Dara Shukoh

 Introduction:

·       Dara Shikoh was the eldest son and the heir-apparent of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. He was favored as a successor by his father but was defeated by his younger brother Aurangzeb in a bitter struggle for the imperial throne.

Political Exploits

·       Dara was appointed a military commander at an early age and was appointed as Subadar (governor) of Allahabad. As his father's health began to decline, Dara received a series of increasingly prominent commands. He was appointed Governor of Multan and Kabul.

·       Despite strong support from Shah Jahan, who had recovered enough from his illness to remain a strong factor in the struggle for supremacy, Dara was defeated by Aurangzeb and Murad during the Battle of Samugarh. Later on he tried to build up an army and fight back for the throne but he was captured and assassinated on Aurangzeb’s order.

Religious Tolerance and Intellectual Person:

Dara Shikoh is widely renowned as an enlightened intellectual of the harmonious coexistence of heterodox traditions on the Indian subcontinent. He was a champion of mystical religious speculation and a promoter for cultural interaction among people of all faiths.

·       Sikhism: Dara subsequently developed a friendship with the seventh Sikh Guru, Guru Har Rai.

·       Dara devoted much effort towards finding a common mystical language between Islam and Hinduism. Towards this goal he completed the translation of 50 Upanishads from its original Sanskrit into Persian.

·       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

Art & Culture

He was also a patron of fine arts, music and dancing.

·       Painting: The 'Dara Shikoh album' is a collection of paintings and calligraphy assembled from the 1630s until his death.

Architecture: Dara Shikoh is also credited with the commissioning of several exquisite examples of Mughal architecture – among them the tomb of his wife Nadira Banu in Lahore, the tomb of Hazrat Mian Mir also in Lahore, the Dara Shikoh Library in Delhi, the Akhun Mullah Shah Mosque and the Pari Mahal garden palace (both in Srinagar in Kashmir.)