Dara Shikoh ( Events June 2 - First Récollet missionaries arrive at Quebec City, from Rouen, France. ...1615– Events May 25 _ Richard Cromwell resigns as Lord Protector of England following the restoration of the Long Parliament, beginning a second brief period of the republican government called the Commonwealth. ...1659) was the eldest son of the The Mughal Empire (alternative spelling Mogul, which is the origin of the word Mogul) of India was founded by Babur in 1526, when he defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the last of the Delhi Sultans at the First Battle of Panipat. ...Mughal Emperor This article or section should be merged with Shah Jahen—preferably maintaining this as the main entry. ...Shah Jahan and his wife Arjumand Banu Begum was born April 1593 in Agra. ...Mumtaz Mahal. His name is from Persian (فارسی), also known as Farsi (local name), Parsi (older local name, but still used by some speakers), Tajik (a Central Asian dialect) or Dari (an Afghan dialect), is a language spoken in Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. ...Persian داراشكوه meaning "The possessor of Glory". He was favored as a successor by his father and his sister Shahzadi (Imperial Princess) Jahanara Begum (2 April 1614–16 September 1681) was the eldest daughter of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. ...Jahanara Begum, but was defeated and beheaded by his younger brother Abul Muzaffar Muhiuddin Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir (November 3, 1618 _ March 3, 1707), also known as Alamgir I, was the ruler of the Mughal Empire from 1658 until 1707. ...Aurangzeb in a bitter struggle for the Mughal throne.

In 1657, the illness of emperor Shah Jahan triggered a fierce and desperate battle for power among the four Mughal princes, though realistically only Dara and Aurangzeb had a chance to emerge victorious. 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 at the battlefield of Samogarh, 13 kms from Agra on June 8 is the 159th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (160th in leap years), with 206 days remaining. ...June 8, Events January 13 _ Edward Sexby, who has plotted against Oliver Cromwell, dies in Tower of London February 6 _ Swedish troops of Charles X Gustav of Sweden cross from Sweden to Denmark over frozen sea May 1 _ Publication of Hydriotaphia, Urn Burial and The Garden of Cyrus by Thomas Browne September...1658. He attempted to rally support after this defeat, but was betrayed and turned over to his brother. Marched through the streets of the capital in chains, he was at first held prisoner, and then cruelly killed by men seeking the favor of his brother. Aurangzeb beheaded the corpse of Dara Shikoh and had his severed head taken to their father.

A gentle and pious Sufi intellectual, he favored religious tolerance, and religious coexistence between Hindus and Muslims. Many historians have speculated how different India would have been had he prevailed over his fierce fundamentalist brother Aurangzeb.

External links

• What if Dara had become the emperor instead of Aurangazeb (http://www.gautamindia.com/MAR2K2/editorial.htm)