Much ado about a Mughal ruler

The Maharashtra government should not let divisive campaigns upend its governance agenda

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Aurangzeb, the last of the great Mughals, was a divisive figure in his lifetime and later. He died in 1707, an old man devoured by age and a long self-defeating campaign in the unforgiving landscape of the Deccan plateau. Under Aurangzeb, Mughal rule expanded greatly, but it was his relentless military campaigns and sectarian vision that hollowed out the empire. His undistinguishable grave in Khuldabad near Aurangabad in Maharashtra reflects the austere lifestyle of this royal figure and is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. It is a heritage site because all history, good, bad and indifferent, is part of our heritage, and should be viewed dispassionately.