220. Battle of Brothers: The Puritan vs The Mystic (Ep 1)

The battle of succession that erupted during a severe illness of Shah Jahan is often regarded as one which determined the fate of India.

The eldest of Shah Jahan’s sons was Dara Shukoh—the Glory of Darius. Contemporary miniatures show that Dara bore a striking resemblance to his father, and like him he was luxurious in his tastes and refined in his sensibilities. He preferred life at court to the hardships of campaigning; he liked to deck himself in strings of precious stones and belts studded with priceless gems; he wore clothes of the finest silk and from each ear lobe he hung a single pearl of remarkable size. Dara was a tolerant Sufi and composed a study of Hinduism and Islam, ‘The Mingling of Two Oceans’, which stressed the affinities of the two faiths and what he believed to be the Vedic origins of the Quran.

Then there was Aurangzeb, unloved by his father, a bitter and bigoted puritan, as intolerant as he was grimly dogmatic. He was a ruthlessly talented general and a brilliantly calculating strategist, but entirely lacked the winning charm of his predecessors.

Listen as William and Anita are joined by Supriya Gandhi, author of The Emperor Who Never Was: Dara Shukoh in Mughal India, to discuss the brothers who fought for the crown, and with it the future of India.

Twitter: @Empirepoduk

Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com

Goalhangerpodcasts.com

Assistant Producers: Anouska Lewis & Becki Hills

Producer: Callum Hill

Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices