|
Battle that went
unnoticed
 June
10 went unnoticed though it is an important date in history, for on
this day in 1707, people of Delhi were waiting with bated breath for
the outcome of the battle of succession between the sons of
Aurangzeb – Prince Muazzam and Prince Azam. The former had
proclaimed himself emperor at Lahore, with the title of Bahadur Shah
I. As the eldest son of the departed emperor he had the right to
succeed his father but Azam was in no mood to relent. The battle was
fought near the village of Jajau, 12 miles from Agra.
Muazzam had left
Delhi on hearing that Azam was planning a sudden attack after moving
from the
Deccan to
Gwalior
and then marching on to Dholpur. His aim was to attack
Delhi
by surprise but Muazzam got wind of his intentions. When the rival
armies met Azam was fatally wounded, his troops routed leaving
Muazzam the victor. When word reached
Delhi of the
defeat of Azam there were celebrations galore as the local
population was behind Muazzam, who though old, was the best claimant
in preference to Azam and Kambaksh. The latter had proclaimed
himself emperor in Bijapur with the title of Defender of the Faith
but he did not get farther than this.
According to a
will said to have been drawn up by Aurangzeb, the Moghul empire was
to be divided among his three sons thus: The occupant of the throne
was to have Agra or Delhi and with Agra were to be given Malwa,
Gujarat, Ajmer and the subas of the Deccan, with their ports. The
possessor of Delhi was to get the 11 subas of the old kingdom from
Punjab to Allahabad and Oudh to the east. His favourite son Kambaksh
was not to be disturbed if he remained satisfied with the sultanates
of Bijapur and
Hyderabad.
However not only
public sentiment but also the Sikhs under Guru Gobind Singh proved
crucial to Muazzam. According to Trilochan Singh, who wrote a
historical sketch of the gurdwaras of Delhi, Guru Gobind Singh, the
last guru, left Punjab for South India on Oct 21, 1706. When he
reached Bhagaur in Rajputana in March, 1707, he received the news of
Aurangzeb’s death and also a request from Prince Muazzam, the heir
apparent, requesting the Guru to give him moral and political
support. Guru Gobind Singh reached
Delhi
and informed Muazzam of his arrival by shooting an arrow into the
walls of the Red Fort.
| |
The Sikhs under Guru Gobind Singh played a crucial role in the
battle of succession between the sons of Aurangzeb |
When the armies
of Bahadur Shah and Azam Shah met at Jajau, Guru Gobind Singh camped
at a little distance ready to send reinforcements if necessary. When
the battle reached a critical and decisive phase, Guru Gobind Singh
entered the fray, and in his final assault on the other side Prince
Azam was mortally wounded. The wounded prince exclaimed: “It is not
Shah Alam who fights against me, God has abandoned me and fortune
has turned against me.”
The Emperor
rewarded Commandant Kuldip Singh and presented robes of honour in
royal style along with bejewelled ornaments worn by kings.
Thus the
friendship that already existed between Bahadur Shah and Guru Gobind
Singh since 1695 became more profound. Guru Gobind Singh had a mind
to visit Punjab but when the Emperor promised to punish all those
officers who had destroyed Anandpur and treacherously attacked him
and killed all his four sons, he decided to resume his missionary
journey to the South.
While the
Emperor went to Agra, Guru Gobind Singh came back to Delhi and
stayed here for the whole of the rainy season. The Emperor also came
to Delhi and there were a number of meetings between the Emperor and
Guru Gobind Singh at the present site of Damdama Sahib near
Humayun’s Tomb.
17
June 2009
|
Read Also