The Mughal battle of succession:1658

The story begins when Shahjahan fall ill in 1658,and chances of his revival had almost ended. Knowing his end closer he declared Dara(his elder and favourite son)as his successor and increased his mansab(rank) from 40000 jat to 60000 jat. Other sons of Shahjahan thaught that he become partial towards Dara and revolted against the emperor. Many maulana also supported the revolt as they saw Dara as a heretical they thought that their superiority might go under Dara.


After knowing about the revolt Shahjahan had sent an army in East under Dara's elder son Suleman Shikoh against Suja and a compain against Aurangzeb under raja Jaswant Singh to Malwa (south). But there Jaswant met with a combine army of Aurangzeb and Murad. Jaswant can leave the battle and could move bace to Agra where he would get more support but as a rajpoot can't leave or move behind in a battlefield and hence fought bravely but got defeated at Dharmat and Aurangzeb moves towards Agra.

Here Dara had done a big mistake and send all his best friends and skilled warrior with Suleman leaving the capital unsecured. Suleman wins the battle against Suja and followed him to Munger(Bihar). As he was the only enemy left now and the question of the capital had been solved. 

At the mean time Dara realised his mistake and contracted with some of his rajpoot friends but now it was too late. Few rajpoot kings had already shaked Hand with Aurangzeb under his fake promise. The two forces met at Samugarh on 29 may 1658 and Dara got a big defeat but flew away and went to Lahore but Aurangzeb followed him then from there to sindh then Gujarat and at last Ajmer which was possibly the last battle between the two brothers. Dara got defeated and in his way to Afghanistan he was captured by one of his afghan chief and handed over to Aurangzeb. A team of kaji and Maulana ruled that for the protection of Deen and Sharyat Dara must be killed. Aurangzeb chopped his head and send it to Shahjahan and his remaining body was buried at Humayun's tomb.

Before all this Aurangzeb had killed Morad with whome he had promised to share half of the territory. Latter Suleman was also captured and killed.

This was the end of one of the most secular price of Mughal emperor and the beginning of succession war in Mughal emperor which latter become one of the most important reason for its downfall.


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