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Battle of Dharmat

2021-12-25T04:15:15Z

History geek:

{{Short description|Battle during the Mughal war of Succession (1658-1659)}}
{{infobox military conflict
|conflict =Battle of Dharmat
|partof =Mughal War of Succession (1658-1659)
| date =15 April 1658
| place = Faithabad near the village of Dharmat 33 km from [[Ujjain]], [[Madhya Pradesh]]
| result = Victory for [[Aurengzeb]]
| combatant1 =[[Aurengzeb]]
| combatant2 =[[Dara Shikoh]]
| commander1 =[[Aurengzeb]] [[Murad Baksh]] [[Muhammad Sultan (Mughal prince)|Muhammad Sultan]] Multafat Khan Najabat Khan
| commander2 =[[Jaswant Singh |Jaswant Singh Rathore]] Mukund Singh Hada{{KIA}} Qasim Khan
| strength1 =30000 <ref>{{cite journal|jstor=44147010|title=New Light on the Battle of Dharmat|author=Karuna Joshi|journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress Vol 59|year=1998|pages=427-433}}</ref>
| strength2 = 22,272 armymen along with cavalry 266 Mansabdārs <ref>{{cite journal|jstor=44147010|title=New Light on the Battle of Dharmat|author=Karuna Joshi|journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress Vol 59|year=1998|pages=427-433}}</ref>
| casualties1 = 7000 Horsemen 4000 Mansabdārs 100 Nobles {{sfn|Ahmad|1978|loc=''Casualties'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.131101/page/n53/mode/1up?view=theater 29]}}
| casualties2 =atleast 6000 rajputs(as computed by [[Jadunath Sarkar]]){{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc=''Casualties'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n255/mode/1up?view=theater 232]}}}}
'''The Battle of Dharmat''' was fought during the Mughal war of Succession (1658-1659) by Aurengzeb against the Rajput noble [[Jaswant Singh of Marwar|Jaswant Singh Rathore]] on the open plain of Dharmat on the hot Summer day of 15th April 1658 in which Aurengzeb wins due to advantage in Artillery and Tactics.<ref>{{cite book|book=The History and culture of the Indian People Vol 7- The Mughal Empire|editor-last1=Majumdar|editor-first1=R.C|url=https://archive.org/details/mughulempire00bhar/page/215/mode/1up?q=Dharmat&view=theater|page=215|title=''Dharmat''|publisher=Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan}}</ref>

==Preparation==
On 6th September 1657, Emperor [[Shah Jahan]] suddenly fell ill due to [[strangury]] and [[constipation]]. He failed to hold darshan and the shops were closed in the bazaars around Delhi. There were rumours rife that the emperor was either dead or Dara was holding his father as a hostage. Only some physicians ,Dara and his sister [[Jahanara Begum|Jahanara]] were allowed to physically see him. The stage was set for the transition of power. Eventhough Shah Jahan later was able to recover from his illness it would still prove costly for him. Seizing the opportunity who was the viceroy of Bengal and Orissa rebelled against the father and Murad Baksh crowned himself as the emperor at [[Surat]]. In contrast to Shuja and Murad, however, Aurangzeb did not take the irrevocable step of crowning himself. Instead, he engaged in a busy secret correspondence with Murad, and, to a lesser extent, with Shuja. Letters written in cipher encased in bamboo tubes passed from runner to runner over special relay posts newly established between Ahmadabad and Aurangabad. Both of them agreed to a joint action against their brothers. As a result they decided to divide the ruling Mughal land amongst themselves.(But this wasn't so as the fact that Aurengzeb was only seeking the Annihilation of all his brothers and gaining the throne for himself later in the war of succession).{{sfn|Richards|1993|loc=''The War of Succession'' p.
[https://archive.org/details/iB_in/1-3/page/n173/mode/1up?view=theater 158-159]}}.

On the 5th February 1658, Aurengzeb left Aurangabad to contest the Mughal Throne. He proclaimed himself ruler and bestowed titles on his children. By the 5th of April he crossed the [[Narmada]] river towards [[Ujjain]].
==Battle==
===The Charge of the Rajputs===
It was a little over two hours from sunrise, of 15th April 1658 when the rival hosts sighted each other. The battle began with the usual discharge of artillery, rockets, and muskets at long range. The distance gradually decreased, as Aurangzib’s army advanced slowly, keeping its regular formation. The [[Rajputs]] were soon engaged in a close hand to hand combat. The Rajputs densely packed within their narrow position, were severely galled by the barqandazes and archers of the princes’ army from front and flank, without being able to manoeuvre freely and give an effective reply. Their losses began to mount up every minute. The Rajput leaders of the Van,— Mukund Singh Hada, Ratan Singh Rathor, Dayal Singh Jhala, Arjun Singh Gaur, Sujan Singh Sisodia and others, with their choicest clansmen, galloped forward. Shouting their war- cry of ''Ram Ram'' “they fell on the enemy like tigers, casting away ail plan.” The flood of Rajput charge first burst on Aurangzib’s artillery. {{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc= 'Battle of Dharmat' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n248/mode/1up?view=theater 226]}}
The guns and muskets fired at point-blank range, woefully thinned their ranks, but so impetuous was their onset that it bore down all opposition. Murshid Quli Khan, the Chief of Artillery, was slain after a heroic resistance and his division was shaken; but the guns were not damaged.

For one point of time the Rajput charge was seeming to overwhelm Aurengzeb's Vanguard but his Van was composed of his most picked troops, “eight thousand mail-clad warriors,” many of them hereditary fighters of the Afghan tribe, and their generals were reliable men. [[Muhammad Sultan (Mughal prince)|Muhammad Sultan]], Najabat Khan, and other commanders of the Van, on their elephants kept their ground like hills, while the flood of Rajput charge raged round and round them in eddies. Here the most stubborn and decisive fighting of the day took place. The close combat was so heavy that “The ground was dyed crimson with blood like a tulip-bed.”{{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc= ''Battle of Dharmat'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n249/mode/1up?view=theater 227]}}

The Rajputs, being divided into many mutually antagonistic clans, could not charge in one compact mass; they were broken up into six or seven bodies, each under its own chieftain and each choosing its own point of attack. Thus the force of their impact was divided and weakened as soon as it struck the dense mass of Aurangzib’s Van. {{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc= ''Battle of Dharmat'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n249/mode/1up?view=theater 227]}}

