A fresh debate on India’s medieval history has been reignited after the release of NCERT’s revised Class 8 history textbook, Exploring Society, India and Beyond. The book takes a sharper lens to the Mughal era for what it truly was, describing Babur as a ruthless invader, presenting Akbar’s rule as a mixed legacy, and calling Aurangzeb’s reign “destructive.”It also doesn’t overlook the religious intolerance and brutality of the Delhi Sultanate. In a measured note, the textbook urges students not to apply historical events to judge or blame present-day communities, but to critically examine the past through reliable sources.
Drawing from Reliable Sources
Responding to criticism, NCERT has clarified that the textbook’s content is drawn from well-established primary and secondary academic sources. One among these is Maasir-i-Alamgiri, a contemporary Persian court chronicle that records, year by year, the official actions and religious policies of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
What follows is a direct curation of that Maasir-i-Alamgiri content, verbatim excerpts from chapters spanning Aurangzeb’s 12th to 48th regnal years. Aurangzeb ruled for 51 years until his death in 1707 in Maharashtra. This material, written by loyal Mughal chroniclers and not hostile observers, documents state-sanctioned demolitions of Hindu temples, forced conversions, imposition of the jaziya tax, coercive marriages of Hindu women, suppression of education, and persecution of dissenting saints and scholars.
Aurangzeb’s Empire Crumbles Due to Relentless Resistance by Marathas
Aurangzeb died in Maharashtra in 1707, far from his northern capital of Delhi, which he had largely neglected for decades. Obsessed with crushing the Deccan Sultanates and the rising Maratha power, he shifted the weight of the Mughal Empire southward. But after the death of Shivaji, it was his successors, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj, and later the formidable warrior queen Maharani Tarabai, who led relentless resistance. Their campaigns kept Aurangzeb mired in constant warfare, draining the empire’s resources and morale. His long Deccan campaign ultimately failed to suppress the Marathas and sowed the seeds of imperial decline. Aurangzeb remains the last Mughal emperor of real consequence; after him, the empire began its irreversible fall.
Admission of Guilt (Maasir-i-Alamgiri)
Far from anecdotal or politicised hearsay, this is the Mughal emperor’s own court diary, a rare, unfiltered window into Aurangzeb’s era – one of the most ideologically charged and turbulent periods of India’s history. *Chapter XII, TWELFTH YEAR OF THE REIGN 23rd January, 1669-12th January, 1670*
“On Thursday, the 8th April, 1669/17th Zil Q, an eclipse occurred, prayers were said and alms distributed, as was the custom.
The Lord Cherisher of the Faith learnt that in the provinces of Tatta, Multan and especially at Benaras, the Brahman misbelievers used to teach their false books in their established schools, and that admirers and students both Hindu and Muslim, used to come from great distances to these misguided men in order to acquire this vile learning.
His Majesty, eager to establish Islam, issued orders to the governors of all the provinces to demolish the schools and temples of the infidels and with the utmost urgency put down the teaching and the public practice of the religion of these misbelievers.
On Wednesday, May 12th/21st Zil H, it was learnt that ‘Abdun Nabi Khan, faujdar of Mathura, in order to punish the turbulent men of the village of Tilpat had attacked and at first defeated them, but was himself killed during the fight by a musket-ball He was a religious and benevolent man and combined administrative capacity with bravery in command He bmlt the lofty mosque of Mathura His brother’s son and (own) son-in-law, Muhammad Anwar was given a robe of condolence.
On Thursday, June 3rd 1669/13th Muharram, after one prahar of the night, the Emperor by way of the garden of Harat-Bakhsh, visited the porter’s lodge which was assigned for the residence of the saint Shaikh Saifuddin Sirhindi After an hour spent in talking with the saint and honouring him, he returned to the palace.
It was reported that the wandering Hindu saint, Uddhav Bairagi, was confined in the chabutra of the police station in punishment for his seducing men to false beliefs, and that two Rajputs who were his disciples used to visit Qazi Abul Mukaram, son of Qazi Abdul Wahhab for the purpose of trying to get him released, and that finding an opportunity, had fatally stabbed him on the way with daggers.
The Emperor ordered all the three (Hindus) to be executed. Raghunath Singh Sisodia left the Rana, joined the Emperor, was created a Hazari (300 tr) and presented with a dagger worth 1,000 rupees.
On Thursday, September 2nd, 1669 /15th Rabi S, Muza Mukarram Khan Safavi died of a severe fever. It was reported that, according to the Emperor’s command, his officers had demolished the temple of Vishwanath at Kashi.
On Saturday, September 18th /2nd Jamad A, Ekkataz Khan and Giridhardas Sisodia had a fight in the course of their watch before the Eahore gate. The Hindu went to hell, the Khan received five wounds, and among his clientele {biradari) some Mughals were wounded.
