No expedition
can be won single handedly. What we
are going to witness in Aurangzeb’s
succession is the long and most
complex war of succession never ever
seen in Mughal history. We are going
to study about the forces that
supported and helped Aurangzeb
eventually succeed the throne. We
all can understand how Aurangzeb
would have won battles against his
brothers, but it is worth analyzing
some very important questions often
ignored and hardly explained by
anyone.
In order to
answer all of the following we begin
by analyzing the words of Shah Jahan
and the political environment.
The Emperor Shah Jahan used to say,
“At times I fear that my eldest son
[Dara Shukoh] has become the enemy
of good men; Murad Bakhsh has set
his heart on drinking; Muhammad
Shuja has no good trait except
contentment (i. e., easy good
nature). But the resolution and
intelligence of Aurangzib prove that
he [alone] can shoulder this
difficult task (viz., ruling India).
But there is great sickness and
infirmity in his physical frame.
(Verse)
Then, whom will he wish for as a
friend and to whom will his heart
incline?”
Political
Enviroment
All the
brothers Dara, Shuja, Aurangzeb and
Murad were power ambitious with a
lot of force and money at their
disposal. Therefore the political
climate leading up to the illness of
Shah Jahan was extremely charged.
Shuja and Murad were at ease in
Bengal and Gujarat while Dara was at
the court in Agra. It was only
Aurangzeb who was toiling in the
inhospitable Deccan. Therefore a
cold war existed between Dara and
his faithful sister Jahanara in Agra
with Aurangzeb in the Deccan because
of the following reasons.
- Shah Jahan
was under the strong influence
of his favourite son Dara and
daughter Jahanara
- Jahanara
was all powerful at the court
wielding considerable influence
over the emperor and support to
Dara.
- Dara knew
fully well that his arch rival
to the throne was only Aurangzeb
- He would
constantly fill the ears of Shah
Jahan against Aurangzeb.
-
Aurangzeb’s Jagirs at Berar were
taken back on his instigation.
- During the
siege of Bijapur the Nizam
Shahi’s connived with Dara,
struck a treaty with Shah Jahan
and had the imperial army pulled
back to the utter disappointment
and frustration of Aurangzeb.
- In vain
did Aurangzeb protest at great
lengths against this indignity.
He wrote lengthy letters in
despair to Jahan Ara hoping for
some support which was not to
come.
- It is very
fair to say that this uneven
concentration of power in the
hands of Jahanara and Dara and
the inability of Shah Jahan’s to
effectively handle the state of
affairs in a just manner in
addressing the grievances of
Aurangzeb led to the series of
unfortunate events.
- For
sixteen long years Aurangzeb had
to endure the hostilities of
Dara with patience.
- The
illness of Shah Jahan provided
him the opportunity to take on
Dara a moment he had long been
waiting for.
( CONCLUSION )