Akbar the Great Legacy

 

Jalauddin Muhammad Akbar notably know as Akbar the Great, was the third Ruler of Mughal Empire. He was the son of Nasiruddin Humayum, born on 15 October 1542 and prospered the power as the emperor in 1556 at the age of 13. He succeeded his father at dangerous phase, he gently inflated the Mughal Empire almost of all Indian sub-continent. He stretched his control and influence due to his military, political, cultural and economic supremacy. He establish a centralized system of administration. He also adopted a marriage alliance and diplomacy. He was one of the greatest emperors of the Mughal dynasty and extended his patronage to art and culture. Akbar laid the foundations for a multicultural empire his reign.

 

Early life

When Sher Shah Suri defeated the second emperor of Mughal dynasty Humayun in the battle of Kanauj in May 1540. Hamida Banu wife of Mughal Emperor Humayun was pregnant at that time. They took shelter from Hindu ruler Rana Prasand. Humayun was in exile so he have to move constantly. He gave the responsibility of Akbar to Kamran Mirza Aksari Mirza Akbar paternal uncles. During his stay with his uncles he learn hunting, fighting using different weapons, shaping to be a great warrior, who would be the greatest emperor of India. He didn’t learned reading and writing in his childhood.

Humayun take the throne of Delhi with the military support of persion ruler Shah Tahmasp in 1555. Akbar was 13 years old when he took the throne of Delhi and Bairam Khan took the post of Reagent for young Emperor. Akbar succeeded the Humayun on February 14 1556 in Kalanaur (Punjab) and became ‘Shahanshah’. Bairam ruled on behalf of the Emperor till he came of age.

In November 1551, Akbar get married to daughter of his paternal uncle Hindal Mirza. Ruqaiya became his chief consort after he ascended the throne.

 

Quest for Power

In the reign of Akbar the Empire was extended to Kabul, Kandahar, Delhi and some parts of Punjab. The Afghan Sultan Muhammad Adil Shah have interest for the throne of India and started the war against the Akbar, young Mughal Emperor. His Hindu general Hemu lead the Afghan army to capture Delhi and Agra after the death of Humayun. Hemu defeated the army of Mughal and the reign of Muslim rulers were ended after 350 years. Hemu took the throne on October 7 1556 and established a Hindu rule in North India.

Akbar, the young Emperor declared a war to reclaim his lands by the direction of His reagent Bairam Khan. The army of Mughal moved to Panipat through Thaneshwar and faced the Hemu forces on 5^th November 1556. Hindu’s army was huge in number 30,000 horsemen and hundreds of war elephants and also have the support of Afghan rulers. The reagent of Akbar Bairam Khan, have placed a skilled generals on the front and he attack from the back side of Hemu army. In the beginning of war the hemu’s army was better position but quick attacks and change in the strategies by Bairam Khan and another general Ali Quli Khan, managed to defeat the Hume’s army. Hume’s was on elephant and he was hit by an arrow near his eye, his elephant driver take away his leader from the battlefield. Moughal soldiers run after him and brought him before the Akbar the great. Akbar reagent Bairam Khan executed Hemu and Mughals were Victorious.

The battle of panipat the beginning of the glory for Mughal reign in India. After the battle of panipat Akbar sought to end Afghan sovereignty that might claim the throne in Delhi. Bairam Khan captured all the supporters and relatives of Hemu and imprisoned them. Sher Shah's successor, Sikandar Shah Sur, was driven from northern India to Bihar and subsequently forced to surrender in 1557. The other Afghan contender for the throne, Muhammad Adil, was killed in battle that same year. Others were forced to flee from Delhi and nearby areas to seek refuge in other states

 

EXPANSION OF KINGDOM        

Akbar attack Malwa, which was important state of strategic and economic importance commanding the route through the Vindhya Range to the plateau region of the Deccan and contain rich agriculture land. He conquered it in 1561.

Akbar was a devious general and he continued to expand the kingdom. Akbar the Great expanded his kingdom over Afghanistan in the north, Sindh in the west, Bengal in the east and Godavari River in the south. Akbar the Great was able to conquer cities and earn the loyalty of his people.   

The independent Hindu Rajputs hindering the rugged hilly Rajputana region, Akbar adopted a policy of conciliation and conquest. Successive Muslim rulers had found the Rajputs dangerous, however weakened by disunity. In 1562 when Raja Bihari Mal of Amber, threatened by a succession dispute, offered his daughter in marriage, Akbar accepted the offer. The Raja acknowledged Akbar suzerainty and he prospered his sons in Akbar service. Akbar followed the same mediaeval policy toward the other Rajputs. They were allowed to hold their ancestral territories, provided that they acknowledged Akbar as Emperor, paid tribute, supplied troops when required and concluded a marriage alliance with him.

