1 SHAHAB-UD-DIN SHAH JAHAN. 173
2 Dekkan, where, having been joined by the governor, Shah Nawaz Khan,
3 he was acknowledged as the supreme authority in the whole province, in-
4 cluding Surat and Broach. Aurangzeb, who was now at Jeypur, having
5 heard of the proceedings at Gujrat, marched in that direction, and attacked and
6 defeated Dara, who fled in great distress towards Sindh. He then pursued
7 his march to Kandahar, but, in the small territory of Jun, on the eastern
8 border of Sindh, he lost his faithful wife. He sent her remains, with a small
9 escort and two of his most confidential servants, to Léhore, to be there
10 interred, and, after the period of mourning was over, prosecuted his journey
11 to the Indus. He was, however, betrayed by the chief of Jun, and with
12 his son, Siphr’ Shekoh, was delivered up to Aurangzeb. He was brought to
13 Delhi, loaded with heavy chains, and was there, by the king’s special orders,
14 made to ride on a sorry elephant, without housing, and, having been thus
15 conducted through the principal streets, was tried by a mock tribunal,
16 which pronounced him an apostate from the faith. Both father and son
17 were kept prisoners in the ancient fort in old Delhi, guarded by the Afghans
18 who had betrayed Dara. Dara was condemned to death by the lawyers,
19 and the sentence was, with apparent reluctance, confirmed by Aurangzeb.
20 A personal enemy was directed to carry out the sentence. Dara and his son
21 were preparing lentils at the time. Seeing the executioners, Dara made
22 a stout resistance with the small knife then in his hands, but, being over-
23 powered by numbers, he felland was beheaded. His body was exhibited on an
24 elephant to the populace, while his head was brought to Aurangzeb, who
25 had it wiped and washed in his presence, and, being satisfied of its identity,
26 shed tears. It was then interred in the tomb of Humdytn. Siphr Shekoh
27 was sent to Gwalior and there kept as a State prisoner. Shuja, after his
28 defeat by Mir Jumla, fled to Dacca, whence he made his way to
29 Arrakan, accompanied by his wife, two sons and three daughters. The
30 rdajé of Arrakan received the unfortunate prince hospitably, but demanded one
31 of his daughters in marriage. The request was revolting, and Shuja formed
32 a plot to usurp the throne of Arrakan with the help of the Mahomedan
33 subjects. The plot being discovered, Shuja fled to the mountains, and
34 nothing more was heard of him. The princes were beheaded by the raja
35 with blunt axes and the princesses were starved to death. Such was the
36 miserable end of Dara and Shuja.
37 After his deposition by his son, Aurangzeb, Shah Jahdn, who did not
38 die, till the 28rd of January, 1666, lived for eight years. A palace, strongly
39 guarded, was assigned for his residence in Agra, and he was treated with
40 the utmost respect for the remainder of his life. He exercised complete
41 authority within the palace and was allowed an ample establishment. He
42 withheld the imperial jewels from his undutiful son, and when the latter
43 made a demand for them, he threatened that the hammers were ready to
44 pound them into dust if an attempt were ever made to enforce such a
45 demand. Aurangzeb had the forbearance to withdraw his demand. At
46 another time Aurangzeb solicited the daughter of Dara in marriage for
47 his son Akber. Shah Jahdn refused to allow the removal of the young
48 lady, who kept a concealed dagger with her, declaring that she would
49 rather put an end to her own life than’ give her hand to the son of her
50 father’s murderer. Aurangzeb thereupon quietly desisted from his solicita-
51 tion. The deposed emperor was solaced in his captivity by the affectionate
52 attentions of his favourite daughter, Jahanara. His last moments were
53 cheered by the sight of the mausoleum of the wife of his youth from the
54 window of his bed-room.
55 Some time before his death, Aurangzeb had re ree
56 Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji eLibrary” eb ha gees erie es e letters to
57 Dara flies to Sindh in
58 great distress.
59 Is betrayed by the
60 chief of Jun, and deli-
61 vered to Aurangzeb,
62 Who eruelly puts
63 him to death, 1659.
64 Shuja flies to Arra-
65 kan,
66 Uncertainty of his
67 fate,
68 Shah Jahan in his
69 prison.
70 ariElibrary@ gmail.com