Dara Shikoh

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Darah Shikuh
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Dara Shikoh

Humayun’s Tomb
Spouse
(m. 1633; d. 1659)
Issue
Names
Padshahzada-i-Buzurg Martaba, Jalal ul-Kadir Sultan Muhammad Dara Shikoh Shah-i-Buland Iqbal
HouseHouse of Babur
Dynasty Timurid dynasty
FatherShah Jahan
MotherMumtaz Mahal
ReligionSunni Islam

Dara Shikoh, also known as Dara Shukoh, (20 March 1615 – 30 August 1659)

heir-apparent of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.[5] Dara was designated with the title Padshahzada-i-Buzurg Martaba ("Prince of High Rank")[6] and was favoured as a successor by his father and his elder sister, Princess Jahanara Begum. He had been given the title of 'Shah-e-Buland Iqbal' by Shah Jahan. In the war of succession which ensued after Shah Jahan's illness in 1657, Dara was defeated by his younger brother Prince Muhiuddin (later, the Emperor Aurangzeb). He was executed in 1659 on Aurangzeb's orders in a bitter struggle for the imperial throne.[7]

Dara was a liberal-minded unorthodox

Vedanta philosophy in Hinduism. A great patron of the arts, he was also more inclined towards philosophy and mysticism rather than military pursuits. The course of the history of the Indian subcontinent, had Dara Shikoh prevailed over Aurangzeb, has been a matter of some conjecture among historians.[8][9][10]

Early life

Murad Baksh
in their younger years, ca 1637
Young Dara Shikoh (Left) and Mian Mir (Right)

Muhammad Dara Shikoh was born on 11 March 1615[2] in Ajmer, Rajasthan.[11] He was the first son and third child of Prince Shahib-ud-din Muhammad Khurram and his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal.[12] The prince was named by his father.[13] 'Dara' means owner of wealth or star in Persian while the second part of the prince's name is commonly spelled in two ways: Shikoh (terror) or Shukoh (majesty or grandeur).[14] Thus, Dara's full name can be translated as "Of the Terror of Darius" or "Of the Grandeur of Darius", respectively.[14] Historian Ebba Koch favours 'Shukoh'.[14]

Dara Shikoh had thirteen siblings of whom six survived to adulthood:

Gauhara Begum.[15] He shared a close relationship with his older sister, Jahanara. As part of his formal education, Dara studied the Quran, history, Persian poetry and calligraphy.[16] He was a liberal-minded unorthodox Muslim unlike his father and his younger brother Aurangzeb.[16] Persian was Dara's native language, but he also learned Hindi, Arabic and later Sanskrit.[17]

In October 1627,[18] Dara's grandfather Emperor Jahangir died, and his father ascended the throne in January 1628 taking the regnal name 'Shah Jahan'.[19] In 1633, Dara was appointed as the Vali-ahad (heir-apparent) to his father.[20] He, along with his older sister Jahanara, were Shah Jahan's favourite children.[21]

Marriage

The marriage of Dara Shikoh and Nadira Begum, 1875–90
Royal Collection Trust, London
.

During the life time of his mother Mumtaz Mahal, Dara Shikoh was betrothed to his half-cousin, Princess

Sultan Parvez Mirza.[22] He married her on 1 February 1633 at Agra amidst great celebrations, pomp and grandeur.[23][22] By all accounts, Dara and Nadira were devoted to each other and Dara's love for Nadira was so profound that unlike the usual practice of polygyny prevalent at the time, he never contracted any other marriage.[23] The imperial couple had seven children together; two sons, Sulaiman Shikoh and Sipihr Shikoh, and a daughter, Jahanzeb Banu Begum, survived to play important roles in future events.[23]

A great patron of the arts, Dara ordered for the compilation of some refined artwork into an album which is now famous by the name of 'Dara Shikhoh Album.'[24] This album was presented by Dara to his "dearest intimate friend" Nadira in 1641.[25] Dara had at least two concubines, Gul Safeh (also known as Rana Dil) and Udaipuri Mahal (a Georgian or Armenian slave girl).[26] Udaipuri later became a part of Aurangzeb's harem after her master's defeat.[27]

Military service

As was common for all Mughal sons, Dara Shikoh was appointed as a military commander at an early age, receiving an appointment as commander of 12,000-foot and 6,000 horse in October 1633[citation needed][unreliable source?]. He received successive promotions, being promoted to commander of 12,000-foot and 7,000 horse on 20 March 1636, to 15,000-foot and 9,000 horse on 24 August 1637, to 10,000 horse on 19 March 1638, to 20,000-foot and 10,000 horse on 24 January 1639, and to 15,000 horse on 21 January 1642.

