| Diler Khan | |
| Office: | Mughal subahdar of Awadh |
| Allegiance: | 25px Mughal Empire |
| Branch: | Mughal Army |
| Serviceyears: | 1660s-1683 |
| Rank: | Mansabdar |
| Battles: | Mughal-Maratha Wars Battle of Bhupalgarh Battle of Purandar Battle of Salher |
| Birth Place: | Peshawar, Kabul Subah, Mughal Empire Modern-day (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan) |
| Death Place: | Hardoi, Awadh Subah, Mughal Empire (modern-day Uttar Pradesh, India) |
| Parents: | Nawab Darya Khan Daudzai |
| Occupation: | Subahdar, sipahsalar |
| Death Date: | 1683 |
Diler Khan Daudzai was a Mughal general who served under Aurangzeb and was the governor of Awadh. He is known to battle and kill Murarbaji, the military general of Shivaji and the in-charge of Purandar Forts.[1] [2] His brother's name was Nawab Bahadur Khan.[3] Nawab Diler Khan and his brother Nawab Bahadur Khan together established the famous district Shahjahanpur located in Uttar Pradesh.[4] He was also responsible for the Mughal victory over Shivaji in the Battle of Bhupalgarh.[5]
He was born near Peshwar,[6] and was son of Nawab Darya Khan Rohilla, a Rohilla Pathan who traced his descent to the Pashtun Daudzai tribe,[7] and a mansabdar who served under the Indian Muslim Mir Bakhshi, Shaikh Farid Bukhari in 1603.[8]
All of Aurangzeb's attempts to overthrow Shivaji went in vain. So he sent Jai Singh, along with Diler Khan to overthrow the Marathas and establish Mughal rule in the Deccan. Diler Khan insisted on capturing Purandar Fort. But Mirza Jai Singh, being a shrewd and experienced general, knew that hoisting the Mughal flag on Purandar will not be easy. So he advised Diler Khan to move his army on Vajragarh. Purandar Fort was a short distance from Vajragarh. If Vajragarh is captured, the Mughal cannons could easily capture the Purandar Fort. [9]
On 13 April 1665, Diler Khan was successful in capturing Vajragarh. The Mughal army under Diler Khan and Jai Singh celebrated the victory over Vajragarh with booming of guns. Diler Khan then turned his attention to Purandar.
On 16 May 1665, Diler Khan faced Murarbaji, the in-charge of Purandar Fort. Murarbaji fought valiantly but was killed by Diler Khan's arrow.[10]
He died in 1683 in Hardoi.[11]