Sulaiman Shikoh

Last updated
Sulaiman Shikoh
سلیمان شیکوه

Shahzada of the Mughal Empire
Mirza [1]
Sulaiman-S.png
Prince Sulaiman Shikoh, c.1652
Born(1635-03-15)15 March 1635
Sultanpur, Mughal Empire
Died16 May 1662(1662-05-16) (aged 27)
Gwalior Fort, Mughal Empire
BurialJune 1662
Traitor's Cemetery
SpouseAnup Kanwar jiya begum
Issue
  • Salima Banu Begum
  • Junaid Shikoh
  • Fatima Banu Begum
Total 3 sons and 2 daughters
Names
Mirza Sulaiman Shikoh
House House of Babur
Dynasty Timurid.svg Timurid dynasty
Father Dara Shikoh
Mother Nadira Banu Begum
Religion Sunni Islam
An unfinished portrait of Sulaiman Shikoh Sulaiman Shikoh.jpg
An unfinished portrait of Sulaiman Shikoh

Mirza Sulaiman Shikoh was a Mughal prince and the eldest son of Crown prince Dara Shikoh. He was executed in May 1662 at Gwalior Fort on the orders of his paternal uncle, Emperor Aurangzeb.

Contents

Early life

Shazada Muhammad Sulaiman Shikoh Bahadur was born on 15 March 1635 to Prince Dara Shikoh and his first wife Shazadi Nadira Banu Begum. His mother was a Mughal princess and daughter of Shazada Muhammad Parviz (son of Jahangir) and Shazadi Iffat Jahan Begum. He was also the first grandchild of the then 43 year-old emperor, Shah Jahan. His paternal aunts included Jahanara Begum, Roshanara Begum and Gauharara Begum. His paternal uncles were Shah Shuja, Murad Bakhsh and Aurangzeb.

He was called "Potay Miya" by his grandfather Shah Jahan. Sulaiman Shikoh had two brothers and four sisters among his closed was Only Javeda un nissa.[ clarification needed ]

In 1642, his father Dara Shikoh became the heir apparent to the Mughal throne.

Refuge in Srinagar, Kingdom of Garhwal

Dara Shikoh (left) and Sulaiman Shikoh Dara Shikuh and Solaiman Shikuh.jpg
Dara Shikoh (left) and Sulaiman Shikoh

After the defeat of Dara Shikoh at the battle of Samugarh on 29 May 1658, his son Suleiman Shikoh took refuge in Garhwal in 1659 A.D. Aurangzeb had spared the daughters and minor sons of his brothers, but as Dara Shikoh's heir, Sulaiman Shikoh was a threat. [2]

According to Muntakhab-al Lubab , [3] "Suleiman Shikoh had sought refuge with the zamindar of Srinagar". Travernier [4] has also referred to Suleiman Shikoh's escape to Garhwal, but he has mixed the two incidents in one, i.e. of 'Nak-kati-Rani' and of Suleiman Shikoh's taking refuge in Garhwal. He has stated:

Aurangzeb ordered troops to advance towards the mountains of Srinagar in order to compel Raja Nakti Rani to put Suleiman Shikoh in his power. But the Raja ... rendered all Aurangzeb's efforts futile who thereupon had recourse to ruse, seeing that force availed nothing.

In the footnote, the translator V. Ball has mentioned that, "Sreenagar is the original Srinagar, the capital of Kashmir, and that the account is based upon hearsay". [4] However, it is well known that Srinagar was the capital of the kingdom of Garhwal and it was founded by Raja Ajay Pal in 1358 A.D. In Tuzuk-i- Jahangiri, Srinagar has been referred to for the kingdom of Garhwal. Niccolao Manucci has also mentioned the name of Srinagar the capital, and the country of Srinagar, for the Garhwal kingdom. [5] The translator's footnote that the incident is hearsay therefore cannot be accepted. According to Muntakhab- ul-Lubab, it is vividly evidenced that Suleiman Shikoh took refuge in Garhwal. [3] The view is further supported by François Bernier, [6] Manucci [5] and Qanungo. [7]

Aurangzeb's attempts to extricate Sulaiman from Garhwal

Aurangzeb tasked Sulaiman Shikoh's former ally Raja Jai Singh to capture the prince. Aurangzeb sent repeated messages through Raja Jai Singh to Prithvi Pat Shah, Raja of Garhwal, to surrender the prince but his persuasion and threats were met with contempt. In the book 'Bernier's Voyage to the East Indies’ [6] it is mentioned that:

