Shah Shuja (Mughal)

Shāh Shujā (June 23, 1616–1660) was the second son of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and empress Mumtaz Mahal.

Governor of Bengal

Emperor Shah Jahan appointed Shah Shuja as the Subahdar or governor of Bengal in 1639. In 1642, Shuja was also given the charge of the province of Orissa. He ruled the provinces for more than twenty years, from 1639 to 1660. During the period there were two short breaks: first in 1647-1648, when he was with the emperor on his campaigns against rebels in the Afghan passes; and the second in 1652, when he was at Kabul for about four months from April to July. During the later part of his Subahdari, from 1658 he twice proceeded towards the capital in his bid to contest for the throne.

Shāh Shujā built the Bara Katra (Bengali: বড় কাটরা) between 1644 and 1646 in Dhaka to serve as his official residence.

Fall of Shahjahan

When Shah Jahan fell ill, a struggle for the throne started between his four sons - Dara Shikoh, Shah Shuja, Aurangzeb and Murad Baksh. Shuja immediately crowned himself the emperor and took imperial titles. He marched with a large army, backed by a good number of war-boats in the river Ganges. However, he was beaten by Dara's army in a hotly contested Battle of Bahadurpur (in modern Uttar Pradesh, India). Shuja turned back to Rajmahal to make further preparations. In the meantime, Aurangzeb defeated Dara twice (at Dharmat and Samugarh), caught him, executed him on a charge of heresy and ascended the throne....
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