The Maharajah had chosen his position so badly that many of the imperialists standing on the uneven ground could not join in the fight, and many others could not charge by reason of their being cramped within a narrow space. Half the imperial Van, viz., the Mughal troops under Qasim Khan, rendered no aid to their Rajput comrades now struggling hard with Aurangzib’s Van ,they were suspected of collusion with the enemy or of antipathy to the Rajputs. The charge of Jaswant’s Vanguard was not followed up. Aurangzib’s troops, who had parted before the rushing tide, closed again behind them, and thus cut off their retreat. Jaswant, too, was not the Cool wise commander to keep watch on all the field and send reinforcements and the new development made his position untenable.{{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc= ''Battle of Dharmat'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n249/mode/1up?view=theater 227]}}
==Aftermath==
The soldiers had been under arms for more than eight hours of a hot April day. Victor and vanquished alike were worn out by the strife. So, Aurangzib mercifully forbidden pursuit, saying that this sparing of human life was his offering ([[zakat]]) to [[Allah]] {{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc=''Aurengzeb
Thanks Allah for his victory'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n252/mode/1up?view=theater 230]}}

The deserted camp of the imperialists close to the field, contained booty beyond imagination. Hither the victors flocked. The entire camp of Jaswant and Qasim Khan with all their artillery, tents, and elephants, as well as a vast amount of treasure, became the victorious princes spoil, while their soldiers looted the property equipment and baggage of the vanquished array. Long strings of camels and mules, laden with various articles, were seized as prize or pillaged by the common soldiers and camp followers.

But the only question that remains is what advantage did [[Aurengzeb]] really got from his victory ?. As Historian [[Jadunath Sarkar]] says

<Blockquote>''But far greater than all these material gains was the moral prestige secured by Aurangzib. Dharmat became the omen of his future success in the opinion of his followers and of the people at large throughout the empire. At one blow he had brought [[Dara Shikoh|Dara]] down from a position of immense superiority to one of equality with his own, or even lower. The hero of the Deccan wars and the victor of Dharmat faced the world not only without loss but with his military reputation rendered absolutely unrivalled in India.'' {{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc=''Aurengzeb
Thanks Allah for his victory'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n253/mode/1up?view=theater 231]}}</blockquote>
==Reference==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|editor-last1=Sarkar|editor-first1=Jadunath|title=History of Aurengzeb Vol 1,2|publisher=Orient Longman Limited|year=1973|orig-year=1912|url=https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/2015.98676.History-Of-Aurangzib-Vol-12_djvu.txt|oclc=1223182}}{{PD-notice}}
*{{cite book|title=Futuhāt-I-Alamgiri of Ishwardas Nagar|editor-last1=Ahmad|editor-first1=Tasneem|year=1978|publisher=Idarāh-I-Adabiyā-I-Dilli Ltd| oclc=313077940}}
*{{cite book|title=The Mughal Empire|year=1993|publisher=Cambridge University Press|editor-last1=Richards|editor-first1=John F|ISBN=9780511584060}}

[[Category:History of India]]
[[Category:Jaswant Singh]]
[[Category:Mughal Empire]]

Battle of Dharmat

2021-12-24T17:12:13Z

History geek: /* Battle of Dharmat */ new section

{{AFC submission/draft}}


{{Short description|Battle during the Mughal war of Succession (1658-1659)}}
{{infobox military conflict
|conflict =Battle of Dharmat
|partof =Mughal War of Succession (1658-1659)
| date =15 April 1658
| place = Faithabad near the village of Dharmat 33 km from [[Ujjain]], [[Madhya Pradesh]]
| result = Victory for [[Aurengzeb]]
| combatant1 =[[Aurengzeb]]
| combatant2 =[[Dara Shikoh]]
| commander1 =[[Aurengzeb]] [[Murad Baksh]] [[Muhammad Sultan (Mughal prince)|Muhammad Sultan]] Multafat Khan Najabat Khan
| commander2 =[[Jaswant Singh |Jaswant Singh Rathore]] Mukund Singh Hada{{KIA}} Qasim Khan
| strength1 =30000 <ref>{{cite journal|jstor=44147010|title=New Light on the Battle of Dharmat|author=Karuna Joshi|journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress Vol 59|year=1998|pages=427-433}}</ref>
| strength2 = 22,272 armymen along with cavalry 266 Mansabdārs <ref>{{cite journal|jstor=44147010|title=New Light on the Battle of Dharmat|author=Karuna Joshi|journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress Vol 59|year=1998|pages=427-433}}</ref>
| casualties1 = 7000 Horsemen 4000 Mansabdārs 100 Nobles {{sfn|Ahmad|1978|loc=''Casualties'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.131101/page/n53/mode/1up?view=theater 29]}}
| casualties2 =atleast 6000 rajputs(as computed by [[Jadunath Sarkar]]){{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc=''Casualties'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n255/mode/1up?view=theater 232]}}}}
'''The Battle of Dharmat''' was fought during the Mughal war of Succession (1658-1659) by Aurengzeb against the Rajput noble [[Jaswant Singh of Marwar|Jaswant Singh Rathore]] on the open plain of Dharmat on the hot Summer day of 15th April 1658 in which Aurengzeb wins due to advantage in Artillery and Tactics.<ref>{{cite book|book=The History and culture of the Indian People Vol 7- The Mughal Empire|editor-last1=Majumdar|editor-first1=R.C|url=https://archive.org/details/mughulempire00bhar/page/215/mode/1up?q=Dharmat&view=theater|page=215|title=''Dharmat''|publisher=Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan}}</ref>.
==Preparation==
On 6th September 1657, Emperor [[Shah Jahan]] suddenly fell ill due to [[strangury]] and [[constipation]]. He failed to hold darshan and the shops were closed in the bazaars around Delhi. There were rumours rife that the emperor was either dead or Dara was holding his father as a hostage. Only some physicians ,Dara and his sister [[Jahanara Begum|Jahanara]] were allowed to physically see him. The stage was set for the transition of power. Eventhough Shah Jahan later was able to recover from his illness it would still prove costly for him. Seizing the opportunity who was the viceroy of Bengal and Orissa rebelled against the father and Murad Baksh crowned himself as the emperor at [[Surat]]. In contrast to Shuja and Murad, however, Aurangzeb did not take the irrevocable step of crowning himself. Instead, he engaged in a busy secret correspondence with Murad, and, to a lesser extent, with Shuja. Letters written in cipher encased in bamboo tubes passed from runner to runner over special relay posts newly established between Ahmadabad and Aurangabad. Both of them agreed to a joint action against their brothers. As a result they decided to divide the ruling Mughal land amongst themselves.(But this wasn't so as the fact that Aurengzeb was only seeking the Annihilation of all his brothers and gaining the throne for himself later in the war of succession).{{sfn|Richards|1993|loc=''The War of Succession'' p.
[https://archive.org/details/iB_in/1-3/page/n173/mode/1up?view=theater 158-159]}}.

