Okay, so this is a question that’s always intrigued me, and is especially relevant since Delhi is at it again with renaming historic roads willy-nilly.
(A little background first — I have another very serious blog and this is a more casual thing where I intend to jot down random thoughts. Also, pardon me if my conclusions seem idealistic- I am, after all, a dreamer.)
So what if Aurangzeb never graced the Peacock Throne with his pious behind?
Dara Shikoh literally means “Equal of Darius”. Darius was among the greatest of early Persian emperors.
Aurangzeb was never Shah Jahan’s favourite son — the heir-apparent was Dara Shikoh, a gentle and scholarly prince much beloved by the emperor as well as by the vastly Hindu majority of the Mughal’s subjects.