An Immortal Mughal Love Story

Here's a classic love story awaiting the gracious presence that will transcend you to the royal times of the Great Mughal family. While we all are aware of the beautiful love stories that trickle down from the royal chambers like Salim-Anarkali, Shah Jahan-Mumtaz, and Jehangir-Nur, little do we know about a love that remains hidden in the pages of history. This story defied all laws, bent all rules, and came out much more robust- the love story of Rana Dil and Dara Shikoh stays immortal.
 Dance performance by courtesans; Image source: Exotic India Art

Dance performance by courtesans; Image source: Exotic India Art

Did you know that Nritya, the fine art of music and dance, dates back to an ancient era? Now there's an interesting story behind it. It is said that Lord Brahma sculpted the art of Nritya after he had finished memorizing the Vedas at the Nigam Bodh Ghat. Though he wasn't aware of his powers, he suddenly realized that he had released an apsara (celestial nymph) in heaven who emerged from the clouds, dancing in ecstasy.

When apsaras came into being, Lord Indra employed them in his court. Notorious in nature, apsaras would often seduce rishis and munis to end their meditation. Menaka drew Rishi Vishwamitra on Indra's order, who thought Vishwamitra's penance might bring trouble to his paradise. The great emperor Ashoka, too, was dumbfounded by a courtesan named Bindumati, who could make the Ganges flow in a backward direction.

Ugrasen built an architectural marvel for an apsara in Delhi, which is now known by the name of Ugrasen Ki Baoli.

Now the most exciting part comes from the Mughal era, where courtesans and tawaifs played significant roles in the lives of the emperors. The famous writer Pran Nevile wrote about all of this in his book, Passionate Players. In this book, he has talked in great detail about the courtesans, tawaifs, princesses, begums, and biwis and how they influenced the Mughal Kingdom.

Anarkali was Akbar's favorite courtesan until Salim was smitten by her and wanted to marry her. In the next generation, Shah Jahan was taught the art of lovemaking by the royal courtesans before he was married off to Mumtaz Mahal. Aurangzeb, a cruel-hearted emperor, too, was smitten by Hirabai Zainabadi. But after her death, he again married a courtesan named Udaipuri Bai. Aurangzeb's grandson, Jahandar Shah, fell in love with Lal Kunwar, a tawaif of Chandni Chowk, and bestowed the honorific title of Imtiaz Mahal on her.

Lastly, another love story that is not very famous has been narrated repeatedly. This love story never came to the forefront because the protagonists of this story never made it to the royal throne as a king and queen. Buried in the annals of history, this love story has a different charm. Dara Shikoh, the crown prince of the Mughal Empire and the eldest son of Shah Jahan, had a life filled with thorns. Enmity with his brother and sister led him to the mouth of death. But before that, he had a beautiful life with a courtesan named Rana Dil.

Dara had two wives- Nadira Banu Begum, his cousin sister, and Udaipuri Mahal, a Georgian slave girl. But how did Rana Dil make an entry into Dara's life? One fine day when Dara was on his way to handle a royal matter, he saw an orphan named Rana Dil singing and dancing on the streets of Shahjahanabad. He grew so fond of her that he finally married her despite all the opposition. When a destitute became his third and favorite wife of Dara, things began taking an evil turn. Shikoh was a very innocent man, solely devoted to his religion and prayers. Though the favorite son of the emperor, Shah Jahan was always worried about Dara and how he would be able to handle the reigns of the kingdom with a soft heart and an even innocent soul.

Dara loved Rana way too much and ensured she was never deprived of the love, care, and affection that she didn't get as an orphan. But their destiny had other plans. When Aurangzeb finally executed his plan to acquire the throne, he killed Shikoh and his sons in the cruelest manner possible. Nadira swallowed poison after hearing about her husband's death, and Udaipuri joined the harem of Aurangzeb. Still, Rana was the only exception who denied both ways and remained imprisoned for the rest of her life.

Before becoming a begum, Rana was a fantastic singer. To overcome her grief, she would often compose songs in memory of her husband and sing in prison. Aurangzeb had banned singing in his court, but Rana often defied him. Her songs were written so their lyrics would constantly remind Aurangzeb of his misdeeds. He threatened he would cut her into pieces and feed them to the dogs if she continued singing. But Rana being fierce never listened to him.

As time passed, Aurangzeb fell for her and wrote her a letter, expressing his desire to swing using her hair. To teach him a lesson, Dil sent her hair in a silver plate, covered with white cloth, eerily reminding Aurangzeb of how he had cut Dara's head and sent it to Shah Jahan. There was a note in it, saying: "Oh, Emperor, here are the hair follicles you admired." But Aurangzeb did not stop at this. He wrote another letter, expressing his desire to see Rana in his harem daily as one of his mistresses.

After reading the letter, Rana took a knife and scratched her face with it. Wrapping the bloody knife in a white cloth, she sent it to Aurangzeb with yet another note: "Oh, Emperor, the wonderful face you described has now turned quite ugly. I'm sending this blade and fabric as proof. Please realize that till my dying breath, my heart, soul, and body are only Dara's. Let me perish with just his thoughts." Though this love story was left unfulfilled, their love and dedication for each other can match no other love lore.

While Dara gave Rana everything he could, Rana remained loyal and devoted even after his death. She had the confidence to threaten Aurangzeb and show him his nasty side that no one else had. Either she could have joined Aurangzeb's harem and lived the rest of her life surrounded by the comforts and luxuries, or she could have ingested poison and died. But she chose the middle path and decided to take revenge for her husband's death. Aurangzeb destroyed all the chronicles and records that had evidence of Rana and Dara's immortal love, but it still stands the test of time.

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