He maketh the Raja Jesseinge write one letter after another to the Rajah Serenaguer promising him very great things, if he would surrender Suleiman Chekouh to him...The Rajah answers that he would rather lose his estate, than do so unworthy an action. And Aurangzeb, seeing his resolution, taketh the field and maketh directly to the hills ... But the Rajah laughs at all that, neither hath he more cause to fear on that side. Aurangzebe may cut long enough, they are mountains inaccessible to an army, and stones would be sufficient to stop the forces of four Hindustan, so that he was constrained to turn back again.

Manucci has also mentioned the defiant attitude of the Raja of Garhwal. [5] The Raja wrote back to Raja Jai Singh that on no account he could harm his reputation by making over to Aurangzeb anyone who had sought his protection. He was however thankful for Raja Jai Singh's friendship, as for Aurangzeb he needed neither his promises nor his menaces. He further wrote that he might inform the Mughal that he had no respect for either his power or his victories and let him recall to mind the occasion when his father Shah Jahan sent an army to Garhwal and the survivors of that army had their noses chopped off. In the end he has commented, "let him know that he who could cut off noses could equally cut off heads."

Aurangzeb then took recourse to ruse. Dr. Qanungo is of the view that when Jai Singh could not convince the king of Garhwal to surrender Suleiman Shikoh, he instigated a powerful Brahmin minister against him who tried to give him poison in the form of medicine. [7] But the vigilant prince tested the adulterated medicine on a cat and was saved. When the king discovered his minister's treachery he had him beheaded.

Later Jai Singh inspired the Garhwali prince Medni Shah to emulate Aurangzeb and revolt against his father.

Capture and aftermath

An incomplete draft showing Dara Shikoh (left) with his son Sulaiman Shikoh (right) An incomplete draft showing Dara Shikoh (left) with his son Sulaiman Shikoh (right).jpg
An incomplete draft showing Dara Shikoh (left) with his son Sulaiman Shikoh (right)

According to the sources of local history, the tradition goes that when Prithvi Pat Shah sentenced his minister to death, the other ministers, officials and all the members of the family became hostile to him. [8] Thereafter, his son Medni Shah, on the advice of his ministers, revolted against his father and tried to seize power. Concomitantly, on Aurangzeb's orders, in late 1660 Jai Singh sent his son Ram Singh to Srinagar, Garhwal, to persuade the authorities to hand over Suleiman Shikoh to him, bearing the Emperor's dire threats. However, when Ram Singh met Prithvi Pat Shah, he refused to comply and told him that he will protect the Mughal prince as long as he lived.

Then Ram Singh and Medni Shah, who were friends, tried to hatch a conspiracy against Shikoh. But before they could take any action against him he discovered their motive and slipped away in the night with the intention of escaping to Tibet. Unfortunately he lost his way in the hills and was betrayed by the villagers. They informed Medni Shah of his whereabouts who had him arrested and handed him over to Ram Singh.

Shikoh was surrendered to Aurangzeb somewhere around December 1660 AD because according to Dr. Qanungo he was brought before Aurangzeb on 5 January 1661. [7] Bernier has mentioned that,

...of Dara’s family, there now remained Soliman Chekouh, whom it would not have been easy to draw from Serenaguer if the Raja had been faithful to his engagements. But the intrigues of Jesseingue, the promises and threats of Aurengzebe, the death of Dara and the hostile preparations of the neighbouring Rajahs, shook the resolution of this pusillanimous protector. [6]

Bernier has not detailed the circumstances in which Shikoh was surrendered and from his account it appears that Prithvi Pat Shah had to surrender to circumstances. [6] But during the surrender it seems he was away from Srinagar, the capital of Garhwal. Bernier in his description has referred to the "hostile preparations of the neighbouring Rajahs," and Walton has mentioned that "during the reign of Pirthvi Shah the aggressions of the Kumaonis continued under the leadership of the then Raja Baz Bahadur who had already fought on the side of Khalel Ullah against the Garhwalis". [9] It is possible that the neighbouring Raja of Kumaon must have launched an attack on the borders of Garhwal and during that period Prithvi Pat Shah had to move from Srinagar the capital to thwart the invasions of the Kumaonis.

