Shah Shuja
Shah Shuja (
June 23,
1616–
1660) was the second son of the
Mughal emperor
Shah Jahan and empress
Mumtaz Mahal.
Emperor Shah Jahan appointed Shah Shuja as the
Subahdar or governor of
Bengal in
1639. In
1642, Shuja was also given the charge of the province of
Orissa. He ruled the provinces for more than twenty years, from
1639 to
1660. During the period there were two short breaks: first in
1647-
1648, when he was with the emperor on his campaigns against rebels in the Afghan passes; and the second in
1652, when he was at
Kabul for about four months from April to July. During the later part of his Subahdari, from
1658 he twice proceeded towards the capital in his bid to contest for the throne.
When Shah Jahan fell ill, a struggle for the throne started between his four sons -
Dara Shikoh, Shah Shuja,
Aurangzeb and
Murad Baksh. Shuja immediately crowned himself the emperor and took imperial titles. He marched with a large army, backed by a good number of war-boats in the river
Ganges. However, he was beaten by Dara's army in a hotly contested
battle of Bahadurpur (in modern
Uttar Pradesh,
India). Shuja turned back to
Rajmahal to make further preparations. In the meantime,
Aurangzeb defeated Dara twice (at Dharmat and Samugarh), caught him, executed him on a charge of heresy and ascended the throne. Shuja marched again to the capital, this time against Aurangzeb. A battle took place on
5 January,
1658 at
Khajwa (Fatehpur district,
Uttar Pradesh,
India) where Shuja was defeated.
After his defeat, Shuja retreated towards
Bengal. He was pursued by the imperial army under
Mir Jumla. Shuja put up a good fight against them. However, he was finally defeated in the last battle in April
1660. After each defeat he had to face desertions in his own army, but he did not lose heart. He, rather, reorganised the army with renewed vigor. But when he was going to be surrounded at Tandah, and when he found that reorganisation of the army was no longer possible, he decided to leave Bengal (and India) for good and take shelter in
Arakan. He left Tanda with his family and retinue in the afternoon of
6 April,
1660 and reached
Dhaka on
12 April. He left Dhaka on
6 May and boarded the Arakanese ships on
12 May at Bhulua (near present-day
Noakhali,
Bangladesh).
Shuja made contacts with
Arakan before his departure from Bengal. His plan was to go to
Makkah and then to
Persia or
Turkey. But as the sea was rough in May and the rainy season, he asked for asylum in Arakan for a few months and help in procuring ships. On his arrival at Mrohaung (Mrauk-U), the capital of Arakan, the king warmly received him through his ministers. A house was allowed for Shuja's stay in the outskirts of the city. But as time passed, the king's attitude to his guest changed; either for getting hold of rich treasures Shuja carried with him, or to get one of the pretty and cultured daughters of Shuja as his spouse, the king picked up a quarrel with Shuja. Shuja, his family and his retinue were tortured to death. A few of his retinue, fleeing to the countryside, could escape the gruesome murder, but none of the Mughal princes or princesses survived.
*
Shah Jahan*
Dara Shikoh*
Aurangzeb*JN Sarkar (ed), History of Bengal, vol II, Dhaka, 1948
*JN Sarkar, History of Aurangzib, vol II, New Delhi, 1972-74
*A Karim, History of Bengal, Mughal Period, vol II, Rajshahi, 1995
