Editing Aurangzeb (section)

==Early life==
[[File:Emperor Shah Jahan, 1628 (cropped).jpg|thumb|303x303px|Young Prince Aurangzeb (far left), aged 9–10, with his brothers [[Dara Shikoh]], [[Shah Shuja (Mughal prince)|Shah Shuja]], their father [[Shah Jahan]] (center), and maternal grandfather [[Abul-Hasan ibn Mirza Ghiyas Beg|Asaf Khan IV]] (right) c.1628]]
Aurangzeb was born in [[Dahod]] on 3 November 1618.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Bibb |first1=Sheila C. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N98eEAAAQBAJ&dq=aurangzeb+4+november+1618&pg=PA32 |title=Framing the Apocalypse: Visions of the End-of-Times |last2=Simon-López |first2=Alexandra |year=2019 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-39944-0 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Aurangzeb |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aurangzeb |access-date=6 April 2016 |author-link=Percival Spear |last1=Spear |first1=Percival}}</ref><ref name="Thackeray248">{{cite book |title=Events that formed the modern world: from the European Renaissance through the War on Terror |url=https://archive.org/details/eventsthatformed0005unse |url-access=registration |year=2012 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-59884-901-1 |editor-last1=Thackeray |editor-first1=Frank W. |location=Santa Barbara, Calif. |page=248 |editor-last2=Findling |editor-first2=John E.}}</ref> His father was [[Mughal Emperors|Emperor]] [[Shah Jahan]] ({{Reign|1628|1658}}), who hailed from the [[Mughal dynasty|Mughal house]] of the [[Timurid dynasty]], which in turn was part of the [[Barlas|Barlas tribe]].<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Waseem |editor-first=M. |year=2003 |title=On Becoming an Indian Muslim: French Essays on Aspects of Syncretism |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New Delhi |page=103 |isbn=978-0-19-565807-1}}</ref> The latter was descended from Emir [[Timur]] ({{Reign|1370|1405}}), the founder of the [[Timurid Empire]].{{sfn|Mukerjee|2001|p=23}}{{sfn|Sarkar|1912|p=61}} Aurangzeb's mother [[Mumtaz Mahal]] was the daughter of the Persian nobleman [[Abu'l-Hasan Asaf Khan|Asaf Khan]], who was the youngest son of vizier [[Mirza Ghiyas Beg|Mirza Ghiyas]].{{sfn|Tillotson|2008|p=194}} Aurangzeb was born during the reign of his patrilineal grandfather [[Jahangir]] ({{Reign|1605|1627}}), the fourth emperor of the [[Mughal Empire]].

In June 1626, after an unsuccessful rebellion by his father, eight-year-old Aurangzeb and his brother [[Dara Shikoh]] were sent to the Mughal court in [[Lahore]] as hostages of their grandfather Jahangir and his wife, [[Nur Jahan]], as part of their father's pardon deal.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Eaton|first=Richard M.|title=India in the Persianate Age: 1000–1765|publisher=University of California Press|year=2019|isbn=978-0-520-97423-4|page=251|oclc=1243310832}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Gandhi |first=Supriya |year=2020 |title=The emperor who never was: Dara Shukoh in Mughal India |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |publisher=Belknap Press |pages=52–53 |isbn=978-0-674-98729-6|oclc=1112130290 }}</ref> After Jahangir died in 1627, Shah Jahan emerged victorious in the ensuing war of succession to the Mughal throne. Aurangzeb and his brother were consequently reunited with Shah Jahan in [[Agra]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gandhi|first=Supriya |year=2020 |title=The emperor who never was: Dara Shukoh in Mughal India |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |publisher=Belknap Press |pages=59–62 |isbn=978-0-674-98729-6|oclc=1112130290 }}</ref>

As a Mughal prince, Aurangzeb received an education covering subjects like combat, military strategy, and administration. His curriculum also included areas like Islamic studies, [[Turkish literature|Turkic]] and [[Persian literature]]. Aurangzeb grew up fluent in the [[Hindustani language]]. He was also fluent in his ancestral language of [[Chagatai Turkic]], but similar to his predecessors, he preferred to use [[Persian language|Persian]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Truschke|first=Audrey|title=Aurangzeb: the life and legacy of India's most controversial king|date=2017|publisher=Stanford University Press|isbn=978-1-5036-0259-5|location=Stanford, California|pages=17–18|oclc=962025936}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Streusand |first=Douglas E. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/title/191926598 |title=Islamic gunpowder empires: Ottomans, Safavids, and Mughals |date=2011 |publisher=Westview Press |isbn=978-0-8133-1359-7 |location=Boulder, Colo |pages=281–282 |oclc=191926598}}</ref>

