Latest / Aurangzeb: The Emperor Who Expanded and Broke the Mughal Empire — Fexingo History
Aurangzeb's Silent Court: The Banning of Music
In 1668, Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb issued a decree that silenced the imperial court's musicians—naqqaras were muted, instruments destroyed, and performers like Gopala Naik and Ramdas forced to seek patronage elsewhere. This episode explores the motivations behind the ban, from Aurangzeb's personal piety to the influence of Hanafi fiqh, which deemed music haram. We examine a letter to his son Bahadur Shah I, where Aurangzeb condemns music as a distraction from God, and consider the consequences: the dispersal of musicians to Rajput and Deccan courts, the shift in Hindustani classical…
The skinny
The skinny isn't ready yet — notes appear once the transcript is processed.