On 10 September 1642, Shah Jahan formally confirmed Dara Shikoh as his heir, granting him the title of Shahzada-e-Buland Iqbal ("Prince of High Fortune") and promoting him to command of 20,000-foot and 20,000 horse.[

Allahabad. He was promoted to a command of 30,000-foot and 20,000 horse on 18 April 1648, and was appointed Governor of the province of Gujarat on 3 July.[28]

As his father's health began to decline, Dara Shikoh received a series of increasingly prominent commands. He was appointed Governor of Multan and Kabul on 16 August 1652, and was raised to the title of Shah-e-Buland Iqbal ("King of High Fortune") on 15 February 1655.[citation needed] He was promoted to command of 40,000-foot and 20,000 horse on 21 January 1656, and to command of 50,000-foot and 40,000 horse on 16 September 1657.[citation needed]

The struggle for succession

Dara Shikoh with his army[29]

On 6 September 1657, the illness of emperor Shah Jahan triggered a desperate struggle for power among the four Mughal princes, though realistically only Dara Shikoh and Aurangzeb had a chance of emerging victorious.

Murad Baksh allied himself with Aurangzeb
.

At the end of 1657, Dara Shikoh was appointed Governor of the province of

]

Despite strong support from Shah Jahan, who had recovered enough from his illness to remain a strong factor in the struggle for supremacy, and the victory of his army led by his eldest son Sulaiman Shikoh over Shah Shuja in the battle of Bahadurpur on 14 February 1658, Dara Shikoh was defeated by Aurangzeb and Murad during the Battle of Samugarh, 13 km from Agra on 30 May 1658. Subsequently, Aurangzeb took over Agra fort and deposed emperor Shah Jahan on 8 June 1658.[citation needed]

Death and aftermath

Humayun's Tomb, where the remains of Dara Shikoh were interred in an unidentified grave.

After the defeat, Dara Shikoh retreated from Agra to Delhi and thence to Lahore. His next destination was

Maharaja Jaswant Singh of Marwar, to support his cause, Dara Shikoh decided to make a stand and fight the relentless pursuers sent by Aurangzeb, but was once again comprehensively routed in the battle of Deorai (near Ajmer) on 11 March 1659. After this defeat he fled to Sindh and sought refuge under Malik Jeevan (Junaid Khan Barozai), an Afghan chieftain, whose life had on more than one occasion been saved by the Mughal prince from the wrath of Shah Jahan.[32][33] However, Junaid held Dara Shikoh by his wrist and seized him. Then he gave the news to Aurangzeb that he has captured Dara Shikoh . Aurangzeb sent his army to Malik Jeevan's place . Aurangzeb's army captured and confiscated Dara Shikoh on 10 June 1659.[34]

Dara Shikoh was brought to Delhi, placed on a filthy elephant and paraded through the streets of the capital in chains.[35][36] Dara Shikoh's fate was decided by the political threat he posed as a prince popular with the common people – a convocation of nobles and clergy, called by Aurangzeb in response to the perceived danger of insurrection in Delhi, declared him a threat to the public peace and an apostate from Islam. He was assassinated by four of Aurangzeb's henchmen in front of his terrified son on the night of 30 August 1659 (9 September Gregorian). After death the remains of Dara Shikoh were buried in an unidentified grave in Humayun's tomb in Delhi.[37][38] On 26 February 2020 the government of India through Archaeological Survey of India decided to find the burial spot of Dara Shikoh from the 140 graves in 120 chambers inside Humayun's Tomb. It is considered a difficult task as none of the graves are identified or have inscriptions.[39]

