Exponews of the view that history should not be rewritten by removing the structures. Yes if the truth had been suppressed by any of our historians to suit their rulers, the real history should come out. We have to move on and accept the fact that had been in place due to the evolution of human civilisation.
Even after centuries, Aurangzeb’s campaigns continue to raise passions. Recently, there have been calls to remove his tomb, located at Khulnabad, a town 15 miles from Aurangabad. It led to unfortunate violence in Nagpur, too. Incidentally, the city of Aurangabad was renamed Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar by the state government in 2023.
Mughal ruler Aurangzeb has been dominating the political discourse in Maharashtra since the release of the Bollywood movie Chhaava, based on the life of Maratha king Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj and his battle against the 17th-century emperor. The western state is witnessing clamor from some right-wing groups and politicians to demolish the grave of Aurangzeb at Khuldabad in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district. Violence erupted in Nagpur after protests by Hindu nationalist groups against Aurangzeb’s tomb triggered rumors of a desecration of a holy book. Amid growing calls for the razing of the Mughal emperor’s grave. Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s grave is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as a ‘Monument of National Importance’. As the Centre is responsible for its maintenance, the Maharashtra government cannot remove it. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who has backed the demand for demolishing Aurangzeb’s grave, said that it was “unfortunate” that the government has to protect the Mughal emperor’s final resting place.
A recent Bollywood movie, Chhaava, depicting the struggle of Sambhaji Raje, son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, in Maharashtra against Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, brought historical memories into the public domain. For those who hadn’t heard about the horrible treatment meted out to one of the greatest Maratha warriors at the hands of Aurangzeb, the movie was an eye-opening experience. It graphically depicted the final 40 days of torture that Sambhaji — or Chhaava (lion cub) as he is popularly known — was subjected to by the lackeys of Aurangzeb. This was sufficient to ignite passions against the worst ruler of the Mughal dynasty.
Shivaji, a great Maratha king and warrior, died in 1680 after establishing Hindvi Swaraj. Sambhaji ascended the throne a year later and became the second Chhatrapati of the Maratha kingdom. Those were the times when Aurangzeb was camping in the South to capture the Maratha and Deccan kingdoms. Sambhaji’s forces ran into the Mughal army and fierce battles ensued for years between the two. Sadly, Sambhaji’s army was outnumbered, and the leader was captured due to sabotage on February 1, 1689.
The treatment meted out to Sambhaji, a fellow royal, by Aurangzeb was brutal. American historian Stewart Gordon writes in his authentic account, The Marathas, that Aurangzeb saw Sambhaji’s refusal to convert to Islam as an ultimate act of defiance and decided to subject him to harsh punishment, before finally beheading him on March 11, 1689, in Koregaon on the banks of the Bhima River.
In Sambhaji, Vishwas Patil writes, “Aurangzeb’s brutality knew no bounds.” But historian Jadunath Sarkar writes that “Aurangzeb hoped to break Sambhaji’s spirit but instead created a martyr whose sacrifice would inspire generations”. That was exactly what happened after Sambhaji’s martyrdom. Enraged Marathas continued their battles with Mughal armies under the leadership of Rajaram, Sambhaji’s brother, and Tarabai, Rajaram’s widow. Their resistance was so fierce that Aurangzeb could not return to Delhi and died in 1707 at the age of 88 in Bhingar, a small town near Aurangabad.
The nation knows Aurangzeb was a bigot who hated Hindus. After taking over as emperor, he imprisoned his father Shahjehan until his death and allowed him to have only a fistful of grains to make food. Aurangzeb brutally got his brother Dara Shikoh murdered and his head was displayed in a procession. He killed all his brothers in a quest for power. He carried out a pogrom of Hindus killing one lakh Hindus on a single day. He vowed to crush Hinduism and brutally murdered Sambhaji Maharaj, Guru Tegh Bahadur, and the young sons of Guru Gobind Singh.
