Religious policy of the Mughals after Akbar

"May, 1669. “Salih Bahadur, mace-bearer, was sent to pull down the temple of Malarna.”— M.A. 84."

"News came from Malwa that Wazir Khan had sent Gada Beg, a slave, with 400 troopers, to destroy all temples around Ujjain... A Rawat of the place resisted and slew Gada Beg with 121 of his men (1670)."

"Darab Khan who had been sent with a strong force to punish the Rajputs of Khandela and to demolish the great temple of the place... He attacked the place on the 8th March 1679/5th Safar, and slew the three hundred and odd men who made a bold defence, not one of them escaping alive. [16 October 1678] The temples of Khandela and Sanula and all other temples in the neighbourhood were demolished...'On Sunday, the 25th May/24th Rabi. S., Khan Jahan Bahadur came from Jodhpur, after demolishing the temples and bringing with himself some cart-loads of idols, and had audience of the Emperor, who highly praised him and ordered that the idols, which were mostly jewelled, golden, silvery, bronze, copper or stone, should be cast in the yard (jilaukhanah) of the Court and under the steps of the Jam'a mosque, to be trodden on. They remained so for some time and at last their very names were lost' [25 May 1679]...Ruhullah Khan and Ekkataz Khan went to demolish the great temple in front of the Rana's palace, which was one of the rarest buildings of the age and the chief cause of the destruction of life and property of the despised worshippers Twenty machator Rajputs who were sitting in the temple vowed to give up their lives; first one of them came out to fight, killed some and was then himself slain, then came out another and so on, until every one of the twenty perished, after killing a large number of the imperialists including the trusted slave, Ikhlas. The temple was found empty. The hewers broke the images....."

"The year 1680 AD brought an equally “rich harvest” for Islam. Maasir-i-Alamgiri goes ahead: “On 6th January 1680 A.D. Prince Mohammad Azam and Khan Jahan Bahadur obtained permission to visit Udaipur. Ruhullah Khan and Yakkattaz Khan also proceeded thither to effect the destruction of the temples of the idolators. These edifices situated in the vicinity of the Rana’s palace were among the wonders of the age, and had been erected by the infidels to the ruin of their souls and the loss of their wealth… Pioneers destroyed the images. On 24th January the king visited the tank of Udayasagar. His Majesty ordered all three of the Hindu temples to be levelled with the ground...."

"'The fall and capture of Bijapur was similarly solemnized though here the destruction of temples was delayed for several years, probably till 1698."

"Hamiduddin Khan Bahadur who had gone to demolish a temple and build a mosque (in its place) in Bijapur, having excellently carried out his orders, came to Court and gained praise and the post of darogha of gusalkhanah, which brought him near the Emperor's person."

"The temple of Wakenkhera in the fort was demolished on 2 March, 1705.'...'The newswriter of Ranthambore reported the destruction of a temple in Parganah Bhagwant Garh. Gaj Singh Gor had repaired the temple and made some additions thereto.'...'Royal orders for the destruction of temples in Malpura Toda were received and the officers were assigned for this work.'"

"“Saiyad Faulad Khan has reported that in compliance with the orders, beldars were sent to demolish the Kalka Temple which task they have done. During the course of the demolition, a Brahmin drew out a sword, killed a bystander and then turned back and attacked the Saiyad also, inflicting three wounds. The Saiyid managed to catch hold of the Brahmin.”"

"“The asylum of Shariat (Shariat Panah) Qazi Abul Mukaram has sent this arzi to the sublime Court: a man known to him told him that the Hindus gather in large numbers at Kalka Temple near Barahapule (near Delhi); a large crowd of the Hindus is seen here. Likewise, large crowds are seen at (the mazars) of Khwaja Muinuddin, Shah Madar and Salar Masud Ghazi. This amounts to bid‘at (heresy) and this matter deserves consideration. Whatever orders are required should be issued...Saiyid Faulad Khan was thereupon ordered (by the Emperor) to send one hundred beldars to demolish the Kalka Temple and other structures in its neighbourhood which were in the Faujdari of the Khan himself; these men were to reach there post haste, and finish the work without a halt.”"

