Mughals-1: Why Dara Shikoh is remembered with great respect and no less regret

By Bharat Dogra
Dara Shikoh (1615-1659) was a prince of Mughal Empire who made significant contributions but was deprived of the opportunity of potentially making even greater contributions as he was executed at a young age of 44.
Son of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal, he was the chosen heir to be the next successor to the great empire but was captured and killed by his younger scheming brother Aurangzeb, bringing much distress to people.
A great scholar and man of many-sided accomplishments and capabilities, like his great grandfather Akbar he had a strong yearning for exploring the common message and essential unity of various faiths and religions. This brought him particularly close to pursuing the unity of Hinduism and Islam which was of greater significance to him and to his times. In spiritual and scholarly pursuits he enjoyed a close and supportive relationship with his sister Jahanara who was the First Lady of the empire after the death of their mother. His wife Nadira Begum was also helpful and encouraging in these efforts.
As a scholar he pursued this theme for many years, helped by the great library he created in Kashmiri Gate area of Delhi, probably having several hundred thousand books, manuscripts and other documents. He obtained the help of many holy persons and scholars in this effort, contributing also to the translation of the Upanishdas into Persian. He wrote many books on spirituality, mysticism and inter-faith unity, perhaps the most important of which is a treatise on the integrity of Vedantism and Sufism, titled the Confluence of Two Seas.
He was a patron of artists and scholars, extending his generous help without any discrimination. As a disciple of Sufi saints Mian Mir and Mullah Shah he helped to spread their message of tolerance, harmony and compassion being central to religion and spirituality. He was a friend of the Seventh Sikh Guru Har Rai. A messenger of peace and reconciliation, he used his influence with his father to prevent bloodshed in Mewar and Garhwal.
He contributed to the creation of several beautiful buildings including the shrine of Mian Mir in Lahore and Pari Mahal in Kashmir.
Dara was announced to be his heir by Emperor Shah Jahan, but his brothers did not accept this and a younger brother Aurangzeb was particularly hostile. He managed to defeat the combined army of Dara and Shahjahan. Shahjahan was imprisond till his death in 1666. Dara was executed in 1659 after having been first humiliated and insulted very badly.
There was a lot of distress among common people due to this and they almost revolted. This testifies to the great affection the common people, Hindus and Muslims, had for Dara Shikoh. Hence if he had become emperor in place of Aurangzeb, as per the desire and even the declaration of his father, then the history of India would have turned out to be quite different.
Aurangzeb took several measures against the religious majority community of Hindus which alienated the Hindus, particularly the leading warriors among them like the Rajputs and the Marathas. There were prolonged conflicts with them ( as well with the Jats, the Satnamis and the Sikhs) which could have been avoided. In addition he entered into prolonged battles with several Muslim kings as well due to his rigid policies based on conquests rather than on diplomacy with little room for reconciliation and making friends. He had an aptitude for craftiness, deception and cunning ways which made others wary of seeking peace.
As a result the unity of various faiths and kingdoms which India badly needed at this juncture was denied, making the response to foreign aggression much weaker. On the other hand, Dara Shikoh would have been much more capable of achieving unity and strength by following a policy of peace, trust and reconciliation. However his execution at an early age resulted in the denial of these promising possibilities. Hence his historical legacy is remembered with respect for his realized potential (which was significant) but also with regret for his unrealized potential (which would have been even greater).
---
The writer is Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include 'A Day in 2071', 'When the Two Streams Met' and 'Planet in Peril'

Comments

Whither space for the marginalised in Kerala's privately-driven townships after landslides?

By Ipshita Basu, Sudheesh R.C. In the early hours of July 30 2024, a landslide in the Wayanad district of Kerala state, India, killed 400 people. The Punjirimattom, Mundakkai, Vellarimala and Chooralmala villages in the Western Ghats mountain range turned into a dystopian rubble of uprooted trees and debris.

Election bells ringing in Nepal: Can ousted premier Oli return to power?

By Nava Thakuria* Nepal is preparing for a national election necessitated by the collapse of KP Sharma Oli’s government at the height of a Gen Z rebellion (youth uprising) in September 2025. The polls are scheduled for 5 March. The Himalayan nation last conducted a general election in 2022, with the next polls originally due in 2027. However, following the dissolution of Nepal’s lower house of Parliament last year by President Ram Chandra Poudel, the electoral process began under the patronage of an interim government installed on 12 September under the leadership of retired Supreme Court judge Sushila Karki. The Hindu-majority nation of over 29 million people will witness more than 3,400 electoral candidates, including 390 women, representing 68 political parties as well as independents, vying for 165 seats in the 275-member House of Representatives.

Jayanthi Natarajan "never stood by tribals' rights" in MNC Vedanta's move to mine Niyamigiri Hills in Odisha

By A Representative The Odisha Chapter of the Campaign for Survival and Dignity (CSD), which played a vital role in the struggle for the enactment of historic Forest Rights Act, 2006 has blamed former Union environment minister Jaynaynthi Natarjan for failing to play any vital role to defend the tribals' rights in the forest areas during her tenure under the former UPA government. Countering her recent statement that she rejected environmental clearance to Vendanta, the top UK-based NMC, despite tremendous pressure from her colleagues in Cabinet and huge criticism from industry, and the claim that her decision was “upheld by the Supreme Court”, the CSD said this is simply not true, and actually she "disrespected" FRA.

Gig workers hold online strike on republic day; nationwide protests planned on February 3

By A Representative Gig and platform service workers across the country observed a nationwide online strike on Republic Day, responding to a call given by the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU) to protest what it described as exploitation, insecurity and denial of basic worker rights in the platform economy. The union said women gig workers led the January 26 action by switching off their work apps as a mark of protest.

'Condonation of war crimes against women and children’: IPSN on Trump’s Gaza Board

By A Representative The India-Palestine Solidarity Network (IPSN) has strongly condemned the announcement of a proposed “Board of Peace” for Gaza and Palestine by former US President Donald J. Trump, calling it an initiative that “condones war crimes against children and women” and “rubs salt in Palestinian wounds.”

With infant mortality rate of 5, better than US, guarantee to live is 'alive' in Kerala

By Nabil Abdul Majeed, Nitheesh Narayanan In 1945, two years prior to India's independence, the current Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, was born into a working-class family in northern Kerala. He was his mother’s fourteenth child; of the thirteen siblings born before him, only two survived. His mother was an agricultural labourer and his father a toddy tapper. They belonged to a downtrodden caste, deemed untouchable under the Indian caste system.

Stands 'exposed': Cavalier attitude towards rushed construction of Char Dham project

By Bharat Dogra* The nation heaved a big sigh of relief when the 41 workers trapped in the under-construction Silkyara-Barkot tunnel (Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand) were finally rescued on November 28 after a 17-day rescue effort. All those involved in the rescue effort deserve a big thanks of the entire country. The government deserves appreciation for providing all-round support.

MGNREGA: How caste and power hollowed out India’s largest welfare law

By Sudhir Katiyar, Mallica Patel* The sudden dismantling of MGNREGA once again exposes the limits of progressive legislation in the absence of transformation of a casteist, semi-feudal rural society. Over two days in the winter session, the Modi government dismantled one of the most progressive legislations of the UPA regime—the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

MGNREGA’s limits and the case for a new rural employment framework

By Dr Jayant Kumar* Rural employment programmes have played a pivotal role in shaping India’s socio-economic landscape . Beyond providing income security to vulnerable households, they have contributed to asset creation, village development, and social stability. However, persistent challenges—such as seasonal unemployment, income volatility, administrative inefficiencies, and corruption—have limited the transformative potential of earlier schemes.

Search This Blog