Hindus in Mughal Imperial Governance

Abstract

Hindus and other non-Muslims participated in Mughal imperial governance in myriad ways, as in Mughal culture, politics, and society more generally. Whether as warrior elites, bureaucrats, or informal advisors, Hindus were important contributors to Mughal life at every level of society and for the duration of the empire. Indeed, contrary to the modern myth—first propagated by the British, and, unfortunately, still popular conventional wisdom among many Indians today—that the Mughal state was, with the possible exception of Akbar, inherently hostile toward non-Muslims (and vice versa), the historical record suggests otherwise: that Hindus were vital and willing collaborators in the Mughal imperial project throughout the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries. Thus, while it would be going too far to suggest that there was never any sectarian tension or strife under the Mughals, the modern colonial and nationalist caricatures of the era are equally hyperbolic (if not more so) and do not stand up to even the most basic scrutiny.