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Dara Shukoh’s Pluralism
—Neena Bansal
Contextualizing Dara
Dara, the eldest son of Shah Jahan, was born on 20 March 1615 in the suburbs of Sagartal lake near Ajmer, after long and earnest prayers at the tomb of saint Muinuddin Chishti by his father, as all the previous children had been daughters. Not much is known about the childhood days of Dara, for the Padshahnama or the official court records of the reign of Shah Jahan talk more about the ranks and promotions, gifts and royal visits in Dara’s life. The Padshahnama of Abdul Hamid Lahori only mentions ‘ba maktab raftan’ or the going to the school of the prince at the age of 13.1 The primary and secondary education of Dara was that of an average Mughal prince, that is, learning Qur’an
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