Home > Indian History > History of India > Religious Policy of Aurangzeb
Religious Policy of Aurangzeb
Religious Policy of Akbar was orthodox and he displayed extreme intolerance in his religious attitude and practice. Aurangzeb was a staunch Sunni and wanted to protect and strengthen Islam particularly its Sunni faith.

Share this Article:

Religious Policy of AurangzebReligious policy of Aurangzeb was based on the Islamic theory of kinship. Aurangzeb felt that he was superior not only had he become superior to administer the empire in a better way but also to protect and strengthen Islam particularly its Sunni faith. He was a strict follower of the Sunni sect, to the extent that he persecuted the members of the Shia sect. In order achieve his objective of strengthening Islam, he imprisoned his father, killed his brothers, forced his son Akbar to revolt and pass a miserable life. He also compelled the Rajputs, the Jat, the Sikhs and the Marathas to rebel, destroyed the states of Bijapur and Golkonda and imposed political, economic, and social disabilities on his Muslim subjects with a view to convert them to Islam. Aurangzeb believed that all Mughal rulers who ruled prior to him committed one blunder of not trying to establish the supremacy of Islam in India. He attempted for it during his life time because he believed that it was the foremost duty of a Muslim king.

Aurangzeb was non-tolerant towards other religious beliefs besides Islam. He stopped celebrating the Hindu festivals like Holi, Diwali etc. at the court. Nearly all famous temples of northern India including the temple of Vishwanath at Varanasi and Somnatha at Patna were destroyed during the reign of Aurangzeb. In April 1679 A.D., Jizya was imposed on the Hindus. Pilgrimage tax on the Hindus was also revived and while the Muslim traders remained free from tax, the Hindu traders were asked to pat a certain per cent of the value of their commodities as tax. All these disabilities were imposed on the Hindus with a view to force them to accept Islam.

As regards Islam, he reinforced the religion rather stringently on its followers. He framed certain laws to be observed by the Muslims as their religious duty and appointed a new class of officers who were assigned the duty to enforce these laws. These officers were given powers to punish all the people who were found guilty of blasphemy. That is why even liberal Shias and Sufis were also punished during the reign of Aurangzeb. He displayed a particular animosity towards the Shia sect and persecuted them with and intent of trying to establish the superiority of the Sunni sect. There were a number of different ways in which he tried to put down the Shias and curb their practices. One su8ch measures was the banning of the Tazia procession. Shias observe ten days of mourning in Muharram in remembrance of the martyr Imam Hussein, then on the tenth day there is a big procession. A Tazia is built, a replica of his cenotaph, to which are added various symbols of Hazrat Ali and his family. The Tazia, and a horse representing the Holy Caliph`s horse, a mount kept especially for this occasion which nobody is allowed to ride, take their places in the procession, while the mourners follow reciting elegies and chanting, with some indulging in self-flagellation. It is a highly emotionally charged march that many times has led to sectarian conflict. Even though he allowed this practice to be followed in the early part of his reign, he later banned the Tazia procession.

However, in his personal behaviour, he displayed a rather bigoted attitude. For instance, once in a letter to Asad Khan, his favourite vizier, he writes about an Afghan prince who had shown him a beautiful ceremonial dagger which had been forged in Ferghana, the country Babur originally came from. The Afghan prince boasted that the name of the dagger was even more beautiful than its engravings. Its name was `Killer of Shias,` and Aurangzeb said he wanted two or three similar daggers with the same name. On the other hand, he was full of praise for Amin Khan Hafiz, son of his very dear friend Mir Jumla, both of whom were Shias, and he even made Amin Governor of Gujarat from 1672 to 1682. Also, his wife Dilras Begum, whom Aurangzeb loved dearly and whose every wish he tried to grant, was a devout Shia, and he had let her raise their son Azam in this faith. In his own court, the Prince organized debates between Shia and Sunni Ulema. Thus there spears to be a strange contradiction in the general policy that Aurangzeb followed towards the practitioners of Shiasm. While on the one hand he did everything possible to curb their religious influence on the other hand he also seemed to have adopted a liberal attitude towards the believers at times.

The religious intolerance practiced by Aurangzeb led to several revolts by the Marathas, Satnamis, Sikhs and the Jats. These revolts destroyed the peace of the empire, disrupted its economy and weakened its military strength which, ultimately, led not only to the failure of Aurangzeb but also to the downfall of the Mughal Dynasty.


Share this Article:

Subscribe to Newsletter
Learn unknown facts about India from a curated list of informative articles.

