FRANCOIS GAUTIER

Based on Emperor Aurangzeb’s Court Bulletins (Akhbarat) from Rajasthan State Archives, Bikaner and credible Persian works, this book “Aurangzeb’s Iconoclasm” features paintings, court orders and other such material to bring out the nature of reign that Aurangzeb had unleashed. Many of these paintings, reproduced masterfully in miniature style from original documents kept in the state archives. They are now part of permanent exhibition at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum of Indian History in Pune, set up by the author, Francois Gautier. The book, without making any comment from the author’s side, simply features the orders (firmaan) of Aurangzeb to underline the kind of rule he ushered, amid the narrative that is tried to be built around him that he was not an iconoclast.