Archive · 14 Dec 2025
Book Challenges Myth of Benign Babur
A new book by Aabhas Maldahiyar called 'BABUR - The Quest for Hindustan' talks about the first Mughal emperor, Babur.
The book says Babur was not the nice, garden-loving poet that many people think he was.
Instead, it shows him as a violent leader who did many cruel things.
The book uses old records and stories to prove this.
It also says that the Mughal Empire was not as inclusive and peaceful as some people believe.
The book argues that the Mughals were more interested in their old lands in Central Asia than in India.
It also talks about how the Mughals destroyed many Hindu temples and killed many people.
The book is important because it challenges the way we usually think about Babur and the Mughal Empire.
It wants people to have a more honest and objective understanding of this part of India's history.
Aabhas Maldahiyar's book 'BABUR - The Quest for Hindustan' challenges the benign portrayal of Babur, depicting him as a brutal Islamic fundamentalist.
The book argues that the Mughal Empire was narrow-minded, exclusive, and violent, contrary to the popular narrative of it being a syncretic and inclusive state.
Maldahiyar disputes the traditional view of Aurangzeb as the sole intolerant outlier, asserting that the Mughal line was consistently exclusive.
The book claims that the Babri Masjid was not built by Babur but came up later under Aurangzeb's watch.
Maldahiyar's work is not from a traditional academic perspective but is an informed intervention demanding a more objective account of the Mughal emperors.
- Who
- Aabhas Maldahiyar, author of 'BABUR - The Quest for Hindustan'
- What
- A book challenging the benign portrayal of Babur, depicting him as a brutal Islamic fundamentalist
- When
- Published on December 14, 2025
- Where
- India, with historical context spanning the Mughal Empire
- Why
- To challenge the prevailing myth of Babur as a benign, cultured figure and to present a more violent and exclusive portrayal of the Mughal Empire
- Title
- BABUR - The Quest for Hindustan
- Author
- Aabhas Maldahiyar
- Publisher
- Vintage - Penguin India 2025
- Pages
- 467
- Price
- ₹825
- Published Date
- December 14, 2025