Related Articles

More Articles in History of India

History of Indian Drama
History of Indian Drama is rich with Vedas and Indian epics and has gradually changed with time and remains unaffected by any foreign influence.
History of Khajuraho Temple
Located in the Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh, Khajuraho is country’s most magnificent groups of temples.
History of Ayurveda
History of Ayurveda dates back to 5,000 years old and is widely considered to be the oldest form of health care in the world.
History of Uttar Pradesh
The state was the heart of Mahabharata war and the history of Uttar Pradesh is very much the history of India. The place finds its mentions in Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata.
History of Indian Photography
An overview of the development of photography, through the various stages in India.
History of Delhi
History of Delhi began with the advent of Indian regal dynasties. Delhi witnessed the rise and fall of Hindu dynasties, Muslims and the British as well.
History of Indian Radio
History of Indian Radio dates back to late 1930s with the first establishment of All India Radio in 1936 that improved further after independence.
History of Punjab
History of Punjab dates back to the 16th century; however its formation is traced in the great epic Mahabharata.
History Of Archaeology In India
History of archaeology in India contributes a lot to define the past history and the social life of India.
History of Maharashtra
Maharashtra, the land of charismatic Marathas, unfolds the legend of diverse culture and tradition, keeping in pace with the modernity. The gallant history of Maharashtra is still echoed amidst its historical relics and archeological wonders.
History of Kerala
History of Kerala can be interpreted from the inscriptions of Ashoka, Mauryan Emperor. History of Kerala is as interesting as its wide-ranging geographical features that make the land a place of versatile appeal.
History of Bihar
History of Bihar goes back to the very dawn of the human civilizations. Many eminent personalities and leaders from Bihar contributed for India’s freedom struggle.
History of Assam
In the ancient Indian epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata, Assam was known as `Kamarupa` or `Pragjyotish`. In the Mahabharata, the Puranas, the Tantras there are references of Assam as Kamrupa kingdom.
History of Andaman and Nicobar Islands
History of Andaman and Nicobar Islands dates back to the settlement of the East India Company in the territory of the Islands.
History of West Bengal
History of West Bengal is rooted in richness and is an important episode in the history of India. The history of Bengal played an important role in shaping the history of India.
History of Jharkhand
One of the fairly newer states, Jharkhand was carved out of the southern portion of Bihar in 2000. The history of Jharkhand is seeped with a variety of cultural significances starting from the Vedic era to Mughal period and finally the British administration.
History of Sikkim
History of Sikkim declares the pre historic culture and the colonial era hilly politics and the rules of Sikkim.
History of Nagaland
The history of Nagaland mainly revolves around and deals with the customs and economic activities of the Naga Tribes and how the state has evolved since the Indian Independence.
History of Mizoram
History of Mizoram includes the various historical events and incidents which occurred during the various ages, right from before the age of the Mughals.
History of Jammu & Kashmir
History of Jammu and Kashmir involves a series of political and geographical transformations from every ancient era to the modern times also. Even now, Jammu and Kashmir has its political tension between Pakistan and India.
History of Puducherry
Puducherry was invaded by different invaders in different times. The invaders include Pallava Kingdom of Kanchipuram, dynasties of the South, Cholas of Thanjavur, Pandyas and Muslim invaders.
History of Chandigarh
In 1947, the British India was partitioned into India and Pakistan. Punjab was also included in this partition. So, there was a need for a new capital for Punjab, as the old capital Lahore became part of Pakistan during the partition. So, in 1948, under the leadership of chief architect Mr. P.L. Verma the construction of Chandigarh city began.
History of Daman and Diu
During the early stage, i.e. from 8th to 13th century, Daman and Diu was part of Goa.
History of Lakshadweep
History of Lakshadweep defines the first settlement on these islands under the Union Territory of India that was ruled by Cheraman Perumal, who was the last king of Kerala.
History of Karnataka
History of Karnataka comprised of the different rulers of different dynasties of various religions like Hindus, Buddhists, and later the Muslims.
History of Goa
History of Goa dates back to the 3rd century BC and reflects the rule of the mighty rulers and gained its independence under Jawaharlal Nehru.
History of Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh possesses a rich historical heritage of culture of the ancient tribes. Being a bordering state of India, Arunachal Pradesh also has a history of military unrest since ancient Indian age.
History of Andhra Pradesh
History of Andhra Pradesh traces its origin back to the 5th century BC. According to the inscriptions, Kuberaka, the oldest Kingdom in South India had an empire in the coastal Andhra during that period.
History of Himachal Pradesh
History of Himachal Pradesh narrates about the various settlements and dynasties that emerged in the region over time.
History of Uttarakhand
History of Uttarakhand finds mention in the early Hindu scriptures as Kedarkhand, Manaskhand and Himavat. Uttarakhand is called as the Land of the Gods (Dev Bhoomi) because of its various holy places and shrines.
History of Rajasthan
The history of Rajasthan is dotted with tales of valor, chivalry, camaraderie and romance.
History of Tamil Nadu
History of Tamil Nadu reveals that this ancient place in South India was ruled by various kingdoms like the Pandyas Dynasty, Cholas Dynasty, Nayakas Dynasty and Pallavas Dynasty.
History of Haryana
History of Haryana depicts various events and influences that have cast a profound effect on the culture and people of the district. The place gained statehood on 1st of November 1966
History of Odisha
History of Odisha goes back a rather long way. Most of the history of the state is replete with the dynastic as well as tribal struggle for territorial superiority. Odisha is a place where one can find the religion, culture and history flow in away that lead to cultural amalgamation of early India.
History of Manipur
History of Manipur can be traced back to the prehistoric ages and this was followed by a number of rulers who reigned the land from age to age till it came under British rule and later joined the union of India.
History of Gujarat
History of Gujarat can be dated back to the 14th century that later witnessed the supremacy of many powerful dynasties.
History of Tripura
History of Tripura is dealing with the early mythological history and the history of British rule in North eastern part of India.
History of Meghalaya
The history of Meghalaya predominantly comprises of the three tribes of the state- Garo, Khasi and Jaintia tribes. Later on Meghalaya was formed by carving out two districts from the state of Assam.
History of Chhattisgarh
History of Chhattisgarh dates back to the era of epics and traces through the reign of powerful dynasties in India like Marathas. The area developed a rich cultural heritage during British era.