"Aurangzeb entrusted Prince Azam with the campaign to subjugate Shambuji….En route, the prince carried out the Emperor’s instructions to ‘raze to the ground such strongholds of infidelity (i.e., temples) as cross your way and to build in their place grandiose houses of God (i.e., mosques) such as would do credit to our mission’. In the course of his sweep to Bijapur, Prince Azam demolished eight ancient temples and desecrated many more by sacrificing calves at the sacred altar. At some places, the small armies of the local Raja’s offered resistance, but they could make no impression on the gigantic Mughal force.... He razed many a magnificent Hindu temples to the ground, built mosques in their place, desecrated images of Hindu gods and goddesses, banned all forms of music, prohibited the use of Hindu modes of salutation, declared astrology and allied sciences to be atheistic in character, discontinued the tilak ceremonial when Hindu Rajas came to the court to pay tributes…"

"“Yesterday, Yakka Taz Khan and mimar (architect or mason) Hira brought before the Emperor the tarah (plans or designs) of the Temples built on the bank of Rana’s lake and submitted that at a distance of about five kos, there was another lake also. It was ordered by the Emperor that Hasan Ali Khan, Ruhullah Khan, Yakka Taz Khan, Ibadullah Khan and Tahavvara Khan should go and destroy the Temples.”"

"“Ruhullah Khan and Ekkataz Khan went to demolish the great Temple in front of the Rana’s palace, which was one of the rarest buildings of the age and the chief cause of the destruction of life and property of the despised worshippers. Twenty machator Rajputs were sitting in the Temple vowed to give up their lives; first one of them came out to fight, killed some and was then himself slain, then came out another and so on until every one of the twenty perished, after killing a large number of the imperialists including the trusted slave, Ikhlas. The Temple was found empty. The hewers broke the images.”"

"“On the 7th Muharram / 29th January 1680, Hasan Ali Khan brought to the Emperor twenty camel-loads of tents and other things captured from the Rana’s palace and reported that one hundred and seventy-two (172) other Temples in the environs of Udaipur had been destroyed. The Khan received the title of Bahadur ‘Alamgirshahi’."

"“The Emperor ordered Asad Khan to send hasbu ‘l-hukm to Amir-ul-Umara, the Subedar of Bengal, to demolish the Temple (but-khana) of Jagannath in Orissa.”"

"“In Ahmadabad and other parganas of Gujrat in the days before my accession [many] temples were destroyed by my order. They have been repaired and idol worship has been resumed. Carry out the former order.’" Farman dated 20 Nov., 1665. (Mirat, 275.) [quoted in Sarkar Jadunath. History of Aurangzib. Volume III. Bombay: Orient Longman.]"

"“It has been decided according to our Canon Law that long standing temples should not be demolished, but no new temple allowed to be built...... Information has reached our...Court that certain persons have harassed the Hindus resident in Benares and its environs and certain Brahmans who have the right of holding charge of the ancient temples there, and that they further desire to remove these Brahmans from their ancient office. There- fore, our roya] command is that you should direct that in future no person shall in unlawful ways interfere with or disturb the Brahmans and other Hindus resident in those places.’"—Aurangzib’s “‘Benares farman’’ addressed to Abul Hasan, dated 28th Feb., 1659, granted through the mediation of Prince Muhammad Sultan. J.A.S.B. 1911, p. 689 [quoted in Sarkar Jadunath. History of Aurangzib. Volume III. Bombay: Orient Longman.]"

"‘The temple of Somnath was demolished early in my reign and idol worship (there) put down. It is not known what the state of things there is at present. If the idolators have again taken to the worship of images at the place, then destroy the temple in such a way that no trace of the building may be left, and also expel them (the worshippers) from the place.’’—Letter of Aurangzib in the last decade of his reign. Inayetullah’s Ahkam, 10a; Mirat 372. [quoted in Sarkar Jadunath. History of Aurangzib. Volume III. Bombay: Orient Longman.]"