On the 5th February 1658, Aurengzeb left Aurangabad to contest the Mughal Throne. He proclaimed himself ruler and bestowed titles on his children. By the 5th of April he crossed the [[Narmada]] river towards [[Ujjain]].
==Battle==
===The Charge of the Rajputs===
It was a little over two hours from sunrise, of 15th April 1658 when the rival hosts sighted each other. The battle began with the usual discharge of artillery, rockets, and muskets at long range. The distance gradually decreased, as Aurangzib’s army advanced slowly, keeping its regular formation. The [[Rajputs]] were soon engaged in a close hand to hand combat. The Rajputs densely packed within their narrow position, were severely galled by the barqandazes and archers of the princes’ army from front and flank, without being able to manoeuvre freely and give an effective reply. Their losses began to mount up every minute. The Rajput leaders of the Van,— Mukund Singh Hada, Ratan Singh Rathor, Dayal Singh Jhala, Arjun Singh Gaur, Sujan Singh Sisodia and others, with their choicest clansmen, galloped forward. Shouting their war- cry of ''Ram Ram'' “they fell on the enemy like tigers, casting away ail plan.” The flood of Rajput charge first burst on Aurangzib’s artillery. {{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc= 'Battle of Dharmat' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n248/mode/1up?view=theater 226]}}
The guns and muskets fired at point-blank range, woefully thinned their ranks, but so impetuous was their onset that it bore down all opposition. Murshid Quli Khan, the Chief of Artillery, was slain after a heroic resistance and his division was shaken; but the guns were not damaged.

For one point of time the Rajput charge was seeming to overwhelm Aurengzeb's Vanguard but his Van was composed of his most picked troops, “eight thousand mail-clad warriors,” many of them hereditary fighters of the Afghan tribe, and their generals were reliable men. [[Muhammad Sultan (Mughal prince)|Muhammad Sultan]], Najabat Khan, and other commanders of the Van, on their elephants kept their ground like hills, while the flood of Rajput charge raged round and round them in eddies. Here the most stubborn and decisive fighting of the day took place. The close combat was so heavy that “The ground was dyed crimson with blood like a tulip-bed.”{{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc= ''Battle of Dharmat'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n249/mode/1up?view=theater 227]}}

The Rajputs, being divided into many mutually antagonistic clans, could not charge in one compact mass; they were broken up into six or seven bodies, each under its own chieftain and each choosing its own point of attack. Thus the force of their impact was divided and weakened as soon as it struck the dense mass of Aurangzib’s Van. {{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc= ''Battle of Dharmat'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n249/mode/1up?view=theater 227]}}

The Maharajah had chosen his position so badly that many of the imperialists standing on the uneven ground could not join in the fight, and many others could not charge by reason of their being cramped within a narrow space. Half the imperial Van, viz., the Mughal troops under Qasim Khan, rendered no aid to their Rajput comrades now struggling hard with Aurangzib’s Van ,they were suspected of collusion with the enemy or of antipathy to the Rajputs. The charge of Jaswant’s Vanguard was not followed up. Aurangzib’s troops, who had parted before the rushing tide, closed again behind them, and thus cut off their retreat. Jaswant, too, was not the Cool wise commander to keep watch on all the field and send reinforcements and the new development made his position untenable.{{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc= ''Battle of Dharmat'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n249/mode/1up?view=theater 227]}}
==Aftermath==
The soldiers had been under arms for more than eight hours of a hot April day. Victor and vanquished alike were worn out by the strife. So, Aurangzib mercifully forbidden pursuit, saying that this sparing of human life was his offering ([[zakat]]) to [[Allah]] {{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc=''Aurengzeb
Thanks Allah for his victory'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n252/mode/1up?view=theater 230]}}

The deserted camp of the imperialists close to the field, contained booty beyond imagination. Hither the victors flocked. The entire camp of Jaswant and Qasim Khan with all their artillery, tents, and elephants, as well as a vast amount of treasure, became the victorious princes spoil, while their soldiers looted the property equipment and baggage of the vanquished array. Long strings of camels and mules, laden with various articles, were seized as prize or pillaged by the common soldiers and camp followers.

But the only question that remains is what advantage did [[Aurengzeb]] really got from his victory ?. As Historian [[Jadunath Sarkar]] says

<Blockquote>''But far greater than all these material gains was the moral prestige secured by Aurangzib. Dharmat became the omen of his future success in the opinion of his followers and of the people at large throughout the empire. At one blow he had brought [[Dara Shikoh|Dara]] down from a position of immense superiority to one of equality with his own, or even lower. The hero of the Deccan wars and the victor of Dharmat faced the world not only without loss but with his military reputation rendered absolutely unrivalled in India.'' {{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc=''Aurengzeb
Thanks Allah for his victory'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n253/mode/1up?view=theater 231]}}</blockquote>
==Reference==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|editor-last1=Sarkar|editor-first1=Jadunath|title=History of Aurengzeb Vol 1,2|publisher=Orient Longman Limited|year=1973|orig-year=1912|url=https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/2015.98676.History-Of-Aurangzib-Vol-12_djvu.txt|oclc=1223182}}{{PD-notice}}
*{{cite book|title=Futuhāt-I-Alamgiri of Ishwardas Nagar|editor-last1=Ahmad|editor-first1=Tasneem|year=1978|publisher=Idarāh-I-Adabiyā-I-Dilli Ltd| oclc=313077940}}
*{{cite book|title=The Mughal Empire|year=1993|publisher=Cambridge University Press|editor-last1=Richards|editor-first1=John F|ISBN=9780511584060}}

[[Category:History of India]]
[[Category:Jaswant Singh]]
[[Category:Mughal Empire]]

