In the Mughal era, it was not just a fight for the throne between two brothers. This was also a battle of ideas. Dara Shikoh was defeated by Aurangzeb in the battle for power. The dream of sitting on the throne was broken. Suffered a lot of humiliation as a prisoner. Head separated from body. But the question is, do only winners create history? Some are defeated and secure their place in history.
Due to his liberal vision, coordination thinking and scholarship, despite the defeat in the succession war, whenever the pages of the Mughal Sultanate are turned, Dara Shikoh is seen on a high position.
Mughals have a history of fighting for the throne while their father was alive.
There is a history of the fight for succession in the Mughal dynasty starting as soon as the father was alive. Akbar was challenged by his son Salim (Jahangir). Shahjahan became a rebel during Jahangir’s life. The later generations maintained this tradition. Shahjahan was very ill in 1657. His four sons Dara Shikoh, Aurangzeb, Shuja and Murad were claimants to the throne. In reality, in Mughal tradition the eldest son did not automatically inherit the throne. The one who wins is the king. The decisive conflict took place between Dara and Aurangzeb.
In April 1658, the armies of Dara and Aurangzeb faced off in the battle of Dharmat. Aurangzeb was overpowered. Dara was once again defeated in the battle of Samugarh on 29 May 1658. Was forced to flee towards Punjab. But was caught. He was taken to Delhi as a prisoner. He was brutally killed in 1659 after being declared an infidel.
Shahjahan.
Dara was away from religious fanaticism
Dara was badly defeated in the struggle for power. In terms of strategy and war skills, he was no match to Aurangzeb. If he had been able to ascend the throne, he would have proved to be a successful ruler, there is controversy on this. But even amidst his weaknesses, Dara is remembered. Why? In fact, unlike a traditional prince, Dara was a Sufi youth who was away from religious fanaticism. He was under the influence of Qadiri Sufi order. Especially Mian Mir and Mulla Shah Badakhshi had a deep influence on him. Dara’s famous work Majma-ul-Bahrain (The Confluence of the Two Seas) is an exploration of the philosophical parallels between Islamic Sufism and Hindu Vedanta.
Dara got 52 Upanishads translated into Persian. He believed that the Upanishads were the same Kitab-e-Maqnoon (secret book), the references to which are found in the Quran. According to historian Satish Chandra, Dara’s effort was to give a philosophical basis to Akbar’s tradition of cultural coordination. According to British historian Stanley Lane-Poole, Darius, a dreamer and engrossed in spiritual mysticism, was not capable of fighting on the ground for the empire.
Aurangzeb.
Aurangzeb and Dara fight between sword and thought
Aurangzeb, on the other hand, was on the other side. He was a follower of Shariat. He considered Islamic governance and traditions as the best. During his reign, the Islamic legal compilation Fatawa-e-Alamgiri was prepared. There was no scope for other religions and ideas under his rule. Works like study and translation of Hindu scriptures and thoughts by Dara were anti-Islamic in the eyes of Aurangzeb.
His fight with Darius was not only about thoughts but also about sword. As a commander, Aurangzeb demonstrated hard work and discipline. Many successful war campaigns gave him confidence along with experience. There was within him the harshness and cruelty of a ruler.
According to famous historian Jadunath Sarkar, Aurangzeb was a person of strong will and clear thinking, who believed in governance based on strong traditional foundations. Historian Audrey Truschke refutes the view that Aurangzeb was seen only as a symbol of religious fanaticism and accepts that he was a practical ruler.
Dara Shikoh.
defeat in victory
A question has been arising among those interested in history that if Dara had been victorious, would the history of the Mughal Sultanate have changed? Historian Lane-Poole says that in the event of Darius’s victory, the empire would have disintegrated more quickly. The reason for this is that they count Dara’s weaknesses from the military point of view. Aurangzeb, on the other hand, ruled for almost fifty years between 1658 and 1707. But with the death of Aurangzeb, the process of decline of the Mughal Empire started. The main reason for this was his long involvement in wars in Deccan and other areas, which destroyed the economic structure of the government.
Along with the efforts to expand the empire, Aurangzeb’s religious fanaticism and his malicious policy towards the majority Hindu population of the country and the destruction of temples also sowed the seeds of hatred which increased the anger among the people towards the Mughals.
Dara Shikoh.
Aurangzeb won the battle of empire, lost the trust of the people
Even after the victory over Dara, Aurangzeb weakened the foundation of the Mughal Sultanate and prepared the ground for its decline. This is the point when even after being defeated, Dara comes to the center of history. Historian Satish Chandra indicates that Dara could have given philosophical depth to Akbar’s coordination policy.
In Muzaffar Alam’s view, this conflict was a clash of two concepts of legitimacy within Mughal political culture—one that accepted pluralism, and the other that emphasized classical Islamic law. The most important conclusion in this matter is that of Jadunath Sarkar who wrote that Aurangzeb won the battle of the empire but lost the trust of most of the subjects.
The age of power is fixed, ideas are always alive
On the other hand, Dara lost the battle for the throne. Despite the wishes of his father Shahjahan, he could not sit on the throne. Didn’t get a chance to rule. But through his thoughts he reached the hearts and minds of many people. In the three hundred and fifty years long history of the Mughal dynasty, Dara Shikoh was such a prince whose place in history was secured due to his intellectual contribution. Aurangzeb is remembered for his long rule and religious fanaticism. On the other hand, Dara is recognized as a bridge of dialogue, curiosity and cultural coordination with people of different religions. This is the reason why Dara is remembered every now and then and his actions are repeated.
When Darius is mentioned, it strengthens the idea that history is not only about the winners. This also happens to those defeated, whose thoughts and ideas become a subject of discussion among the generations to come. Whenever there is a discussion on pluralism, legitimacy and cultural dialogue in India, the name of Dara Shikoh comes up. Perhaps this is the ideological victory of Dara. It can be said that the age of power is fixed. Thoughts always remain alive.
Also read:Why did Akbar give up food for Birbal, whom the courtiers used to tease?