Here's why Mughal history should "NOT" be taught in school textbooks

“What's past is prologue.” - William Shakespeare, The Tempest 

The memories of the first time I ever read about the Mughals and their architectural marvels are still afresh. I did not encounter their mention in my History book, but rather in my Hindi school textbook when I was in class third. It was about a grandfather taking his grandson to the Taj Mahal, one of the wonders of the world, and narrating the story of the mausoleum's construction during the train journey. For years, the Taj Mahal and Red Fort have been some of the postcard pictures that one finds tagging along with the image of India. Indeed, other architectural marvels also define the incredible nation, but these Mughal architectures remain the face of the country.

However, with the recent deletion of chapters in NCERT textbooks, question marks seem to have to been placed at their very existence. The issue has given birth to another debate in the country – should the history of the Mughal empire be included in the school curriculum or can a kingdom which existed for 300 years be removed from its pages?

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Why read about Akbar? What can a conqueror teach?

Akbar, the greatest sun of the Mughal empire, ruled the sub-continent for almost 50 years. In those years, the Indian sub-continent boasted of diversity in religion, language, culture and ethnicity, just the way it boasts of today. But why should we read about Akbar? What would we gain from it?

If we look into Akbar's reign, we will find a Muslim emperor who not only accepted diversity but also ensured that it was reflected in his government. Hindus, especially Rajputs, were not only incorporated into the imperial service but were bestowed with positions of privilege. 

Ignoring the criticism and bickering of Muslimn ulemas, he nonchalantly continued to promote Rajputs and adopt policies that favoured Hindus like "the abolition of 'jizya' and pilgrimage tax on non-Muslim citizens, prohibition on slaughtering of peacocks and cows, patronisation of Hindu and Jain temples and banning of the sale of meat on particular weekdays." The freedom of practising their religion that he gave to his Hindu wives was one of its kind, unheard of before.

The idea of 'Sulh-i-kul' (universal peace and tolerance) he propagated finds its relevance even in the present time when we witness intolerance and hatred towards different religions and beliefs. Today, in a world which seems fractured along religious lines, should we turn a blind eye towards a monarch who promoted religious harmony in the sixteenth century?

Queens of the Mughal harem - the most powerful 

Try to turn a few pages, and you will be left surprised to see the power that the women of the Mughal harem exercised within the Mughal empire. The Mughal harem, which comprised powerful matriarchs, fiery milk mothers and influential wives and daughters – gives us some great examples of women empowerment. In days when women writers were a rare sight, Emperor Humayun's sister Gulbadan Begum became the first woman biographer to have documented the Mughal royal court and even the secretive seraglio.

Meanwhile, the matriarchs were known to influence the decisions of emperors and run the empire from behind their jaali screens (latticed screens). The power that Akbar's foster mother Maham Anga enjoyed during the initial years of the emperor's reign is very well-known and has been marked as the 'petticoat era' in history.

The women of the Mughal empire were not only actively involved in politics but were also skilled merchants who traded goods overseas. A very interesting anecdote narrates how the visit of East India Company's William Hawkins and William Finch in 1607 ended in a tragedy after Hawkins mistakenly ruined a bid for indigo purchase in Bayana which was made by Maryam-uz-Zamani, mother of Emperor Jahangir and thus, became subject to his wrath.

"What the Hindustani traders know and what Finch failed to sufficiently acknowledge, is that Harkha Bai, now Maryam-uz-Zamani and queen mother of the empire, is a prodigiously wealthy woman with her own ship, who controls her finances and trades under her own name," writes Ira Mukhoty in her book Daughters of the Sun. The skills that the women of the Mughal era honed are stories to be inspired from and appreciated.

Postcard presence

The architectural marvels constructed during the Mughal reign have today become postcard pictures of what represents India, and hence, they cannot be ignored. Taj Mahal tops the list of such magnificent monuments which command a place for themselves in the pages of history. Red Fort, the place from where the prime minister of India addresses the nation on Independence Day, reminds us of the Mughal emperors who ruled the country. Humayun's Tomb, a UNESCO World Heritage Site which was commissioned by a Mughal queen, demands the acknowledgement of the presence of Mughal rulers in the past.

The whole Chandni Chowk, earlier known as Shahjahanabad, narrates the days when Shah Jahan built the city for generations to come. Can such enormous and clearly visible history be ignored? What should the future generations be told when they ask who built the ramparts of New Delhi's Red Fort?

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Mughal bias

But why do we read Mughals at such great length and why don't we study about the Mauryas, Guptas, Cholas and even the Ahoms? The books have always taught about the major kingdoms of India and the curriculum covered Mauryas, Cholas, Chalukyas and even Rashtrakuta.

However, what we fail to understand is how the Mughals documented themselves at great lengths. Emperors Babur and Jahangir emerged as biographers, while others appointed historians to their courts to record their reigns. Moreover, we have many paintings and architecture that belong to the Mughal kingdom, which further enhances the scope of the study.

History belongs to all – the conqueror and the conquered. It cannot be taught in a biased way nor can it be overlooked. Even the emperors who were cruel or atrocious deserve a mention in history, even if it is for their bad deeds. Students deserve to learn and know and their questions cannot go unanswered.

So, everyone who has been debating whether Mughals must be taught or not, must think what they would say if their children ask "Who build the ramparts of New Delhi's Red Fort?"

P.S. Red Fort's ramparts were not built by Shah Jahan, it was later constructed by Aurangzeb.

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

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