== Battle of Dharmat ==

{{AfC submission|||ts=20211224224213|u=History geek|ns=118}}

Battle of Dharmat

2021-12-24T17:11:10Z

History geek: /* Reference */

Battle of Dharmat

2021-12-24T17:10:09Z

History geek: /* Reference */

{{AFC submission/draft}}


{{Short description|Battle during the Mughal war of Succession (1658-1659)}}
{{infobox military conflict
|conflict =Battle of Dharmat
|partof =Mughal War of Succession (1658-1659)
| date =15 April 1658
| place = Faithabad near the village of Dharmat 33 km from [[Ujjain]], [[Madhya Pradesh]]
| result = Victory for [[Aurengzeb]]
| combatant1 =[[Aurengzeb]]
| combatant2 =[[Dara Shikoh]]
| commander1 =[[Aurengzeb]] [[Murad Baksh]] [[Muhammad Sultan (Mughal prince)|Muhammad Sultan]] Multafat Khan Najabat Khan
| commander2 =[[Jaswant Singh |Jaswant Singh Rathore]] Mukund Singh Hada{{KIA}} Qasim Khan
| strength1 =30000 <ref>{{cite journal|jstor=44147010|title=New Light on the Battle of Dharmat|author=Karuna Joshi|journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress Vol 59|year=1998|pages=427-433}}</ref>
| strength2 = 22,272 armymen along with cavalry 266 Mansabdārs <ref>{{cite journal|jstor=44147010|title=New Light on the Battle of Dharmat|author=Karuna Joshi|journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress Vol 59|year=1998|pages=427-433}}</ref>
| casualties1 = 7000 Horsemen 4000 Mansabdārs 100 Nobles {{sfn|Ahmad|1978|loc=''Casualties'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.131101/page/n53/mode/1up?view=theater 29]}}
| casualties2 =atleast 6000 rajputs(as computed by [[Jadunath Sarkar]]){{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc=''Casualties'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n255/mode/1up?view=theater 232]}}}}
'''The Battle of Dharmat''' was fought during the Mughal war of Succession (1658-1659) by Aurengzeb against the Rajput noble [[Jaswant Singh of Marwar|Jaswant Singh Rathore]] on the open plain of Dharmat on the hot Summer day of 15th April 1658 in which Aurengzeb wins due to advantage in Artillery and Tactics.<ref>{{cite book|book=The History and culture of the Indian People Vol 7- The Mughal Empire|editor-last1=Majumdar|editor-first1=R.C|url=https://archive.org/details/mughulempire00bhar/page/215/mode/1up?q=Dharmat&view=theater|page=215|title=''Dharmat''|publisher=Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan}}</ref>.
==Preparation==
On 6th September 1657, Emperor [[Shah Jahan]] suddenly fell ill due to [[strangury]] and [[constipation]]. He failed to hold darshan and the shops were closed in the bazaars around Delhi. There were rumours rife that the emperor was either dead or Dara was holding his father as a hostage. Only some physicians ,Dara and his sister [[Jahanara Begum|Jahanara]] were allowed to physically see him. The stage was set for the transition of power. Eventhough Shah Jahan later was able to recover from his illness it would still prove costly for him. Seizing the opportunity who was the viceroy of Bengal and Orissa rebelled against the father and Murad Baksh crowned himself as the emperor at [[Surat]]. In contrast to Shuja and Murad, however, Aurangzeb did not take the irrevocable step of crowning himself. Instead, he engaged in a busy secret correspondence with Murad, and, to a lesser extent, with Shuja. Letters written in cipher encased in bamboo tubes passed from runner to runner over special relay posts newly established between Ahmadabad and Aurangabad. Both of them agreed to a joint action against their brothers. As a result they decided to divide the ruling Mughal land amongst themselves.(But this wasn't so as the fact that Aurengzeb was only seeking the Annihilation of all his brothers and gaining the throne for himself later in the war of succession).{{sfn|Richards|1993|loc=''The War of Succession'' p.
[https://archive.org/details/iB_in/1-3/page/n173/mode/1up?view=theater 158-159]}}.

On the 5th February 1658, Aurengzeb left Aurangabad to contest the Mughal Throne. He proclaimed himself ruler and bestowed titles on his children. By the 5th of April he crossed the [[Narmada]] river towards [[Ujjain]].
==Battle==
===The Charge of the Rajputs===
It was a little over two hours from sunrise, of 15th April 1658 when the rival hosts sighted each other. The battle began with the usual discharge of artillery, rockets, and muskets at long range. The distance gradually decreased, as Aurangzib’s army advanced slowly, keeping its regular formation. The [[Rajputs]] were soon engaged in a close hand to hand combat. The Rajputs densely packed within their narrow position, were severely galled by the barqandazes and archers of the princes’ army from front and flank, without being able to manoeuvre freely and give an effective reply. Their losses began to mount up every minute. The Rajput leaders of the Van,— Mukund Singh Hada, Ratan Singh Rathor, Dayal Singh Jhala, Arjun Singh Gaur, Sujan Singh Sisodia and others, with their choicest clansmen, galloped forward. Shouting their war- cry of ''Ram Ram'' “they fell on the enemy like tigers, casting away ail plan.” The flood of Rajput charge first burst on Aurangzib’s artillery. {{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc= 'Battle of Dharmat' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n248/mode/1up?view=theater 226]}}
The guns and muskets fired at point-blank range, woefully thinned their ranks, but so impetuous was their onset that it bore down all opposition. Murshid Quli Khan, the Chief of Artillery, was slain after a heroic resistance and his division was shaken; but the guns were not damaged.

For one point of time the Rajput charge was seeming to overwhelm Aurengzeb's Vanguard but his Van was composed of his most picked troops, “eight thousand mail-clad warriors,” many of them hereditary fighters of the Afghan tribe, and their generals were reliable men. [[Muhammad Sultan (Mughal prince)|Muhammad Sultan]], Najabat Khan, and other commanders of the Van, on their elephants kept their ground like hills, while the flood of Rajput charge raged round and round them in eddies. Here the most stubborn and decisive fighting of the day took place. The close combat was so heavy that “The ground was dyed crimson with blood like a tulip-bed.”{{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc= ''Battle of Dharmat'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n249/mode/1up?view=theater 227]}}

The Rajputs, being divided into many mutually antagonistic clans, could not charge in one compact mass; they were broken up into six or seven bodies, each under its own chieftain and each choosing its own point of attack. Thus the force of their impact was divided and weakened as soon as it struck the dense mass of Aurangzib’s Van. {{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc= ''Battle of Dharmat'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n249/mode/1up?view=theater 227]}}

The Maharajah had chosen his position so badly that many of the imperialists standing on the uneven ground could not join in the fight, and many others could not charge by reason of their being cramped within a narrow space. Half the imperial Van, viz., the Mughal troops under Qasim Khan, rendered no aid to their Rajput comrades now struggling hard with Aurangzib’s Van ,they were suspected of collusion with the enemy or of antipathy to the Rajputs. The charge of Jaswant’s Vanguard was not followed up. Aurangzib’s troops, who had parted before the rushing tide, closed again behind them, and thus cut off their retreat. Jaswant, too, was not the Cool wise commander to keep watch on all the field and send reinforcements and the new development made his position untenable.{{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc= ''Battle of Dharmat'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n249/mode/1up?view=theater 227]}}
==Aftermath==
The soldiers had been under arms for more than eight hours of a hot April day. Victor and vanquished alike were worn out by the strife. So, Aurangzib mercifully forbidden pursuit, saying that this sparing of human life was his offering ([[zakat]]) to [[Allah]] {{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc=''Aurengzeb
Thanks Allah for his victory'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n252/mode/1up?view=theater 230]}}

The deserted camp of the imperialists close to the field, contained booty beyond imagination. Hither the victors flocked. The entire camp of Jaswant and Qasim Khan with all their artillery, tents, and elephants, as well as a vast amount of treasure, became the victorious princes spoil, while their soldiers looted the property equipment and baggage of the vanquished array. Long strings of camels and mules, laden with various articles, were seized as prize or pillaged by the common soldiers and camp followers.

