepted by other members of Jaswant Singh's family and they rebelled, but in vain. Aurangzeb seized control of Jodhpur, destroying many Hindu temples. He also moved on [[Udaipur]], which was the only other state of Rajputana to support the rebellion. There was never a clear resolution to this conflict, although it is noted that the other Rajputs, including the celebrated Kachwaha Rajput clan of Mirza Raja Jai Singh, also the Bhattis, Harass and Rathods, remained loyal. On the other hand, Aurangzeb's own third son, Prince Akbar, along with a few Muslim Mansabdar supporters, joined the rebels in the hope of dethroning his father and becoming emperor. <!-- ? (Once again the easy divide of Muslim Aurangzeb versus 'all the Hindus' is called into question.)--> The rebels were defeated and Akbar fled south to the shelter of the Maratha Sambhaji, Shivaji's successor.

===The Deccan wars and the rise of the Marathas===
In the time of Shah Jahan, the Deccan had been controlled by three Muslim kingdoms: Ahmednagar, Bijapur and Golconda. Following a series of battles, Ahmendnagar was effectively divided, with large portions of the kingdom ceded to the Mughals and the balance to Bijapur. One of Ahmednagar's generals, a Hindu [[Maratha]] named [[Shahaji]], joined Bijapur court. Shahaji sent his wife and young son [[Shivaji]] in [[Pune]] to look after his jagir.

In 1657, while Aurangzeb attacked Golconda and Bijapur, Shivaji, using guerrilla tactics, took control of three Bijapuri forts formerly controlled by his father. With these victories, Shivaji assumed de facto leadership of many independent Maratha clans. The Marathas harried the flanks of the warring Bijapuris and Mughals, gaining weapons, forts, and territories.

Shivaji's small and ill-equipped army survived an all out Bijapuri attack, and Shivaji personally killed the Bijapuri general, [[Afzul Khan]]. With this event, the Marathas transformed into a powerful military force, capturing more and more Bijapuri and Mughal territories.

Following his coronation in [[1659]], Aurangzeb sent his trusted general and maternal uncle [[Shaista Khan]] to the Deccan to recover his lost forts. Shaista Khan drove into Marathi territory and took up residence in [[Pune]]. In a daring raid, Shivaji attacked the governor's residence in Pune, killed Shaista Khan's son, even hacking off Shaista Khan's thumb as he fled. Once more the Marathis rallied to his leadership, taking back the territory.

Aurangzeb ignored the rise of the Marathas for the next few years. Shivaji continued to capture forts belonging to both Mughals and Bijapur. At last Aurangzeb sent his Jaipuri general [[Jai Singh]], a Hindu, to attack the Marathas. Jai Singh's blistering attacks were so successful that he was able to persuade Shivaji to agree to peace by becoming a Mughal vassal. But when Shivaji and his son went to Agra to meet Aurangzeb, Shivaji and his son [[Sambhaji]] were placed under house arrest in Agra, from which they managed to effect a daring escape.

Shivaji returned to the Deccan, successfully drove out the Mughal armies, and was crowned [[Chhatrapati]] or Emperor of the Maratha Empire in [[1674]]. While Aurangzeb continued to send troops against him, Shivaji expanded Maratha control throughout the Deccan until his death in [[1680]].Shivaji was succeeded by his son Sambhaji. Militarily and politically. Mughal efforts to control the Deccan continued to fail. Aurangzeb's son [[Sultan Muhammad Akbar|Akbar]] left the Mughal court and joined with Sambhaji, inspiring some Mughal forces to join the Marathas. Aurangzeb in response moved his court to Aurangabad and took over command of the Deccan campaign. More battles ensued, and Akbar fled to Persia.

For nine years, Aurangzeb couldn't win a single fort from the [[Maratha]]s. But in [[1689]] Aurangzeb captured [[Sambhaji]] and publicly tortured and killed him. Sambhaji was succeeded by his brother [[Rajaram Chhatrapati|Rajaram]]. Maratha Sardars (commanders) fought individual battles against the Mughals, and territory changed hands again and again during years of endless warfare. As there was no central authority among the Marathas, Aurangzeb was forced to contest every inch of territory, at great cost in lives and treasure. Even as Aurangzeb drove west, deep into Maratha territory — notably conquering [[Satara]] — the Marathas expanded attacks eastward into Mughal lands, including Mughal-held [[Malwa]] and [[Hyderabad State|Hyderabad]]. Once, the Marathas attacked the imperial camp in the night, and cut off the ropes of the Emperor's tent. The Emperor escaped being crushed by the heavy tent only because he happened to be spending that night in another tent.

Aurangzeb waged continual war for more than two decades with no resolution. After his death, new leadership arose among the Marathas, who soon became unified under the rule of [[Shahu]],
Shivaji's grandson.

