Mughal sources like chronicles, farmans (royal orders), and Persian texts give different views about temple destruction. Some of them openly celebrate it, while some are silent. For example, writers of Baburnama and Akbarnama don’t focus much on destruction because Akbar was more tolerant.
But during Aurangzeb’s rule, texts like Maasir-i-Alamgiri record temple destruction and give details about which temples were removed and why. Some farmans by Aurangzeb order to demolish certain temples like Kashi Vishwanath and Mathura temple.
At the same time, there are also farmans where he gave protection to some temples and Brahmins, so it looks mixed. Jahangir’s records talk about controlling temples only when there was rebellion, not always. So Mughal sources show that destruction was not a daily habit but more a political action to show power or punish rebels. Still, the number of times it is mentioned proves that temples were often targeted.
Some sources also say that destroyed materials were reused in mosques or other buildings. Historians read these Persian texts and compare them with archaeology to find truth. These sources are very important because they were written at the time, even if they are biased to praise the emperor.