But the only question that remains is what advantage did [[Aurengzeb]] really got from his victory ?. As Historian [[Jadunath Sarkar]] says

<Blockquote>''But far greater than all these material gains was the moral prestige secured by Aurangzib. Dharmat became the omen of his future success in the opinion of his followers and of the people at large throughout the empire. At one blow he had brought [[Dara Shikoh|Dara]] down from a position of immense superiority to one of equality with his own, or even lower. The hero of the Deccan wars and the victor of Dharmat faced the world not only without loss but with his military reputation rendered absolutely unrivalled in India.'' {{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc=''Aurengzeb
Thanks Allah for his victory'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n253/mode/1up?view=theater 231]}}</blockquote>
==Reference==
{{/reflist}}
==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|editor-last1=Sarkar|editor-first1=Jadunath|title=History of Aurengzeb Vol 1,2|publisher=Orient Longman Limited|year=1973|orig-year=1912|url=https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/2015.98676.History-Of-Aurangzib-Vol-12_djvu.txt|oclc=1223182}}{{PD-notice}}
*{{cite book|title=Futuhāt-I-Alamgiri of Ishwardas Nagar|editor-last1=Ahmad|editor-first1=Tasneem|year=1978|publisher=Idarāh-I-Adabiyā-I-Dilli Ltd| oclc=313077940}}
*{{cite book|title=The Mughal Empire|year=1993|publisher=Cambridge University Press|editor-last1=Richards|editor-first1=John F|ISBN=9780511584060}}

[[Category:History of India]]
[[Category:Jaswant Singh]]
[[Category:Mughal Empire]]

Battle of Dharmat

2021-12-24T17:08:52Z

History geek: /* Aftermath */

Battle of Dharmat

2021-12-24T17:06:34Z

History geek: /* Battle */

Battle of Dharmat

2021-12-24T17:05:45Z

History geek: /* Aftermath */

Battle of Dharmat

2021-12-24T17:04:10Z

History geek:

{{AFC submission/draft}}


{{Short description|Battle during the Mughal war of Succession (1658-1659)}}
{{infobox military conflict
|conflict =Battle of Dharmat
|partof =Mughal War of Succession (1658-1659)
| date =15 April 1658
| place = Faithabad near the village of Dharmat 33 km from [[Ujjain]], [[Madhya Pradesh]]
| result = Victory for [[Aurengzeb]]
| combatant1 =[[Aurengzeb]]
| combatant2 =[[Dara Shikoh]]
| commander1 =[[Aurengzeb]] [[Murad Baksh]] [[Muhammad Sultan (Mughal prince)|Muhammad Sultan]] Multafat Khan Najabat Khan
| commander2 =[[Jaswant Singh |Jaswant Singh Rathore]] Mukund Singh Hada{{KIA}} Qasim Khan
| strength1 =30000 <ref>{{cite journal|jstor=44147010|title=New Light on the Battle of Dharmat|author=Karuna Joshi|journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress Vol 59|year=1998|pages=427-433}}</ref>
| strength2 = 22,272 armymen along with cavalry 266 Mansabdārs <ref>{{cite journal|jstor=44147010|title=New Light on the Battle of Dharmat|author=Karuna Joshi|journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress Vol 59|year=1998|pages=427-433}}</ref>
| casualties1 = 7000 Horsemen 4000 Mansabdārs 100 Nobles {{sfn|Ahmad|1978|loc=''Casualties'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.131101/page/n53/mode/1up?view=theater 29]}}
| casualties2 =atleast 6000 rajputs(as computed by [[Jadunath Sarkar]]){{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc=''Casualties'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n255/mode/1up?view=theater 232]}}}}
'''The Battle of Dharmat''' was fought during the Mughal war of Succession (1658-1659) by Aurengzeb against the Rajput noble [[Jaswant Singh of Marwar|Jaswant Singh Rathore]] on the open plain of Dharmat on the hot Summer day of 15th April 1658 in which Aurengzeb wins due to advantage in Artillery and Tactics.<ref>{{cite book|book=The History and culture of the Indian People Vol 7- The Mughal Empire|editor-last1=Majumdar|editor-first1=R.C|url=https://archive.org/details/mughulempire00bhar/page/215/mode/1up?q=Dharmat&view=theater|page=215|title=''Dharmat''|publisher=Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan}}</ref>.
==Aftermath==
The soldiers had been under arms for more than eight hours of a hot April day. Victor and vanquished alike were worn out by the strife. So, Aurangzib mercifully forbidden pursuit, saying that this sparing of human life was his offering ([[zakat]]) to [[Allah]] {{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc=''Aurengzeb
Thanks Allah for his victory'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n252/mode/1up?view=theater 230]}}

The deserted camp of the imperialists close to the field, contained booty beyond imagination. Hither the victors flocked. The entire camp of Jaswant and Qasim Khan with all their artillery, tents, and elephants, as well as a vast amount of treasure, became the victorious princes spoil, while their soldiers looted the property equipment and baggage of the vanquished array. Long strings of camels and mules, laden with various articles, were seized as prize or pillaged by the common soldiers and camp followers.

