Dara Shikoh Biography 
Dara Shikoh belonged to the famous Mughal Empire. He was the eldest son and the heir-apparent of the fifth Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal. But he couldn’t rule the kingdom as his younger brother Aurengazeb defeated him to snatch away his throne. His parents are best known for the best love symbol and one among the 7 wonders of the world – Taj mahal, fully made of white marble, which still attracts millions of tourists from all over the world. Nadira Banu, his paternal uncle’s daughter was the consort of Dhara Shikoh. Dara was a patron of fine arts, music and dancing, like his father.
Dara was born near Ajmer on 20 March 1615 as the eldest son of Shah Jahan and his third wife Mumtaz Mahal. His father succeeded the throne when Jahangir, Dhara’s paternal grandfather passed away and Dhara was 12 year old then. Dara married his first cousin, Nadira Banu Begum in 1633. Her father Sultan Parvez Mirza was his paternal uncle. The couple was so happy in their relationship that Dara never married twice, which was quite common in those days. The couple had eight children, of whom 4 children survived.
Dara was appointed a military commander at an early age and as a good warrior, he received frequent promotions at a younger age. On 10 September 1642, Shah Jahan formally confirmed Dara as his heir. Apart from giving promotion to command of 20,000-foot and 20,000 horse, the emperor bestowed upon him the title of Shahzada-e-Buland Iqbal which literally means Prince of High Fortune. He was favoured by his sister Princess Jahanara Begum Sahib also. In 1648, he was appointed as Governor of the province of Gujarat.
He was given additional charges following the deteriorating health of his father. His younger brother Aurengazeb was not pleased by their father’s decision. Dara was defeated by Aurangzeb in 1658 and he retreated from Agra to Delhi and finally to Lahore. He was later and brought back to Delhi, where he was killed by Aurengazeb’s henchmen in front of his son on 30 August 1659.
Published: N/A
Updated: July 21, 2014
