Sulaiman Shikoh

Mirza Sulaiman Shikoh (15 March 1635 – 16 May 1662) was a Mughal prince and the eldest son of Crown prince Dara Shikoh. He was exiled in May 1662 at Gwalior Fort on the orders of his paternal uncle, Emperor Aurangzeb. Sulaiman Shikoh had 3 sons and 2 daughters His descendants are currently in Allahabad, Awadh and Sylhet. Lineal descendants from his elder son Junaid Shikoh include Muhammad Saad Ali Khan- Zahir Uddin Shah- Sikandar Bhakt- Firoz Ahmed- Muhammad Usman Baig- Rafiq Ahmed Shah- Jawan Baig- Daulat Khan- Asgar Ali shah- Muhammad Sikandar Shah- Nojhob Uddin Munshi- Abdul Ghofur Khan- Haaji Abdul Ahmed Baari- Shabbir Ahmed Matab Uddin- Shakil Ahmed Abid Uddin -

Early life Sulaiman Shikoh was born on 15 March 1635 to Prince Dara Shikoh and his wife Nadira Banu Begum. His mother was a Mughal princess and daughter of Parviz Mirza (son of Jahangir) and his first consort Jahan Begum. He was also the first grandchild of the then 43 year-old emperor, Shah Jahan. His paternal aunts included Jahanara Begum, Roshanara Begum and Gauharara Begum. His paternal uncles were Shah Shuja, Murad Bakhsh and Aurangzeb.

He was called "Potay Miya" by his grandfather Shah Jahan. Sulaiman Shikoh had three brothers and three sisters, among Mumtaz Shikoh, Sipihr Shikoh and Jahanzeb Begum.

In 1642, his father Dara Shikoh became the heir apparent to the Mughal throne.

Refuge in Kingdom of Kumaon and Kingdom of Garhwal

After the defeat of Dara Shikoh at the battle of Samugarh on 29 May 1658, Sulaiman Shikoh fled to Kumaon and begged for shelter from King Baz Bahadur Chand. The king first warmly entertained him but later on finding him against the Mughal Emperor, his ally, he gave him many presents and wealth and sent him to Garhwal.

Suleiman Shikoh took refuge in Garhwal in 1659 A.D. Aurangzeb had spared the daughters and minor sons of his brothers, but as Dara Shikoh's heir, Sulaiman Shikoh was a threat.

According to Muntakhab-al Lubab, "Suleiman Shikoh had sought refuge with the zamindar of Srinagar". Tavernier has also referred to Suleiman Shikoh's escape to Garhwal, but he has mixed the two incidents in one, i.e. of 'Nak-kati-Rani' and of Suleiman Shikoh's taking refuge in Garhwal. He has stated:

In the footnote, the translator V. Ball has mentioned that, "Sreenagar is the original Srinagar, the capital of Kashmir, and that the account is based upon hearsay". The translator's footnote that the incident is hearsay therefore cannot be accepted. According to Muntakhab- ul-Lubab, it is vividly evidenced that Suleiman Shikoh took refuge in Garhwal. Manucci

Aurangzeb's attempts to extricate Sulaiman from Garhwal Aurangzeb tasked Sulaiman Shikoh's former ally Raja Jai Singh to capture the prince. Aurangzeb sent repeated messages through Raja Jai Singh to Prithvi Pat Shah, Raja of Garhwal, to surrender the prince but his persuasion and threats were met with contempt. In the book 'Bernier's Voyage to the East Indies’ Thereafter, his son Medni Shah, on the advice of his ministers, revolted against his father and tried to seize power. Concomitantly, on Aurangzeb's orders, in late 1660 Jai Singh sent his son Ram Singh to Srinagar, Garhwal, to persuade the authorities to hand over Suleiman Shikoh to him, bearing the Emperor's dire threats. However, when Ram Singh met Prithvi Pat Shah, he refused to comply and told him that he will protect the Mughal prince as long as he lived.

Then Ram Singh and Medni Shah, who were friends, tried to hatch a conspiracy against Shikoh. But before they could take any action against him he discovered their motive and slipped away in the night with the intention of escaping to Tibet. Unfortunately he lost his way in the hills and was betrayed by the villagers. They informed Medni Shah of his whereabouts who had him arrested and handed him over to Ram Singh.

Shikoh surrendered to Aurangzeb somewhere around December 1660 AD because according to Dr. Qanungo he was brought before Aurangzeb on 5 January 1661. It is possible that the neighbouring Raja of Kumaon must have launched an attack on the borders of Garhwal and during that period Prithvi Pat Shah had to move from Srinagar the capital to thwart the invasions of the Kumaonis.

The penitence of Raja Prithvi Pat Shah about his son's treachery indicates his innocence as regards the surrender of Shikoh. Manucci has stated:

The aged Rajah of Srinagar felt greatly the vileness of the deed carried out by his only son and so great was his sorrow that in short space be ended his days under the disgrace, saying he would sooner have lost his territory and all his wealth than that his son should be guilty of such an act of infamy. which Aurangzeb sent to Prithvi Pat Shah in 1662 A.D. In the ‘farman' it is stated,

This farman is preserved in the U.P. State Archives in Lucknow.

His second wife was Anup Kunwar Bai, the daughter of Amar Singh Rathore, the eldest son of Raja Gaj Singh of Marwar. Amar Singh was also the nephew of Raja Jai Singh. Sulaiman had been engaged to her and about a month before the wedding, Shah Jahan invited the bride to the palace and officially announced the engagement. The marriage took place on 14 April 1654. Her dowry was set at 200,000 rupees, and the marriage was performed by Qazi Khushhal in the emperor's presence.

His third wife was the daughter of Khwaja Sadiq Khan from Patna. When the bride arrived at the Mughal court, Dara Shikoh personally brought her into the palace. The marriage took place on 5 November 1656. Her dowry was set at 200,000 rupees, and the Qazi conducted the marriage ceremony in the emperor's presence. married to Prince Muhammad Akbar; They were parents to the Mughal emperor Neku Siyar; Fahima Banu Begum (died November–December 1706),

Positions

Governor of Thatta 1649-1651 Governor of Awadh 1655-1657 Commander-in-Chief of Dara Shikoh's army 1641-1650

Ancestry