But the only question that remains is what advantage did [[Aurengzeb]] really got from his victory ?. As Historian [[Jadunath Sarkar]] says

<Blockquote>''But far greater than all these material gains was the moral prestige secured by Aurangzib. Dharmat became the omen of his future success in the opinion of his followers and of the people at large throughout the empire. At one blow he had brought [[Dara Shikoh|Dara]] down from a position of immense superiority to one of equality with his own, or even lower. The hero of the Deccan wars and the victor of Dharmat faced the world not only without loss but with his military reputation rendered absolutely unrivalled in India.'' {{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc=''Aurengzeb
Thanks Allah for his victory'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n253/mode/1up?view=theater 231]}}</blockquote>

==Preparation==
On 6th September 1657, Emperor [[Shah Jahan]] suddenly fell ill due to [[strangury]] and [[constipation]]. He failed to hold darshan and the shops were closed in the bazaars around Delhi. There were rumours rife that the emperor was either dead or Dara was holding his father as a hostage. Only some physicians ,Dara and his sister [[Jahanara Begum|Jahanara]] were allowed to physically see him. The stage was set for the transition of power. Eventhough Shah Jahan later was able to recover from his illness it would still prove costly for him. Seizing the opportunity who was the viceroy of Bengal and Orissa rebelled against the father and Murad Baksh crowned himself as the emperor at [[Surat]]. In contrast to Shuja and Murad, however, Aurangzeb did not take the irrevocable step of crowning himself. Instead, he engaged in a busy secret correspondence with Murad, and, to a lesser extent, with Shuja. Letters written in cipher encased in bamboo tubes passed from runner to runner over special relay posts newly established between Ahmadabad and Aurangabad. Both of them agreed to a joint action against their brothers. As a result they decided to divide the ruling Mughal land amongst themselves.(But this wasn't so as the fact that Aurengzeb was only seeking the Annihilation of all his brothers and gaining the throne for himself later in the war of succession).{{sfn|Richards|1993|loc=''The War of Succession'' p.
[https://archive.org/details/iB_in/1-3/page/n173/mode/1up?view=theater 158-159]}}.

On the 5th February 1658, Aurengzeb left Aurangabad to contest the Mughal Throne. He proclaimed himself ruler and bestowed titles on his children. By the 5th of April he crossed the [[Narmada]] river towards [[Ujjain]].
==Battle==
===The Charge of the Rajputs===
It was a little over two hours from sunrise, of 15th April 1658 when the rival hosts sighted each other. The battle began with the usual discharge of artillery, rockets, and muskets at long range. The distance gradually decreased, as Aurangzib’s army advanced slowly, keeping its regular formation. The [[Rajputs]] were soon engaged in a close hand to hand combat. The Rajputs densely packed within their narrow position, were severely galled by the barqandazes and archers of the princes’ army from front and flank, without being able to manoeuvre freely and give an effective reply. Their losses began to mount up every minute. The Rajput leaders of the Van,— Mukund Singh Hada, Ratan Singh Rathor, Dayal Singh Jhala, Arjun Singh Gaur, Sujan Singh Sisodia and others, with their choicest clansmen, galloped forward. Shouting their war- cry of ''Ram Ram'' “they fell on the enemy like tigers, casting away ail plan.” The flood of Rajput charge first burst on Aurangzib’s artillery. {{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc= 'Battle of Dharmat' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n248/mode/1up?view=theater 226]}}
The guns and muskets fired at point-blank range, woefully thinned their ranks, but so impetuous was their onset that it bore down all opposition. Murshid Quli Khan, the Chief of Artillery, was slain after a heroic resistance and his division was shaken; but the guns were not damaged.

For one point of time the Rajput charge was seeming to overwhelm Aurengzeb's Vanguard but his Van was composed of his most picked troops, “eight thousand mail-clad warriors,” many of them hereditary fighters of the Afghan tribe, and their generals were reliable men. [[Muhammad Sultan (Mughal prince)|Muhammad Sultan]], Najabat Khan, and other commanders of the Van, on their elephants kept their ground like hills, while the flood of Rajput charge raged round and round them in eddies. Here the most stubborn and decisive fighting of the day took place. The close combat was so heavy that “The ground was dyed crimson with blood like a tulip-bed.”{{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc= ''Battle of Dharmat'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n249/mode/1up?view=theater 227]}}

The Rajputs, being divided into many mutually antagonistic clans, could not charge in one compact mass; they were broken up into six or seven bodies, each under its own chieftain and each choosing its own point of attack. Thus the force of their impact was divided and weakened as soon as it struck the dense mass of Aurangzib’s Van. {{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc= ''Battle of Dharmat'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n249/mode/1up?view=theater 227]}}

The Maharajah had chosen his position so badly that many of the imperialists standing on the uneven ground could not join in the fight, and many others could not charge by reason of their being cramped within a narrow space. Half the imperial Van, viz., the Mughal troops under Qasim Khan, rendered no aid to their Rajput comrades now struggling hard with Aurangzib’s Van ,they were suspected of collusion with the enemy or of antipathy to the Rajputs. The charge of Jaswant’s Vanguard was not followed up. Aurangzib’s troops, who had parted before the rushing tide, closed again behind them, and thus cut off their retreat. Jaswant, too, was not the Cool wise commander to keep watch on all the field and send reinforcements and the new development made his position untenable.{{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc= ''Battle of Dharmat'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n249/mode/1up?view=theater 227]}}

Battle of Dharmat

2021-12-24T17:01:37Z

History geek: /* The Charge of the Rajputs */

{{AFC submission/draft}}


{{Short description|Battle during the Mughal war of Succession (1658-1659)}}
{{infobox military conflict
|conflict =Battle of Dharmat
|partof =Mughal War of Succession (1658-1659)
| date =15 April 1658
| place = Faithabad near the village of Dharmat 33 km from [[Ujjain]], [[Madhya Pradesh]]
| result = Victory for [[Aurengzeb]]
| combatant1 =[[Aurengzeb]]
| combatant2 =[[Dara Shikoh]]
| commander1 =[[Aurengzeb]] [[Murad Baksh]] [[Muhammad Sultan (Mughal prince)|Muhammad Sultan]] Multafat Khan Najabat Khan
| commander2 =[[Jaswant Singh |Jaswant Singh Rathore]] Mukund Singh Hada{{KIA}} Qasim Khan
| strength1 =30000 <ref>{{cite journal|jstor=44147010|title=New Light on the Battle of Dharmat|author=Karuna Joshi|journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress Vol 59|year=1998|pages=427-433}}</ref>
| strength2 = 22,272 armymen along with cavalry 266 Mansabdārs <ref>{{cite journal|jstor=44147010|title=New Light on the Battle of Dharmat|author=Karuna Joshi|journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress Vol 59|year=1998|pages=427-433}}</ref>
| casualties1 = 7000 Horsemen 4000 Mansabdārs 100 Nobles {{sfn|Ahmad|1978|loc=''Casualties'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.131101/page/n53/mode/1up?view=theater 29]}}
| casualties2 =atleast 6000 rajputs(as computed by [[Jadunath Sarkar]]){{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc=''Casualties'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n255/mode/1up?view=theater 232]}}}}
'''The Battle of Dharmat''' was fought during the Mughal war of Succession (1658-1659) by Aurengzeb against the Rajput noble [[Jaswant Singh of Marwar|Jaswant Singh Rathore]] on the open plain of Dharmat on the hot Summer day of 15th April 1658 in which Aurengzeb wins due to advantage in Artillery and Tactics.<ref>{{cite book|book=The History and culture of the Indian People Vol 7- The Mughal Empire|editor-last1=Majumdar|editor-first1=R.C|url=https://archive.org/details/mughulempire00bhar/page/215/mode/1up?q=Dharmat&view=theater|page=215|title=''Dharmat''|publisher=Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan}}</ref>.

