Aurangzeb died in Ahmednagar (officially called Ahilyanagar)—a city in the west-central part of Maharashtra, some 130 kilometers from his place of burial.
New Delhi: Central Nagpur‘s Chitnis Park area witnessed violence on Monday. According to the reports, rioters hurled stones at police amid rumours that the holy book of a community was burnt during an agitation by a right-wing body for the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb. Six persons and three policemen were injured during the incident. Another clash broke out in the Hansapuri area near the Old Bhandara Road between 10:30 pm to 11:30 pm. An unruly mob burnt several vehicles, and vandalised houses and a clinic in the area. But, its important to note that the tomb of Aurangzeb, who died over 300 years ago in 1707, is not in Nagpur. Neither is it in Delhi, one of the capitals of the Mughal empire. His tomb is located in Khuldabad, a lesser-known place in Maharashtra.
Aurangzeb Alamgir was a multifaceted and controversial figure who had a profound impact on Indian history. As the longest-reigning Mughal emperor, his rule was defined by extensive military campaigns, strategic political moves, and religious policies that have sparked debates and controversies among historians and scholars for centuries.
Aurangzeb died in Ahmednagar (officially called Ahilyanagar)—a city in the west-central part of Maharashtra, some 130 kilometers from his place of burial. But historians are of the opinion that Aurangzeb was buried in Khuldabad in accordance with his final wishes as he wanted his grave to be near that of the Sufi saint Zainuddin Shirazi.
According to the historian Carl Ernst, Aurangzeb once said, “They should carry this sinner drenched in sins to the neighborhood of the holy Chishti tomb of the revered leader…Zainuddin Shirazi.” The emperor also wished for a simple grave, as is evident from his relatively unremarkable tomb.
The city now known as Khuldabad was previously called Rauza, meaning “shrine,” due to the presence of numerous Sufi saints’ shrines. However, it later came to be known as Khuldabad, deriving its name from the title “Khuld-makani,” which was bestowed upon Aurangzeb after his passing.