The penitence of Raja Prithvi Pat Shah about his son's treachery indicates his innocence as regards the surrender of Shikoh. Manucci has stated:

The aged Rajah of Srinagar felt greatly the vileness of the deed carried out by his only son and so great was his sorrow that in short space be ended his days under the disgrace, saying he would sooner have lost his territory and all his wealth than that his son should be guilty of such an act of infamy. [5]

Moreover, it seems that Medni Shah was banished from Garhwal owing to his misdeed of surrendering Shikoh. He had to leave Srinagar for Delhi on this issue where he died in 1662 A.D. His death in Delhi is corroborated by the ‘farman' [10] which Aurangzeb sent to Prithvi Pat Shah in 1662 A.D. In the ‘farman' it is stated,

Exalted amongst the nobles Prithi Singh, the Raja of Srinagar, having the hopes of benign favours, should know that recently Medni Singh, the son of Raja Prithi Singh has passed away. He (the Raja) should have all the patience and toleration. A robe of honour having been awarded to him, for conferring favours and making him distinguished, is hereby sent along with the farman. It has been enjoined that he (the Raja) should be thankful to the Emperor and be always firm in adopting the right path of obedience and submission. The prosperity of the Empire shall be considered by him the best means for fulfilling his hopes and desires and welfare of his present and future.

This farman is preserved in the U.P. State Archives in Lucknow. [10]

On 5 January 1661, Shikoh was brought before Aurangzeb. [8] Accounts say that Shikoh's entry into the court, in chains, made quite an impression. [2] Many were moved to tears at the sight of the fallen prince. Apparently, even Aurangzeb softened and offered to spare Sulaiman. The prince stoically replied that if he was a lingering threat, he should be killed immediately; he also requested that he would not be left to rot in some prison. Perhaps miffed by the rebuff, Aurangzeb did not grant his wish.

Death

On Aurangzeb's orders, Shikoh was imprisoned into a dungeon in Gwalior Fort. [2] An opium-based poison was administered everyday so that the prince would descend into madness and infirmity. Many months passed, but Shikoh somehow did not deteriorate. [2] In May 1662, after nearly eighteen months of imprisonment, Aurangzeb resolved to end the threat forever and ordered his men to strangle the prince. [2] Suleiman Shikoh was thus executed. He was buried in the Traitor's Cemetery in Gwalior, where his uncle Murad was also buried.

Personal life

A drawing of Sulaiman Shikoh A drawing of Sulaiman Shikoh.jpg
A drawing of Sulaiman Shikoh

Sulaiman Shikoh was married several times. Among these was a marriage with Anup Kanwar, daughter of Amar Singh of Nagaur. [11]

Issue

Positions

Dara Shikoh (left) with Sulaiman Shikoh Dara Shikoh (left) with Sulaiman Shikoh (right).jpg
Dara Shikoh (left) with Sulaiman Shikoh

Ancestry

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aurangzeb</span> Mughal emperor from 1658 to 1707

Muhi al-Din Muhammad, commonly known as Aurangzeb, was the sixth Mughal emperor, reigning from 1658 until his death in 1707. His regnal name is Alamgir I, which derived from his title, Abu al-Muzaffar Muhi-ad-Din Muhammad Bahadur Alamgir Aurangzeb Badshah al-Ghazi. Under his emperorship, the Mughal Empire reached its greatest extent with territory spanning nearly the entirety of the Indian subcontinent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shah Jahan</span> Mughal emperor from 1628 to 1658

Mirza Shahab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram, also known as Shah Jahan I, was the fifth Mughal Emperor, reigning from 1628 until 1658. During his reign, the Mughals reached the peak of their architectural and cultural achievements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jahanara Begum</span> Mughal Princess from 1631 to 1658

Jahanara Begum was a princess of the Mughal Empire. She was the second and the eldest surviving child of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bahadur Shah I</span> Mughal emperor from 1707 to 1712

Mirza Muhammad Mu'azzam, commonly known as Bahadur Shah I and Shah Alam I, was the eighth Mughal Emperor from 1707 to 1712. He was the second son of the sixth Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, who he conspired to overthrow in his youth. He was also governor of the imperial provinces of Agra, Kabul and Lahore and had to face revolts of Rajputs and Sikhs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dara Shikoh</span> Mughal prince, author

