RAS question
Aurangzeb imprisoned his own father Shah Jahan and seized the Mughal throne after winning the war of succession. In which battle did he decisively defeat his brother Dara Shikoh?
Correct answer: (B) Battle of Samugarh (1658).
Aurangzeb decisively defeated Dara Shikoh at the Battle of Samugarh in May 1658, near Agra, during the Mughal war of succession.
Explanation
The Battle of Samugarh was the decisive engagement in the Mughal war of succession after Shah Jahan's serious illness. Britannica identifies it as a struggle for the throne between Shah Jahan's sons, with Aurangzeb and Murad Bakhsh on one side and Dara Shikoh, the eldest son and heir apparent, on the other. The battle was fought near Agra in May 1658. Although Dara's army was larger, Aurangzeb's force was more experienced, and the battle turned when Dara descended from his elephant at a critical moment, which his troops mistook as a sign of his death. After Samugarh, Aurangzeb imprisoned Shah Jahan and later Dara was captured and executed in 1659.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Battle of Deorai (1659) is not the decisive battle asked here, because the grounded explanation identifies the decisive defeat of Dara Shikoh as Samugarh in May 1658.
- (C) Battle of Dharmat (1658) is wrong because the verified source names Samugarh, not Dharmat, as the decisive throne-contest battle between Aurangzeb-Murad Bakhsh and Dara Shikoh.
- (D) Battle of Khajwa (1659) is not supported as Dara Shikoh's decisive defeat; the prompt explanation and Britannica both attach that outcome to Samugarh.
Concept
This tests the Mughal war of succession, a recurring RAS theme because dynasty politics, military turning points and succession disputes explain major shifts in medieval Indian history. Samugarh matters because it connects Shah Jahan's illness, Dara's defeat and Aurangzeb's seizure of power.