"In the reign of Shãh ‘Ãlamgîr Muhîu’ddin Walmillah, the king of the world, Aurangzeb, who is adorned with justice, the lustre of Islãm shone forth to the glory of God; for ‘Abd-un-Nabi Khãn built this beautiful mosque. This second ‘Holy Temple’ caused the idols to bow down in worship. You will see the true meaning of the text, “Truth came and error vanished.’ Whilst I search for a tãrikh, a voice came from blissful Truth ordering me to say ‘Abd-un-Nabi Khãn is the builder of this beautiful mosque.’ May this Jãma Masjid of majestic structure shine forth for ever like the hearts of the pious! Its roof is high like aspirations of love; its court-yard is wide like the arena of thought."

"Mir Jumla made his way into Kuch Bihar by an obscure and neglected highway' In six days the Mughal army reached the capital (19th December) which had been deserted by the Rajah and his people in terror. The name of the town was changed to Alamgirnagar; the Muslim call to prayer, so long forbidden in the city, was chanted from the lofty roof of the palace, and a mosque was built by demolishing the principal temple."

"19 Dec., 1661. Mir Jumla entered the city of Kuch Bihar, which had been evacuated by its king and people, and “‘appointed Sayyid Md. Sadiq to be chief judge, with directions to destroy all the Hindu temples and to erect mosques in their stead. The general himself with a battle- axe broke the image of Narayan.’’—Stewart's Bengal. [quoted in Sarkar Jadunath. History of Aurangzib. Volume III. Bombay: Orient Longman.]"

"The Emperor learning that in the temple of Keshav Rai at Mathura there was a stone railing presented by Dara Shukoh, remarked, ‘In the Muslim faith it is a sin even to look at a temple, and this Dara had restored a railing in a temple! This fact is not creditable to the Muhammadans. Remove the railing.” By his order Abdun Nabi Khan (the faujdar of Mathura) removed it." Akhbarat, 9th year, sheet 7, (14 Oct., 1666) [quoted in Sarkar Jadunath. History of Aurangzib. Volume III. Bombay: Orient Longman.]"

"20th Nov. 1665. ‘‘As it has come to His Majesty's knowledge that some inhabitants of the mahals appertaining to the province of Gujrat have [again] built the temples which had been demolished by imperial order before his accession,...therefore His Majesty orders that ..the formerly demolished and recently restored temples should be pulled down.’’—Farman given in Mirat, 273. [quoted in Sarkar Jadunath. History of Aurangzib. Volume III. Bombay: Orient Longman.]"

"The Rhari‘at PanÁh Qazi Qbdul Muqarram submitted to the sublime Court that a person known to him informed him that the Hindus gather in large numbers at the KÁlkÁ temple near BÁrahpula (near Delhi) and crowds of Hindus are seen here, and likewise crowds are seen at (the mazÁrs of) Khwaja Muin-ud-din, Shah Madar and Salar Masud Ghazi. This amounts to heresy and the matter needs consideration, and whatever order regarding it may be issued. ... the Emperor ordered Ridi Faulad Khan to send one hundred beldÁrs to demolish the KÁlkÁ temple and other neighbouring structures (temples) which are in the faujdari of the Khan himself; these men were ordered to reach there and finish the task without a break‛."

"Ridi Taulad Xhan has reported that in compliance with the hasb-ul-hukm (Royal command), beldÁrs sent to demolish the KÁlkÁ temple have accomplished the work. A BrÁhman (zunnÁrdÁr) who was present there drew out sword and killed an onlooker and then turning around inflicted three wounds on the Sidi. The Sidi, however, managed to caught hold of his head‛."

"Though the news of the death of Raja Jai Singh (28th August 1667), whose services to Aurangzeb and his kingdom were known to the whole country, caused sorrow to everybody, the ungrateful Aurangzeb rejoiced, and rid of a Rajah whose influence might have been dangerous to his kingdom, declared that very hour an open war against Hinduism. He sent orders at once for the destruction of the fine temple called ‘Yalta’, in the neighourhood of Delhi. He also ordered every viceroy and governor to destroy all the temples within their jurisdiction. Among others was destroyed the great temple of Mathura."

"9th April, 1669. ‘“The Emperor ordered the governors of all the provinces to demolish the schools and temples of the infidels and strongly put down their teaching and religious practices.”’-—Masir-i-Alamgiri, 81. (De Graaf, when at Hughli in 1670, heard of the order. Orme’s Frag., 250.) [quoted in Sarkar Jadunath. History of Aurangzib. Volume III. Bombay: Orient Longman.]"

