Get complete information on the life of Shah Jahan

It is true that Shah Jahan by parentage had three-fourths of Rajput blood, but from the very beginning he was very staunchly attached to the tenets of Islam. He was regular in Roza and Namaz. He did not shave his beard and lived in the usual Muslim Style. Both by conviction and as a concession to the attitude of his courtiers, Shah Jahan approximated closely to the Islamic ideal in public life.

In the early years of his reign, a policy of religious persecution and discrimination in favour of Islam is clearly noticeable. He kept a show of orthodoxy in his life and thereby inspired the respect of the Muslims. He stopped Sijda. He forbade the use of the royal portrait as an adornment to the cap or turban. He restored the use of the Hijri era in place of the Ilahi era. He forbade the Hindus from keeping Muslim slaves or marrying Muslim wives or living in Muslim style.

The Hindus having Muslim wives were ordered either to give them up or marry them again after becoming Muslims. Dalpat Rai of Sirhind did not obey the order and he was tortured and ultimately hacked to death. In 1633, Shah Jahan ordered the wholesale demolition of all the temples which were newly built. As a result of this order, 72 temples were destroyed in Banaras alone. Temples were destroyed in Allahabad, Gujrat and Kashmir. A number of temples were destroyed at Orchha and mosques were built on them.

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Shah Jahan assumed the role of the defender and propagator of Islam. He reclaimed Muslim women from Hindu Families. He spent Rs. 30,000/- every year in public charities in the month of Ramzan. He sent every year to Mecca a sum of Rs. 40 to 50 thousands every year for charities.

He set up a separate Department for converting people to Islam. That Department appointed Muslim preachers for converting people to Islam. The Hindus were ordered not to put any obstacle in their work. A large number of persons became Muslims either to get money or to get jobs.

When Bakhtawar Singh, son of Raj Singh Kachwaha, became a Muslim, he was given a sum of Rs. 2,000/-. An order was passed that if any Hindu became a Muslim, he must get immediately his share in his patrimony. The members of the family of Jujhar Singh were forcibly converted to Islam.

In spite of it, it is pointed out that there was no systematic policy of persecuting the Hindus. Shah Jahan did not revive the Jizya. Although he intended to revive the pilgrim tax, yet he did not do so as a representation was made by Kavindracharya of Banaras. During the later part of his reign, Shah Jahan did not order the destruction of temples.

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That may be due to the influence of his son Dara and daughter Jahanara on him. Shah Jahan continued Jharokba Darshan, Tuladan and Tilak. He did not deprive the Hindus of the high offices held by them. Raja Jaswant Singh was a Mansabdar of 6000. Rai Raghunath held the office of Diwan.

It is estimated that between 20 to 25 percent of the higher Mansabs were still held by the Hindus. He did not withdraw royal patronage from Hindu Poets, Artists and Scholars. Sundar Das, Chintamani, Kavindracharya, Maha Kaviray Pandit Jagannath, Sukh Sen and others continued to enjoy royal patronage. Shah Jahan allowed the renovation of the Chintamani Temple at Ahmadabad. He prohibited cow slaughter at Cambay at the request of its citizens.

It appears that Shah Jahan had no inborn hatred against the Hindus. However, in his early years, he issued certain orders and did certain things on grounds of political expediency. However, he never adopted a policy of discrimination, persecution and hatred against the Hindus and continued to enjoy their respect.