‘Aurangzeb’s tomb has a deadline’: Indian minister renews call for removal
Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane has renewed calls to remove the tomb of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, claiming that a date has been decided for its removal but will not be disclosed, The Indian Express reports.
Speaking at an event in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Thursday, Rane praised Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for taking steps to clear encroachments from historic forts, describing the initiative as a fight against what he called “jihad”.
He then turned his attention to Aurangzeb’s tomb in Khuldabad, saying the site also had a deadline.
“We do not want that garbage here. Those who love it can take it to their Pakistan. We do not want it here. People will ask me when it will happen. I will not reveal the date. Fadnavis knows when to break this news,” Rane said, according to The Indian Express.
He added that the tomb should not be associated with Maharashtra’s identity or used to defame the state.
This is not the first time Rane has threatened to remove the monument. In March 2025, amid demands from BJP leaders and Hindutva organisations to demolish it, he claimed the government had already planned its removal and that the public would learn about it only after the demolition. He also invoked the demolition of the Babri Masjid while urging Hindutva organisations to play their part.
Legal status of the protected monument
Aurangzeb’s tomb in Khuldabad, in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
In March 2025, Fadnavis said he agreed with the demand for the tomb’s removal but stressed that any action would have to comply with the law.
Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat confirmed the monument’s protected status in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha in April 2025.
The government also informed Parliament that the ASI had installed a 12-foot-high metal sheet around the tomb, fitted concertina wire on surrounding walls and deployed private security personnel in coordination with the district administration to prevent damage.
A modest grave reflecting Aurangzeb’s wishes
Aurangzeb, the sixth Mughal emperor, died in Ahmednagar on March 3, 1707, at the age of 88, after ruling for nearly 49 years. During the final 25 years of his reign, he spent much of his time in the Deccan, where his prolonged military campaigns against the Marathas drained the Mughal Empire’s resources.
Despite his long association with the region, Aurangzeb did not seek an elaborate mausoleum. According to historical accounts, he wished to be buried near the shrine of Sufi saint Shaikh Zainuddin Shirazi at Rauza, now known as Khuldabad.
His body was transported from Ahmednagar and buried in an open grave near the saint’s shrine.
The ASI describes the grave as an earthen mound with a small sabza plant growing on it. A marble floor and perforated marble railing surround the grave, while the gateway and domed porch were added in 1760 by the Nizam of Hyderabad.
Historical accounts also state that Aurangzeb directed that money earned from knitting caps be used to cover his burial expenses. The modest grave contrasts sharply with the grand mausoleums built by several of his Mughal predecessors.
The Maratha connection
The demand for the tomb’s removal carries particular historical significance in Maharashtra, given Aurangzeb’s prolonged conflict with the Marathas and his role in the execution of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in 1689.
However, the tomb survived even as Maratha power expanded following Aurangzeb’s death. Historical accounts record that Shahu I, the fifth Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire, visited Aurangzeb’s tomb after his release from Mughal captivity in 1707.
The episode is documented in V G Khobrekar’s Maharashtracha Itihas Maratha Kalkhand, published by the Maharashtra government, and discussed by historian Richard Eaton in his book A Social History of the Deccan.