NEW DELHI: Dara Shikoh, the eldest son of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, worked for communal harmony during his lifetime in the 17th century. Now, over 350 have brought right and left-wing experts on the same page.
Renowned leftist historian Professor Irfan Habib and well-known right-wing archaeologists who held top positions in the Archeological Survey of India (ASI), such as former ADG BR Mani and former regional director (north) KK Muhammed, have expressed agreement with a Delhi-based civil engineer’s findings on Shikoh’s grave.
Sanjeev Kumar Singh, who works in MCD’s Heritage Cell, claimed in 2020 that he discovered the Mughal prince’s grave after meticulous research on contemporary historical texts and architecture in Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi, which has over 140 graves of various Mughal family members. He submitted his research work before an expert committee constituted by the Union Ministry of Culture on January 27, 2020, for the conservation of heritage associated with Dara Shikoh and poet Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khanan. Prof Habib, Professor (Emeritus) at Aligarh Muslim University, in a written communication to Kumar, said that his effort was ‘valuable for a very substantial reason’.
“Dara Shikoh is not only a historical figure in the political history of the Mughal empire but also contributed to intellectual history, notably by his translation of the Upanishads. To seek out where his mortal remains lie today was a very worthwhile project,” Prof Habib said.
He added, “I am not an archaeologist or indeed an architect myself. But as far as I can comprehend, his identification of Dara Shikoh’s grave seems to be quite definitive and should secure general acceptance.”
Both Prof Mani and Muhammed too said he had correctly identified the grave of Prince Dara Shikoh.
Their acknowledgment letter was been signed by three other renowned ASI experts as well, which include former joint director general Dr KN Dixit, former director of Institute of Archaeology BM Pandey, and former director of epigraphy (Arabic and Persian), Dr GS Khwaja. Dr Dixit, Dr Mani, Pandey and Muhammed were on the expert committee.
“It is a matter of great pride for me to get an appreciation for my work from internationally- acclaimed experts. However, it is important that his tombstone should get official recognition from the concerned authorities,” Kumar said, adding that giving official recognition to his work will go a long way in giving due credit to Dara’s contribution to Indian history and culture.
Before Prof Habib, one of the renowned historians with a left-leaning, Dr R C Mazumdar, while quoting another historian Dr Klika-Ranjan Qanungo, wrote in 1934, “It is hardly an exaggeration to say that anyone who intends to take up the solution of religious peace in India must begin the work where Dara Shikoh had left it and proceed on the path chalked out by the prince.”