15-year-old Prince Aurangzeb (later Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir) facing a maddened war elephant named Sudhakar, June 7, 1633, painting from Padshahnama.
Aurangzeb was noted for his personal courage. In June of 1633, Shah Jahan and his sons were watching a fight between two enormous imperial elephants, Sudhakar and Surat Sundar. At one stage Sudhakar ran in the direction of Aurangzeb. To defend himself, Aurangzeb rode against the elephant and struck its trunk with a spear.
Here the Padshahnama records the moment at which the young prince drove his spear into the elephant's forehead. The elephant then gored Aurangzeb's horse and he was forced to face the beast on the ground; courtiers came to the rescue.
The Padshahnama closed the episode saying: 'the Emperor first drew Prince Muhammad Aurangzeb to the bosom, awarding him all sorts of favors and the title Bahadur (Champion).' Aurangzeb was 15 at that time.
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