On 28 May 1633, a [[war elephant]] stampeded through the Mughal imperial encampment. Aurangzeb rode against the elephant and threw his spear at its head. He was unhorsed but escaped death. For his courage, Aurangzeb's father conferred on him the title of ''[[Rao Bahadur|Bahadur]]'' (brave) and presented him with gifts. When chided for his recklessness, Aurangzeb replied:{{sfn|Sarkar|1912|pp=10–12}}

{{blockquote|If the fight had ended fatally for me it would not have been a matter of shame. Death drops the curtain even on emperors; it is no dishonor. The shame lay in what my brothers did!}}

Historians have interpreted this as an unjust slur against his brothers. Shuja had also faced the elephant and wounded it with his spear. Dara had been too far away to come to their assistance.{{sfn|Sarkar|1912|pp=11–12}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Hansen |first=Waldemar |title=The Peacock Throne: The Drama of Mogul India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AV--abKg9GEC&pg=PA122 |access-date=23 November 2012 |year=1996 |orig-date=1972 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-0225-4 |pages=122–124}}</ref>

Three days later Aurangzeb turned fifteen. Shah Jahan weighed him and presented him with his weight in gold along with other presents worth Rs. 200,000. His  bravery against the elephant was documented in Persian and [[Urdu]] verses.{{sfn|Sarkar|1912|p=12}}

=== Career as prince ===
[[File:The capture of Orchha by imperial forces (October 1635).jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Mughal Army]] under the command of Aurangzeb recaptures [[Orchha]] in October 1635.]]

Aurangzeb was nominally in charge of the force sent to [[Bundelkhand]] with the intent of subduing the rebellious ruler of [[Orchha State|Orchha]], [[Jhujhar Singh]], who had attacked another territory in defiance of Shah Jahan's policy and was refusing to atone for his actions. By arrangement, Aurangzeb stayed in the rear, away from the fighting, and took the advice of his generals as the [[Mughal Army]] gathered and commenced the siege of Orchha in 1635. The campaign was successful and Singh was removed from power.<ref>{{harvtxt|Richards|1996|p=130}}</ref>

[[File:Prince Awrangzeb (Aurangzeb) facing a maddened elephant named Sudhakar (7 June 1633).jpg|thumb|A painting from ''[[Padshahnama]]'' depicts Prince Aurangzeb  facing a maddened [[war elephant]] named ''Sudhakar''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Abdul Hamid Lahori |url=http://warfare.atspace.eu/Moghul/ShahJahan/Prince_Awrangzeb_facing_a_maddened_elephant_named_Sudhakar.htm |title=Prince Awrangzeb (Aurangzeb) facing a maddened elephant named Sudhakar |year=1636 |website=Padshahnama |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106034412/http://warfare.atspace.eu/Moghul/ShahJahan/Prince_Awrangzeb_facing_a_maddened_elephant_named_Sudhakar.htm |archive-date=6 January 2014}}</ref>]]

