He’s been dead for more than 300 years. So why is this emperor angering millions today?

Despite being dormant for much than 300 years, this Indian ruler is inactive making waves successful the nation’s politics.

Aurangzeb Alamgir has go truthful cardinal to India’s fraught governmental moment, his representation is starring to sectarian unit crossed the country.

The sixth emperor of the famed Mughal dynasty, helium is considered by galore detractors to beryllium a tyrant who brutalized women, razed Hindu temples, forced spiritual conversions and waged wars against Hindu and Sikh rulers.

And successful a federation present astir wholly nether the grip of Hindu nationalists, Aurangzeb’s “crimes” person been seized upon by right-wing politicians, turning him into the eventual Muslim villain whose representation needs to beryllium erased.

Sectarian clashes erupted successful the occidental metropolis of Nagpur past month, with hardline Hindu nationalists calling for the demolition of his tomb, which is astir 400 kilometers away.

Seemingly spurred connected by a caller Bollywood movie’s portrayal of Aurangzeb’s convulsive conquests against a revered Hindu king, the unit led to dozens of injuries and arrests, prompting Nagpur authorities to enforce a curfew.

As tensions betwixt the 2 communities proceed to mount, galore right-wing Hindus are utilizing Aurangzeb’s sanction to item humanities injustices against the country’s bulk faith.

And they are causing fears among India’s 200 cardinal Muslims.

‘Admiration and aversion’

The Mughals ruled during an epoch that saw conquest, domination and convulsive powerfulness struggles but besides an detonation of creation and civilization arsenic good arsenic periods of heavy spiritual syncretism – astatine slightest until Aurangzeb.

Founded by Babur successful 1526, the empire astatine its tallness covered an country that stretched from modern-day Afghanistan successful cardinal Asia to Bangladesh successful the east, coming to an extremity successful 1857 erstwhile the British overthrew the last emperor, Bahadur Shah II.

Its astir well-known leaders – Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan – famously promoted spiritual harmony and heavy influenced overmuch of Indian culture, gathering iconic sites specified arsenic the Taj Mahal and Delhi’s Red Fort.

But among this much tolerant company, Aurangzeb is considered thing of a acheronian equine – a spiritual zealot and analyzable character.

Aurangzeb “evoked a substance of admiration and aversion close from the infinitesimal of his succession to the Mughal throne,” said Abhishek Kaicker, a historiographer of Persianate South Asia astatine UC Berkeley.

“He attracted a grade of revulsion due to the fact that of the mode successful which helium came to the throne by imprisoning his begetter and sidesplitting his brothers… At the aforesaid time, helium drew admiration and loyalty for his idiosyncratic unostentatiousness and piety, his unrivaled subject powerfulness that led to the enlargement of the Mughal realm, his governmental acumen, administrative efficiency, and estimation for justness and impartiality.”

Born successful 1618 to Shah Jahan (of Taj Mahal fame) and his woman Mumtaz Mahal (for whom it was built), historians picture the young prince arsenic a devout, solemn figure, who showed aboriginal signs of leadership.

He held respective appointments from the property of 18, successful each of which helium established himself arsenic a susceptible commander. The glory of the Mughal empire reached its zenith nether his father, and Aurangzeb’s scrambled for power of what was past the richest throne successful the world

So erstwhile Shah Jahan fell sick successful 1657, the signifier was acceptable for a bitter warfare of succession betwixt Aurangzeb and his 3 siblings successful which helium would yet travel face-to-face with his eldest brother, Dara Shikoh, a champion of a syncretic Hindu-Muslim culture.

Aurangzeb imprisoned his ailing begetter successful 1658 and defeated his member the twelvemonth after, earlier forcibly parading him successful chains connected a filthy elephant connected the streets of Delhi.

“The favourite and pampered lad of the astir magnificent of the Great Mughals was present clad successful a travel-tainted formal of the coarsest cloth,” wrote Jadunath Sarkar successful “A Short History of Aurangzib.”

“With a acheronian dingy-colored turban, specified arsenic lone the poorest wear, connected his head. No necklace oregon jewel adorning his person.”

Dara Shikoh was aboriginal murdered.

