A farman of Aurangzeb is being cited and it has been also in news in a daily. The farman is geniune and is a best example that shows what a chameleon Aurangzeb was. Let me tell you the truth behind it. The persian farman is published in The Journal and proceedings of the asiatic society of bengal, new series , vol 7 year 1911 on pages 687-90. You can read the original persian (if someone needs to) and also the english translation here. The farman is dated 16 Jamadi us Sani, 1069 Hijri which comes to 28 February 1659 C.E.
The farman basically commands that ancient temples in Benares “will not be overthrown, but that new ones will not be built.”. Read carefully again. “Ancient temples will not be overthrown and new ones will not be built.” Now let us see the circumstances during which Aurangzeb issued this farman. Although Aurangzeb had defeated Dara Shukoh at Samugarh on 29th May 1658, the war of succession was far from over as the latter had again taken up arms and was yet to be completely neutralized. Dara was finally vanquished and forced to flee after the Battle of Devrai (12/13th March 1659, near Ajmer). The contents of this farman show that he could ill afford at that stage to incur the displeasure (by ordering demolition of their temples) of the Hindu majority. This instance illustrates the conflict between the doctrinaire Aurangzeb and the pragmatic Aurangzeb.
But later, in 1669, when his rule had become stable, he felt secure enough to give vent to his true nature – doctrinal fidelity. So this same Aurangzeb felt obliged to order temples at Mathura, Banaras and many other places to be demolished or turned into mosques, and the jizya to be re-imposed. Moral - Dikhave pe mat jao apni akal lagao.
Translated firman
ROUGH TRANSLATION OF AURANG-JEB’S FIRMAN.
Let Abu’l-Hasan worthy of favour and countenance trust to our royal bounty and let him know that, since in accordance with our innate kindness of disposition and natural benevolence the whole of our untiring energy and all our upright intentions are engaged in promoting the public welfare and bettering the condition of all classes high and low, therefore in accordance with our holy law we have decided that the ancient temples shall not be overthrown but that new ones shall not be built.
In these days of our justice, information has reached our noble and most holy court that certain persons actuated by rancour and spite have harassed the Hindus resident in the town of Benares and a few other places in that neighbourhood, and also certain Brahmins, keepers of the temples, in whose charge those ancient temples are, and that they further desire to remove these Brahmins from their ancient office (and this intention of theirs causes distress to that community), therefore our Royal Command is that after the arrival of our lustrous order you should direct that in future no person shall in unlawful ways interfere or disturb the Brahmins and the other Hindus resident in those places, so that they may as before remain in their occupation and continue with peace of mind to offer up prayers for the continuance of our God-given Empire that is destined to last to all time.
Consider this an urgent matter. Dated 15th of Jumada-s-Saniya A.H. 1064 ( = A.D. 1653 or 4).