The Seven Cities of Delhi
throne at the Shahlimar Gardens, in the year 1658; he assumed the title of Alamgir, but was always known as Aurangzeb. Shah Jahan spent the remaining years of his life at Agra, attended by his daughter Jahanara, and there he died in 1666. He once asked Aurangzeb to permit him to see his palace at Delhi, and Aurangzeb agreed, on condition only that he would make the journey by water. This the old man refused to do, and his son would not risk the possibility of deposition if his father were allowed to make a progress by land, and thus win over the people. Shah Jahan was buried by the side of his favourite wife.
Aurangzeb by this time was firmly seated on the throne, for all his brothers and close relatives were either dead or safely in prison; Dara had been taken prisoner, and brought to Delhi, through the streets of which he was paraded on an elephant ; he was then confined at Khizrabad, near Humayun's tomb. Aurangzeb consulted with some nobles whether he should be allowed to live, and one only proposed the capital penalty,on the ground that he was an apostate from the Mahomedan religion. Aurangzeb, perhaps, remembered that Dara always stigmatised him as "that bigot," and eagerly seized on the pretext,ordering his execution, which was carried out the same night. The head of Dara was taken to228
