Opinion | How India’s Mughal history is being rewritten by the Modi government

From renaming places to editing school history textbooks, India’s Muslim Mughal past is being erased as Modi’s government pushes a Hindutva agenda

Reading Time:3 minutes

Relatives and neighbours mourn the death of Mohammad Mudasir, 31, killed in communal violence in New Delhi on February 27. India’s minority Muslim community increasingly feel disempowered and isolated. Photo: AP

Published: 4:00am, 2 Oct 2020Updated: 5:00am, 2 Oct 2020

The right-wing Indian government has been attempting to rewrite the country’s Islamic past, replacing hard facts with murky fiction, to promote its Hindutva agenda.

Their favourite whipping boys are the Mughals, and there is a steady plan to erase their existence from Indian history. In their place, Hindu rulers, freedom fighters and generally anyone who could be a potential public hero, are being glorified. This is all part of the grand plan to stoke nationalistic fervour and communal tensions, to divert attention from the issues facing the country.

Among the many “foreign” dynasties that ruled over India, the Mughals were the most influential and lasted the longest, from 1526-1761.

Akbar is still considered one of India’s greatest rulers, also an upholder of liberal and secular values, and Mughal art and architecture is much beloved among both Indian and foreign tourists. More importantly, the Mughals ruled as settlers, enriching the land for over 250 years, and not as invaders or colonists, as is being claimed now.

Indian Muslim devotees offer prayers during Eid ul-Fitr at the Taj Mahal in June last year. Photo: AFP

The airbrushing of history starts with name changes. Most recently, Yogi Adityanath, chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, one of the most populous, politically influential and communally charged Indian states, ordered the under-construction Mughal Museum in Agra to be named after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Shivaji was a 17th century Hindu king from the Deccan Plateau, who is venerated by the political right for establishing Hindu rule by defeating the Mughals.