India Under Aurangzeb

Aurangzeb was, first and last, a stern Puritan. Nothing in life-neither throne, nor love, nor ease-weighed for an instant in his mind against his fealty to the principles of Islam. For religion he persecuted the Hindus and destroyed their temples, while he damaged his damaged his exchequer by abolishing the time-honoured tax on the religious festivals and fairs of the unbelievers. For religion’s sake he waged his unending wars in the Deccan, not so much to stretch wider the boundaries of his great empire, as to bring the lands of the heretical Shi’ a within the dominion of orthodox Islam. Religion induced Aurangzeb to abjure the pleasures of the senses as completely as if he had indeed become the fakir he had once desired to be. This book contains rich information on India under Aurangzeb’s regime. Topics like the Alamgir; Age of Aurangzeb; Parganah Administration Under Aurangzeb; The Functioning of the Muhtasib under Aurangzeb; Decline and Disappearance; Impact of Islam on Hindu Society and vice versa; Why did the Hindus and Muslims not Coalesce into One Community; The Ruin of Aurangzeb; The Fall of the Moghul Empire; Mohammedan Dynastries; Enforcement of Shari’ah in the Present Context etc. will prove of utmost use for students, teachers, historians and general readers alike.