Battle of Samugarh

Battle of Samugarh 1658

After a defeat in the Battle of Dhramatpur, Dara sent a magnificent army which counted 1 lakh horses against the Aurangzeb. But the news of Jaswant Singh’s defeat had already demoralized the royal army. The two armies met at Samugarh, some 13 kilometers from Agra

The army of Dara was victorious in the beginning but in the mid of the fight Dara dismounted his elephant causing confusion. The combined army of Aurangzeb and Murad won and Dara had fled with a few hundred horses.

After this battle, Aurangzeb reached Agra. His attention was now to his most dangerous rival, his old father Shah Jahan. He sent his son Muhammad inside the fort of Agra. Muhammad overcame the guards and turned the palace into a jail. Shah Jahan was locked up now safely. He survived but only 7 years, and never came out of this prison. He was given all the facilities his old age required but not freedom. The father and son never met again. Jahanara nursed her father till he died in 1666, at the age of seventy 76. His body was laid in a tomb near the grave of his beloved late queen.