A abrupt shift

By now, Aurangzeb’s authorization had reached bonzer heights, and nether his enactment the Mughal empire reached its top geographical extent.

He commanded a grade of respect and for the archetypal fractional of his reign, ruled with an robust fist, albeit with comparative tolerance for the bulk Hindu faith.

Until astir 1679, determination were nary reports of temples being broken, nor immoderate imposition of “jizya” oregon taxation connected non-Muslim subjects, according to Nadeem Rezavi, a prof of History astatine India’s Aligarh University. Aurangzeb behaved, “just similar his forefathers,” Rezavi said, explaining however immoderate Hindus adjacent held precocious fertile wrong his government.

In 1680 however, that each changed, arsenic helium embraced a signifier of spiritual intolerance that reverberates to this day.

The zealot ruler demoted his Hindu statesmen, turning friends into foes and launching a agelong and unpopular warfare successful the Deccan, which included the convulsive suppression of the Marathas, a Hindu kingdom revered to this time by India’s right-wing politicians – including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Members of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) person been speedy to constituent retired the cruelties inflicted connected Hindus by Aurangzeb – forcing conversions, reinstating the jizya, and murdering non-Muslims.

He besides waged warfare connected the Sikhs, executing the religion’s ninth Guru Tegh Bahadur, an enactment makes Aurangzeb a fig of loathing among galore Sikhs to this day.

This brutality was connected show successful the precocious released movie “Chhaava,” which depicts Aurangzeb arsenic a barbaric Islamist who killed Sambhaji, the lad of the astir celebrated Maratha king, Chhatrapati Shivaji.

“Chhaava has ignited people’s choler against Aurangzeb,” said Devendra Fadnavis, the main curate of Maharashtra, wherever Nagpur is located.

Muslims alleged members of the right-wing Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) burned a expanse bearing verses from their beatified Quran.

Yajendra Thakur, a subordinate of the VHP group, denied the allegations but restated his tendency to person Aurangzeb’s tomb removed.

“Aurangzeb’s sedate should not beryllium here,” helium told CNN from Nagpur. “It shouldn’t beryllium present due to the fact that of everything helium did to Shambhaji Maharaj. Even our Muslim brothers should contented a connection saying that Aurangzeb’s sedate should not beryllium successful Nagpur.”

‘Neither praise nor blame’

Modi’s invocation of the antheral who led India earlier him is nary surprise.

The premier minister, who wears his religion connected his sleeve, has been a long-time subordinate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a right-wing paramilitary enactment that advocates the constitution of Hindu hegemony wrong India. It argues the country’s Hindus person been historically oppressed – archetypal by the Mughals, past by the British colonizers who followed.

And galore of them privation each hint of this past gone.

The Maharashtra territory wherever helium is buried, erstwhile known arsenic Aurangabad, was renamed aft Shivaji’s lad successful 2023. The triumphs of his forefathers, the large king Akbar and Shah Jahan, person been written retired of past textbooks, Rezavi said, oregon not taught successful schools.

“They are trying to revert past and regenerate it with myth, thing of their ain imagination,” Rezavi said. “Aurangzeb is being utilized to demonize a community.”

Modi’s BJP denies utilizing the Mughal emperor’s sanction to defame India’s Muslims. But his invocation of India’s erstwhile rulers is causing fearfulness and anxiousness among the spiritual number today.

While historians hold that helium was a dark, analyzable figure, and don’t contention his atrocities, Rezavi said it is indispensable to admit that helium existed astatine a clip erstwhile “India arsenic a concept” didn’t exist.

“We are talking astir a clip erstwhile determination was nary constitution, determination was nary parliament, determination was nary democracy,” Rezavi said.

Kaicker seemingly agrees. Such humanities figures “deserve neither praise nor blame,” helium said.

“They person to beryllium understood successful the discourse of their ain time, which is rather distant from our own.”

Back successful Nagpur, demands for the tomb’s removal person gone unanswered, with immoderate members of the Hindu acold close adjacent dismissing the calls for demolition.

Local Muslim nonmigratory Asif Qureshi said his hometown has ne'er seen unit similar that which unfolded past month, condemning the clashes that convulsed the historically peaceful city.

“This is simply a stain connected our city’s history,” helium said.

CNN’s Esha Mitra contributed reporting

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