Niccolao Manucci, the Venetian traveler who worked in the Mughal court, has written down the details of Dara Shikoh's death. According to him, upon Dara's capture, Aurangzeb ordered his men to have his head brought up to him and he inspected it thoroughly to ensure that it was Dara indeed. He then further mutilated the head with his sword three times. After which, he ordered the head to be put in a box and presented to his ailing father, Shah Jahan, with clear instructions to be delivered only when the old King sat for his dinner in his prison. The guards were also instructed to inform Shah Jahan that, "King Aurangzeb, your son, sends this plate to let him (Shah Jahan) see that he does not forget him". Shah Jahan instantly became happy (not knowing what was in store in the box) and uttered, “ Blessed be God that my son still remembers me". Upon opening the box, Shah Jahan became horrified and fell unconscious.[40]

Intellectual pursuits

Calcutta
.

Dara Shikoh is widely renowned

Mullah Shah Badakhshi
(Mian Mir's spiritual disciple and successor). Mian Mir was so widely respected among all communities that he was invited to lay the foundation stone of the Golden Temple in Amritsar by the Sikhs.

Mullah Shah Badakhshi
), ca. 1635

Dara Shikoh subsequently developed a friendship with the seventh Sikh Guru,

Qur'an as the "Kitab al-maknun" or the hidden book, is none other than the Upanishads.[46] His most famous work, Majma-ul-Bahrain ("The Confluence of the Two Seas"), was also devoted to a revelation of the mystical and pluralistic affinities between Sufic and Vedantic speculation.[47] The book was authored as a short treatise in Persian in 1654–55.[48]

A painting from the Persian translation of Yoga Vasistha manuscript, 1602

In 1006 A.H, the prince had commissioned a translation of

Mir Findiriski (d. 1641) commented on selected passages of Jug-Basisht.[50]

The library established by Dara Shikoh still exists on the grounds of

Kashmiri Gate, Delhi, and is now run as a museum by Archaeological Survey of India after being renovated.[51][52]

Patron of arts

A Prince in Iranian Costume by Muhammad Khan. Dara Shikoh Album, Agra, 1633–34.
Miniature painting of Dara Shikoh and calligrapher Abdul Rashid Daylami

He was also a patron of fine arts, music and dancing, a trait frowned upon by his younger sibling Muhiuddin, later the Emperor Aurangzeb. The 'Dara Shikoh' is a collection of paintings and calligraphy assembled from the 1630s until his death. It was presented to his wife

Nadira Banu in 1641–42[53] and remained with her until her death after which the album was taken into the royal library and the inscriptions connecting it with Dara Shikoh were deliberately erased; however not everything was vandalised and many calligraphy
scripts and paintings still bear his mark. Among the existing paintings from the Dara Shikoh Album, are two facing pages, compiled in the early 1630s just before his marriage, showing two ascetics in yogic postures, probably meant to be a pair of yogis, Vaishnava and Shaiva. These paintings are attributed to the artist Govardhan. The album also contains numerous pictures of Muslim ascetics and divines and the pictures obviously reflect Dara Shikoh's interest in religion and philosophy.[54]

Dara Shikoh is also credited with the commissioning of several exquisite, still extant, examples of Mughal architecture – among them the

Akhun Mullah Shah Mosque in Srinagar in Kashmir[58] and the Pari Mahal garden palace (also in Srinagar in Kashmir).[59]

In popular culture

Governorship

Shah Jahan Receiving Dara Shikoh
  • Lahore
    1635–1636
  • Illahabad
    1645–1647
  • Malwa 1642–1658
  • Gujarat 1648
  • Kabul
    1652–1656
  • Bihar
    1657–1659

Ancestry

Works

  • Writings on Sufism and the lives of
    awliya
    (Muslim saints):
  • Writings of a philosophical and metaphysical nature:
    • Majma-ul-Bahrain (The Mingling of Two Oceans)[80]
    • So’aal o Jawaab bain-e-Laal Daas wa Dara Shikoh (also called Mukaalama-i Baba Laal Daas wa Dara Shikoh)
    • Sirr-e-Akbar (The Great Secret, his translation of the Upanishads in Persian)[81]
    • Persian translations of the
      Yoga Vasishta and Bhagavad Gita
      .