=== The Pashtun rebellion ===
Along with the Rajputs, the Pashtun tribesmen of the Empire were considered the bedrock of the Mughal Army. They were crucial defenders of the Mughal Empire from the threat of invasion from the West. The Pashtun revolt in 1672 was triggered when soldiers under the orders of the Mughal Governor Amir Khan attempted to molest women of the [[Safi]] tribe in modern day [[Kunar Province|Kunar]]. The Safi tribes attacked the soldiers. This attack provoked a reprisal, which triggered a general revolt of most of the tribes. Attempting to reassert his authority, Amir Khan led a large Mughal Army to the [[Khyber pass]]. There the army was surrounded by tribesmen and routed, with only four men, including the Governor, managing to escape.

After that the revolt spread, with the Mughals suffering a near total collapse of their authority along the Pashtun belt. The closure of the important Attock-to-Kabul trade route along the [[Grand Trunk road]] was particularly critical. By 1674 the situation had deteriorated to a point where Aurangzeb himself camped at Attock to personally take charge. Switching to diplomacy and bribery along with force of arms, the Mughals eventually split the rebellion and while they never managed to wield effective authority outside the main trade route, the revolt was partially suppressed. However the long term anarchy on the Mughal frontier that prevailed as a consequence ensured that Nadir Shah's forces half a century later faced little resistance on the road to Delhi.

=== The Sikh rebellion ===
The [[Sikhs]] also suffered at the hands of Aurangzeb.After the death of Har Krishan, Tegh Bahadur became the ninth Guru of the Sikhs. He was called the ''Sacha Padshah'' (True King) by the Sikhs. He protested against Aurangzeb's discriminatory policy towards non-Muslim citizens of the empire, such as Hindus and Sikhs. According to Kafi Khan, "Aurangzeb ordered the temples of the Sikhs to be destroyed and the Guru's agents collecting the tithes and presents of the Faithful to be expelled from the cities".<ref>{{cite book
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}}</ref>. Aurangzeb was annoyed on account of the Guru's encouragement to Hindus and Sikhs to resist his religious policy.

The Guru was summoned to [[Delhi]] and asked to become a [[Muslim]].<ref>{{cite book
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}}</ref>Another story is that he was asked to prove himself by performing a [[miracle]].The Guru wrote a charm on a piece of paper and when his head was cut off from the body the following words were found written on a piece of paper:"Sir diya Sar na diya" or "Sir diya din na diya";"I gave my head but not my secret". <ref>{{cite book
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After the death of Tegh Bahadur, his son, Gobind Rai, became the tenth Guru of Sikhs. Open war started between the Mughals and the Sikhs. On [[Baisakhi]] Day, 1699, Gobind Rai organised the Sikhs into a military order, the [[Khalsa]] at Anandpur Sahib. He revolutionalised the philosophy of the Sikhs. He said that he would make men of the four castes into Lions and destroy the Mughals.<ref>{{cite book
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}}</ref>Gobind Rai was himself initiated into the order and became known from thence as [[Guru Gobind Singh]]. He organised an army and fortified the area around Anandpur, with garrisons in place. From 1695 onwards, he fought relentlessly against the combined forces of the Mughals and the hill [[Rajput]] chiefs of today's [[Himachal Pradesh]], but was ultimately defeated and forced to leave [[Anandpur]]. Two of his younger sons, [[Sahibzada Zorawar Singh]] (aged 9 years) and [[Sahibzada Fateh Singh]] (aged 7 years), were captured and executed with great cruelty in the town of [[Sirhind]], today known as [[Fatehgarh Sahib]].<ref>{{cite book
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It is stated that when Aurangzeb was nearing his death, he summoned Guru Gobind Singh and promised to redress the wrongs done to him.<ref>{{cite book
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}}</ref>However, he died in the Deccan in 1707, when the Guru was on his way to meet him. The Guru was fatally wounded after being stabbed by two [[Pathan]]s, widely believed to have been sent from the Punjab to his Deccan camp by Wazir Khan, the Mughal governor of Sirhind, who was also responsible for executing his two sons. The Guru succumbed to his wounds, and died in 1708 at [[Nanded]]. The leadership of the Sikhs was taken by [[Banda Bahadur]] and he carried on the struggle against the Mughals. After him, the Sikh [[Misl]]s rose in the Punjab, and the Misldar of one of them, Ranjit Singh Sukerchakia finally founded the [[Sikh Kingdom]] of the Punjab in 1799.

