Dara Shukoh was the eldest son of
Shah Jahan. He was a favorite of his father and was appointed as the Governor of
Punjab. He stayed with Shah Jahan at
Agra and assisted him in administrative matters. He was a Sufi and had great respect for the Hindus and got the
Upanishads translated into Persian. He was more a philosopher than a statesman. When Shah Jahan fell ill, a war of succession broke out among his four sons, Dara Shukoh, Shah Shuja,
Aurangzeb, and Murad Bakhsh. Dara had the support of the
Rajputs. But Aurangzeb defeated him in the battle of Samugarh in 1659 and captured Agra. Dara was later humiliated and put to death in the streets of Agra.
