Rulers in India (Hindus) were directly opposing Mughal efforts of coercion of religion conversions. Maharana Pratap of Mewar did not submit to Akbar. He fought continuous campaigns using mountain bastions. His response during his fight at Haldighati (1576) indicated that he was steadfast in defending his religion and monarchy against the might of the empire.
The Maratha Empire was built up by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj to safeguard Hindu Dharma against Mughal exploitation. He explicitly opposed religious policies of Aurangzeb. His military strategies eliminated the Mughal rule in Deccan, and it protected the religious freedom and customs of his subjects.
For centuries Mughal invasions tried to conquer the Ahom kingdom of Assam and failed. They soundly routed the army of Aurangzeb under Lachit Borphukan at Saraighat (1671). They had conquered, and hence, Assam was liberated from Mughal rule and their imposition of conversion to the Muslim faith.
Rani Durgavati was a leader of the Gond Kingdom of Central India. She also preferred to die in a battle fighting the general of Akbar, Asaf Khan (1564). Her martyrdom in the fight to defend over her realm earned her the mastery of the century as a symbol of the fight against Mughal political, and religious struggles.
The Sikh Gurus became a very big resistance movement against the Mughal persecution. Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed to protect Kashmiri Pandits against forced conversion. Guru Gobind Singh used the Sikhs to turn them military against oppressive religious discrimination imposed by Aurangzeb. Their rebellion saved endangered Hindu communities.
Conclusion
Such determined opposition was seen through Maharana Pratap, Chhatrapati Shivaji, the Ahoms under Lachit Borphukan, Rani Durgavati and the Sikh gurus. Their military and political opposition significantly impaired Mughal plans of religious hegemony. It is a reactionary confrontation to maintain captivity and independence of religious faith in the face of imperial invasion which would leave an untranslatable legacy of guarding religious faith.
