8 Strange Deaths in the Mughal Empire

Babur

Babur (reigned 1526–30), the founder of the Mughal dynasty and its first ruler, is said to have traded a life for a life. In the Humayun-nama (“The History of Humayun”), Gulbadan Begum—Babur’s daughter and an eyewitness to the events of the early Mughal court—recounts how in 1530 Humayun’s ill health almost led to an imperial crisis. According to her account, when Humayun fell severely ill, Babur, who favored him over his other sons, became so overcome with grief that he circled Humayun’s bed many times while chanting

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O God! if a life may be exchanged for a life, I who am Babar [Babur], I give my life and my being for Humāyūn.

It is believed that Babur became sick on the very day that Humayun recovered. Over the next few months he became bedridden, his condition worsening until his death on December 26, 1530. Another account claims that Babur may have been given poison during a meal, which led to severe bowel distress and ultimately proved fatal. Gulbadan Begum captures the grief of the moment as “black fell the day, we passed that ill-fated day each in a hidden corner.”

Humayun

Humayun (reigned 1530–40 and 1555–56), who had a close shave with death in his youth, went on to die in a rather unexpected manner. One would expect a king to fall to an assassin’s sword, meet death during a battle, or succumb to some grave illness worthy of courtly lament. Humayun, however, was undone by a misstep—his foot caught in his robe, and he fell to his death from the stairs of his library. The library was situated in the premises of what is now called Purana Qila (“Old Fort”) in Delhi. In Abul Fazl’s Akbarnama (“History of Akbar”) the day of Humayun’s fatal accident is described as routine, with messengers arriving at his court in Delhi and delivering news from all around.

In the evening Humayun stepped out onto the roof of his newly refurbished library. From there he acknowledged the crowd assembled at the chief mosque below. The ruler had summoned the court astrologers to help him observe the rising Venus. He intended to hold a grand assembly and announce promotions when the planet ascended and the hour turned auspicious. As dusk settled, he began to climb down the stairs. He had reached only the second step when a muqri (a reciter of the Qurʾān) gave the call to prayer. The emperor paused to sit in prayer where he stood. The steps were steep, and the stone was slick. As he lowered himself, his foot caught in his robe, and he dropped his staff. He lost his balance and fell headlong. His right temple struck the stone with such force that blood trickled from his ear, and a few days later he passed away.

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Adham Khan

Adham Khan was the foster brother of Akbar and also served as a general in the Mughal ruler’s army. During Akbar’s conquest of the Malwa region in India, Adham Khan was accused of under-reporting the spoils of the war and appropriating much of it for his own use. When news of this misconduct reached Akbar, he marched toward Malwa to punish Adham Khan. Khan was saved by the intervention of his mother, Maham Anaga, who was a foster mother to Akbar. However, Akbar eventually reinstated someone else in Khan’s position and called him back from Malwa. Angered when his ally Munim Khan was replaced by Shams-ud-din as vakil (prime minister), Adham Khan, who was already resentful after his recall from Malwa, stormed into the court with his supporters on May 16, 1562, and murdered Shams-ud-din in the audience hall. He then proceeded toward the women’s quarters, enraging Akbar, who struck him down with his fist. On the emperor’s orders, Adham Khan was thrown from the palace terrace. When the first fall did not prove fatal, he was dragged back up and hurled down again, which finally killed him. Akbar later informed Maham Anaga of her son’s execution; she reportedly accepted the emperor’s decision and died soon afterward. Both were eventually buried in a mausoleum in Delhi commissioned by Akbar. Their tomb, which stands in present-day Mehrauli, Delhi, is built like a maze and is thus called bhool bhulaiya (“labyrinth”).

Dara Shikoh

Dara Shikoh was the eldest son of Shah Jahan and brother of Aurangzeb, the last prominent ruler of the Mughal dynasty. Dara Shikoh was designated as a successor to the Mughal throne by Shah Jahan, which displeased the ambitious Aurangzeb. The war of succession between the four sons Murad Bakhsh, Shah Shuja, Aurangzeb, and Dara Shikoh began when Shah Jahan fell severely ill. Aurangzeb, with his strong military skills, defeated Dara Shikoh at Samugarh in June 1658 and gradually forced him to flee across northwestern India. During this retreat, Dara Shikoh’s authority began to erode. Doubt and mistrust grew within his army, fueled partly by Aurangzeb’s political strategies and the distribution of forged letters that created suspicion among Dara Shikoh’s followers. Deserted by many supporters and eventually betrayed, Dara Shikoh was captured and brought to Delhi. Aurangzeb, who was now in control, chose not merely to eliminate a rival but to legitimize his removal. Dara Shikoh was accused of apostasy from Islam and tried under religious authority. He was found guilty, and in August 1659 he was executed on Aurangzeb’s orders. Historical accounts indicate that Aurangzeb ordered Dara Shikoh’s head to be brought before him, and his body was subsequently paraded through the streets.

Roshanara Begum

Roshanara Begum was Shah Jahan’s daughter and Aurangzeb’s sister. She was a politically significant woman who is believed to have advocated for Aurangzeb during the war of succession and to have exercised considerable influence over his decisions. She reportedly rejoiced at the death of Dara Shikoh. In time, however, Aurangzeb came to believe that her involvement had grown excessive, and he also took issue with her way of life—circumstances that allegedly led to Aurangzeb’s poisoning of her.

Murad Bakhsh

Murad Bakhsh was the youngest son of Shah Jahan and a sibling of Aurangzeb. His death came as a result of Aurangzeb’s efforts to remove all obstacles to his claim on the Mughal throne during the war of succession. In 1658 Aurangzeb, who had already defeated his brothers and seized the Mughal throne, moved steadily to eliminate any remaining threats to his authority. Murad Bakhsh, who served as Aurangzeb’s ally in his campaign against Dara Shikoh, was arrested and confined in the fortress of Gwalior. To secure his right to the throne, Aurangzeb prompted a formal charge against Murad Bakhsh for killing Aurangzeb’s minister, Ali Naqi. The case was pursued through judicial procedure, and Murad Bakhsh was declared guilty. On December 4, 1661, after years in captivity, he was executed inside Gwalior fort.

Zeb-un-Nissa

Zeb-un-Nissa was the eldest daughter of Aurangzeb. She was particularly favored by Aurangzeb and received a comprehensive education. She was a poetess and had a deep interest in religion. She was imprisoned in Salimgarh Fort (a part of Red Fort) in Delhi by her father for more than 20 years for inciting her brother, Muhammad Akbar, to commit treason. She succumbed to an unknown illness and died after suffering for seven days.

Muhammad Farrukhsiyar

Muhammad Farrukhsiyar (reigned 1713–19) was one of the grandsons of Bahadur Shah I (reigned 1707–12). He became the first emperor to be deposed by mansabdars (members of the imperial bureaucracy of the Mughal Empire). According to some accounts, when he ascended the Mughal throne, he lacked strength of character, showed little judgment, and was weak. Though Farrukhsiyar was emperor, the real authority during his reign rested largely with the powerful Sayyid brothers, whose military backing had enabled his accession. Their partnership was strained with distrust and soon turned into rivalry. By early 1719 the Sayyids resolved to depose him, and their forces surrounded his fort in Delhi. The fort was secured, and Farrukhsiyar was replaced by another more compliant ruler, Rafi-ud-Darajat. Farrukhsiyar’s deposition was especially tragic as he was dragged from the female quarters to which he had fled, blinded, and imprisoned. In April 1719 Farrukhsiyar was strangled to death in captivity. He was later buried in Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi.