Dara Shikoh and Aurangzeb - Tale of Two Brothers

After an intense competition with his brother Dara Shikoh, Aurangzeb ascended the Mughal throne in 1658. However to usurp total power and annihilate opposition Aurangzeb paraded Dara Shikoh through the streets of Delhi in chains where he was later executed in 1659.

A depiction that shows Aurangzeb rejoicing on Dara Shikoh’s death; Image Source- The New Indian Express

On 30th August 1659, Dara Shikoh, the heir-apparent to the Mughal throne after Shah Jahan, was put to death by his cunning and avaricious brother Aurangzeb. Shah Jahan had four sons out of whom Dara was his favourite. Dara Shikoh can be compared to Shakespeare’s Prospero, a ruler utterly dedicated and maniacally devoted to his study of the world around him. For Dara, his “library was dukedom large enough”.

Dara Shikoh was known for his eclectic religious beliefs. He was a liberal intellectual who advocated for both Sufi and Vedanta philosophy. He carried out mass translations of the Hindu Upanishads and firmly believed that all religion ultimately bows down to the same superior element. In contrast to this Aurangzeb was much more conservative in his conduct and approach, especially in the sphere of religion. Aurangzeb believed that Dara Shikoh was a traitor to Islam because of his indulgences with other religions which made him a weak ruler in Aurangzeb’s opinion.

The relationship between the two was unpleasant to say politely, and poisonous if one were to be blunt.

The sudden dip in Shah Jahan’s health in 1657 brought the idealist Dara Shikoh in direct conflict with the sharp yet pragmatic Aurangzeb. Out of the four contestants to the throne, only Aurangzeb and Dara were influential enough to preside over the Mughal Empire and decide its fate. While Dara, believing in the supremacy of his knowledge, ignored his advisors on how he should act in this volatile period, Aurangzeb was busy planning, plotting and conspiring. In the years following up to this period of turmoil, Aurangzeb had groomed himself as a warrior and an autocrat with his numerous expeditions in Deccan, Gujarat, Multan and Kandahar.

Amidst such situations, the other two sons also contested for the throne. Shah Shuja declared himself the ruler of Bengal while Murad Baksh joined forces with Aurangzeb. Dara Shikoh, operating from Shahjahanabad (Delhi) was able to defeat Shah Shuja and chase him through Bihar while he received a setback when he discovered that Murad Baksh and Aurangzeb had decided to combine resources against him and later partition the empire between themselves.

It was on the 29th of May, 1658 that Dara Shikoh came into direct conflict with the combined forces of Murad Baksh and Aurangzeb in the Battle of Samugarh. It is said that while fighting, Dara dismounted his elephant which his soldiers mistook as the death of the emperor. After this mishap, the well-trained army of Aurangzeb killed 10,000 of Dara’s men within three hours and the fate of the brief Battle of Samugarh was sealed. Dara Shikoh managed to escape into Lahore while Aurangzeb ascended the Mughal throne deposing and imprisoning Shah Jahan on 8th June 1658.

After establishing himself as the newly “crowned” Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb began to turn the wheels of aggressive politics to consolidate his position. He soon broke off all ties with Murad Baksh and imprisoned him in the Gwalior Fort where he was executed, this was his aim all along. He then skilfully ousted his brother Shah Shuja who was put to death by local Burmese kings.

After neutralising his father and two brothers, Aurangzeb now mobilised the prime of his attention and the bulk of his forces towards Dara Shikoh. Dara, at that time, was an entity much like the Sufi saints that he used to adore so much. He roamed about from one province to another in search of shelter and support. His Persian robes now resembled nothing but dirty rags on a beggar.

Back at the capital, Aurangzeb threw words in the air and injected the masses with the maxim that Dara Shikoh was a traitor to the Muslim fraternity as he killed the Grand Vizier Saadullah Khan. Nobody bothered to verify these claims partly out of religious passion and partly out of the fear of Aurangzeb’s aggressive demeanour.

Much like Julius Caesar, Dara was betrayed by a close confidant, a general called Malik Jiwan. Malik Jiwan was a general who was indebted to Dara for saving him from the wrath of Shah Jahan. Malik granted Dara refuge only to later hand him over to Aurangzeb’s army on the 10th of June, 1659.

There was no question of granting Dara Shikoh the privilege of living as Dara was prince popular and could easily charm the people to mutiny against Aurangzeb. Thus, the once heir-apparent with all the knowledge of the mortal world drilled in his brain was seated on a dirty elephant and paraded through the streets of Delhi in rusted chains. He was then killed in front of his son on the 30th of August 1659 and his remains were buried in an unidentified grave near Humayun’s tomb.

The Archaeological Survey of India till this date has been unsuccessful in identifying the tomb of this Mughal idealist scholar whose life was lost amidst the political rigmarole of his time.

The Mughal history stands witness to a lot of succession wars and along with it, a lot of bloodshed. Many enthusiasts of alternate history still find themselves ruminating to this day about Dara Shikoh succeeding Shah Jahan in place of Aurangzeb. Would the Mughal Empire collapse under religious divide as it did with the revival of jizya tax (obligatory tax for non-Muslims)? Would the British ultimately take advantage of this religious sectarianism to carve out an India for themselves? Would Dara Shikoh ultimately fail to be an able administrator given his history of choosing knowledge over administration? The answer to these pertinent questions are only found in the eccentric minds of historians and not in pages of any history book.

The Mughal Empire and its expansion under various kings; Image Source- About One Thing