AURANGZEB: THE MAN AND THE MYTH
Audrey Truschke
Penguin Viking
189 pages; Rs 399
A large part of the common understanding of Mughal history is dominated by what is best described as the “bad king Aurangzeb’’ theory of history. According to this theory, Aurangzeb, who was the Badshah from 1658 to 1707, is seen as a fanatical Muslim who through his bigoted policies brought about the downfall of the Mughal Empire. This very simplistic understanding of Mughal politics and its decline was first put forward by the historian Jadunath Sarkar and since then has been carried forward by proponents of Hindutva. But,