Aurangzeb was appointed viceroy of the [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]] in 1636.<ref name="Markovits2004p103">{{cite book |date=2004 |orig-date=First published 1994 as ''Histoire de l'Inde Moderne'' |editor-first=Claude |editor-last=Markovits |title=A History of Modern India, 1480–1950 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uzOmy2y0Zh4C |edition=2nd |location=London |publisher=Anthem Press |page=103 |isbn=978-1-84331-004-4}}</ref> After Shah Jahan's vassals had been devastated by the alarming expansion of [[Ahmednagar]] during the reign of the [[Nizam Shahi]] boy-prince [[Murtaza Shah III]], the emperor dispatched Aurangzeb, who in 1636 brought the Nizam Shahi dynasty to an end.<ref>George Michell and Mark Zebrowski, ''Architecture and Art of the Deccan Sultanates'', (Cambridge University Press, 1999), 12.</ref> In 1637, Aurangzeb married the [[Safavid]] princess [[Dilras Banu]], posthumously known as Rabia-ud-Daurani.{{sfn|Mukerjee|2001|p=23}}{{sfn|Sarkar|1912|p=61}} She was his first wife and chief consort as well as his favourite.<ref>{{cite book |last=Eraly |first= Abraham |author-link=Abraham Eraly |year=2007 |title=The Mughal World: Life in India's Last Golden Age |url=https://archive.org/details/mughalworldlifei00eral |url-access=limited |publisher=Penguin Books India |page=[https://archive.org/details/mughalworldlifei00eral/page/n157 147] |isbn=978-0-14-310262-5}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Chandra |first=Satish |year=2002 |orig-date=1959 |title=Parties and politics at the Mughal Court, 1707–1740 |edition=4th |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=50 |isbn=978-0-19-565444-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Krieger-Krynicki |first1=Annie |translator-last=Hamid |translator-first=Enjum |title=Captive princess: Zebunissa, daughter of Emperor Aurangzeb |year=2005 |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=92 |isbn=978-0-19-579837-1}}</ref> He also had an infatuation with a slave girl, [[Zainabadi Mahal|Hira Bai]], whose death at a young age greatly affected him. In his old age, he was under the charms of his concubine, [[Udaipuri Mahal]].{{sfn|Mukerjee|2001|p=53}}{{sfn|Sarkar|1912|pp=64–66}} The latter had formerly been a companion to Dara Shukoh.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Katherine Butler |last=Brown |date=January 2007 |title=Did Aurangzeb Ban Music? Questions for the Historiography of his Reign |journal=Modern Asian Studies |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=82–84 |doi=10.1017/S0026749X05002313|s2cid=145371208  | issn=0026-749X }}</ref>

In the same year, 1637, Aurangzeb was placed in charge of annexing the small [[Rajput]] kingdom of [[Baglana]], which he did with ease.<ref name=Richards1996p128>{{harvtxt|Richards|1996|p=128}}</ref> In 1638, Aurangzeb married [[Nawab Bai]], later known as Rahmat al-Nisa.{{sfn|Mukerjee|2001|p=23}}{{sfn|Sarkar|1912|p=61}} That same year, Aurangzeb dispatched an army to [[Siege of Daman (1638–1639)|subdue the Portuguese coastal fortress of Daman]], however his forces met stubborn resistance and were eventually repulsed at the end of a long siege.<ref>The Calcutta Review, Volume 75, 1882, p. 87.</ref><ref>Sir Charles Fawcett: The Travels of the Abbarrn India and the Near East, 1672 to 1674 Hakluyt Society, London, 1947, p. 167.</ref><ref>M. S. Commissariat: Mandelslo's Travels In Western India, Asian Educational Services, 1995, p. 57.</ref> At some point, Aurangzeb married [[Aurangabadi Mahal]], who was a [[Circassians|Circassian]] or [[Georgian people|Georgian]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Krieger-Krynicki |first=Annie |title=Captive Princess: Zebunissa, Daughter of Emperor Aurangzeb |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-195-79837-1 |pages=3, 41}}</ref>{{sfn|Mukerjee|2001|p=23}}

Shah Jahan was outraged to see Aurangzeb enter the interior palace compound in military attire and immediately dismissed him from his position of viceroy of the Deccan; Aurangzeb was also no longer allowed to use red tents or to associate himself with the official military standard of the Mughal emperor.{{Citation needed|date=October 2012}} Other sources state that Aurangzeb was dismissed from his position because Aurangzeb left the life of luxury and became a ''[[Fakir|faqir]]''.<ref>Ahmad, Fazl. Heroes of Islam. Lahore: Sh. Muhammad Ashraff, 1993. Print.</ref>

====Governor of Gujarat====
In 1645, he was barred from the court for seven months. It is reported that he mentioned his grief about this to fellow Mughal commanders. Thereafter, Shah Jahan appointed him governor of [[Gujarat Subah|Gujarat]]. His rule in Gujarat was marked with religious disputes but he was rewarded for bringing stability.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Campbell |first1=James McNabb |year=1896 |title=History of Gujarát |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/54652/54652-h/54652-h.htm#pb280 |access-date=2022-04-29 |location=Bombay |publisher=Government Central Press |page=280 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Subramanian |first=Archana |date=2015-07-30 |title=Way to the throne |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/kids/rise-and-fall-of-aurangzeb/article7481718.ece |access-date=2022-02-26 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

