Nagpur has been in the news recently after violent clashes erupted, eventually imposing a curfew in several parts of the city. It all started from demands by Hindu nationalist groups, notably the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal, that Aurangzeb’s grave be removed and a curfew being imposed in several parts of the city.
The situation then escalated with Muslim community members becoming violent after rumours started that the holy book of the Quran was burned during this protest.
Stones were thrown at the police, leaving two injured, tear gas shells were fired by the police, and vandalism and arson of various vehicles were carried out.
But what is the situation with Aurangzeb’s grave, where exactly is it and why is it problematic?
Where Is Aurangzeb’s Grave?
Aurangzeb’s tomb, the final resting place of the longest reigning Mughal Emperor, is not in Nagpur, even though that is where the clashes took place. The tomb is instead located in Khuldabad, which is a municipal council in the Aurangabad district, in the state of Maharashtra, and is around 500km away from Nagpur.
What sets it apart from other Mughal architecture and especially graves of other Mughal rulers is that Aurangzeb’s remains reportedly sit in an unmarked grave when he died in 1707. According to reports, it was his express wish to have a tomb like this and to be placed near the dargah of his spiritual guru Sheikh Zainuddin.
Aurangzeb is said to have requested a modest burial and that money from the royal treasury should not be used for it.
According to historian Carl Ernst, the Mughal emperor’s demand for a simple grave was “The rich may well construct domes of gold and silver on their graves! For the poor folks like me, the sky is enough (of a dome to shelter my grave).”
An Archaeological Survey of India record titled ‘Tomb of Aurangzeb’ also reveals that Aurangzeb’s final resting place cost a mere Rs. 12.14 (twelve rupees and fourteen annas) which he earned by knitting caps in the last leg of his life.
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Carl Ernst has also claimed that Aurangzeb said “They should carry this sinner drenched in sins to the neighborhood of the holy Chishti tomb of the revered leader, Sayyid and Shaykh Zaynuddin Husayn Shirazi, since without the protection of that court (of the saints), which is the refuge of forgiveness, there is no refuge for those drowned in the ocean of sin.”
It is interesting to note that the grave is not in Delhi, which was the capital of the Mughal empire, or Nagpur where the clashes erupted regarding this particular place itself.
Aurangabad the district where Khuldabad is located has also been renamed Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district.
It pays tribute to Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s son Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj who is known to have fought Aurangzeb constantly during his lifetime and protected his land from invasion by the Mughal empire. He was eventually captured by Aurangzeb though and tortured to death.
Reports claim that this modest and simple burial away from any of the main cities was due to Aurangzeb choosing a simple lifestyle out of guilt. Historians state that Aurangzeb took over the throne while his father Shah Jahan was still alive and kept him detained for more than seven years.
This was considered unlawful as it broke Islamic laws and his rule was not considered legitimate by the Sharif of Mecca for almost the first decade of his rule. It was only after seven-and-a-half years of Shah Jahan’s passing that Aurangzeb’s rule was given legitimacy.
The tomb had been very simple initially, but Lord Curzon during his time as Viceroy of India made modifications to Aurangzeb’s tomb, including adding marble to the structure and a “pierced marble screen”.
The Nizam of Hyderabad also added a marble plaque in one of the corners that reads Aurangzeb’s epithet as Al-Sultan al-Azam wal Khaqan al-Mukarram Hazrat Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Bahadur Alamgir I, Badshah Ghazi, Shahanshah-e-Sultanat-ul-Hindiya Wal Mughaliya.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: The Economic Times, India Today, Hindustan Times
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