This is a portrait of Dara Shikoh, the ill-fated Mughal prince. Dara Shikoh was the eldest son of the Mughal Emperor Shahajahan. He was also Shahjahan's favorite, who had declared him as his heir apparent. But after his ambitious younger brother Aurangzeb revolted against their father, arrested him, put him behind bars and grabbed the Mughal throne, Dara Shikoh was eliminated from the race of succession and brutally beheaded by Aurangzeb. In the case of Dara-Shikoh, brutality saw its climax. He was not only beheaded, but his body, along with that of his young son was tied on elephant back and taken around the town to expose it to full public view.

Dara Shikoh was a man of high imagination and creative disposition. He was Sufiana in nature and was hence beloved of Sufi saints, artists and poets, whose company he much relished. But, as Aurangzeb, besides that he had disallowed visual representations and likenesses, had also proclaimed portrayal of Dara Shikoh as an offence deserving capital punishment, the artists did not dare paint him, at least in the Mughal empire. Hence depictions of Dara Shikoh are rare and far between, and whatever little of these were painted by his admirers were done somehow preserved from Aurangzeb's ire.

Dara Shikoh was a man of romantic temperament and spiritual leanings. His costume in this portrait is too simple for the heir apparent of the Mughal Empire, but such attire alone justifies Dara Shikoh. He is seen in prayer with both hands folded, a reflection on this gentle prince who was also an intellectual of the highest calibre.

Descriptions by Dr. Daljeet.
Dr. Daljeet is Curator of the Gallery of Miniature Paintings, National Museum of India, New Delhi.