"May, 1669. ‘‘Salih Bahadur, mace-bearer, was sent to pull down the temple of Malarna.’’--M.A. 84. [quoted in Sarkar Jadunath. History of Aurangzib. Volume III. Bombay: Orient Longman.]"

"2nd Sep. ‘‘News came to Court that according to the Emperor's command, his officers had demolished the temple of Vishwanath at Benares.’’—I/bid., 88. [This was ‘“‘the temple of Kirtti Visvesvara, at that time a modern shrine of Akbar’s period.’’—Crooke's N.W.P., 112.) [quoted in Sarkar Jadunath. History of Aurangzib. Volume III. Bombay: Orient Longman.]"

"In the name of Allãh, the Beneficent, the Merciful. There is no god except Allãh. Muhammad is His Prophet, verily. In the just reign of ‘Ãlamgîr, the king who is the asylum of Faith (and) whose universal generosity makes the sea and mine shame-stricken, one of his devoted servants, Muhammad Ashraf of god faith, saw a place where there was a temple. Like Khalîl (Prophet Abraham), he broke the temple at the command of God, and arranged for the construction of a very steadfast mosque. Year (AH) one thousand and seventy-eight. (AH 1078 = AD 1667)."

"God there is none but He and we worship not anyone except Him. (He) built a mosque in place of the temple, and wrote over its door the (Qur’ãnic) verse-‘Verily, We conquered.’ When the exalted mind of the Khedive, the refuge of Religion, supported by Divine Grace, Abu’z-Zafar MuHi-ud-dîn Muhammad Aurangzeb Bahãdur ‘Ãlamgîr, the victorious, was inclined to, and occupied in, destroying the base of infidelity and darkness and to strengthen the foundation of Islamic religion, the humblest servant Mukhtãr Khãn al-Husaini as-Sabzwãrî, the governor of the province of Zafarãbãd, demolished the temple and built a mosque and laid out a garden which by the Grace of the Omniscient God were completed on the 25th of Rabi’-ul-Awwal in the 14th year of the auspicious reign (AH 1082) corresponding with the date contained in this hemistich-By the Grace of God this temple became a mosque…"

"January, 1670. “In this month of Ramzan, the religious-minded Emperor ordered the demolition of the temple at Mathura known as the Dehra of Keshav Rai. His officers accomplished it in a short time. A grand mosque was built on its site at a vast expenditure. The temple had been built by Bir Singh Dev Bundela, at a cost of 33 lakhs of Rupees. Praised be the God of the great faith of Islam that in the auspicious reign of this destroyer of infidelity and turbulence, such a marvellous and [seemingly] impossible feat was accomplished. On ceeing this [instance of the ] strength of the [-:mperor's faith and the grandeur of his devotion to God, the Rajahs felt suffocated and they stood in amazement like statues facing the walls. The idols, large and small, set with costly jewels, which had been set up in the temple, were brought to Agra and buried under the steps of the mosque of Jahanara, to be trodden upon continually.’’—/bid., 95-96. [quoted in Sarkar Jadunath. History of Aurangzib. Volume III. Bombay: Orient Longman.]"

"“He partially destroyed the Sitaramji temple at Soron ; one of his officers slew the priests, broke the image, and defiled the sanctuary at Devi Patan in Gonda.'’—Crooke's N.W.P., 112. [quoted in Sarkar Jadunath. History of Aurangzib. Volume III. Bombay: Orient Longman.]"

"7th April, 1670. ‘‘News came from Malwa that Wazir Khan had sent Gada Beg, a slave, with 400 troopers, to destroy all temples around Ujjain...... A Rawat of the place resisted and slew Gada Beg with 121 of his men.” —Akhbarat, (3th year, sheet 17. [quoted in Sarkar Jadunath. History of Aurangzib. Volume III. Bombay: Orient Longman.]"