====Governor of Balkh====
In 1647, Shah Jahan moved Aurangzeb from Gujarat to be governor of [[Balkh]], replacing a younger son, [[Murad Baksh]], who had proved ineffective there. The area was under attack from [[Uzbeks|Uzbek]] and [[Turkmen people|Turkmen]] tribes. The Mughal artillery and muskets were matched by the skirmishing skills of their opponents which led to a stalemate. Aurangzeb discovered that his army could not live off the land, which was devastated by war.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}} It is recorded that during the battle against the Uzbeks during this campaign, Aurangzeb dismounted from his elephant ride to recite prayer to the surprise of the opposing force commander.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Munis D. Faruqui |title=The Princes of the Mughal Empire, 1504–1719 |date=2012 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-107-02217-1 |page=175 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2vhbDSXbbksC |access-date=15 March 2024 |language=En |format=Hardcover}}</ref>

With the onset of winter, he and his father had to make an unsatisfactory deal with the Uzbeks. They had to give away territory in exchange for nominal recognition of Mughal sovereignty.<ref name="Richards 1996 132–133">{{harvtxt|Richards|1996|pp=132–133}}</ref> The Mughal force suffered still further with attacks by Uzbeks and other tribesmen as it retreated through the snow to [[Kabul]]. By the end of this two-year campaign, into which Aurangzeb had been plunged at a late stage, a vast sum of money had been expended for little gain.<ref name="Richards 1996 132–133"/>

Further unsuccessful military involvements followed, as Aurangzeb was appointed governor of [[Subah of Multan|Multan]] and [[Sind State|Sindh]]. His efforts in 1649 and 1652 to [[Mughal sieges of Kandahar (1649–53)|dislodge the Safavids]] at [[Kandahar]] which they had recently retaken after a decade of Mughal control, both ended in failure as winter approached. The logistical problems of supplying an army at the extremity of the empire, combined with the poor quality of armaments and the intransigence of the opposition have been cited by John Richards as the reasons for failure. A third attempt in 1653, led by Dara Shikoh, met with the same outcome.<ref>{{harvtxt|Richards|1996|pp=134–135}}</ref>

====Second Deccan governorate====

Aurangzeb became viceroy of the Deccan again after he was replaced by Dara Shukoh in the attempt to recapture Kandahar. Aurangbad's two ''[[jagir]]s'' (land grants) were moved there as a consequence of his return. The Deccan was a relatively impoverished area, this caused him to lose out financially. The area required grants were required from [[Malwa]] and Gujarat in order to maintain the administration. The situation caused ill-feeling between him and his father Shah Jahan who insisted that things could be improved if Aurangzeb made efforts to develop cultivation.<ref name="Chandra2005p267" />

Aurangzeb appointed Murshid Quli Khan{{Citation needed|reason=Murshid Quli Khan was born at 1670|date=June 2016}} to extend to the Deccan the ''zabt'' revenue system used in northern India. Murshid Quli Khan organised a survey of agricultural land and a tax assessment on what it produced. To increase revenue, Murshid Quli Khan granted loans for seed, livestock, and irrigation infrastructure. This led the Deccan region to return to prosperity.<ref name="Markovits2004p103" /><ref>{{harvtxt|Richards|1996|pp=140, 188}}</ref>

