The Mughals have left an undeniable imprint upon the Indian landscape; their legacy is seen in the form of culture, architecture and art. Their rule lasted for more than 300 years, from 1526 to 1857. There have been a whole brood of Mughal emperors, but none stood out as much as the first six, the creators of the Mughal legacy. Many of their descendants would take advantage of the riches and power that they had inherited. However, infighting among them paved the way for other princes and ultimately the British to take control.
In part 3-and-a-half, we continue our look at the third Mughal Emperor, Akbar. He reigned from 1556 when he was 13, and was possibly the greatest of the Indian Mughal Emperors. Here, Khadija Tauseef considers his years in power including his military conquests, religious tolerance, his family, his court, and Din-e-Ilahi.
If you missed them, you can read part one in the series on the first Mughal Emperor Babur here, part 2 on Emperor Humayun here, and the start of part 3 on Emperor Akbar here.
Akbar holding a religious assembly of different faiths in the Ibadat Khana in Fatehpur Sikri.
Upon reaching the age of nineteen, Emperor Akbar finally gained sole power over his empire. His reign was filled with constant warfare because he was establishing and consolidating the Mughal Empire. A way to do that was to establish good relations with other powerful communities. Thus in 1562, Akbar married a Rajput princess, which resulted in creating a union with the Rajput community. The Rajputs were a warrior group and they provided Akbar with a strong army. Therefore, marrying into the Rajput tribe made military and political sense. Akbar even began laying the foundations for religious tolerance in his empire, which would make him popular among his non-Muslim subjects.
Religious tolerance
In 1563, Akbar was out hunting near Mathura, a place of pilgrimage of the Hindus. It was on his trip that he discovered that for Hindus to gain access to their holy place they had to pay a tax to his officers, a practice that had been set up by previous Muslim emperors. Akbar felt that it was unfair for his people to pay just to go to a place of worship, so he passed a law which forbid the practice of such taxation. A year later, in 1564, Akbar abolished Jizya (a tax that was supposed to be paid by non-believers). This action made the Hindu community and others happy because the removal of the Jizya tax meant that now everyone was more equal in the Mughal Empire.
Many Muslim rulers before Akbar had Hindu wives; however, Akbar was the one who allowed them to practice their religion freely in the Harem. As his reign progressed, Akbar made many concessions to Hindu customs, even taking part in their ceremonies. Akbar began changing his routines, as Bamber Gascoigne writes:
“…introducing their festivals at court and having newly washed and painted cows brought into his presence after Diwali, letting his hair grow long in a Hindu fashion and adopting a Rajput style of turban, even on occasions wearing the tilak, the Hindu sectarial or ornamental mark made on the forehead.”
Such changes began to alarm the orthodox Muslim communities, who thought that Akbar was moving away from his faith; however, there was a political reason behind such changes. Akbar understood that he needed the consent of both religious groups to maintain stable rule. Also, in his youth he had been greatly influenced by his teacher Mir Abdul Latif, who would emphasize the principle of sulh-i-kull or religious tolerance. Akbar would keep these teachings in his mind.
Militarized Reign
In the beginning of Akbar’s reign, his battles had been assisted by regents. Once he gained complete independence, in 1564, he conquered the kingdom of Gondwana. Then in 1567, Akbar turned his attention to Chitor and in October he arrived outside the fort. However, this victory was not to be an easy one, the fort was strongly built and after months of siege, it was only in February 1568 that Akbar and his army finally breeched the gate of the Chitor Fort. Even though victorious, Akbar sullied this victory when he massacred all the innocents residing within the fort.
There was another hindrance to Akbar’s expansion. Bihar and Bengal were causing problems for the young, ambitious king. But, in 1572, Suleiman Karrani (ruler of Bihar and Bengal) made a weak peace with Akbar. When the two cities were no more a threat, Akbar shifted his focus, and a year later conquered Gujarat. In 1575, Suleiman died, and Akbar used this opportunity to bring Bihar and Bengal under his control.