See also

References

  1. ^ Mughal title Mirza, the title of Mirza and not Khan or Padshah, which were the titles of the Mongol rulers.
  2. ^ .
  3. ^ Sarkar, Sir Jadunath (1972). Sir Jadunath Sarkar birth centenary commemoration volume: English translation of Tarikh-i-dilkasha (Memoirs of Bhimsen relating to Aurangzib's Deccan campaigns). Dept. of Archives, Maharashtra. p. 28.
  4. ^ Awrangābādī, Shāhnavāz Khān; Shāhnavāz, ʻAbd al-Ḥayy ibn; Prashad, Baini (1952). The Maāthir-ul-umarā: being biographies of the Muhammādan and Hindu officers of the Timurid sovereigns of India from 1500 to about 1780 A.D. Asiatic Society. p. 684.
  5. .
  6. .
  7. ^ Mukhoty, Ira. "Aurangzeb and Dara Shikoh's fight for the throne was entwined with the rivalry of their two sisters". Scroll.in.
  8. ISBN 0-7538-1758-6.
    "Poor Dara Shikoh!....thy generous heart and enlightened mind had reigned over this vast empire, and made it, perchance, the garden it deserves to be made". William Sleeman (1844), E-text of Rambles and Recollections of an Indian Official
    p.272
  9. ^ Dara Shikoh Encyclopædia Britannica.
  10. . Page 195-196.
  11. .
  12. .
  13. .
  14. ^ .
  15. ^ a b Sarker (2007, p. 187)
  16. ^ .
  17. ^ Ebrahim & Khodaverdian 2018.
  18. . jahangir october 1627.
  19. .
  20. ^ Sarkar, Sir Jadunath (1972). Sir Jadunath Sarkar birth centenary commemoration volume: English translation of Tarikh-i-dilkasha (Memoirs of Bhimsen relating to Aurangzib's Deccan campaigns). Dept. of Archives, Maharashtra. p. 12.
  21. .
  22. ^ a b Sarker (2007, p. 80)
  23. ^ .
  24. .
  25. .
  26. .
  27. .
  28. .
  29. ^ "Dara Shikuh with his army". 17th Century Mughals & Marathas. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013.
  30. .
  31. ^ Eraly, The Mighal Throne : The Saga of India's Great Emperors, cited above, page 364.
  32. – via Google Books.
  33. ^ Francois Bernier Travels in the Mogul Empire, AD 1656–1668.
  34. – via Google Books.
  35. ^ Chakravarty, Ipsita. "Bad Muslim, good Muslim: Out with Aurangzeb, in with Dara Shikoh". Scroll.in.
  36. ^ "The captive heir to the richest throne in the world, the favourite and pampered son of the most magnificent of the Great Mughals, was now clad in a travel-tainted dress of the coarsest cloth, with a dark dingy-coloured turban, such as only the poorest wear, on his head, and no necklace or jewel adorning his person." Sarkar, Jadunath (1962). A Short History of Aurangzib, 1618–1707. Calcutta: M. C. Sarkar and Sons. p. 78.
  37. .
  38. ^ Sarkar, Jadunath (9 September 1947). "Maasir-i- Alamgiri (1947)" – via Internet Archive.
  39. ^ "Believed to be Inside Humayun's Tomb, Dara Shikoh's Burial Site Set to Make Experts' Panel 'Walk in Dark'". 21 February 2020.
  40. .
  41. ^ The Hindu see for example this article in The Hindu.
  42. ^ Katz, N. (2000) 'The Identity of a Mystic: The Case of Sa'id Sarmad, a Jewish-Yogi-Sufi Courtier of the Mughals in: Numen 47: 142–160.
  43. . Page 135.
  44. ^ Khalid, Haroon. "Lahore's iconic mosque stood witness to two historic moments where tolerance gave way to brutality". Scroll.in.
  45. .
  46. ^ Gyani Brahma Singh 'Brahma', Dara Shikoh – The Prince who turned Sufi in The Sikh Review[permanent dead link]"the reference in Al Qur’an to the hidden books – ummaukund-Kitab – was to the Upanishads, because they contain the essence of unity and they are the secrets which had to be kept hidden, the most ancient books."
  47. ^ Arora, Nadeem Naqvisanjeev (20 March 2015). "Prince of peace". The Hindu.
