The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (292 page)

 
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(1618–1707)
6th Mughal emperor in India, son of Sh
h Jah
n and Mumt
j Mahal.
When Sh
h Jah
n became ill in 1657, Aura
gzéb attacked and captured Agr
, imprisoned his aged father and declared himself Emperor, assuming the title ‘Alamg
r Gaz
’. He struggled unsuccessfully to conquer the Mar
t
s for twenty-five years and died, supposedly of a broken heart, at Ahamadnagar in 1707.
Among historians, he is a particularly controversial figure. One view praises him for maintaining the Islamic character of the Mughal Empire, while the other holds him responsible for the downfall of the Mughals because of his religious fanaticism. It is clear that he identified the interests of the Muslim Sunn
orthodoxy with those of the Mughal Empire.
Overcome by religious zeal, he failed to note the practical requirements of administering a multi-religious community, especially of a Muslim minority ruling over a Hindu majority.
He enlarged the Empire to its greatest extent, but it was so weakened internally that it fell apart soon after his death. Aura