Timeline of Atrocities

Aurangzeb fights his brothers Dara Shikoh, Shah Shuja, and Murad Baksh for the throne. Defeats them through military force and political cunning. Imprisons his father Shah Jahan in Agra Fort.

Aurangzeb's eldest brother Dara Shikoh — the rightful heir who translated the Upanishads and advocated Hindu-Muslim unity — is captured, humiliated through the streets of Delhi on a filthy elephant, and executed. His head is sent to Shah Jahan.

Brother Murad Baksh, who had allied with Aurangzeb during the succession war, is betrayed, imprisoned, and later executed in Gwalior Fort on trumped-up charges of murder.

Shivaji Maharaj visits Aurangzeb's court at Agra after the Treaty of Purandar. Instead of receiving him with due honor, Aurangzeb humiliates and effectively imprisons him. Shivaji escapes with great ingenuity.

The single most devastating imperial order in Indian history. Aurangzeb issues a farman ordering the demolition of all Hindu temples and schools across the empire. This leads to the systematic destruction of Kashi Vishwanath, Krishna Janmabhoomi at Mathura, and thousands of temples across India.

The ancient Kashi Vishwanath Temple at Varanasi — one of the holiest Hindu shrines — is demolished. The Gyanvapi Mosque is constructed over its ruins. The original temple's western wall still stands embedded in the mosque. ASI survey in 2023 confirmed Hindu temple remains.

The magnificent Keshavdeo Temple at Krishna Janmabhoomi, Mathura — rebuilt by Raja Bir Singh Deo Bundela — is demolished. The Shahi Idgah mosque is built adjacent to the ruins. This site remains contested today.

One of the most horrific acts of religious persecution in Indian history. The ninth Sikh Guru stands up for the Kashmiri Pandits' right to practice their faith. He is arrested, brought to Delhi, and given the choice: convert to Islam or die. He refuses. He is publicly beheaded at Chandni Chowk on 11 November 1675. His companions are tortured to death.

Aurangzeb reimposed the Jizya — the discriminatory poll tax on non-Muslims — abolished by Akbar 115 years earlier. When Hindus protested at the Red Fort, Aurangzeb ordered elephants to trample the protesters. The Jizya was a tool of both economic extraction and religious humiliation.

The Somnath Temple in Gujarat, rebuilt after previous destructions, is attacked again under Aurangzeb's orders. This is the latest in a series of destructions dating back to Mahmud of Ghazni (1026 CE).

Aurangzeb moves his entire court south and wages a 27-year war against the Maratha Empire, the Deccan sultanates, and various regional powers. This devastating campaign drains the Mughal treasury, kills millions, and ultimately bankrupts the empire. He never returns to Delhi.

One of the most brutal executions in Indian history. Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, son of Shivaji and ruler of the Maratha Empire, is captured. He is offered his life if he converts to Islam. He refuses. He is tortured for weeks — eyes gouged out, tongue cut, nails pulled — and finally executed by tearing his limbs apart.

In direct response to Aurangzeb's persecution, Guru Gobind Singh — son of the martyred Guru Tegh Bahadur — creates the Khalsa at Anandpur Sahib. The Khalsa is a warrior community specifically formed to resist religious persecution.

Aurangzeb's forces capture and execute the young sons of Guru Gobind Singh. Sahibzada Zorawar Singh (9) and Sahibzada Fateh Singh (6) are bricked alive into a wall at Sirhind for refusing to convert. Sahibzada Ajit Singh (18) and Sahibzada Jujhar Singh (14) die fighting in battle.

Aurangzeb dies at Ahmednagar on 3 March 1707, aged 88. His 49-year reign ends with the Mughal Empire bankrupt, overextended, and fractured. His sons immediately begin another war of succession. The empire never recovers, fragmenting rapidly. His deathbed letter expresses guilt: "I know not who I am, where I shall go, or what will happen to this sinner."