[Aurangzeb] was of the opinion that he had found in this tax an excellent means of succeeding in converting them, besides thereby replenishing his tr… - Niccolao Manucci

Aurangzeb did this for two reasons: first, because by this time his treasures had begun to shrink owing to expenditure on his campaigns ; secondly, to force the Hindus to become Mahomedans. Many who were unable to pay turned Mahomedans, to obtain relief from the insults of the collectors.

“In this realm of India, although King Aurangzeb destroyed numerous temples, there does not thereby fail to be many left at different places, both in his empire and in the territories subject to the tributary Princes. All of them are thronged with worshippers; even those that are destroyed are still venerated by the Hindus and visited for the offering of alms.

A few days after my arrival Shiva Ji gave himself up and came into our camp…This was the opening which afforded me occasion many times to converse with Shiva Ji, since I possessed, like any one in the camp, the Persian and Hindustani languages…. Rajah Jai Singh…made arrangements to send Shiva Ji to court well guarded; and he wrote to his heir, Ram Singh, to take precautions against the king’s murdering Shiva Ji. For he had pledged his word, confirmed by oath, to protect him. Better would it be for his house to be extirpated than to permit Aurangzeb, under cover of his words, to organize treachery.