His Highness, The Imperial Prince (Shahzada) Dara Shukoh (Persian: دارا شكوه ‎) (full name and royal title Padshahzada-i-Buzurg Martaba, Jalal ul-Kadir, Sultan Muhammad Dara Shukoh, Shah-i-Buland Iqbal) (March 20, 1615 – August 30, 1659) was the eldest son and the heir apparent of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal. His name دارا شكوه in Persian means "Darius the Magnificent". He was favoured as a successor by his father and his sister Princess Jahanara Begum Sahib, but was defeated by his younger brother Prince Muhiuddin (later the Emperor Aurangzeb) in a bitter struggle for the imperial throne. The course of the history of the Indian subcontinent, had Dara prevailed over Aurangzeb, has been a matter of some conjecture among historians.

Dara was born near Ajmer on 20 March 1615, the eldest son of Prince Shahab ud-din Muhammad Khurram (Shah Jahan) and his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal. When he was 12, his grandfather, Emperor Jahangir, died, and his father succeeded as emperor.

Ali Mardan Khan (died April 1657) was a Kurdish noble at the court of Safavid King Shah Tahmasp but after surrendering the Afghan city of Qandahar to Emperor Shah Jahan in 1638, he was a well recognised figure at the Mughal court.

Ali Mardan Khan was the Safavid governor of Qandahar. He had been in arrears with his revenues. He was summoned by Shah Tahmasp to appear at the court, but avoided doing so. On being dismissed from office, he sought the assistance from the governor of Kabul and the commander of Ghazni. In 1638, he surrendered Qandahar to the Mughals, and took refuge in Delhi. He was honoured at the Mughal court. Shah Jahan gifted one lakh of tankas for himself and two lakhs for his brother and the officers of his army. He was appointed governor of Kashmir, Kabul and Lahore.

He later received the title of Amir al Umara (Lord of Lords) in 1639 and made him a Haft Hazari, leading to commanding an army of 7,000 troops.

He was later appointed as the viceroy of Punjab which at that time stretched from Kabul to Delhi.

Guru Har Rai (Punjabi: ਸ੍ਰੀ ਗੁਰੂ ਹਰਿ ਰਾਇ ਜੀ [ɡʊru həɾ ɾɑɪ]; 26 February 1630 – 6 October 1661) was the seventh of ten living Gurus of the Sikhs who became Guru on 8 March 1644 following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Guru Har Rai, nominated five year old Har Krishan, his youngest son as the next Guru of the Sikhs. The following is a summary of the main highlights of Guru Har Rai's life:

Just before his death at age 31, Guru Har Rai passed the Gaddi of Nanak on to his younger son, the five year old—Guru Har Krishan.

Guru Har Rai was the son of Baba Gurdita and Mata Nihal Kaur (also known as Mata Ananti Ji). Baba Gurdita was son of the sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind. Guru Har Rai married Mata Kishan Kaur (sometimes also referred to as Sulakhni) the daughter of Sri Daya Ram of Anoopshahr (Bulandshahr) in Uttar Pradesh on Har Sudi 3, Samvat 1697. Guru Har Rai had one daughter and two sons: Baba Ram Rai and Sri Har Krishan.

Although, Guru Har Rai was a man of peace, he never disbanded the armed Sikh Warriors (Saint Soldiers), who earlier were maintained by his grandfather, Guru Hargobind. He always boosted the military spirit of the Sikhs, but he never indulged in any direct political or armed controversy with the Mughal Empire. Once, Dara Shikoh (the eldest son of emperor Shah Jahan), came to Guru Har Rai asking for help in the war of succession launched by his half-brother the murderous Aurangzeb. The Guru had promised his grandfather to use the Sikh Cavalry only in defense. He, nevertheless, helped him to escape safely from the bloody hands of Aurangzeb's armed forces by having his Sikh warriors hide all the ferry boats at the river crossing after they had been used by Dara Shikoh in his escape.