==Legacy==
[[Image:Badshahi Mosque July 1 2005 pic32 by Ali Imran.jpg|thumb|250px|[[seventeenth century|17th Century]] [[Badshahi Masjid]] built by [[Mughal]] emperor Aurangzeb in [[Lahore]] ]]
[[Image:Lahore Fort Pakistan.jpg|250px|thumb|right|One of the thirteen gates at the Lahore Fort, this one built by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and named [[Alamgir]]]]

Aurangzeb's influence continues through the centuries. He was the first ruler to attempt to impose Sharia law on a Hindu country. The modern generations of his victims, decry this as intolerance, while his Muslim supporters are disillusioned by his demonic values. However, some still call him a [[Caliph]]. He engaged in nearly perpetual war, justifying the ensuing death and destruction on moral and religious grounds. He eventually succeeded in the imposition of Islamic Sharia in his realm, but alienated and looted many constituencies, not only native Hindu's and Sikhs, but also native [[Shi'ites]]. This led to increased militancy by the Great Marathas, Sikhs, and Rajputs, who along with other territories broke from the empire after his death; it also led to disputes among Indian Muslims who had grown up in an environment of constant turmoil and confrontation. The destruction of Hindu temples remains a dark and irreparable stain on the Muslim legacy in India to this day.

Unlike his similarly blood-thirsty predecessors, Aurangzeb considered the royal treasury as a trust of the Muslim citizens of his ill-gained empire and did not use it for personal expenses or extravagant building projects. He left few buildings, save for a modest mausoleum for his first wife, [[Bibi Ka Maqbara]], sometimes called the mini-Taj, in Aurangabad. He also created the [[Badshahi Masjid]] mosque (Imperial or Alamgiri Mosque) in [[Lahore]], which was once the largest outside of Mecca. He also added a small marble mosque known as the ''[[Moti Masjid]]'' (Pearl Mosque) to the [[Delhi Fort|Red Fort]] complex in Delhi. His constant warfare, however, drove his empire to the brink of bankruptcy just as much as the wasteful personal spending and opulence of his predecessors.

[[Stanley Wolpert]] writes in his ''New History of India'' ISBN 0-19-516677-9 (Oxford, 2003)
{{cquote|...Yet the conquest of the Deccan, to which [Aurangzeb] devoted the last 26 years of his life, was in many ways a [[Pyrrhic victory]], costing an estimated hundred thousand lives a year during its last decade of futile [[chess]] game warfare...The expense in gold and rupees can hardly be accurately estimated. [Aurangzeb]'s moving capital alone- a city of tents 30 miles in circumference, some 250 [[bazaar]]s, with a ½ million camp followers (Hindu's who had been converted into muslims and forced to become slaves and front-line foot soldiers), 50,000 camels and 30,000 elephants, all of whom had to be fed (now and then), stripped peninsular India of any and all of its surplus gain and wealth... Not only famine but [[bubonic plague]] arose...Even [Aurangzeb] had ceased to understand the purpose of it all by the time he..was nearing 90; it seems he began to realise the dark and viral nature of the Qu'ranic verses.."I came alone and I go as a stranger. I do not know who I am, nor what I have been doing," the dying old man confessed to his son in Feb 1707. "I have sinned terribly, and I do not know what punishment awaits me."}}

[[Image:Aurangzeb reading the Quran.jpg|thumb|Later in his life, Aurangzeb always portrayed himself as a humble person with head bowed in all his paintings.]]He alienated many of his children and wives, driving some into exile and imprisoning others. At the ebb of his life, he expressed his loneliness and perhaps a regret for his militant intolerant rule. His personal piety is undeniable. Unlike the often alcohol- and women-absorbed personal lives of his predecessors, he led an extremely simple and pious life. He followed Muslim precepts with his typical determination, and even memorized the entire [[Qur'an]]. He knitted [[haj]] caps and copied out the [[Qur'an]] throughout his life and sold these anonymously. He used only the proceeds from these to fund his modest resting place. He died in [[Ahmednagar]] on Friday, February 20 [[1707]] at the age of 88, having outlived many of his children. His modest open-air grave in [[Kuldabad]] expresses his strict and deep interpretation of Islamic beliefs.

After Aurangzeb's death, his son [[Bahadur Shah I]] took the throne. The Mughal Empire, due both to Aurangzeb's over-extension and cruelty and to Bahadur's weak military and leadership qualities, entered a long decline. Immediately after Bahadur Shah occupied the throne, the Maratha Empire — which had been held at bay by Aurangzeb, albeit at a high human and monetary cost — consolidated and launched effective invasions of Mughal territory, seizing power from the weak emperor. Within 100 years of Aurangzeb's death, the Mughal Emperor was to become a puppet of the [[Maratha Empire]] and then the [[British East India Company]], with little power beyond Delhi and ignored by most Indian princes.

