Previous Year Question

Mughal emperor Aurangzeb was himself proficient in playing the Veena. His attitude towards music should not be understood solely from the restrictions he imposed on some forms of court music during his reign. At the personal level, he possessed knowledge of instrumental music, and institutional educational material describes him as a proficient Veena player.

The position of music at the Mughal court changed during Aurangzeb's reign compared with that under his predecessors. At one stage of his reign, he restricted performances of court singing and dancing. Historical material available through IGNCA states that instrumental music continued at the court at least until the eleventh regnal year, even when music and dancing performances had been forbidden.

IGNOU material similarly records that Aurangzeb stopped court musicians from performing before him, but the naubat, or royal instrumental band, was retained. Thus, it would be inaccurate to assume that every form of music was immediately and completely eliminated during his reign.

This establishes an important distinction—Aurangzeb's policy towards court performances and his personal musical ability are separate issues. He could restrict court performances while himself being skilled in a musical instrument.

INFLIBNET educational material explicitly notes that Aurangzeb himself was proficient in playing the Veena. Therefore, among the given options, Veena is the correct answer.