Maarg Manthan · Topic 6.31

Aurangzeb’s Religious Policies (Reimposition of Jizya)

Medieval History › Mughal Period · Topic 6.31

Aurangzeb, an orthodox Sunni and a ruler, issued moral regulations through muhtasibs, curbed court ceremony and music, reaffirmed the sharia rule against new temples, destroyed many temples where he met political opposition, and reimposed the jizyah in 1679 as a political and ideological step. It was resented, suspended in 1705 and abolished in 1712, though Hindus in the nobility grew to about one-third.

6 min read · UPSC Prelims · History · Mughal Period

At a Glance

Moral regulations Muhtasibs; ban on kalma on coins
Puritan measures 1669: court music and jharoka darshan stopped
Temples Old not to be demolished; new not allowed; exceptions in conflict
Jizyah Reimposed 1679; suspended 1705; abolished 1712
Hindu nobles About one-third later in the reign
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Medieval History: Mughal Period

Where Does It Fit?

This is the thirty-first topic of the category on the Mughal period. The previous topics covered Shivaji, and this topic returns to Aurangzeb’s religious stance, which contrasts with Akbar’s. The next topic assesses his whole reign. Previous topic: Aurangzeb’s Deccan Policy and Conflicts with the Marathas.

What Was the Background?

In short: Aurangzeb was an orthodox Muslim who also had to rule an overwhelmingly Hindu country.

Aurangzeb codified secular decrees in a work called Zawabit-i-Alamgiri, which supplemented and sometimes modified the sharia in the light of Indian conditions. He could not forget that the overwhelming population was Hindu and attached to its faith, and that any policy that fully alienated Hindus and powerful Hindu rajas and zamindars was unworkable. The contrasting policy of Akbar is in Din-i-Ilahi and Akbar’s Policy of Religious Toleration (Sulh-i-Kul).

What Were the Moral and Puritan Measures?

Measure	Detail
Coins	Kalma no longer inscribed on coins, lest it be trampled or defiled
Nauroz	Discontinued as a Zoroastrian practice favoured by the Safavids
Muhtasibs	Appointed in all provinces to see that life followed the sharia, to stop public use of wine and bhang, regulate houses of ill repute, gambling dens and weights and measures; told not to interfere in private lives
1669	Singing stopped at court and official musicians pensioned, though instrumental music and the naubat continued; Aurangzeb himself played the veena and many Persian works on Indian music were written in his reign
Court practice	Jharoka darshan and weighing the emperor against gold and silver stopped, though the weighing for princes’ recovery had to be allowed; astrologers forbidden to prepare almanacs but the order was flouted
Austerity	Cheap, simple throne room, porcelain ink-stands, silk clothes frowned upon, lapis lazuli railings in place of gold, and the official history writing department discontinued
Traders	Muslim traders were largely exempted from import cess, but abuse led him to re-impose it at half the rate on them

What Was His Policy on Temples?

At the start of his reign Aurangzeb reiterated the sharia position, spelt out in farmans to Brahmans of Banaras and Vrindavan: long-standing temples should not be demolished, but no new ones allowed, and old ones could be repaired. This reaffirmed the Sultanate and Shah Jahan’s position but left wide latitude to local officials. As governor of Gujarat he had ordered temples destroyed, and in 1665 he again ordered that restored Gujarat temples be destroyed; the Somnath temple was one. At first there was no large-scale destruction, but as he met opposition from Marathas, Jats and others, he considered it legitimate to destroy even old temples as punishment and warning, and began to regard temples as centres of subversive ideas. In 1669, learning that Hindus and Muslims came to learn from Brahmans in temples at Thatta, Multan and especially Banaras, he ordered governors to put down such practices and destroy such temples. The Vishwanath temple at Banaras and the Keshava Rai temple at Mathura were destroyed and mosques built. In 1679 to 1680, during war with the Rathors of Marwar and the rana of Udaipur, many old temples at Jodhpur and Udaipur were destroyed. Mustaid Khan said the aim was to establish Islam and that all temples were to be destroyed, but no farmans of that kind have been found. His zeal abated after 1679, and there are instances of grants to Hindu temples and maths, but the atmosphere created disquiet among Hindus and set back the policy of broad toleration.

Why Was Jizyah Reimposed?

