RAS question
Aurangzeb reimposed the Jizya tax on non-Muslims in which year?
Correct answer: (B) 1679.
Aurangzeb reimposed the jizya, a poll tax on non-Muslims, in 1679.
Explanation
Britannica places the reimposition of the jizya in 1679, calling it the first overt sign of the change in Aurangzeb's policy after the earlier phase of ruling a mixed Hindu-Muslim empire. The tax was a poll tax on non-Muslims and had earlier been abolished by Akbar, so bringing it back marked a reversal of Akbar's policy of religious tolerance. The political consequence followed from that shift: it alienated Hindu sentiment, undermined Rajput support, and sat alongside rebellions or resistance involving Rajputs, Marathas, Sikhs, and Jats. For an RAS answer, the key link is not just the date but the policy turn: 1679 signals Aurangzeb's move away from Mughal religious accommodation.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 1700 falls within Aurangzeb's reign, but Britannica identifies the jizya reimposition as 1679, before the later weakening described here.
- (C) 1658 marks Aurangzeb's accession period in Britannica's reign dates, not the 1679 policy measure asked here.
- (D) 1665 belongs to the earlier part of Aurangzeb's reign; Encyclopaedia Britannica ties the first overt policy change over jizya to 1679.
Concept
This tests Mughal religious policy under Aurangzeb, especially the reversal of Akbar's tolerance through the jizya. It recurs in RAS because it links a date with the wider causes of Rajput, Maratha, Sikh and Jat resistance and Mughal weakening.