According to J. N. Sarkar, “The most important feature of Aurangzeb’s internal administration was his deliberate reversal of the policy of his predecessors towards his non- Muslim subjects and vassal princes, which change of policy, is generally held to have caused the swift downfall of the empire after his death.

But with him it was not a matter of personal caprice or earthly gain. According to the orthodox interpretation of the Quranic Law, it is the duty of every pious Muslim to ‘exert himself’ in the path of God or, in other words, to wage holy wars (Jihad) against non-Muslim countries (dar-ul-harb) till they are tuned into realms of Islam (dar-ul-Islam).n

Reference has already been made to some of the measures adopted by Aurangzeb at the beginning of his reign. However, the subject requires a more elaborate treatment on account of its importance in the life of Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb discontinued the use of the Solar Ilahi year for the purpose of counting his regional years. In the 11th years of his reign, the court-singers were allowed to be present at the court but music and dancing were forbidden.

After some time, they were not allowed even to attend the court. Aurangzeb stopped the practice of Jharokha-Darshana. This was a retrograde step because it deprived the people of an opportunity to get their wrongs redressed directly from the Emperor. It was stopped because it encouraged human worship.

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In the 12th year of his reign, Aurangzeb stopped the practice of the weighing of his body against gold, silver and other commodities. It appeared to him that such a custom was borrowed from the Hindus. To begin with, Aurangzeb attended the Dushera Celebrations of the Hindus, but later on he gave up the same.

To start with, he put on Tika on the head of every new Hindu Raja if he was present at the Mughal court. He stopped the practice because it appeared to him that the Tika was a Hindu Ceremony. He also dismissed the royal astronomers and astrologers. That was done with a view to removing superstition from administration. Scent, burners of gold and silver were removed from the court. Silver inkstands were discontinued.

Prostitutes and dancing girls were given the option of leaving the Mughal Empire or getting married. The regulation did not have much effect as the Mughal Nobles could not live without them. The cultivation and public use of Bhang was forbidden. Gambling was also prohibited.

Aurangzeb not only forbade singing, but also disallowed public musical parties. Religious music even on the day of the death of the Prophet was not allowed. He made an exception in the case of Shaikh Yahya Chisti, a Saint of Ahmadabad. An attempt was made to control the fashions of the day. The length of the beard allowed by the state was fixed. An order was issued that if the bearded of any person was longer than the prescribed length; the same was liable to be cut down.

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According to Manucci, a large number of persons were employed by the state and their duty was to cut the offending beards. Dresses of gold-cloth were disallowed. The length of the trousers was also prescribed by the state. The representation of the figures of birds, animals, men and women on the occasion of Hindu and Muslim festivals, was disallowed. Aurangzeb stopped the practice of lighting lamps on the tombs of the saints of respectable persons.

The Khojas were persecuted. Faquir who claimed to be a God, was executed in 1694. Likewise, Hussain Malik was put to death because he used disrespectful language for the companions of the Prophet had accepted outwardly. After their conquests by Aurangzeb, Shia faith was suppressed in those territories and the Sunni faith was made the state religion in those territories.

Aurangzeb stopped the celebration of the Muharram in 1669. We are told that the Governor of Ahmedabad was removed because he celebrated the Muharram. Similar action was taken against certain Mansabdars. Likewise, a Portuguese was put to death because he first of all became a convert to Islam but later on became a Christian again. Another person was put to death because he abused the three Khalifas.

The predecessors of Aurangzeb had appointed a large number of Mansabdars from the Hindus. However, he stopped this practice. The number of Hindu Mansabdars fell, although the total number of Mansabdars increased. Aurangzeb followed the policy of shutting out the Hindus from the highest officers deliberately.

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It is true that some Hindus occupied big posts even in the time of Aurangzeb, but in the latter half of his reign, they did not fill any high executive or administrative office. The Hindus were not allowed to occupy high administrative jobs. The heads of the various hereditary houses were not given the same status which their predecessors had.

Aurangzeb adopted many measures to break the monopoly of the Hindus in the Revenue Department of the State. A general order prohibiting the employment of the Hindus was passed. This was particularly so with regard to the Revenue Department. The Hindus enjoyed a monopoly in the clerical establishments because most of the Muslims were reserved for royal Army.

Many Hindus changed their religion and thereby bought the security of tenure of their office. Aurangzeb systematically followed the practice of appointing Muslims in place of the Hindus in various departments of the Governments. The Hindus were not to be the heads of the departments in which the Muslims worked. The Hindus in the army were not allowed to employ Muslim Servants.

Aurangzeb ordered the demolition of Hindu Temples. In February 1659, he passed the following order in connection with a dispute as to the right of holding charge of the Ancient Temples of Banaras: “It has been decided according to our canon law that long standing temples should not be demolished but a new temple be allowed to be built. Our Royal Command is that you should direct that in future no person shall in unlawful ways, interfere with or disturb the Brahmins and other Hindu residents in those places.”

