AH 1068 / AD 1658

Murad Bakhsh (1624–1661) was a Mughal prince and the youngest son of Emperor Shah Jahan and Empress Mumtaz Mahal, making him the brother of Aurangzeb, the later Mughal Emperor. His life was marked by the complex power struggles within the Mughal royal family.

Despite being the youngest, Murad Bakhsh was considered a potential rival to his elder brother Aurangzeb. During the succession conflicts, he crowned himself as Mughal Emperor in Gujarat on 30 November 1657, upon reports that his father was ill. 

Murad Bakhsh joined hands with Aurangzeb to defeat Dara Shikhoh, the eldest son of Shah Jahan. In fact, it was the ferocious charge led by Murad Bakhsh and his Sowars that eventually turned the outcome of the battle in favor of Aurangzeb during the Battle of Samugarh.

On 7 July 1658, while he was in a tent with his brother Aurangzeb, he was intoxicated, secretly sent to the prison and transferred to Gwalior Fort from January 1659.

He faced a trial that sentenced him to death for having murdered former Diwan clerk named Ali Naqi, in 1661. Aurangzeb then replaced Murad Bakhsh as the Subedar of Gujarat, and placed Inayat Khan as the new Mughal commander of Surat.

Murad Bakhsh's life reflects the intense competition for power among Mughal princes during a turbulent period in the empire's history. His story serves as a reminder of the political complexities and intrigues that characterized the Mughal court during the 17th century.