Dara Shikoh: The Mughal Scholar Prince

Born at Ajmer in 1615, Dara Shikoh (also spelt as Dara Shukoh) was the eldest son of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and his favourite too. He was appointed his successor to the Mughal empire by Shah Jahan who gave him the title of Shahzada-e-Buland Iqbal (“Prince of High Fortune”). A pathetic figure in Mughal history, he was slain on the orders of his brother Aurangzeb, the last great Mughal, on the charges of heresy on 30th August 1659.

Dara Shikoh was one the greatest scholars Mughal India had produced. With an excellent command on Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit, he authored several works on Sufi philosophy and has deep interest in mysticism.

In 1640 Dara completed Sakinatul Auliya, a compilation of biographical sketches of Muslim saints.

In 1657 together with the pandits from Varanasi, he translated the Upanishads into Persian which came to be known as Sirr-e-Akbar (The great secret). The work is considered one of the masterpieces of Persian literature. The Bhagavat Gita and the Yoga Vasishtha Ramayana were also translated into Persian by him.

His famous book Majm-ul-Bahrain (Mingling of the two oceans) recognizes that Hinduism and Islam lead to one goal.

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