"Aurangzeb’s preposterous moves to rename Varanasi as Muhammadabad, as also Mathura as Islamabad, were as colossal a failure as his attempts to wipe off the faith of the Hindus. These new names ‘never found favour with the people, and only survived for a short period in official documents. It is also found in the coins of this and succeeding reigns, Benares having been a mint town from the days of Akbar’."