Aurangzeb proposed to resolve financial difficulties by attacking the dynastic occupants of [[Golconda]] (the [[Qutb Shahi]]s) and [[Bijapur district, Karnataka|Bijapur]] (the [[Adil Shahi]]s). This proposal would also extend Mughal influence by accruing more lands.<ref name="Chandra2005p267" /> Aurangzeb advanced against the Sultan of Bijapur and [[Siege of Bidar|besieged Bidar]]. The ''[[Kiladar]]'' (governor or captain) of the fortified city, Sidi Marjan, was mortally wounded when a gunpowder magazine exploded. After twenty-seven days of fighting, [[Bidar]] was captured by the Mughals and Aurangzeb continued his advance.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Prasad |first=Ishwari |year=1974 |title=The Mughal Empire |location=Allahabad |publisher=Chugh Publications |pages=524–525 |oclc=1532660 |quote=[Aurangzeb] marched in the direction of Bijapur and on reaching Bidar laid siege to it ... The Qiladar of the fort was Sidi Marjan ... [The Mughals] were helped by an explosion of powder magazine in the fortress ... Sidi Marjan and two of his sons were badly burnt ... Thus was the fort of Bidar taken after a siege of 27 days ... Sidi Marjan died of his wounds soon afterwards ... Aurangzeb arrived at Kalyani.}}</ref> Aurangzeb suspected Dara had exerted influence on his father. He believed that he was on the verge of victory in both instances, and was frustrated that Shah Jahan chose then to settle for negotiations with the opposing forces rather than pushing for complete victory.<ref name="Chandra2005p267" />

===War of succession===
{{Main|Mughal war of succession (1658–1659)}}

[[File:Payag - The Battle of Samugarh - 1999.298 - Arthur M. Sackler Museum.jpg|thumb|The [[Battle of Samugarh]] was fought in 1658, part of the [[Mughal war of succession (1658–1659)|Mughal war of succession]]]]
The four sons of Shah Jahan all held governorships during their father's reign. The emperor favoured the eldest, [[Dara Shikoh]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://scroll.in/article/879195/aurangzeb-and-dara-shikohs-fight-for-the-throne-was-entwined-with-the-rivalry-of-their-two-sisters |title=Aurangzeb and Dara Shikoh's fight for the throne was entwined with the rivalry of their two sisters |first=Ira |last=Mukhoty |work=Scroll.in |date=17 May 2018}}</ref> This had caused resentment among the younger three, who sought at various times to strengthen alliances between themselves and against Dara. There was no Mughal tradition of [[primogeniture]], the systematic passing of rule, upon an emperor's death, to his eldest son.<ref name="Chandra2005p267" /> Instead it was customary for sons to overthrow their father and for brothers to war to the death among themselves.<ref name="Markovits-2004">{{cite book |date=2004 |orig-date=First published 1994 as ''Histoire de l'Inde Moderne'' |editor-first=Claude |editor-last=Markovits |title=A History of Modern India, 1480–1950 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uzOmy2y0Zh4C |edition=2nd |location=London |publisher=Anthem Press |page=96 |isbn=978-1-84331-004-4}}</ref>

Historian [[Satish Chandra]] says that "In the ultimate resort, connections among the powerful military leaders, and military strength and capacity [were] the real arbiters".<ref name="Chandra2005p267" /> The contest for power was primarily between Dara Shikoh and Aurangzeb because, although all four sons had demonstrated competence in their official roles, it was around these two that the supporting cast of officials and other influential people mostly circulated.<ref>{{harvtxt|Richards|1996|pp=151–152}}</ref> There were ideological differences&nbsp;– Dara was an intellectual and a religious liberal in the mould of Akbar, while Aurangzeb was much more conservative&nbsp;–&nbsp;but, as historians [[Barbara D. Metcalf]] and [[Thomas R. Metcalf]] say, "To focus on divergent philosophies neglects the fact that Dara was a poor general and leader. It also ignores the fact that factional lines in the succession dispute were not, by and large, shaped by ideology."<ref>{{cite book |title=A Concise History of Modern India |url=https://archive.org/details/concisehistorymo00metc |url-access=limited |first1=Barbara D. |last1=Metcalf |first2=Thomas R. |last2=Metcalf |author-link1=Barbara D. Metcalf |author-link2=Thomas R. Metcalf |edition=2nd |location=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2006 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/concisehistorymo00metc/page/n55 20]–21 |isbn=978-0-521-86362-9}}</ref>

Marc Gaborieau, professor of Indian studies at l'[[École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ceias.ehess.fr/index.php?90 |title=Marc Gaborieau |publisher=Centre d'Études de l'Inde et de l'Asie du Sud |date=6 July 2016 |language=fr |access-date=2 May 2016}}</ref> explains that "The loyalties of [officials and their armed contingents] seem to have been motivated more by their own interests, the closeness of the family relation and above all the charisma of the pretenders than by ideological divides."<ref name="Markovits-2004" /> Muslims and Hindus did not divide along religious lines in their support for one pretender or the other nor, according to Chandra, is there much evidence to support the belief that Jahanara and other members of the royal family were split in their support. Jahanara, certainly, interceded at various times on behalf of all of the princes and was well-regarded by Aurangzeb even though she shared the religious outlook of Dara.<ref name="Chandra2005p271" />