Akbar showed no sympathy to those who declined to admit his sovereignty. After long-drawn-out fighting in Mewar, Akbar seized the historic stronghold of Chitor in 1568, he massacred its residents. The fall of Chitor encouraged other rajputs Rajas to accept

Akbar as Emperor in 1570 and to settle marriage alliances with him, although the state of Marwar held out until 1583.

One of the prominent features of Akbar government was the range of Hindu and particularly Rajput participation. He wanted to earn the trust and keep peace in his kingdom so he associate himself with the beaten Rajput monarchs and instead of demanding a high “tribute tax”. He leave them to rule their lands unsupervised.

In 1573 Akbar occupied Gujarat, the land of many ports that controlled India trade with western Asia. After that Akbar start mounting his kingdom towards Bengal a rich country with a unique culture. Bengal was tough to rule from Delhi because of its network of rivers, continuously apt to overflow during the summer monsoon. Its Afghan ruler, who declined to follow his father’s example and acknowledge Mughal suzerainty, was forced to submit in 1575. When he rebelled and was beaten and killed in 1576, Akbar seized Bengal.

In the end of his reign, Akbar the Great started fresh round of conquests. The Kashmir region was subjugated in 1586, Sindh in 1591, and Kandahar(Afghanistan) in 1595. Mughal army now progressed toward south of the Vindhya Range into the Deccan. By 1601 Khandesh, Behar, and part of Ahmadnagar had been conquered to Mughal Empire.

Administration of Mughals

It was Akbar the Great who introduced a central government system intigate into his administration. Akbar was identified for paying for talents, loyalty and intellect irrespective of ethnic background and religious practice. He introduced a system of central government, integrating them into his administration. Akbar was known for rewarding talent, loyalty, and intellect, regardless of ethnic background or religious practice. In addition to compiling an able administration, this practice brought solidity to his empire by creating a base of loyalty to Akbar that was greater than that of any one religion.

In 1574 Akbar reviewed his tax method, splitting revenue collection from military administration. Every governor was answerable for sustaining order in his region while a single tax collector collected possessions taxes and sent them to the capital. This formed check and balance in each region since the individuals with the money had no troops and the troops had no coinage and all were dependent on the central administration. The central government then doubled out fixed wages to both military and residents according to rank.

Religion

Akbar was faithfully curious. He routinely contributed in the festivals of other faiths, and in 1575 in Fatehpur Sikri a walled city that Akbar had planned in the Persian style. He constructed a shrine (ibadat-khana) where he normally hosted scholars from other religions, including Hindus, Zoroastrians, and Christians, yogis, Muslims and many more. He permit the Jesuits to build a church at Agra and discouraged the slaughter of cattle out of admiration for Hindu tradition. Not everybody valued these raids into multiculturalism however, and many called him a heretic.

In 1579 order was issued that the Great Akbar the authority to introduced religious law, overruling the authority of the mullahs. This became known as the “Infallibility Decree,” and it promoted Akbar’s authority to make an interreligious and multicultural state. The disputes among many religious beliefs the Mughal Emperor create his own religion named it ‘Din-e-Ilahi’ in 1582 in which he combine different beliefs from different religions of India. Akbar was centered of the faith as a prophet or spiritual leader, but it did not gain many converts and died with Akbar.

Architecture and Culture

Akbar ordered the construction of many strongholds and tombs during his reign and established a different architectural style that has been named as Mughal architecture by specialists. Among the architectural marvels commissioned during his rule are the Agra Fort (1565–1574), the town of Fatehpur Sikri (1569–1574) with its beautiful Jami Masjid and Buland Darwaza, Humayun’s Tomb (1565-1572), Ajmer Fort (1563-1573), Lahore Fort (1586-1618) and Allahabad Fort (1583-1584). 

Akbar was a great benefactor of art and culture. He could not read and write. He appointed people who read to him numerous matters of art, history, philosophy and religion. He valued intellectual discourse and presented his benefaction to several extraordinarily brilliant people whom he invited to his court. Together these individuals were referred to as the Nava Ratnas or the Nine Gems of Akbar the Great. They were Abul Fazel, Faizi, Mian Tansen, Birbal, Raja Todar Mal, Raja Man Singh, Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana, Fakir Aziao-Din and Mullah Do Piaza. They came from various backgrounds and were revered by the emperor for their special talents. 

Death of Akbar the Great

Akbar gets ill by the attack od dysentery on 3rd October 1605 from which he could not recovered. It is believed that he died on 27th October 1605. He is buried at his mausoleum in Sikandara, Agra.