Battle of Dharmat: Difference between revisions

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.  

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.

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.  

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.  

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