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Originally Posted by Jens Nordlunde
Ibrahiim, what I dont quite understand, is why you all the time write about Dara Sikoh and not about Jahangir - who was the one who started the interest about the flowers?
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Salaams Jenns, Thank you for your post. As I see it Jehangir and for that matter Shah Jehan have fairly flat, concise and well recorded histories on the subject, however, virtually the entire record of Dara-Shikoh has been manipulated and changed beyond recognition even down to almost entire portfolios of art works that have mysteriously vanished and others that have been erased even to the extent of having been painted out with gold paint (in the case of those artworks containing Islamic script).
Dara Shikoh and Aurangzeb went to war over this clash which ended disastrously when Aurangzeb won and had Dara-Shikoh tried tortured and executed for heresy... and many of the rest of his family persecuted and murdered. Is it therefor any wonder that this aspect grabs attention?
Dara was engaged much of the time with mystics and for a time he became fascinated in merging Islam and Hinduism together...It is the critical period in the mid 1600 s that inspires my attention at exactly the pivotal point that he fell foul of the Machiavellian tactics of his brother Aurangzeb. It can only be left to the imagination what may have transpired had he won against Aurangzeb and how the whole face of decoration not to mention The Mughal Empire and India would have altered...would it not?
Compared to the earthquake in geo-political terms that this event may have precipitated the other actors have a bland uneventful place in history, thus, it is this aspect that I focus in on.. I hope this does not deter anyone examining Shah Jehan or Jehangir's input into aspects of floral design in this era.
In studying The Mughals, Dara Shikoh is essential reading and although the subterfuge planned by Aurangzeb was almost entirely successful I think the more interesting account has yet to be penned...It was he who tried in fuse together floral Hindu art with the geometry of Islamic script. He was trying to unite the two concepts together and with the Mystics he almost did it...and would have performed the incredible feat of uniting two languages to boot...
It is for these reasons that I place into the discussion the Dara-Shikoh dilemma and posit that this contains the real sense in the debate over floral design which shrouds the more important Machiavellian business of The Mughal Empire.
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.