Was Aurangzeb born in Gujarat?

Previously Sanjay Raut, veteran Shiv Sena (UBT) leader, had compared Mughal emperor Aurangzeb with PM Modi, saying that both were born in Gujarat.

“Shivaji Maharaj was born in Maharashtra and Aurangzeb was born in Gujarat… where [Narendra] Modi was born … [today] Aurangzeb-like attitude is marching against Maharashtra, attacking Shiv Sena, and our self esteem,” Raut said in a rally (loosely translated from Marathi).

Politics aside, what does the historical record say?

Aurangzeb’s early years in Gujarat

Aurangzeb was born in Dohad (or Dahod) in present-day Gujarat on November 3, 1618. He was prince Khurram’s (not yet emperor Shah Jahan) sixth child, and third son, after Darah Shukoh and Shah Shuja.

At the time, Khurram had been made the governor of the Gujarat province, appointed to the post by his father, emperor Jahangir in 1618. Aurangzeb would, thus, spend his early years in Gujarat until his father decided to [unsuccessfully] rebel against the Emperor in 1622.

Some historians claim that brothers Dara and Aurangzeb were sent to Jahangir as “hostages” after Khurram’s rebellion was quelled. “He [Khurram] had to submit to his father his young sons, Dara and Aurangzib, as hostages. These two reached Jahangir’s Court at Lahore in June 1626,” historian Sir Jadunath Sarkar wrote in A Short History of Aurangzib (1930). Others, however, claim that Khurram and Aurangzeb patched up by 1625 itself.

Either way, Aurangzeb spent anywhere between 4-8 first years of his life in Gujarat.

Gujarat in the Mughal Empire

Gujarat fell to Mughal rule in 1573, when then Emperor Akbar defeated the Gujarat Sultanate under Muzaffar Shah III. It was subsequently governed by viceroys and officers appointed by the Mughal state, and became one of its most important provinces.

Most notably, in 1612, then Emperor Jahangir (reign 1605-27) permitted the British East India Company to set up factories (trading posts/warehouses) in the port of Surat. East India Company steadily increased its presence in the province after that. During the reign of Aurangzeb (1657-1708), the region was marred by significant instability, with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj raiding Mughal outposts in the province, including the port of Surat.

However, Mughal control persisted till about 1759, when Surat fell to the East India Company.