"“Order issued on all faujdurs of thanas, civil officers {mutasaddis), agents of jagirdars. kroris, and amlas, from Katak to Medinipur on the frontier of Orissa :—The imperial paymaster Asad Khan has sent a letter written by order of the Emperor, to say, that the Emperor learning from the news-letters of the province of Orissa that at the village of Tilkuti in Medinipur a temple has been [newly] built, has issued his august mandate for its destruction, and the destruction of all temples built anywhere in this province by the worthless infidels. Therefore, you are commanded with extreme urgency that immediately on the receipt of this letter you should destroy the above- mentioned temples. Every idol-house built during the last 10 or 12 years, whether with brick or clay, should be demolished without delay. Also, do not allow the crushed Hindus and despicable infidels to repair their old temples. Reports of the destruction of temples should be sent to the Court under the seal of the qazis and attested by pious Shaikhs.’’"—Muraqat-i-Abul Hasan, (completed in 1670 A.D.) p. 202. [quoted in Sarkar Jadunath. History of Aurangzib. Volume III. Bombay: Orient Longman.]"

"“‘In every pargana officers have come from the thanas with orders from the Presence for the destruction of idols.'’"—A letter preserved in the Yasho-Madhav temple of Dhamrai in the Dacca district, dated 27 June, 1672, and printed in J. M, Ray's Bengali History of Dacca, i. 389. [quoted in Sarkar Jadunath. History of Aurangzib. Volume III. Bombay: Orient Longman.]"

"‘‘Darab Khan was sent with a strong force to punish the Rajputs of Khandela and demolizh the great temple of that place.”’ (M.A. 171.) ‘‘He attacked the place on 8th March, 1679, and pulled down the temples of Khandela and Sanula and all other temples in the neighbourhood.” (M.A. 173.) [quoted in Sarkar Jadunath. History of Aurangzib. Volume III. Bombay: Orient Longman.]"

"25 May 1679. ‘*Khan-i-Jahan Bahadur returned from Jodhpur after demolishing its temples, and bringing with himself several cart-loads of idols. The Emperor ordered that the idols,—which were mostly of gold silver brass copper or stone and adorned with jewels,—should be cast in the quadrangle of the Court and under the steps of the Jama Mosque for being trodden upon.’’—-M.A. 175. [quoted in Sarkar Jadunath. History of Aurangzib. Volume III. Bombay: Orient Longman.]"

"Jan. 1680. ““The grand temple in front of the Maharana’s mansion [at Udaipur]—one of the wonderful buildings of the age, which had cost the infidels much money—-was destroyed and its images broken.”’ (M.A. 186.) “‘On 24 Jan. the Emperor went to view the lake Udaisagar and ordered all the three temples on its banks to be pulled down" (p. 188.) “‘On 29 Jan. Hasan Ali Khan reported that !72 other temples in the environs of Udaipur had been demolished"’ (p. 189.) “‘On 22nd Feb. the Emperor went to look at Chitor, and by his order the 63 temples of the place were destroyed” (p. 189.) [quoted in Sarkar Jadunath. History of Aurangzib. Volume III. Bombay: Orient Longman.]"

"10 Aug. 1680. Abu Turab returned to Court and reported that he had pulled down 66 temples in Amber” (p. 194). 2 Aug. 1680. Temple of Someshwar in western Mewar ordered to be destroyed.—Adab, 287a and 290a. [quoted in Sarkar Jadunath. History of Aurangzib. Volume III. Bombay: Orient Longman.]"

"The SiyÁha AkhbÁrÁt of Julus 24, Jamadi I, 5 / 14th May 1681 tells the remaining account. It says, ‚Yesterday, Qbu Turab, during the march, informed the Emperor that the gumÁshtÁ of Raja Ram Singh had written to him from Amber that in compliance with the Royal orders, the Emperor’s servants had gone to demolish the temple at Goner. There, a Rajput, Gaj Singh by name, had taken position inside the temple. A fight took place in which Gaj Singh, along with three to five men, was killed while a few of the Imperial servants also lost their lives. (On hearing this) the Emperor said ‚Well done‛."

"..as the AkhbÁrÁt of May 28, 1681 informs, Hasan Ali Khan reported that he had destroyed a temple at ‘Islamabad’ (Mathura) and also colonized a village nearby which he had named Hasanpur. He requested the Emperor to issue a FarmÁn confirming his action. The Emperor acceded to his request."

