There is no doubt that Aurangzeb was a paranoid psychopath who inflicted great suffering on the people he ruled over or went to war with. This was particularly grotesque in the context of the civilisational values of the Indian sub-continent. He did not even spare his own family – the fate of his brother, Dara Shikoh, is just one example of his cruelty. And, of course, like so many rulers through history, he used religion as a weapon to unite his followers and motivate them to fight against the enemy, who were mostly Hindus.
As such, for modern day Indians to extoll him as a ‘hero’, a great crusader for a higher cause, reveals their ignorance of historic facts. At the same time, he did exist and rule over much of India and it is the duty of historians to present him, both, as an individual and a factor in the evolution of India as it is today. This is undoubtedly a difficult task as, even in the present, a ruler like Vladimir Putin is a hero for some and a villain for others. Despite this, leaders of other countries have to interact with him for the sake of diplomatic relations.
It is the same with Aurangzeb. He very probably suffered from severe post-traumatic stress disorder, having spent twenty-five years of his life extending Mughal power in the Deccan on the orders of his father, even as the Delhi Court indulged in pleasures of the mind and body. It was obvious to him that all his conquests, as also the Mughal Empire, would be threatened by Dara Shikoh’s meanderings in the spiritual world. So, in the struggle to take command, he spared no one, be it family, potential allies or enemies. It must not be forgotten that even the future Chhatrapati, Shivaji, was willing to strike a deal with him, which did not happen because of Aurangzeb’s arrogance, and court politics. In effect, all that had been achieved by Akbar’s ‘Sulh-I-Kul’ was undone during his reign. His dependence on military might beyond any other strategy was the result of his experience in the early formative years.
Considering these very basic facts, why would any present-day Indian identify with his life and policies? He did not do great service to Islam, because through his actions he alienated the majority of his subjects, which led to the establishment of the Maratha and Sikh empires, among others. His admirers of the present day should get their facts right.