Dara Shikoh, also known as Dara Shukoh, was the eldest son and heir-apparent of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. Dara was designated with the title Padshahzada-i-Buzurg Martaba and was favoured as a successor by his father and his elder sister, Princess Jahanara Begum. He had been given the title of 'Shah-e-Buland Iqbal' by Shah Jahan. In the war of succession which ensued after Shah Jahan's illness in 1657, Dara was defeated by his younger brother Prince Muhiuddin. He was executed in 1659 on Aurangzeb's orders in a bitter struggle for the imperial throne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shah Shuja (Mughal prince)</span> Mughal prince and Governor of Bengal (1616–1661)

Mirza Shah Shuja was the second son of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and Empress Mumtaz Mahal. He was the governor of Bengal and Odisha and had his capital at Dhaka, in present day Bangladesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murad Bakhsh</span> Mughal prince (1624–1661)

Mirza Muhammad Murad Bakhsh (9 October 1624 – 14 December 1661) was a Mughal prince and the youngest surviving son of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and Empress Mumtaz Mahal. He was the Subahdar of Balkh, till he was replaced by his elder brother Aurangzeb in the year 1647.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roshanara Begum</span> Shahzadi of the Mughal Empire

Roshanara Begum ; 3 September 1617 – 11 September 1671) was a Mughal princess and the third daughter of Emperor Shah Jahan and his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Roshanara was a brilliant woman and a talented poet. She was a partisan of her younger brother, Aurangzeb, and supported him during the war of succession which took place after Shah Jahan's illness in 1657. After Aurangzeb's accession to the throne in 1658, Roshanara was given the title of Padshah Begum by her brother and became the First Lady of the Mughal Empire, when she became a powerful political figure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Niccolao Manucci</span> Venetian traveller, writer and physician

Niccolao Manucci was a Venetian writer, a self-taught physician, and traveller, who wrote accounts of the Mughal Empire as a first-hand witness. His work is considered to be one of the most useful foreign sources for the events that took place in India under Mughal rule. He also documented folk beliefs and customs of the period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muhammad Akbar (Mughal prince)</span> Indian mughal empire prince

Mirza Muhammad Akbar was a Mughal prince and the fourth son of Emperor Aurangzeb and his chief consort Dilras Banu Begum. He went into exile in Safavid Persia after a failed rebellion against his father in the Deccan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingdom of Amber</span> Princely state in northwest India (1028–1949)

The Kingdom of Amber, also known as Kingdom of Dhundhar and Jaipur State, was located in the north-eastern historic Dhundhar region of Rajputana and was ruled by the Kachwaha Rajput clan. It was established by Dulha Rai, possibly the last ruler of the Kachchhapaghata dynasty of Gwalior who migrated to Dausa and started his kingdom there with the support of Chahamanas of Shakambhari in the 12th century. Mostly through 12th to 15th century, the kingdom faced stagnation, sources were scarce. Under its ruler, Raja Chandrasen Amer became a Sisodia vassal and fought in the Battle of Khanwa under Raja Prithviraj Kachhwaha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jai Singh I</span> Maharaja of Amber (1611–1667)

Mirza Raja Jai Singh I was the senior most general and a high ranking mansabdar at the imperial court of Mughal Empire as well as the Kachwaha ruler of the Kingdom of Amber. His predecessor was his grand uncle, Mirza Raja Bhau Singh,the younger son of Mirza Raja Man Singh I

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mola Ram</span> Indian painter (1743–1833)

Mola Ram or Maula Ram (1743–1833) was an Indian painter, who originated the Garhwal branch of the Kangra school of painting. He was also a poet, historian and diplomat. Much research about him was done by Mukandi Lal.

Nadira Banu Begum was a Mughal princess and the wife of Crown Prince Dara Shikoh, the eldest son and heir-apparent of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. After Aurangzeb's rise to power, Dara Shikoh's immediate family and supporters were in danger. Nadira died in 1659, a few months before her husband's execution, and was survived by two sons and a daughter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rao Raja Chattar Sal</span> Rao Raja of Bundi from 1632–1658

Maharao Chatra Sal or Shatru Sal Ji was one of the most prominent Hada Chauhan rulers of the Kingdom of Bundi. He built the temple of Keshavrao at Kishorai-Patan and Chatra Mahal in the upper storey of Taragarh Fort,Bundi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sipihr Shikoh</span> Mughal Empire emperor (1644–1708)

