Stories About Famous Precious StonesOrpen, Adela E. (Adela Elizabeth Richards)
History
Stories About Famous Precious Stones
Orpen, Adela E. (Adela Elizabeth Richards)
Gems
Meantime that successful traitor dethroned and then imprisoned his
father, whose grandiloquent title of Shah Jehan (Lord of the World)
became a bitter mockery when designating the prisoner of Agra, and then
he awaited the treachery of some of Dara's so-called friends. In the
course of a twelvemonth, his patience was rewarded. The chief of Jun,
who had reason to be grateful for many favors from Dara, gained an
infamous notoriety by delivering the fugitive prince over to his
usurping brother.
Aurungzeb caused Prince Dara to be publicly paraded through the streets
of Delhi with his little seven-year-old grandson by his side, while the
executioner stood ominously behind him. This pitiful spectacle was
witnessed by all Delhi, and many tears were shed over the fall of Dara,
but "no one raised a hand to aid him," remarks Bernier, who was one of
the spectators. After a mock trial the unhappy prince was sentenced to
death, and a slave with several satellites was sent to the prison of
Gevalior to dispatch him. Dara was engaged in cooking some lentils for
himself and his little grandson, for this was the only food he would
touch, lest they should be secretly poisoned. The moment the slaves
entered, he cried out, "Behold, my son, those who are come to slay us!"
and snatching up a small knife he tried to defend himself and the child.
It was an unequal fight which could but end in one way. The boy was
quickly made an end of, and Dara being thrown down was held by the legs
while one of the slaves cut off his head. The head was then immediately
brought to Aurungzeb, as a certificate that his orders had been duly
executed. The king desired the face to be washed and wiped in his
presence and then, when he saw that it was the veritable head of Dara,
his brother, he fell a-weeping and cried aloud: "O, Dara! O, unhappy
man! Take it away! Bury it in the tomb of Humaiyun."
Such was the fate of Dara, the second owner of the Great Mogul.
In conclusion Tavernier says of the treasures belonging to Aurungzeb:
"These then are the jewels of the Grand Mogul which he showed to me
by a particular grace granted to no other foreigner, and I held
them all in my hand and considered them with so much attention and
leisure that I can assure the reader that the description which I
have given is very exact and faithful, as also of the stones which
I had time enough to contemplate."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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