page_title: Battle of Samugarh
section_title: Conclusion
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Samugarh / Conclusion
caption_attribution_description: English: This plate shows a distant view of Aurangabad, which was the centre of local government and the headquarters for the troops of the Nizam of Hyderabad State even after he moved from there in 1811. Grindlay explains: "The area seen from the ruined palace was called Begumpura, or the Lady's Quarter, and was named after Aurungzebe's daughter, who was buried there. The cupola and minarets of her tomb are to the centre right."
context_page_description: Battle of Samugarh, Jang-e-Samugarh, was a decisive battle in the struggle for the throne during the Mughal war of succession between the sons of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan after the emperor's serious illness in September 1657. The battle of Samugarh was fought between his sons Dara Shikoh and his two younger brothers Aurangzeb and Murad Baksh.
  Dara Shikoh began to retreat towards Samugarh, about 10 miles east of Agra, India, south of the Yamuna River, after Aurangzeb had defeated Dara Shikoh's forces during the Battle of Dharmat. Aurangzeb and his smaller but formidable army then flanked Dara’s fortified line along the Chambal River by finding a little-known and unguarded ford. The battle was fought during northern India's warmest season and Aurangzeb's men were on the march for a very long while. The army of Aurangzeb arrived with yellow banners and flags and fortified their position in front of the heir apparent. Dara Shikoh then tried to protect his rear flank by erecting massive red tents and banners.
context_section_description: Although Dara Shikoh was the most powerful man in the Mughal Empire after his father Shah Jahan, he knew little about the art of war and military command. His loosely knit army eventually crumbled and even refused to aid each other. The ferocious assault by Murad Baksh was very successful, although he was eventually wounded and his horse was killed. Despite being surrounded by the Rajputs and the Deccan Sowars, Murad Baksh managed to protect himself and his Sowars until the end of the battle. He is also known to have killed Raja Rautela through his archery skills. When the battle ended Dara Shikoh and Khalilullah Khan fled towards Sulaiman Shikoh and Aurangzeb was declared the new Mughal Emperor.
  Aurangzeb then marched onwards to Agra which he besieged, however not until he closed down the city's water supply did his father Shah Jahan finally surrender. Shah Jahan was soon imprisoned in the Agra Fort. Later Khalilullah Khan swore an oath of allegiance to Aurangzeb as a Mansabdar. Eventually both Dara Shikoh and Sulaiman Shikoh were captured by the Afghan Malik Jiwan Khan, and handed over to Aurangzeb. Dara Shikioh was paraded through the streets of Agra and later declared a "Non-Muslim" during a smear campaign by Aurangzeb. He was later executed along with his son Sulaiman Shikoh. However Aurangzeb's woes had not ended until the year 1659, when another ferocious battle was fought between Aurangzeb and his elder brother Shuja during the Battle of Khajwa.
caption: Sepoy's loyal to the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, maintain their positions around Agra, in the year 1658.
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