Desecration of Akbar's tomb
{{Short description|1688 incident in India}}
{{EngvarB|date=January 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| place = Akbar's Tomb, Sikandra, Agra Subah, Mughal Empire
| date = 28 March 1688
| result = Burning of Akbar's remains and the raiding of eight nearby villages{{Cite web
| url = https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.505305/page/n345/mode/2up
| title = History Of Jats
| last = Kalikaranjan
| first = Qanungo
| date = 1925
| website = Internet Archive
| publisher =
| access-date = 28 October 2024
| quote =
}}
| combatant1 = Jats
| combatant2 = Mughal Empire
| commander1 = Rajaram of Sinsini
| conflict =
| partof = Jat rebellion
}}
The desecration of Akbar's tomb occurred on 28 March 1688 when a Jat army led by Rajaram Jat attacked Akbar's tomb in Sikandra, Agra, exhumed the former Mughal emperor's bones, and burnt them in a fire.{{Cite book|last=Manucci|first=Niccolao|title=Mogul India (1653–1708): Or Storia Do Mogor|publisher=Low Price Publication|year=2010}} This successful raid followed a previously unsuccessful excursion in 1685 and resulted in an escalation of the conflict between the Mughals and the Jats.
Background
According to Aziz Ahmad, the Jats desecrated Akbar's tomb in revenge. Calling this incident ironic, he stated that no person in the subcontinent put more effort than Akbar in establishing harmony between Hindus and Muslims and elevating Hindus to be equal to Muslims.{{cite book |last=Ahmad |first=Aziz |author-link=Aziz Ahmad (writer) |title=Studies in Islamic Culture in the Indian Environment |year=1964 |publisher=Oxford University Press |oclc=682954 |page=95 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Si0KAQAAIAAJ}}
As vengeance, Rajaram's first attempt to despoil Akbar's tomb was in 1685. His Jat force was confronted 10 miles away from Sikandra (a suburb of Agra) by the regional Mughal faujdar Mir Abul Fazl. Fazl, whose armies foiled the Jats' attempt, although the latter was severely injured in the attack. Both sides sustained substantial casualties. This entailed an increase of Fazl's mansab by 200 sawars by Aurangzeb, who also bestowed upon him the title of Iltifat Khan.{{cite book |last=Dwivedi |first=Girish Chandra |title=The Jats: Their Role in the Mughal Empire |year=1989 |publisher=Arnold Publishers |isbn=978-81-7031-150-8 |pages=36 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AR5uAAAAMAAJ}}{{cite book |last=Richards |first=John F. |title=The Mughal Empire |year=2001|orig-year=1993 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |series=The New Cambridge History of India: The Mughals and their Contemporaries |volume=5 |isbn=978-0-52-125119-8 |page=251 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HHyVh29gy4QC&pg=PA250}}
Desecration
Rajaram Jat desecrated and plundered Akbar's tomb in 1688. He exploited the delay in the arrival of Agra's new faujdar, Shaista Khan in his favour. The naib Muhammad Baqa was in charge in Agra, but he did not confront Rajaram and remained passive during this incident. Rajaram looted gold and silver articles and gems from the tomb. He damaged the mausoleum and destroyed the items he was unable to carry. Niccolao Manucci stated that the Jats also burned the remains of Akbar. The villages that maintained the Taj Mahal were ransacked and set on fire. The Jats captured Mughal officials at Palwal and plundered the Khurja pargana. In response to the inaction of Mughal officials, Aurangzeb reduced the mansab of Khan-i-Jahan and his naib (deputy) by 1000 sawars and 500 respectively.{{cite book |last=Pande |first=Ram |title=Bharatpur up to 1826: A Social and Political History of the Jats |year=1970 |publisher=Rama Publishing House |page=7 |edition=1st |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RBJuAAAAMAAJ |oclc=555482496}}
Aftermath
Architectural historian Catherine Asher stated that the tomb's desecration "was perceived as a blow to Mughal prestige".{{cite book |last=Asher |first=Catherine B. |title=Architecture of Mughal India |year=2001 |orig-year=1992 |series=The New Cambridge History of India: The Mughals and their Contemporaries |volume=4 |edition=1st |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-26728-1 |page=108 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3ctLNvx68hIC&pg=PA108}} Alarmed and angered by this incident, Aurangzeb summoned Raja Ram Singh to punish Rajaram and appointed him Mathura's faujdar. Singh was in Kabul, and died before he could undertake his new appointment.{{cite book |last=Dwivedi |first=Girish Chandra |title=The Jats: Their Role in the Mughal Empire |year=1989 |publisher=Arnold Publishers |isbn=978-81-7031-150-8 |pages=37 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AR5uAAAAMAAJ}} Arrangements were also made for setting up thanas in the Mathura area.{{cite book |last=Pande |first=Ram |title=Bharatpur up to 1826: A Social and Political History of the Jats |year=1970 |publisher=Rama Publishing House |pages=8 |edition=1st |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RBJuAAAAMAAJ |oclc=555482496}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{coord missing|Uttar Pradesh}}
Category:Cemetery vandalism and desecration
Category:Crime in Uttar Pradesh
Category:Hinduism-motivated violence in India
Category:17th-century Hinduism
Category:Religious building and structure arson fires in India
Category:Attacks on Islamic buildings