Mughal Rule was the darkest period of Indian history

Book review of the book BABUR

Parmanand Pandey

Although I finished reading the book BABUR by Aabhas Maldahiyar almost four months ago, for reference's sake, I had to go through it again. This book was recommended to me by a friend, a well-read veteran journalist Jagdish Upasane, when I visited his house in Raipur a few months ago.

There is no doubt that the book epitomises deep learning and, the painstaking hard work of the Author. The Mughal rule was established by Babur, who came from Ferghana. He lived only for 47 years and ruled in India only for three years. He had a diabolical hatred for Hindus and Buddhists and his insensitivity knew no bounds.

During the entire Mughal rule, India remained an exploited and backward country. Some pro-Mughal historians keep on saying day and night that, unlike Britishers, Mughals did not loot Indian money to be sent abroad. But there is no denying the fact that despite vast resources at their command they did no developmental work. People were thrown to live in abject poverty. No canals, no roads worth name or arrangements for safety and security were developed.

While people were dying of hunger, Babur used to send huge offerings to Mecca and Madina. Money was paid to the people of Kabul by forcibly extracting it from the people of Hindustan. He gave one crore forty-eight lakhs and fifty thousand to one Shaikh Bayazid as a reward for crushing the rebellion. Babur granted ninety lakhs and thirty thousand to Mahmud Khan and 23 lakhs to Qazi Jia for the same task. The reward used to be given in Shahrukhi, which was an Islamic silver coin of roughly 4.6 grams and continued to be for almost the entire Mughal period.

Babur was suffering from the vice of pederasty i.e. he used to have with young male persons. Huge money used to be spent on Eid celebrations. Lakhs of rupees used to be sent every year to the descendants of Prophet Mohammad. Records tell that Akbar tried hard to become a Caliph but when things did not work well, he insisted on declaring himself ‘Padshah-i- Islam.’ A few years later he established’ Din-e- Illahi, as the religion was deeply embedded in the Timurid psyche. After Akbar came to Jahangir, who resumed the tradition of patronage for Haji. He writes in Tarikh-i-Salim Shahi that Rs two lakh was allocated for Haji.

The fame of India as a soft milch cow spread throughout the Middle and Near East. Records state that around Rs 30 lakh was spent by Aurangzeb between 1661 to 1667 for Islamic purposes. He used to send a gift of Rs lakh to Abdullah Khan, who was a deposed king of Kashgar. The cash flow to Mecca continued flawlessly under Aurangzeb through his agents. And this was done when the weavers who spun the finest brocades and garments went about half-naked.

Shah Jahan had organised a grand feast on Nauroz in AD 1628 and had gifted abundantly to each member of royalty. The imperial consort, Mumtaz Mahal received Rs 60 lakh from the treasury. Jahan Ara, his daughter from Mumtaz was granted 20 lakhs. The Mughal state was largely unproductive. Their investments were made in two main forms: hoarding precious metals and jewels. That was the British period in contrast was highly progressive, evolved systems and undertook many developmental works, but it is equally true that they also stashed away huge money to their own country.  

Thus, we find through this book that the Mughal period was the darkest period of India when subjects were exploited to satisfy the whims and caprices of Mughal rulers.