"As an example, the exploits of one of Jahangir’s commanders, Abdullah Khan Uzbeg Firoz Jung, can provide an idea of the excessive cruelty perpetrated by the government. Peter Mundy, who travelled from Agra to Patna in 1632 saw, during his four days’ journey, 200 minars (pillars) on which a total of about 7000 heads were fixed with mortar. On his way back four months later, he noticed that meanwhile another 60 minars with between 2000 and 2400 heads had been added and that the erection of new ones had not yet stopped. Abdullah Khan’s force of 12,000 horse and 20,000 foot destroyed, in the Kalpi-Kanauj area, all towns, took all their goods, their wives and children as slaves and beheaded and ‘immortered’ the chiefest of their men."

"The Emperor gave orders to Wawahar Chand, Darogha of the beldars, that (all) the temples which would come in his way (to Burhanpur) be demolished."

"In 1682, Aurangzeb once again turned his attention towards Banaras. In September, Nand-Madho (Bindu-Madhava) temple at Varanasi was demolished on his orders as his Court Bulletin (AkhbÁrÁt) of 13thReptember 1682, records. It says: ‚Qs per report of Rafi-ul-Amin, the Diwan of Banaras, the temple of Nand-Madho has been demolished. He requested that orders regarding the construction of a mosque (in its place) be sent. The Emperor ordered that a mosque be built there‛."

"Sep, 1687. On the capture of Golkonda, the Emperor appointed Abdur Rahim Khan as Censor of the city of Haidarabad with orders to put down infidel practices and [heretical] innovations and destroy the temples and build mosques on their sites."

"Circa 1690. Instances of Aurangzib’s temple destruction at Ellora, Trimbakeshwar, Narsinghpur (foiled by snakes, scorpions and other poisonous insects), Pandharpur, Jejuri (foiled by the deity!) and Yavat (Bhuleshwar) are given by K. N. Sane in Varshik Itibritta for Shaka 1838, pp. 133-135. [quoted in Sarkar Jadunath. History of Aurangzib. Volume III. Bombay: Orient Longman.]"

"In the name of God, the most Merciful and Compassionate. Praise be to God, the Lord of all worlds, and blessing and peace be upon Muhammad, the apostle of God, and upon all his descendants and companions. O God, help Islãm and the Muslims by preserving the kingdom of Abu’z-.Zafar Muhîu’d-Dîn Muhammad Aurangzeb Bahãdur ‘Ãlamgîr, the victorious king. Blessed be the ruler of the world, the refuge of the universe; whose name effaces the existence of sin. Since the time of Tîmur who conquered the kingdom of Romans, there has been no ruler just like the present king (Aurangzeb). The bow which he has stretched by his powerful arms, is such that the echo of its twing has reached the (distant) seas. By the sword, which the powerful king has wielded, panic has sprung (even) in the ocean. Although the king of the time is not a prophet, yet there is no doubt in his being a friend of God. He built the mosque and broke the idols (at a time) when 1103 years had passed from the flight (of the Prophet)."

"1693. The Emperor ordered the destruction of the Hateshwar temple at Vadnagar, the special guardian of the Nagar Brahmans.—Mirat, 346. [quoted in Sarkar Jadunath. History of Aurangzib. Volume III. Bombay: Orient Longman.]"

"3rd April 1694. ““The Emperor learnt from a secret news-writer of Delhi that in Jaisinghpura Bairagis used to worship idols, and that the Censor on hearing of it had gone there, arrested Sri Krishna Bairagi and taken him with 15 idols away to his house ; then the Rajputs had assembled, flocked to the Censor’s house, wounded three footmen of the Censor and tried to seize the Censor himself ; so that the latter set the Bairagi free and sent the copper idols to the local subahdar.’’—Akhbarat, year 37, sheet 57. [quoted in Sarkar Jadunath. History of Aurangzib. Volume III. Bombay: Orient Longman.]"

"Middle of 1698: ‘Hamid-ud-din Khan Bahadur who had been deputed to destroy the temple of Bijapur and build a mosque (there), returned to Court after carrying the order out and was praised by the Emperor.’"