Our history books need to be rewritten

The initial Muslim invaders who came into India no doubt broke a lot of Hindu temples, like for instance, Mahmood Ghazni who broke the Somnath temple.

However, their descendents who became local Muslim rulers in various parts of India, far from breaking temples used to give grants to temples and celebrated Hindu festivals like Holi and Diwali.  For instance, Babar was an invader but Akbar was not an invader, he was born in India and was very much an Indian.

Now the descendants of those invaders who became local Muslim rulers had a population of 80-90% Hindus.  If they broke temples there would be a revolt or turmoil which no ruler wants.   So in their own interest almost every one of the local Muslim rulers fostered communal harmony, they gave grants to Hindu temples, they celebrated Hindu festivals.  For instance, the Nawab of Avadh used to organize Ramleela, and celebrate Holi and Diwali.  Tipu Sultan used to give annual grants to 156 Hindu Temples, his Prime Minister was a Hindu called Punaiya his commander-in-chief, was a Hindu called Krishna Rao.  Tipu Sultan sent 30 respectful letters with grants to the Shankaracharya of Shringeri (see online ‘History in the Service of Imperialism’ which is a speech given by Prof. B. N. Pandey in  the Upper House of the Indian Parliament in 1977).  The Nawabs of  Avadh, Murshidabad and Arcot were secular kings.

            Now the first part, that the Muslim invaders broke temples, has been mentioned in our history books, but the second part, which is of ten times longer duration, that the descendants of these invaders, who were local rulers used to foster communal harmony, they used to give land grants for building Hindu temples, they celebrated and organized Hindu festivals, etc. has been deliberately suppressed by the British from our history books, the whole game being divide and rule.  Hindus and Muslims must be made to fight each other.

 If you go on line and read the speech ‘History in the Service of Imperialism’ by Professor B. N. Pandey, you will read how the British policy was to make Hindus and Muslims inimical to each other.  For instance, Dr. Pandey has mentioned that in 1928 when he was a Professor of History in Allahabad University some students came to him with a book written by one Professor Harprasad Shastri, Professor of Sanskrit of Calcutta University in which it was mentioned that Tipu Sultan told 3000 Brahmins to convert to Islam otherwise they will be killed, and those 3000 Brahmins committed suicide rather than becoming Muslims. On reading this Professor B. N. Pandey wrote to Professor Harprasad Shastri asking him the source of his information?  Prof. Shastri wrote back that his source of information is the Mysore Gazetteer.  Then Prof.  Pandey wrote to Prof. Shrikantia, Professor of History in Mysore University asking him whether it is correct that in Mysore Gazetteer it is mentioned that Tipu Sultan told 3000 Brahmins to convert to Islam. Prof. Shrikantia  wrote back that this is totally false, he had worked  in this field and there is no such mention in the Mysore Gazetteer, rather the correct version was just the reverse, namely, that  Tipu Sultan used to give annual grants to 156 Hindu Temples, he used to send  grants to the  Shankaracharya of Shringheri, etc.  

               Now, just imagine what mischief has been done.  Deliberately our history books have been falsified so that the mind of a child at an impressionable age is poisoned so that a Hindu child should start hating Muslims in India, and a Muslim child in Pakistan should start hating Hindus. The poison put in the mind of an impressionable age is very difficult to remove at a later age.  All our history books have been falsified in this manner.

            It is time we re-write our History books and show that in fact upto 1857 there was no communal problem at all in India.  A composite culture in India had developed by then.  Hindus used to participate in Eid and Muharram, and Muslims used to participate in Holi, Diwali etc.  There were some differences no doubt but they were becoming narrower.

 In 1857 the great Mutiny took place.  Hindus and Muslims jointly fought against the British.  After suppressing that Mutiny it was decided by the British rulers that the only way to control this country was to divide and rule. Orders came from the British Government in London to the Viceroy in India to this effect ( some of them have been quoted in Prof. B.N.Pandey's speech ). In other words, Hindus and Muslims must be made to fight each other.

 All communal riots start after 1857.  The English Collector would secretly call the Hindu Pandit and give him money to speak against Muslims, and similarly he would secretly call the Maulvi and give him some money to speak against Hindus. Agent provocateurs were hired by the British authorities to create hostility between Hindus and Muslims e.g. by deliberately playing loud music when Muslims were praying in a mosque, or throwing the carcass of a dead cow in a Hindu temple. A beautiful racket was started in this way. The Minto-Morley 'Reforms', 1909 created separate electorates for Hindus and Muslims.  All this resulted ultimately in the Partition of 1947, with all its horrors ( see the short stories of Manto ), in which those British agents Gandhi and Jinnah played an important role.          

            Now the time has come when we must see through this game.  How long are we going to be taken for a ride? Are we fools that anybody can come and make fools out of us and make us fight each other?

 Our history books need to be rewritten.