In 1656, a general under [[Qutb Shahi dynasty]] named Musa Khan led an army of 12,000 musketeers to attack Aurangzeb, who was [[Siege of Golconda|besieging Golconda Fort]]. Later in the same campaign, Aurangzeb, in turn, rode against an army consisting of 8,000 horsemen and 20,000 [[Karnataka|Karnataki]] musketeers.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Syed |first1=Anees Jahan |year=1977 |title=Aurangzeb in Muntakhab-al Lubab |publisher=Somaiya Publications |pages=64–65 |oclc=5240812}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Kolff |first1=Dirk H. A. |author1-link=Dirk H. A. Kolff |year=2002 |orig-date=1990 |title=Naukar, Rajput, and Sepoy: The Ethnohistory of the Military Labour Market of Hindustan, 1450–1850 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SrdiVPsFRYIC&pg=PA22 |edition=illustrated, revised |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=22 |isbn=978-0-521-52305-9}}</ref>

After making clear his desire for his son Dara to take over after him, Shah Jahan fell ill with [[strangury]] in 1657. He was kept in seclusion and cared for by Dara in the newly built city of [[Shahjahanabad]] (Old Delhi). Rumours spread that Shah Jahan had died, which led to concerns among his younger sons. These younger sons took military actions seemingly in response, but it is not known whether these preparations were made in the mistaken belief that the rumours of death of Shah Jahan were true and that Dara might be hiding it for political gain, or whether the challengers were taking advantage of the situation.<ref name="Chandra2005p267">{{cite book |title=Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals |volume=2 |publisher=Har-Anand Publications |year=2005 |isbn=978-81-241-1066-9 |first=Satish |last=Chandra |author-link=Satish Chandra |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0Rm9MC4DDrcC&pg=PA267 |pages=267–269 |access-date=29 September 2012}}</ref>

[[Shah Shuja (Mughal)|Shah Shuja]] in [[Bengal]], where he had been governor since 1637 crowned himself King at RajMahal. He brought his cavalry, artillery and river flotilla upriver towards Agra. Near Varanasi his forces confronted a defending army sent from Delhi under the command of Prince Sulaiman Shukoh, son of Dara Shukoh, and Raja Jai Singh.<ref>{{harvtxt|Richards|1996|p=159}}</ref>

Murad did the same in his governorship of Gujarat and Aurangzeb did so in the Deccan.

After regaining some of his health, Shah Jahan moved to Agra and Dara urged him to send forces to challenge Shah Shuja and Murad, who had declared themselves rulers in their respective territories. While Shah Shuja was defeated at [[Varanasi|Banares]] in February 1658, the army sent to deal with Murad discovered to their surprise that he and Aurangzeb had combined their forces,<ref name="Chandra2005p271" /> the two brothers having agreed to partition the empire once they had gained control of it.<ref name="Chandra2005p272" />

The two armies clashed at [[Battle of Dharmat|Dharmat]] in April 1658, with Aurangzeb being the victor. Shuja was chased through [[Bihar]]. The victory of Aurangzeb proved this to be a poor decision by Dara Shikoh, who now had a defeated force on one front and a successful force unnecessarily pre-occupied on another. Realising that his recalled Bihar forces would not arrive at Agra in time to resist the emboldened Aurangzeb's advance, Dara scrambled to form alliances in order but found that Aurangzeb had already courted key potential candidates.<ref name="Chandra2005p271"/>

When Dara's disparate, hastily assembled army clashed with Aurangzeb's well-disciplined, battle-hardened force at the [[battle of Samugarh]] in late May, neither Dara's men nor his generalship were any match for Aurangzeb. Dara had also become over-confident in his own abilities and, by ignoring advice not to lead in battle while his father was alive, he cemented the idea that he had usurped the throne.<ref name="Chandra2005p271">{{cite book |title=Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals |volume=2 |publisher=Har-Anand Publications |year=2005 |isbn=978-81-241-1066-9 |first=Satish |last=Chandra |author-link=Satish Chandra |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0Rm9MC4DDrcC&pg=PA270 |pages=270–271 |access-date=29 September 2012}}</ref> "After the defeat of Dara, Shah Jahan was imprisoned in the fort of Agra where he spent eight long years under the care of his favourite daughter Jahanara."<ref name="sen2">{{Cite book |last=Sen |first=Sailendra |title=A Textbook of Medieval Indian History |publisher=Primus Books |year=2013 |isbn=978-9-38060-734-4 |page=183}}</ref>