Threats to Akbar’s reign did not only come from the Hindu kings, but he also faced a threat from his half-brother Hakim. In Kabul, there was a struggle between Hakim and his cousins Suleiman and Shahrukh. Akbar remained alert, keeping his armies ready in case there was a need to fight his relatives. In 1580, Akbar’s fears were realized when Hakim marched on the Punjab and besieged Lahore. Ultimately though, Akbar was victorious in putting an end to the uprisings, which had represented the greatest threat to his empire.
Warfare was not the only method that Akbar used to win over territory. He steadily extended his control over Rajasthan, by marrying into its ruling houses, thus securing alliances with the Hindu Rajputs.
Family
Akbar married 35 times, the first time in 1552 to Princess Ruqaiah Sultan, at the tender age of 9. Out of the 35, 12 women were Rajput princesses. Akbar may have been married to several princesses by the age of 20; however, there was still no heir to the throne. The lack of heirs caused Akbar to worry about the security of the empire that he was creating, and he was disheartened by the absence of a son. He found hope when he heard of the Sufi saint named Sheikh Salim Chishti who lived near the village of Sikri, some twenty miles from Agra. Akbar walked barefoot to Sikri, dressed in simple clothing. He requested the saint to pray on his behalf and to ask God to grant him a son. The saint replied favorably to the king’s request, saying that he would have three sons.
In 1569, Akbar’s prayers were answered when a Rajput princess gave birth to Prince Salim (the future Emperor Jahangir). A year later, Prince Murad was born, followed by Prince Daniyal two years later. Akbar’s empire was secure; it finally had the heir (and the spare heir) it longed for.
Court life of Akbar
Akbar’s court was graced by many intellectuals and creatives; he is the first and only Mughal that had the Navratna (nine gems). The nine gems consisted of very talented individuals: Abul Fazl, Faizi, Todar Mal, Abdul Rahim Khan, Tansen, Raja Man Singh, Faqir Aziao Din, Mullah Do Piaza, and Birbal. Abdul Fazl chronicled the life of Emperor Akbar, Tanzen was a great musician, but the most famous of the nine gems was Birbal. He had a very close relationship with Akbar, their friendship has become famous through media and books.
Akbar was influenced by others throughout his life; therefore, although he continued to grant land and titles to his courtiers, he always kept a close eye upon them to ensure that no one would try to usurp power from him.
Din-e-Ilahi
Akbar’s religious tolerance meant that he wanted religious scholars from different communities to come together for dialogue that would help narrow the gap between them. Therefore, he created the Ibadat-khana, a place where religious debate could be held. Unfortunately, he soon became disillusioned by the attitudes of the scholars who would lose their temper upon minor issues and even abused one another, seeing that no matter how much these scholars argued they could not settle their differences. Akbar had hoped to establish a peace between the different communities but when he saw that would be very difficult, he did something unexpected; he created his own religion.
Din-i-Ilahi means ‘Religion of God’ or ‘Divine Religion.’ Annemarie Schimmel writes:
“There are widely varying interpretations about din-i-Ilahi. Akbar’s opponents considered it to be merely an ersatz religion, and it does appear to have been a kind of esoteric club for select members.”
In contrast Zeenut Ziad argues that it was an order or brotherhood, rather than a new religion. He writes: “For Muslims like Badauni the Din-I Ilahi seemed to mean that the emperor had willingly and wittingly left Islam and now posed as the founder of a new religion; that is, he had assumed, so to speak, a prophetic role.”
Din-i-Ilahi was not followed by many people, and so it gradually ended after Akbar’s death in 1605.
Conclusion
Akbar may not have been the first Mughal to enter India, but he was the one who created a strong empire that was secure for several generations after. He tried to ensure that all his subjects were treated more equally, regardless of their religion. And he expanded the borders of the empire, which ensured that his heirs were left with enough wealth so that they could sustain themselves.
What do you think of Emperor Akbar? Let us know below.
Now, you can read Khadija’s article on “The Fascinating History of Lahore Fort in Pakistan” here.