  48. ^ "Emperor's old clothes". Hindustan Times. 12 April 2007.
  49. ^ "Majma'-ul-bahrain: Or, the mingling of the two oceans". 1929.
  50. ^ Juan R.I. Cole in Iran and the surrounding world by Nikki R. Keddie, Rudolph P. Matthee, 2002, pp. 22–23
  51. Govt. of Delhi
    .
  52. ^ Nath, Damini (8 February 2017). "Battling time, Dara Shikoh's Library cries out for help". The Hindu.
  53. ^ Dara Shikoh album British Library.
  54. ^ Losty, J P (July 2016). "Ascetics and Yogis in Indian Painting: The Mughal and Deccani Tradition": 14. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  55. ^ Nadira Banu's tomb A view of Nadira Banu's tomb
  56. ^ Mazar Hazrat Mian Mir Archived 2 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine entertaining description of the monument and its history
  57. ^ Dara Shikoh Library Archived 21 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine description of Dara Shikoh library
  58. ^ "Ancient Monuments of Kashmir: Plate XII". Kashmiri Overseas Association, Inc. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  59. ^ "Google Image Result for lh4.ggpht.com/_w4GEiBHJ-rc/R_oNe0nuZNI/AAAAAAAAQWI/P08iBhPrYts/Pari+Mahal.jpg". google.co.uk.[permanent dead link]
  60. ^ ‘The Trial of Dara Shikoh’ – A Play in Three Acts Text of the play with an Introduction by the author.
  61. A review of the play.
  62. ^ Ajoka’s Dara – an ancient story of modern day proportions Archived 14 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine, Daily Times (Pakistan), 19 April 2010
  63. ^ "For king and country". The Hindu. 26 November 2008. Archived from the original on 1 December 2008.
  64. ^ Hamid, Mohsin. (2000). Moth Smoke. p. 247.
  65. ^ "Episode-guide". upanishadganga.com. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  66. ^ "Dara Shukoh". Goodreads. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  67. ^ "Movie Mogul, Maybe". outlookindia.com. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  68. ^ Dara Shikoh and other poems The Caravan, 1 May 2014
  69. ^ "Dalhousie Road renamed after Dara Shikoh: Why Hindutva right wingers favour a Mughal prince". 7 February 2017.
  70. ^ Kobita Sarker, Shah Jahan and his paradise on earth: the story of Shah Jahan's creations in Agra and Shahjahanabad in the golden days of the Mughals (2007), p. 187
  71. ^ Jl Mehta, Advanced Study in the History of Medieval India (1986), p. 418
  72. ^ Mehta (1986, p. 418)
  73. ^ a b Thackeray & Findling (2012, p. 254)
  74. ^ a b Mehta (1986, p. 374)
  75. ^ Mukherjee, Soma (2001). Royal Mughal Ladies and Their Contributions. p. 128.
  76. ^ Mukherjee (2001, p. 128)
  77. ^ Subhash Parihar, Some Aspects of Indo-Islamic Architecture (1999), p. 149
  78. ^ Shujauddin, Mohammad; Shujauddin, Razia (1967). The Life and Times of Noor Jahan. Caravan Book House. p. 1.
  79. ^ Ahmad, Moin-ud-din (1924). The Taj and Its Environments: With 8 Illus. from Photos., 1 Map, and 4 Plans. R. G. Bansal. p. 101.
  80. ^ MAJMA' UL BAHARAIN or The Mingling of Two Oceans, by Prince Muhammad Dara Shikoh, Edited in the Original Persian with English Translation, notes & variants by M.Mahfuz-ul-Haq, published by The Asiatic Society, Kolkata, Bibliotheca Indica Series no. 246, 1st. published 1929. See also this Archived 9 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine book review by Yoginder Sikand, indianmuslims.in.
  81. ^ See the section on his Intellectual Pursuits.

Bibliography

External links