Aurangzeb then broke his arrangement with Murad Baksh, which probably had been his intention all along.<ref name="Chandra2005p272" /> Instead of looking to partition the empire between himself and Murad, he had his brother arrested and imprisoned at Gwalior Fort. Murad was executed on 4 December 1661, ostensibly for the murder of the ''[[Diwan (title)|diwan]]'' of Gujarat. The allegation was encouraged by Aurangzeb, who caused the ''diwan's'' son to seek retribution for the death under the principles of [[Sharia law]].<ref>{{harvtxt|Richards|1996|p=162}}</ref>

Meanwhile, Dara gathered his forces, and moved to the [[Punjab region|Punjab]]. The army sent against Shuja was trapped in the east, its generals [[Jai Singh I|Jai Singh]] and Dilir Khan submitted to Aurangzeb, but Dara's son, Suleiman Shikoh, escaped. Aurangzeb offered Shah Shuja the governorship of Bengal. This move had the effect of isolating Dara Shikoh and causing more troops to defect to Aurangzeb. Shah Shuja, who had declared himself emperor in Bengal began to annex more territory and this prompted Aurangzeb to march from Punjab with a new and large army that fought during the [[battle of Khajwa]], where Shah Shuja and his [[chain mail|chain-mail]] armoured war elephants were routed by the forces loyal to Aurangzeb. Shah Shuja then fled to [[Rakhine State|Arakan]] (in present-day Burma), where he was executed by the local rulers.<ref>''The Cambridge History of India'' (1922), vol. IV, p. 481.</ref>

With Shuja and Murad disposed of, and with his father immured in Agra, Aurangzeb pursued Dara Shikoh, chasing him across the north-western bounds of the empire. Aurangzeb claimed that Dara was no longer a Muslim {{citation needed |date=June 2018}} and accused him of poisoning the Mughal [[Grand Vizier]] [[Saadullah Khan (Mughal Empire)|Saadullah Khan]]. After a series of battles, defeats and retreats, Dara was betrayed by one of his generals, who arrested and bound him. In 1658, Aurangzeb arranged his formal coronation in Delhi.

On 10 August 1659, Dara was executed on grounds of apostasy and his head was sent to Shah Jahan.<ref name="sen2"/> This was the first prominent execution of Aurangzeb based on accusations of being influenced by Hinduism, however some sources argue it was done for political reasons.<ref>{{cite book |last=Larson |first=Gerald James |title=India's Agony Over Religion |publisher=State University of New York Press |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-7914-2411-7 |page=111 |author-link=Gerald James Larson}}</ref> Aurangzeb had his allied brother Prince [[Murad Baksh]] held for murder, judged and then executed.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Allan |first1=J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9_48AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA416 |title=The Cambridge Shorter History of India |last2=Haig |first2=Sir T. Wolseley |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1934 |editor-last=Dodwell |editor-first=H. H. |editor-link=H. H. Dodwell |page=416}}</ref> Aurangzeb was accused of poisoning his imprisoned nephew [[Sulaiman Shikoh]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Smith |first=Vincent Arthur |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p2gxAQAAMAAJ&pg=PG412 |title=The Oxford History of India: From the Earliest Times to the End of 1911 |publisher=Clarendon Press |year=1920 |page=412 |author-link=Vincent Arthur Smith}}</ref> Having secured his position, Aurangzeb confined his frail father at the Agra Fort but did not mistreat him. Shah Jahan was cared for by Jahanara and died in 1666.<ref name="Chandra2005p272">{{cite book |title=Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals |volume=2 |publisher=Har-Anand Publications |year=2005 |isbn=978-81-241-1066-9 |first=Satish |last=Chandra |author-link=Satish Chandra |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0Rm9MC4DDrcC&pg=PA270 |page=272 |access-date=29 September 2012}}</ref>