Mirza Sipihr Shikoh also known as Sipihr Shukoh, was a Mughal prince as the fourth son of Crown Prince Dara Shikoh and his consort Nadira Banu Begum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jahanzeb Banu Begum</span> Shahzadi of the Mughal Empire

Jahanzeb Banu Begum, popularly known as Jani Begum, was a Mughal princess and the chief consort of Muhammad Azam Shah, the heir-apparent to Emperor Aurangzeb, who briefly became Mughal emperor in 1707.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nawab Bai</span> Secondary wife of Aurangzeb

Rahmat-un-Nissa, better known by her title Nawab Bai, was a secondary wife of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. She gave birth to Aurangzeb's first two sons, including Bahadur Shah I, who became Mughal emperor in 1707. Nawab Bai was unpopular at the Mughal court and lost her husband's favour quite early on in her life while the misconduct of her sons, Muhammad Sultan and Muhammad Muazzam, embittered her latter life. She died in 1691 in Delhi after long years of separation from her husband and children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muhammad Sultan (Mughal prince)</span> Mughal Empire emperor (1639–1676)

Mirza Muhammad Sultan was the eldest son of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and his second wife Nawab Bai. His younger brother Muazzam later became Emperor as Bahadur Shah I in 1707.

The Mughal war of succession of 1658–1659 was a war of succession fought between the four sons of Shah Jahan: Aurangzeb, Dara Shikoh, Murad Bakhsh, and Shah Shuja, in hopes of gaining the Mughal Throne. Prior to the death of Shah Jahan, each of his sons held governorships during their father's reign. The emperor favoured the eldest, Dara Shikoh, However, there was resentment among the younger three, who sought at various times to strengthen alliances between themselves and against Dara. Since there was no Mughal tradition of hierarchy, the systematic passing of rule, upon an emperor's death, to his eldest son. Instead it was customary for sons to overthrow their father and for brothers to war to the death among themselves.

References

  1. Mughal title Mirza, the title of Mirza and not Khan or Padshah, which were the titles of the Mongol rulers.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Sulaiman Shikoh, The Refugee Prince". dna. 2018-06-10. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
  3. 1 2 Khān, Muḥammad Hāshim Khāfī (2006-09-12). Muntakhab-ul lubab. Sang-e-Meel Publications. ISBN   9789693518825.
  4. 1 2 Tavernier, Jean-Baptiste (2012-05-10). Travels in India. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   9781108046022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Manucci, Niccolò (1967). Storia do Mogor: or, Mogul India, 1653-1708. by Niccolao Manucci. Translated with introd. and notes by William Irvine. Editions Indian.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Bernier, François (1670). Bernier's Voyage to the East Indies: Containing the History of the Late Revolution of the Empire of the Great Mogul : Together With the Most Considerable Passages for Five Years Following, in Thet Empire : to which is Added a Letter to the Lord Colbert, Touching the Extent of Indostan ... with an Exact Description of Delhi and Agra.
  7. 1 2 3 Qanungo, Kalika Ranjan (1952). Dara Shukoh. S. C. Sarkar.
  8. 1 2 Rawat, Ajay S. (November 2002). Garhwal Himalayas: A Study in Historical Perspective. Indus Publishing. ISBN   9788173871368.
  9. Walton, H. G. (1910). British Garhwal: A Gazetteer ...
  10. 1 2 "::. UP State Archives .::". uparchives.up.nic.in. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
  11. Rekha Misra, Women in Mughal India, 1526-1748 A.D. (1967), p.157
  12. Nagendra Kr Singh, Encyclopaedia of Muslim Biography: S-Z (2001), p. 74
  13. Muḥammad Sāqī Mustaʻidd Khān, Jadunath Sarkar, Maāsir-i-ʻĀlamgiri: a history of the emperor Aurangzib-ʻl̀amgir (reign 1658-1707 A. D.) (1947), p.103
  14. Soma Mukherjee, Royal Mughal Ladies and Their Contributions (2001), p.128
  15. Ahmad, Moin-ud-din (1924). The Taj and Its Environments: With 8 Illus. from Photos., 1 Map, and 4 Plans. R. G. Bansal. p. 101.
  16. Findly, Ellison Banks (1993). Nur Jahan: Empress of Mughal India . Oxford University Press. pp.  124 125. ISBN   9780195360608.
  17. Bhavan's Journal. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. 1979. p. 78.