==Trivia==
{{Trivia|date=September 2007}}
* There is a famous story that when the Emperor allegedly banned music in the court, the musicians arranged a mock funeral of the "Lady Music." The Emperor who witnessed it commented, "Let her be well and truly buried!"
* Alamgir (World seizer), as he preferred to style himself, in his old age, regretted the errors he made.<ref>http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/india/1707aurangzeb.html</ref>. He implored his sons not to engage in a war of succession and left behind a will dividing his empire among them. His sons ignored the will and fought a bitter war of succession.
* Aurangzeb's son Akbar rebelled against him and ran away to [[Persia]]. He wrote a stinging letter to his father.
*During Aurangzeb's reign, the [[Portugal|Portuguese]] born [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] [[Don (honorific)|Dona]] [[Juliana Dias da Costa]] came into his court and eventually would become harem-queen to his son [[Bahadur Shah I]], and used to ride a war elephant beside him during battles to defend his authority.
* Aurangzeb nipped the attempts of the East India Company to gain territory by attacking it in 1687.
* In 1675, the English poet [[John Dryden]] wrote a [http://web.nwe.ufl.edu/~esull/restoration/aurengzebe.htm ''Aurang-zebe: a tragedy''], a play about Aurangzeb's accession.
*Aurangzeb alamgir has five sons and his mother was expired in the place "jamod" the actual name of the place is "jah-e-mout" now today known as jamod in buldhana district in maharashtra and 60 km from the Burhanpur. arjumand bano was died.
*Aurangzeb grand sons generation living in the region of berar near the satpuda region since from 1759 they known as original mughals.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Additional references===
* ''Captive Princess-Zeb-un-Nissa'', Annie Krynicki Kreiger pub by Oxford University Press''
* ''Essays on Islam and Indian History'', Richard M. Eaton. Reprint. New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 2002 (ISBN 0-19-566265-2). -- ''Eaton's essay "Temple Desecration and Indo-Muslim States", which attempts to comprehend Aurangzeb's motivation in destroying temples, has generated much recent debate''
* '' The Peacock Throne'', Waldemar Hansen (Holt, Rinehart, Winston, 1972). -- ''a very British accounting of Aurangzeb's reign, but filled with excellent references and source material''
* ''A Short History of Pakistan'', Dr. Ishtiaque Hussain Qureshi, University of Karachi Press.
* ''Delhi'', Khushwant Singh, Penguin USA, Open Market Ed edition, February 5, 2000. (ISBN 0-14-012619-8)

==See also==
* [[Mughal empire]]
* [[Emperor of India]]

==External links==
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6430877.stm Quran hand-written by the emperor]- [[BBC]]
* [http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/History/Mughals/Aurang2.html Article on Aurganzeb] from MANAS group page, [[UCLA]]
* [http://www.albalagh.net/general/0093.shtml Aurangzeb: Bad ruler or bad history?]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/mughalempire_5.shtml Aurangzeb]- [[BBC]]
* [http://web.nwe.ufl.edu/~esull/restoration/aurengzebe.htm The Tragedy of Aureng-zebe] Text of [[John Dryden]]'s drama, based loosely on Aurangzeb and the Mughal court, [[1675]]
* [http://coinlegends.blogspot.com Legends on Indian Coins]
*[http://www.4dw.net/royalark/India4/delhi7.htm]

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{{succession box|title=[[List of Mughal emperors|Mughal Emperor]]|before=[[Shah Jahan]]|after=[[Bahadur Shah I]]|years=1659&ndash;1707}}
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{{Mughal}}

[[Category:Timurid monarchs]]
[[Category:Mughal emperors]]
[[Category:Mughal empire]]
[[Category:1618 births]]
[[Category:1707 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian monarchs]]
[[Category:Islamic rule in India]]
[[Category:Genocide]]

[[bn:আওরঙ্গজেব]]
[[da:Aurangzeb]]
[[de:Aurangzeb]]
[[es:Aurangzeb]]
[[fa:اورنگ‌زیب]]
[[fr:Aurangzeb]]
[[hi:औरंग़ज़ेब]]
[[it:Aurangzeb]]
[[lt:Aurangzebas]]
[[mr:औरंगजेब]]
[[ms:Aurangzeb]]
[[nl:Aurangzeb]]
[[ja:アウラングゼーブ]]
[[uz:Aurang Alamgir]]
[[pl:Aurangzeb]]
[[pt:Aurangzeb]]
[[ru:Аурангзеб]]
[[fi:Aurangzeb]]
[[sv:Aurangzeb]]
[[tr:Alemgir Şah I]]
[[uk:Аурангзеб]]
[[ur:اورنگزیب عالمگیر]]
[[zh:奥朗则布]]