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The temple of Somnath was destroyed early in reign. In November 1665, he sent an order to his officials in Gujarat for the destruction of such temples as had one time been destroyed or desecrated by him as the Viceroy of Gujarat but later on was restored by the Hindus.

Similar orders seemed to have been issued in 1669 to the Governor of Orissa. Thereupon the Governor of Orissa issued the following order to his officials: “To all Fojdars, Garrison, Accountants, District collectors of revenue and their officials from Katak to Midnapur in the Frontier of Orissa.

“The Imperial Bakhshi Asad Khan has sent a letter written according to the instructions of the Emperor to say that the Emperor, learning from the news-letters of the province of Orissa that at the village of Tikkuti in Midnapur a Temple has been built, has issued his August Mandate for its destruction and the destruction of all Temples built anywhere in the province. Therefore, you are hereby commanded with extreme urgency that immediately on receipt of this letter you should destroy the above-mentioned Temples. Every Temple built during the last ten or twelve years should be demolished without delay. Also do not allow the Hindus and infidels to repair their old Temples. Reports of the destruction of temples should be sent to the court under the Seal of Qazis and attested by pious Shaikhs.”

Aurangzeb turned his attention towards Mathura where a large number of beautiful Temples had been built from time to time. The famous Temple was that of Keshav Rai. Its railings of stone were built at his own cost by Dara Shikoh. In October 1666, the Faujdar of Mathura removed the railings of that Temple.

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In 1659, Aurangzeb came to know that the Brahmins of Multan, Sindh and Banaras were using their Temples for purposes of instruction. He passed order for the punishment of those who were giving instruction in the Temples. According Massair-Alamgiri, “Orders in accordance with the organisation of Islam were sent to the Governors of all the provinces that they should destroy schools and temples of the infidels and put an end to their educational activities as well as the practice of the religion of the Kafirs.”

In August 1669, the Temple of Vishwanath at Banaras was completely demolished. The same was the case with the Temple of Gopinath at Banaras. Likewise, the Temple of Keshav Rai at Mathura which was built by Bir Singh Bundela at a cost of Rs. 33 lakhs, was levelled to the ground and a Mosque was built on its site.

In 1679, orders were passed for the sequestration of the State of Jodhpur after the death of Maharaja Jaswant Singh. Khan-i-Jahan destroyed many Temples and brought cart-loads of gold from those Temples to Delhi. When the Rajput war started, the Maharana of Udaipur ran away and the Temple in front of his palace was destroyed. Likewise, Temples on the edge of Udaipur Lake were also destroyed. In all, 235 Temples were destroyed in the State of Udaipur.

Orders were also passed for the destruction of the Hindu Temples in the State of Jaipur. While one of the Temple was being demolished, there was stiff resistance by the Rajputs and till all of them killed the work of demolishing could not proceed. About 66 Temples were destroyed in Amber. When Aurangzeb marched from Amber to the Deccan, he ordered the destruction of all the temples on the way. This was one of the special duties of the Superintendent of labourers with the army.

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After the conquests of Golconda and Bijapur, the temples in those states were destroyed and mosques were built out of the same material. Aurangzeb appointed an officer on speical duty to destroy the Hindu Temples in Maharashtra. He also stopped worship at the Hindu Temple of Dwarka. Likewise, Temples at Hardwar and Ayodhya were destroyed.

Aurangzeb issued many purnitive regulations against the Hindus. The pilgrimage tax which had been abolished in the time of Akbar was reemployed on the Hindus. This brought a lot of money to the state treasury the celebration of the Hindu festivals was banned. From 1665, the Holi festival ceased to be celebrated. In the same year, the celebration of the Diwali was stopped.

In 1703, the Hindus were not allowed to burn their dead on the banks of the river Sabarmati in Ahmadabad. Similar restrictions had been imposed in 1696 at Delhi in connection with the Jumna. Fire-works of all kinds were prohibited. It was ordered that the Hindus were not to look like Muslims. An order of 1694 laid down that with the exception of the Marathas and Rajputs, no Hindu was to ride on an Iraqi or Turani horse or an elephant or to use a palanquin. A Hindu of Multan violated this order and his horse and saddle were confiscated by the state. However, the exception with regard to the Marathas was not strictly enforced.

Orders were passed in 1702 those Muslim engravers not to engrave the names of Hindu gods and goddesses on the seals of the rings of the Hindus. It was ordered in 1665 that the Muslims were to pay half the customs duties realised from the Hindus. Two years after, custom duties were abolished altogether from the Muslims. As the privilege was abused by the Muslims, they were ordered to pay once again half of the customs duties paid by the Hindu. A tax on produce from gardens was realised at the rate of 20 per cent from the Hindus and 16.6 per cent from the Muslims.