A long-dead Muslim emperor vexes India’s Hindu nationalists


              FILE- An Aerial view shows Gyanvapi mosque, left, and Kashiviswanath temple on the banks of the river Ganges in Varanasi, India, Dec. 12, 2021. The 17th-century mosque in Varanasi, Hinduism's holiest city, has emerged as the latest flashpoint between Hindus and Muslims. A court case will decide whether the site would be given to Hindus, who claim it was built on a temple destroyed on the orders of Aurangzeb. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh, File)
            
              People move past a road signage at Aurangzeb lane, named after the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, in New Delhi, Thursday, June 2, 2022. Aurangzeb was the last powerful Mughal emperor who ascended to the throne in the mid-17th century after imprisoning his father and having his older brother killed. Unlike other Mughals, who ruled over a vast empire in South Asia for more than 300 years and enjoy a relatively uncontested legacy, Aurangzeb is, almost undoubtedly, one of the most hated men in Indian history. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
            
              Policemen stand guard at the mausoleum of 17th century Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Aurangabad, India, May 20, 2022. For more than three centuries, Aurangzeb remained relegated to India's history books. Until recently, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others from his Hindu nationalist party brought him back to life as a brutal oppressor of their faith and culture. (AP Photo)
            
              People walk on a road earlier named Aurangzeb Road, after the Mughal emperor, now renamed to Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam, India's former president, in New Delhi, Thursday, June 2, 2022. In 2015, New Delhi’s famous Aurangzeb Road was renamed after protests from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party leaders. Since then, some Indian state governments have rewritten school textbooks to deemphasize him. Last month, the mayor of northern Agra city described Aurangzeb as a “terrorist,” whose traces should be expunged from all public places. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
            
              In this handout photo provided by the Press Information Bureau, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks at an event to mark the 400th birth anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh guru who is remembered for championing religious freedoms for all, at the historic Mughal-era Red Fort, New Delhi, April 21, 2022. (Press Information Bureau via AP)
            
              A book seller shows books on Aurangzeb in New Delhi, Thursday, June 2, 2022. For more than three centuries, Mughal emperor Aurangzeb remained relegated to India's history books. Until recently, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others from his Hindu nationalist party brought him back to life as a brutal oppressor of their faith and culture. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
A long-dead Muslim emperor vexes India’s Hindu nationalists