On Wednesday, October 16th/10th Ramzan
Darab Khan was sent with a strong force to chastise the Rajputs of Khandela and demolish the great temple of the place.
On Saturday, January 1st, 1G70/I8th Shaban the Emperor took up his residence in the palace of Agra fort.
Gokla Jat, the accursed rebel and the ring leader of the disturbance in the country of Tilpat who was the cause of the killing of Abdun Nabi Khan and had plundered the pargana of Sindabad, was captured through the valour and efforts of Hasan Ali Khan and his peshkar Shaikh Raziuddin. The Khan sent him and his comrade Sonia to the Emperor in charge of Shaikh Qawm. By imperial order his limbs were hacked off one after another in the chabutra of the kotwali. His son and daughter were made over to Jawalur Khan nazir for being brought up (as Muslims). The daughter was married to Shah Qult Chelah (slave), an intimate servant of high rank. The son became a memoriser of the Quran with the name of Fazil and in the opinion of the Emperor surpassed in correctness all other memorisers, and he had the happiness of hearing His Majesty’s chanting of the Quran.
CHAPTER XV
Fifteenth year of reign: 1082 A.H.
22nd December 1671 – 10th December 1672
[Month of Ramzan and the Emperor’s gifts]
The astonishing occurrence of the suppression of the Satnamis who are (also) called Mundiyas.
Those who observe the wondrous works of Heaven have been filled with astonishment at the occurrence of this affair in which a rebellious horde of low people like goldsmiths, carpenters, scavengers, tanners and members of other menial professions, who are naturally weak and foredoomed to slaughter, took I know not what into their heads so that they were filled with a spirit of obstinate self-will.
News came from Peshawar that Maharaja Jaswant Singh had died on Tuesday, the 10th December/6th Zil.Q.(Unsaid headline: Hindu Women Forcibly Married To Muslim men)
On Sunday, January 2, 1676/ 27th Shawwal, Shaikh Nizam married Bai Phupdevi (cor.), the daughter of the Raja of Kishtwar to Muhammad Sultan.On Sunday, November17, 4th Rabi. S. The daughter of Raja Rup Singh, who had been converted to Islam and brought up in the imperial harem, was married to Prince Muhammad Muazzam.
On Sunday, May 3, 1st Zil . H Rahmant Banu the daughter of the King of Assam was married to Muhammad Azam.
On July 5/25, Jamad, A. The daughter of Kirat Singh was married to Muhammad Azim.On Saturday, July 30/24, Muharram, Muhammad Kam Baksh was married to Jamiat-unnisa alias Kalyan Kumari, the daughter of Amar Chand, sister of Jagat Singh, zamindar of Manoharpur by a Qazi in the mosque of khas and am.48th year of the reign 1115 AH. (December28, 1703 –December16, 1704)
Shamshir Beg, grandson of Aghar Khan was married to the daughter of (Chhatrapati) Raja Ram (the younger son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj).
Muhammad Muhiuddin, son of Sikandar Khan Bijapuri, was married to the daughter of (Chhatrapati) Sambha (ji Maharaj).
To Sum Up Destruction Listed In Maasir-I-Alamgiri:
Temple demolitions Ordered by Aurangzeb:
- Vishwanath Temple in Kashi
- Sixty-six temples in Amber
- Sixty-three temples in Chitor
- Three temples on Lake Udaisagar banks in Udaipur
- A rare, richly adorned temple opposite the Rana’s palace
- Dozens of temples across Mathura, Tilpat, and Bijapur
Forced Islamisation & Jaziya Tax:
- Jaziya imposed on Hindus in 1679 as per Quranic injunction
- Mass conversions of Hindus reported with celebratory parades
- Hindu men barred from bearing arms, riding elephants, or fine horses
Coercive Marriages:
- Hindu royal women forcibly married to Muslim princes and nobles
- Examples include daughters of Kishtwar, Assam, Jodhpur, and Sambhaji Maharaj
Persecution of Hindu Saints & Scholars:
- Execution of Hindu ascetics like Uddhav Bairagi and their followers
- Killing of temple defenders and destruction of rare architectural marvels
Suppression of Indigenous Education:
- Ban on Hindu scriptures and closure of Brahmin-run pathshalas in Benaras and elsewhere
- Hindu clerks purged from public service
For decades after Independence, school textbooks often portrayed the Mughals as the primary political power in India until the British arrived. But the historical truth is more complex—and more crucial. By the time the British East India Company began asserting political dominance in the 18th century, the Mughal empire was already a shadow of its former self, weakened by Aurangzeb’s ruinous Deccan campaign and internal fractures.
The new NCERT textbook attempts to engage students in critical historical inquiry, rather than inherited reverence. It rightly distinguishes between judging the present and understanding the past. But understanding must begin with truth. And truth, in this case, is not buried in partisan retellings, it is preserved in the emperor’s own words.
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