==Preparation==
On 6th September 1657, Emperor [[Shah Jahan]] suddenly fell ill due to [[strangury]] and [[constipation]]. He failed to hold darshan and the shops were closed in the bazaars around Delhi. There were rumours rife that the emperor was either dead or Dara was holding his father as a hostage. Only some physicians ,Dara and his sister [[Jahanara Begum|Jahanara]] were allowed to physically see him. The stage was set for the transition of power. Eventhough Shah Jahan later was able to recover from his illness it would still prove costly for him. Seizing the opportunity who was the viceroy of Bengal and Orissa rebelled against the father and Murad Baksh crowned himself as the emperor at [[Surat]]. In contrast to Shuja and Murad, however, Aurangzeb did not take the irrevocable step of crowning himself. Instead, he engaged in a busy secret correspondence with Murad, and, to a lesser extent, with Shuja. Letters written in cipher encased in bamboo tubes passed from runner to runner over special relay posts newly established between Ahmadabad and Aurangabad. Both of them agreed to a joint action against their brothers. As a result they decided to divide the ruling Mughal land amongst themselves.(But this wasn't so as the fact that Aurengzeb was only seeking the Annihilation of all his brothers and gaining the throne for himself later in the war of succession).{{sfn|Richards|1993|loc=''The War of Succession'' p.
[https://archive.org/details/iB_in/1-3/page/n173/mode/1up?view=theater 158-159]}}.

On the 5th February 1658, Aurengzeb left Aurangabad to contest the Mughal Throne. He proclaimed himself ruler and bestowed titles on his children. By the 5th of April he crossed the [[Narmada]] river towards [[Ujjain]].
==Battle==
===The Charge of the Rajputs===
It was a little over two hours from sunrise, of 15th April 1658 when the rival hosts sighted each other. The battle began with the usual discharge of artillery, rockets, and muskets at long range. The distance gradually decreased, as Aurangzib’s army advanced slowly, keeping its regular formation. The [[Rajputs]] were soon engaged in a close hand to hand combat. The Rajputs densely packed within their narrow position, were severely galled by the barqandazes and archers of the princes’ army from front and flank, without being able to manoeuvre freely and give an effective reply. Their losses began to mount up every minute. The Rajput leaders of the Van,— Mukund Singh Hada, Ratan Singh Rathor, Dayal Singh Jhala, Arjun Singh Gaur, Sujan Singh Sisodia and others, with their choicest clansmen, galloped forward. Shouting their war- cry of ''Ram Ram'' “they fell on the enemy like tigers, casting away ail plan.” The flood of Rajput charge first burst on Aurangzib’s artillery. {{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc= 'Battle of Dharmat' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n248/mode/1up?view=theater 226]}}
The guns and muskets fired at point-blank range, woefully thinned their ranks, but so impetuous was their onset that it bore down all opposition. Murshid Quli Khan, the Chief of Artillery, was slain after a heroic resistance and his division was shaken; but the guns were not damaged.

For one point of time the Rajput charge was seeming to overwhelm Aurengzeb's Vanguard but his Van was composed of his most picked troops, “eight thousand mail-clad warriors,” many of them hereditary fighters of the Afghan tribe, and their generals were reliable men. [[Muhammad Sultan (Mughal prince)|Muhammad Sultan]], Najabat Khan, and other commanders of the Van, on their elephants kept their ground like hills, while the flood of Rajput charge raged round and round them in eddies. Here the most stubborn and decisive fighting of the day took place. The close combat was so heavy that “The ground was dyed crimson with blood like a tulip-bed.”{{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc= ''Battle of Dharmat'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n249/mode/1up?view=theater 227]}}

The Rajputs, being divided into many mutually antagonistic clans, could not charge in one compact mass; they were broken up into six or seven bodies, each under its own chieftain and each choosing its own point of attack. Thus the force of their impact was divided and weakened as soon as it struck the dense mass of Aurangzib’s Van. {{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc= ''Battle of Dharmat'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n249/mode/1up?view=theater 227]}}

The Maharajah had chosen his position so badly that many of the imperialists standing on the uneven ground could not join in the fight, and many others could not charge by reason of their being cramped within a narrow space. Half the imperial Van, viz., the Mughal troops under Qasim Khan, rendered no aid to their Rajput comrades now struggling hard with Aurangzib’s Van ,they were suspected of collusion with the enemy or of antipathy to the Rajputs. The charge of Jaswant’s Vanguard was not followed up. Aurangzib’s troops, who had parted before the rushing tide, closed again behind them, and thus cut off their retreat. Jaswant, too, was not the Cool wise commander to keep watch on all the field and send reinforcements and the new development made his position untenable.{{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc= ''Battle of Dharmat'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n249/mode/1up?view=theater 227]}}

Battle of Dharmat

2021-12-24T17:00:37Z

History geek: /* Preparation */

{{AFC submission/draft}}


{{Short description|Battle during the Mughal war of Succession (1658-1659)}}
{{infobox military conflict
|conflict =Battle of Dharmat
|partof =Mughal War of Succession (1658-1659)
| date =15 April 1658
| place = Faithabad near the village of Dharmat 33 km from [[Ujjain]], [[Madhya Pradesh]]
| result = Victory for [[Aurengzeb]]
| combatant1 =[[Aurengzeb]]
| combatant2 =[[Dara Shikoh]]
| commander1 =[[Aurengzeb]] [[Murad Baksh]] [[Muhammad Sultan (Mughal prince)|Muhammad Sultan]] Multafat Khan Najabat Khan
| commander2 =[[Jaswant Singh |Jaswant Singh Rathore]] Mukund Singh Hada{{KIA}} Qasim Khan
| strength1 =30000 <ref>{{cite journal|jstor=44147010|title=New Light on the Battle of Dharmat|author=Karuna Joshi|journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress Vol 59|year=1998|pages=427-433}}</ref>
| strength2 = 22,272 armymen along with cavalry 266 Mansabdārs <ref>{{cite journal|jstor=44147010|title=New Light on the Battle of Dharmat|author=Karuna Joshi|journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress Vol 59|year=1998|pages=427-433}}</ref>
| casualties1 = 7000 Horsemen 4000 Mansabdārs 100 Nobles {{sfn|Ahmad|1978|loc=''Casualties'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.131101/page/n53/mode/1up?view=theater 29]}}
| casualties2 =atleast 6000 rajputs(as computed by [[Jadunath Sarkar]]){{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc=''Casualties'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n255/mode/1up?view=theater 232]}}}}
'''The Battle of Dharmat''' was fought during the Mughal war of Succession (1658-1659) by Aurengzeb against the Rajput noble [[Jaswant Singh of Marwar|Jaswant Singh Rathore]] on the open plain of Dharmat on the hot Summer day of 15th April 1658 in which Aurengzeb wins due to advantage in Artillery and Tactics.<ref>{{cite book|book=The History and culture of the Indian People Vol 7- The Mughal Empire|editor-last1=Majumdar|editor-first1=R.C|url=https://archive.org/details/mughulempire00bhar/page/215/mode/1up?q=Dharmat&view=theater|page=215|title=''Dharmat''|publisher=Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan}}</ref>.

