Muhammad Dara Shikoh was born on 11 March in 1615 ADCE in Ajmer, Rajasthan. He was the first son and third child of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal. As part of his formal education, Dara studied the Quran, history, Persian poetry, and calligraphy. He was a liberal-minded unorthodox Muslim unlike his father and his younger brother Aurangzeb.
Persian was Dara’s native language, but he also learned Hindi, Arabic, and later Sanskrit. Dara Shikoh had thirteen siblings of whom six survived to adulthood. He shared a close relationship with his older sister, Jahanara. On 10 September 1642 CE, Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan formally confirmed Dara Shikoh as his heir, granting him the title of Shahzada-e-Buland Iqbal (“Prince of High Fortune”).
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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. Shah Shuja was the first to make his move, declaring himself Mughal Emperor in Bengal, and marched towards Agra from the east. Murad Baksh allied himself with Aurangzeb.
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 the Agra fort and deposed emperor Shah Jahan on 8 June in 1658 ADCE.
After the defeat in the battle of Deorai, he fled to Sindh and sought refuge under Malik Jiwan (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. However, Junaid betrayed Dara Shikoh and turned him (and his second son Sipihr Shikoh) over to Aurangzeb’s army on 10 June 1659.
Dara Shikoh was brought to Delhi, placed on a filthy elephant, and paraded through the streets of the capital in chains. 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. After death, the remains of Dara Shikoh were buried in an unidentified grave in Humayan’s tomb in Delhi.
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According to Niccolao Manucci, the Venetian traveler who worked in the Mughal court has written down the details of Dara Shikoh’s death. 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.
