, where the remains of Dara Shikoh were interred.|left The exact burial location of Dara Shikoh remained a mystery for over two centuries until 2020, when Sanjeev Kumar Singh, an engineer at the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), identified the grave among several marked and unmarked graves in Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi. Singh's discovery has garnered attention from the likes of
Irfan Habib, B.R. Mani, and
K. K. Muhammed. After four years of research, Singh concluded Dara Shikoh’s grave is under one of the three unmarked cenotaphs in the northwestern chamber beneath the dome of Humayun’s Tomb. His claim is based on the
Alamgirnama, a biography of Aurangzeb, which mentions that Dara Shikoh was buried below the dome of Humayun’s Tomb, alongside
Akbar’s sons,
Danyal and
Murad. The relevant passage from the Alamgirnama was translated for Singh by Prof. Aleem Ashraf Khan, Head of the Persian Department at Delhi University. Additionally, Singh has studied the architectural style of the cenotaphs, which he argues aligns with the period of Dara Shikoh’s death.
Archaeologists' views on Singh’s research On 26 February 2020, the Government of India, through the
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), initiated a project to identify Dara Shikoh’s grave from among the 140 graves in the 120 chambers inside Humayun's Tomb. The effort is considered challenging due to the absence of identifying inscriptions on the graves. At least five of the seven members have acknowledged and supported Sanjeev Kumar Singh’s research, agreeing that he had correctly identified the grave of Dara Shikoh. The members supporting Singh's findings include retired ASI Additional Director General Dr. B.R. Mani, retired ASI Joint Director General Dr. K.N. Dikshit, retired ASI Director Northern Region Padma Shri
K. K. Muhammed, retired ASI Director of the School of Archaeology B.M. Pande, and retired ASI Director of Epigraphy (Arabic and Persian) Dr. G.S. Khwaja. These experts have recognized Singh's research as credible, aligning with historical and architectural evidence. Comments from other members, except for Former ASI Director (Archaeology) Syed Jamal Hassan, are not publicly known as the report has not yet been released. Dr. Hassan has expressed doubts, citing the lack of inscriptions and confirming references. Following a
Right to Information query in 2021, the ASI responded that it had not yet found Dara Shikoh's grave. In March 2021, the then culture Minister Mr. Prahlad Sigh Patel stated in the Rajya Sabha that the committee was studying Dara Shikoh’s heritage, but the final report is still awaited. However, Senior Archaeologist and former Director of the School of Archaeology of Archaeological Survey of India, Shri B.M. Pande has said that "Dara's grave has been identified."
Historians' views on Singh’s research Several internationally renowned historians specializing in medieval Mughal India have also supported Singh’s claim. Padma Bhushan
Irfan Habib, Professor Emeritus at Aligarh Muslim University, stated, "I am not an archaeologist or indeed an architect myself, but as far as I can comprehend, the identification of Dara Shikoh's grave seems to be quite definitive and should secure general acceptance." Former Head of the History Department at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Prof.
Harbans Mukhia, commented, "He appears to have definitively and decisively located the grave of Dara Shikoh, which was always known to be located in Humayun's Tomb. He has examined his quarry from every angle—the textual evidence, the architectural features, the meaning of the exact placement of the tomb—and visited the site several times to be certain of his search. At the end of it, he has given proof of the grave's location with no reasonable doubt left." Farhat Nasreen, Head of the Department of History at Jamia Millia Islamia, praised the research, saying, "His research is very fascinating; it is remarkable that through his relentless hard work, he has solved one of the biggest mysteries." Prof. S.H. Qasemi, former Head of the Department of Persian at the University of Delhi, expressed his agreement with Singh's findings, stating, "I have myself gone through the reference to Dara Shukoh's burial in the Alamgirnama and also saw the location identified by Sanjeev in Humayun's Tomb. I can confirm that the location of the grave identified by him completely matches the description of Dara Shukoh’s burial place in the Alamgirnama." Singh has delivered lectures on his findings and research regarding the grave of Dara Shikoh at various esteemed institutions, including
Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), the
India International Centre (IIC), and the
Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts. His research paper, "दारा शुकोह की क़ब्र की खोज - एक अध्ययन" (In the Search of Dara Shukoh’s Tomb - A Study), has been published in Purapravah, an international journal of archaeology and history published in Hindi by the
Indian Archaeological Society. == Tributes ==