==Preparation==
On 6th September 1657, Emperor [[Shah Jahan]] suddenly fell ill due to [[strangury]] and [[constipation]]. He failed to hold darshan and the shops were closed in the bazaars around Delhi. There were rumours rife that the emperor was either dead or Dara was holding his father as a hostage. Only some physicians ,Dara and his sister [[Jahanara Begum|Jahanara]] were allowed to physically see him. The stage was set for the transition of power. Eventhough Shah Jahan later was able to recover from his illness it would still prove costly for him. Seizing the opportunity who was the viceroy of Bengal and Orissa rebelled against the father and Murad Baksh crowned himself as the emperor at [[Surat]]. In contrast to Shuja and Murad, however, Aurangzeb did not take the irrevocable step of crowning himself. Instead, he engaged in a busy secret correspondence with Murad, and, to a lesser extent, with Shuja. Letters written in cipher encased in bamboo tubes passed from runner to runner over special relay posts newly established between Ahmadabad and Aurangabad. Both of them agreed to a joint action against their brothers. As a result they decided to divide the ruling Mughal land amongst themselves.(But this wasn't so as the fact that Aurengzeb was only seeking the Annihilation of all his brothers and gaining the throne for himself later in the war of succession).{{sfn|Richards|1993|loc=''The War of Succession'' p.
[https://archive.org/details/iB_in/1-3/page/n173/mode/1up?view=theater 158-159]}}.

On the 5th February 1658, Aurengzeb left Aurangabad to contest the Mughal Throne. He proclaimed himself ruler and bestowed titles on his children. By the 5th of April he crossed the [[Narmada]] river towards [[Ujjain]].
===The Charge of the Rajputs===
It was a little over two hours from sunrise, of 15th April 1658 when the rival hosts sighted each other. The battle began with the usual discharge of artillery, rockets, and muskets at long range. The distance gradually decreased, as Aurangzib’s army advanced slowly, keeping its regular formation. The [[Rajputs]] were soon engaged in a close hand to hand combat. The Rajputs densely packed within their narrow position, were severely galled by the barqandazes and archers of the princes’ army from front and flank, without being able to manoeuvre freely and give an effective reply. Their losses began to mount up every minute. The Rajput leaders of the Van,— Mukund Singh Hada, Ratan Singh Rathor, Dayal Singh Jhala, Arjun Singh Gaur, Sujan Singh Sisodia and others, with their choicest clansmen, galloped forward. Shouting their war- cry of ''Ram Ram'' “they fell on the enemy like tigers, casting away ail plan.” The flood of Rajput charge first burst on Aurangzib’s artillery. {{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc= 'Battle of Dharmat' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n248/mode/1up?view=theater 226]}}
The guns and muskets fired at point-blank range, woefully thinned their ranks, but so impetuous was their onset that it bore down all opposition. Murshid Quli Khan, the Chief of Artillery, was slain after a heroic resistance and his division was shaken; but the guns were not damaged.

For one point of time the Rajput charge was seeming to overwhelm Aurengzeb's Vanguard but his Van was composed of his most picked troops, “eight thousand mail-clad warriors,” many of them hereditary fighters of the Afghan tribe, and their generals were reliable men. [[Muhammad Sultan (Mughal prince)|Muhammad Sultan]], Najabat Khan, and other commanders of the Van, on their elephants kept their ground like hills, while the flood of Rajput charge raged round and round them in eddies. Here the most stubborn and decisive fighting of the day took place. The close combat was so heavy that “The ground was dyed crimson with blood like a tulip-bed.”{{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc= ''Battle of Dharmat'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n249/mode/1up?view=theater 227]}}

The Rajputs, being divided into many mutually antagonistic clans, could not charge in one compact mass; they were broken up into six or seven bodies, each under its own chieftain and each choosing its own point of attack. Thus the force of their impact was divided and weakened as soon as it struck the dense mass of Aurangzib’s Van. {{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc= ''Battle of Dharmat'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n249/mode/1up?view=theater 227]}}

The Maharajah had chosen his position so badly that many of the imperialists standing on the uneven ground could not join in the fight, and many others could not charge by reason of their being cramped within a narrow space. Half the imperial Van, viz., the Mughal troops under Qasim Khan, rendered no aid to their Rajput comrades now struggling hard with Aurangzib’s Van ,they were suspected of collusion with the enemy or of antipathy to the Rajputs. The charge of Jaswant’s Vanguard was not followed up. Aurangzib’s troops, who had parted before the rushing tide, closed again behind them, and thus cut off their retreat. Jaswant, too, was not the Cool wise commander to keep watch on all the field and send reinforcements and the new development made his position untenable.{{sfn|Sarkar|1973|loc= ''Battle of Dharmat'' pp.
[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98676/page/n249/mode/1up?view=theater 227]}}

Battle of Dharmat

2021-12-24T16:58:59Z

History geek:

Battle of Dharmat

2021-12-24T16:57:59Z

History geek:

Battle of Dharmat

2021-12-24T16:55:35Z

History geek: Created page with "{{AFC submission/draft}}  {{Short description|Battle during the Mughal war of Succession (1658-1659)}} {{infobox military conflict |conflict =Battle of Dharmat |partof =Mughal War of Succession (1658-1659) | date =15 April 1658 | place = Faithabad near the village of Dharmat 33 km from Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh | result = Victory for Aurengzeb | combatant1 =Aurengzeb | combatant2 =D..."

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2021-12-24T16:47:34Z

History geek:

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== Laaa ==

[[Battle of Dharmat]]

[[Battle of Dharmat]]

User talk:History geek

2021-12-24T16:41:24Z

History geek: /* Laaa */ new section

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== Laaa ==

[[Battle of Dharmat]]