[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Studies](https://indike.org/pramana/ins) › [General history and culture](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general) › [The Cambridge History of India, Vol. IV: The Mughul Period](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.burn-1937) › v4.c19.4 # The Cambridge History of India, Vol. IV: The Mughul Period v4.c19.4 The Cambridge History of India, Vol. IV: The Mughul Period v4.c19.4 - **Language:** English ### [v4.c19.4](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.burn-1937.v4.c19.4) Thus, freed for the time being from all danger on the east, Aurangzīb turned his undivided attention to the pursuit of Dārā. That luckless aspirant to the throne was neither a general himself, nor had he the wisdom of being guided by veteran generals whose devotion to him was manifest. His sole strategy was to flee before Aurangzīb's forces, however small, without hazarding any action. His timid and contradictory orders took the heart out of such of his subordinates as were prepared to hold up the advancing vanguard of the pursuers at the rivers of the Punjab, which are so admirably situated to favour a defence by delaying tactics. The result was that Dārā, in spite of his getting possession of the imperial treasuries at Delhi and Lahore (the latter estimated to contain ten million rupees), besides the money and jewels that Shāh Jahān had sent to him from Āgra, could not get time enough to give cohesion and training to the 20,000 soldiers that he had gathered together at Lahore. He merely fled from town to town down the Punjab river at the first news of the arrival of Aurangzīb's troops behind him. The only difficulties of the pursuers came from the heat of the season, the rapidity of the marches they had to make (which led to large numbers of soldiers lagging behind), the exhaustion and death of their horses and camels, and their inability to overtake the enemy and bring him to a decisive action. Dārā had left Delhi on 22 June, 1658, and reached Lahore on 13 July. His rear-guard, holding the Sutlej at Talwandī and Rūpar, had its left turned by Bahādur Khān's crossing the river at Rūpar on 15 August and fell back on the Beās at Govindwāl and finally on Lahore. Once more Dārā's genius quailed before that of Aurangzīb; he despaired of success, and his despair infected his troops. - [Previous: v4.c19.3](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.burn-1937.v4.c19.3) - [Next: v4.c19.5](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.burn-1937.v4.c19.5) - [Up: v4.c19](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.burn-1937.v4.c19) --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.burn-1937.v4.c19.4](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.burn-1937.v4.c19.4) · Pramāṇa