The Islamist-Congi-Commie cabal of India never feels tired of glorifying the Mughal Empire in India. Besides constructing magnificent forts, burial tombs and tens of thousands of Mosques, Mughals did nothing for the people. Their civic and military administration, land reform and tax system were adopted from that of Sher Shah Suri, who also introduced a silver coin called Rupiya (a word of Sanskrit derivation from which the term Rupee had come). The much-publicized Ganga-Jamuni Tehzib of Mughals was an attempt to Islamize Hindu society.
Mughals spoke Turkic language among them in the palace and Farsi was their Court language. It was not only their religion of Islam which was foreign, but their dress, food habits, mores, language and customs were also foreign to India. They never got Indianised, but Mughalised India. It was the heyday of Turani and Irani people in India.
After defeating Ibrahim Lodi in First Battle of Panipat (1526 CE) Babur established the Mughal Dynasty in India. Babur then defeated Rajput king of Malwa in the Battle of Chanderi (1528) to consolidate his position. He had a large part of North India, East of Indus River under him. His capital was at Agra. Babur died in 1530 CE, that is, only four years after establishing the Mughal dynasty in India.
His son Humayun had a very difficult life. He constructed his capital at Delhi, which he named Din Panah (Asylum of Faith). In 1539 CE and 1540 CE, Sher Shah Suri, a Pathan Chief from Bihar, defeated Humayun, ousted him from Delhi and took control of the Mughal kingdom. Sher Shah Suri died in an accident in 1545 CE and his son Islam Shah also died in 1554 CE. It was after a long gap of 15 years that Humayun could take back Delhi in 1555 CE. Humayun died after one year in 1556 CE.
After the death of Humayun, his son Akbar rose to the throne in 1556 CE at the age of thirteen years. In the next few years, Akbar had to tackle the problems of consolidating his position. He was too young and there were many hostile co-religionists, including his Regent Bairam Khan, who wanted and tried to throw Akbar out. Akbar made friends with many Rajput principalities and inducted many Hindus and local Muslims, who deserved positions around him, to dilute the influence of elite Muslims of foreign origin.
Akbar’s win over the Sultan of Malwa in 1560 CE made Mughal’s foothold on Indian soil permanent. Mughal rule in India started to ascend thereafter. Akbar was followed by direct successive descendants, namely, Jahangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb.
After the death of Aurangzeb in 1707 CE, thirteen insignificant Mughal emperors ruled for 150 years up to 1857 CE. But the largest Mughal Empire of Aurangzeb lost its power, and started getting shrunk each year. The Mughal rulers became titular heads only. After the failed Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 CE, the British Crown officially took over as the ruler of India.
Though officially Mughals ruled India for about 325 years from 1526 CE (first battle of Panipat) to 1857 CE (Sepoy mutiny). But in actuality, its glorious period spanned only for 147 years between the battle of Malwa in 1560 CE and death of Aurangzeb in 1707 CE.
Ironically, when Western world was engaged in discovering new places on Earth, as well as, new scientific discoveries and inventions and when Europe went through Industrial Revolution; – Mughal empire was clueless about the progress of mankind and remained in mediaeval set-up. In the education sector, Mughal encouraged Islamic Studies through thousands of Madrassas only.
The main contribution of Mughals in India was Islam and its spread across the sub-continent through coercion, incentive and Jihadi Sufis. Mughals never went back to their home in Central Asia as they lost it permanently during the time of Babur. Their Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Lal Qila and Lahore Fort etc were constructed for their interest by the money and sweat of local people.
During the Mughal period gold, silver and different kinds of costly gifts worth hundreds of millions of rupees were sent to Mecca, Medina and Central Asian Muslim scholars and pious Muslims. In Akbar’s time 15,000 annual Hajj pilgrims were sponsored by the Mughal treasury. Draining of India’s wealth for Islamic causes was commonplace in the Mughal period.
India’s GDP contribution was 28 percent to world GDP in 1526 CE, when the Mughal dynasty was established in India. But at the end of the Mughal dynasty in 1857 CE, it was reduced to 16 percent. So, prosperity and development of India and Indians under the so-called glorious Mughal, when claimed by the Islamist-Congi-Commie cabal of India, become hollow at the best and fraudulent at the worst.
Saba Naqvi, a journalist of India sarcastically tweeted as late as on 5 April 2023, “I guess our great grandchildren must not know who built the Taj Mahal”. She said so on the basis of a fake propaganda that the BJP government has erased Mughals from Indian history. Saba Naqvi represented the mind-set of 200 million of Indian Muslims, unless proved otherwise.
In today’s estimation, the cost of constructing Taj Mahal was about 53 billion of rupees and each single rupee was paid by common Indians. Some 22,000 workers toiled for 20 years to construct the grave tomb of the most favourite queen of Shah Jahan. The Islamic conversion process in the Mughal period created a lot of Pasmanda Muslims in India, who are today’s stone pelters and violent rioters for the cause of Islam. Today, these Pasmanda Muslims also consider themselves as descendants of Mughals.
Audrey Truschke, a young Western historian, has depicted Mughals, particularly Aurangzeb, as Hindu-loving, Sanskrit-loving, tolerant, open-hearted and secular kings, who never tried to push conversion in India. Her history of conversion of Indian Hindus is wishful and un-Islamic. Muslim theology gave three options to Kafir: conversion, death or dhimmitude.
Moreover Dawa (proselyting) has been an important religious obligation of all Muslims. Mughal kings were also in direct contact with Mecca and its Islamic influence. Thus, Audrey’s efforts to show pious Muslim Mughal kings as secular was an insult to those kings, as well as, Islam.
Barring a few influential Hindus, whose services were required by Mughals, the status of Hindu society, Hinduism, Temples and Sanskrit teaching during the Mughal period do not support Audrey Truschke’s claim. Audrey, at the best, generalised some anecdotes of the Mughal period to push her anti-Hindu and anti-India agenda.
For a better perspective and countering Audrey Truschke thoroughly, the link given here can be visited. https://myvoice.opindia.com/2022/09/muslim-colonialism-in-india-a-concealed-topic/
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About the author: Dr Jadabeswar Bhattacharjee served Government of India and retired as Higher Administrative Grade Officer after 35 years of service. After retirement from the service, he developed interest in writing on contentious issues and topics. His published books are (1) Politically incorrect Point of View, (2) Politics, Bong and Faith, (3) The Alternative Narrative, (4) The West Bengal Saga and (5) Political Islam and India.