Aurangzeb's Accession and Institutional Change

Timeline

1. c. 1657Agra · AgraIn autumn 1657 Shah Jahan fell seriously ill at Agra; once news spread the four princes rapidly moved to claim the throne. Eldest son Dara Shikoh controlled the Agra court and suppressed the news; second son Shuja declared himself king in Bengal; third son Aurangzeb and fourth son Murad allied in the Deccan and Gujarat and marched north together. The empire's long-standing lack of a fixed succession system erupted violently.
2. 1658Samugarh (outskirts of Agra) · AgraOn 29 May 1658 the allied forces of Aurangzeb and Murad routed Dara Shikoh's imperial army at Samugarh. Dara Shikoh's war elephants broke and fled through command errors, and he himself fled in panic toward Delhi. The battle decided the throne's fate within hours. Aurangzeb then marched on Agra, forcing Shah Jahan to surrender the symbols of royal power.
3. 1658Agra Fort · AgraIn June 1658 Aurangzeb placed his father Shah Jahan under house arrest in Agra Fort after seizing it; on 31 July that year he held a first coronation ceremony in Delhi, taking the title 'Alamgir' (meaning 'World Conqueror'). Shah Jahan thereafter lived sequestered in Agra Fort until his death in 1666, reportedly accompanied and cared for by his daughter Jahanara.
4. 1659–1660Delhi · DelhiIn August 1659 Aurangzeb executed Dara Shikoh on charges of heresy, eliminating the greatest political threat. That same month he held a second, grander coronation in Delhi to strengthen legitimacy. Murad Bakhsh had earlier been lured into captivity (later executed in 1661). By 1660 Aurangzeb's regime was essentially secure and he began systematically implementing his religious and administrative reform agenda.