Aspect	Detail
Date	1679, in the twenty-second year of his reign, after being considered several times but delayed for fear of opposition
Not	An economic pressure to convert, since the burden was light and women, children, the disabled, the indigent and government servants were exempt; nor a fiscal need, since he gave up many illegal cesses (abwabs) and the proceeds went to the theologians, not the treasury
Real aim	Political and ideological: to rally Muslims against the Marathas and Rajputs and possibly Golconda, and to win over the unemployed ulama
Collection	By appointed honest Muslim officials, with personal payment sometimes humiliating; in rural areas collected with land revenue
Reaction	Resented as discrimination; Hindu traders closed shops in hartal in some places; collectors were sometimes killed; corruption; peasants not exempted even when land revenue was remitted
End	Suspended in 1705 for the duration of the war in the south; fell into disuse; formally abolished in 1712 by his successors

What Is the Balanced Assessment?

Some modern writers claim he meant to convert India from a dar-ul-harb into a dar-ul-Islam, but India had been regarded as dar-ul-Islam since the Turks arrived, since Muslim law prevailed and the ruler was Muslim, with Hindus who paid jizyah being zimmis. Evidence of systematic forced conversion is lacking, and Hindus were not shut out of the nobility: they, including Marathas, rose to about one-third of the nobility in the second half of the reign, against one-fourth under Shah Jahan. He once wrote on a petition that religion should not enter worldly affairs through bigotry, saying that if such a rule were set up he would have to extirpate all Hindu rajas and followers. Aurangzeb sought to re-assert the Islamic character of the state, not change its nature. As an analytical point, his religious beliefs and public policy clashed, and the resulting contradictory choices harmed the empire. For the wider verdict see Assessment of Aurangzeb’s Reign and the Jagirdari Crisis, and for the northern conflicts see Rajput States of Medieval India.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Balanced view Beliefs versus political compulsions
Facts asked Jizyah dates and puritanical measures of 1669
Contrast Akbar’s sulh-i-kul

What Came Next?

The next topic assesses Aurangzeb’s reign and the jagirdari crisis. Next topic: Assessment of Aurangzeb’s Reign and the Jagirdari Crisis.

Key People and Terms

Muhtasib Moral censor
Zawabit Secular state decrees
Zimmi Protected non-Muslim subject
Dar-ul-Islam Land where Islamic laws prevail
Abwab Cess not sanctioned by the sharia
Jharoka darshan Public viewing of the emperor

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

Jizyah reimposed in 1679; suspended 1705; abolished 1712.
1669: puritanical measures; Banaras order.
Hindus: one-third of the nobility.
Proceeds went to the ulama.
Muhtasibs in all provinces.

Do Not Confuse With

Sharia and zawabit Religious law versus secular decrees
Dar-ul-harb and dar-ul-Islam Land of conflict versus land of Islamic law
Jizyah and abwabs Tax on non-Muslims versus illegal cesses abolished

Memory Hook

Muhtasibs watch, music stilled, temples punished, jizyah returns, hartal follows.

Mains Angle

Questions on Aurangzeb ask whether his policy was bigotry or politics. These points add depth.

Law Orthodox sharia framework
Politics Temple and jizyah actions linked to opposition
Evidence Nobles and grants contradict a purely bigoted picture

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Critically examine the religious policy of Aurangzeb with reference to temples and jizyah.”

How to Answer

Framework Sharia and zawabit.
Temples Rule and exceptions.
Jizyah Motives and effects.
Verdict Mixed policy with harmful contradictions.

GS Relevance

Prelims: jizyah reimposition and moral regulations. GS Paper 1: religious policy of Aurangzeb and its assessment.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did Aurangzeb reimpose jizyah?

Aurangzeb reimposed the jizyah in 1679, the twenty-second year of his reign, after considering it several times. It was suspended in 1705 for the duration of the war in the south and formally abolished in 1712.

Why did Aurangzeb reimpose jizyah?

The reimposition was political and ideological, not economic. It was meant to rally Muslims against the Marathas and Rajputs, and its proceeds were reserved for the ulama, among whom there was a lot of unemployment.

What were Aurangzeb's muhtasibs?

Muhtasibs were moral censors appointed in every province to see that life followed the sharia, to stop public drinking of wine and bhang, regulate gambling and houses of ill repute and check weights and measures.

Did Aurangzeb destroy all temples?

No general order has been found. He reiterated that old temples should not be demolished and new ones not built, but destroyed some, such as Vishwanath at Banaras and Keshava Rai at Mathura, amid political conflict.

Were Hindus excluded from Aurangzeb's nobility?

No. Hindus, including Marathas, rose to about one-third of the nobility in the second half of his reign, compared with about one-fourth under Shah Jahan, so the share of Hindu nobles actually increased during his later years.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 Aurangzeb reimposed jizyah in 1679.

True

It was suspended in 1705.

2 The proceeds of jizyah went to the royal treasury.

False

They were reserved for the theologians.

3 Hindus in the nobility declined under Aurangzeb.