Emperor Akbar, also known as Akbar the Great or Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar, was the third emperor of the

Mughal Empire, after Babur and Humayun. He was the son of Nasiruddin Humayun and succeeded him as the emperor in the year 1556, when he was only 13 years old. One of the most successful emperors of the Mughal Empire, Akbar also made significant contribution in the field of art. Apart from commencing a large collection of literature, he also commissioned a number of splendid buildings during his reign. Early Life Akbar was born on 15th October 1542, to Emperor Humayun and his recently wedded wife, Hamida Banu Begum. The Rajput Fortress of Umarkot in Sind, where Humayun and Hamida were taking refuge, became the birthplace of this great emperor. In 1540, Humayun was forced into exile by Afghan leader Sher Shah and Akbar spent his childhood in Afghanistan, at his uncle Askari's place. His youth was spent in running and fighting, rather than learning to read and write. However, this could never impair his interest in art, architecture, music and literature. Humayun recaptured Delhi in the year 1555, with the help of his Persian ally Shah Tahmasp. However, a few months after his victory, he met with an accident and died. On 14th February 1556, Akbar succeeded the throne, in the midst of a war waged by Sikandar Shah for the Mughal throne. Early Rule The first battle fought by Akbar was against Sikandar Shah Suri of Punjab. However, when Akbar was busy leading assault against Sikandar Shah, Hemu, a Hindu warrior, launched an attack on Delhi, which was then under the regency of Tardi Beg Khan. Tardi fled from the city and Hemu claimed the capital. On the advice of his general, Bairam, Akbar launched an attack on Delhi and reclaimed the city. On 5th November 1556, 'Akbar the Great' fought the Second Battle of Panipat against General Hemu. Following soon after was the battle with Sikandar Shah at Mankot. In 1557, Adil Shah, who was the brother of Sikandar, died in a battle in Bengal. Along with fighting against the other rulers, Akbar also solidified his support by revoking the jizya tax on non-Muslims. At the same time, he started wooing the favor of the powerful Rajput caste, at times by marrying Rajput princesses. He expanded the Mughal Empire by including Malwa, Gujarat, Bengal, Kabul, Kashmir and Kandesh, amongst others. In no time, the rule of Akbar was firmly established over the entire Hindustan (India). Final Years

Akbar was greatly troubled in the last few years of his life due to the misdemeanors of his sons. Especially his third son, Salim, was frequently in rebellion against his father. The last conquest of Akbar comprised of Asirgarh, a fort in the Deccan. Thereafter, he faced the rebellion of his son and breathed his last on 12th October 1605. His body was entombed in a magnificent mausoleum at Sikandra city, near Agra. Navratnas Akbar's court had Navaratnas (Nine Jewels), meaning a group of nine extraordinary people. They included: Abul Fazel (Akbars's chief advisor and author of Akbarnama) Faizi (Akbar's poet laureate) Mian Tansen (a Hindu singer who converted to Islam) Birbal (a noble known for his wittiness) Raja Todar Mal (Akbar's finance minister) Raja Man Singh (trusted general of Akbar) Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana (a noble and a renowned poet) Fakir Aziao-Din Mullah Do Piaza

Rajput Policy Rajput policy of Akbar was based on a planned policy of befriending the Rajput and at the same time trying to bring them under his suzerainty. Rajput Policy of Akbar, AkbarRajput policy of Akbar was based on a planned policy towards the Rajputs. Akbar was the first Mughal emperor who pursued such a policy. Akbar was an imperialist and desired to bring under his rule as much territory of India as was possible. Therefore it was necessary to bring the Rajput rulers under his suzerainty. Akbar preferred to befriend the Rajputs instead of turning them into his enemies. He was impressed by the chivalry, faithfulness, fighting skill, etc. of the Rajputs. Akbar wanted dependable allies from among the Indian people instead of depending on foreigners. The Rajputs, therefore, became a good choice. The liberal religious policy of Akbar also directed him to be friendly with them. Akbar thus tried to befriend the Rajputs but at the same time desired to bring them under his suzerainty. Akbar captured strong forts of the Rajputs like the forts of Chittor, Ranthambhor, and Kalinjar. This weakened the power of the Rajputs to offer him resistance. Those Rajputs rulers either

accepted his sovereignty or entered into matrimonial relations with him. They were left masters of their kingdoms and were given high offices in the state and there was no interference in their administration. They were, however, asked to pay annual tribute to the emperor. Those Rajput rulers, who opposed him, were attacked and efforts were made to force them to accept his sovereignty. The case of Mewar is the best example of it. Among the rulers who voluntarily accepted the sovereignty of Akbar was Raja Bharmal of Ajmer. He met Akbar in 1562 A.D., accepted his sovereignty and married his daughter to him. This very princess gave birth to prince Salim. Rajput Policy of Akbar, AkbarAkbar gave high mansabs to Raja Bharmal, his son, Bhagwan Das and his grandson, Man Singh. After the fall of the fort of Chittor a few Rajput states like Bikaner and Jaisalmer voluntarily accepted the suzerainty of Akbar, while some of them entered into matrimonial alliances with him. After the battle of Haldi-Ghati a few more Rajput rulers like that of Banswara, Bundi and Orcha also accepted the suzerainty of Akbar. Thus, most of the Rajput rulers submitted to Akbar without fighting, entered into his service, became his loyal allies-and a few among them became his relatives as well. The Rajput policy of Akbar was a grand success. All Rajput states, except Mewar, accepted the sovereignty of Akbar. Those very Rajputs who were fighting against the Muslim rulers for the last three hundred fifty years submitted to Akbar and participated in the expansion of the Mughal Empire. Akbar was the real founder of the Empire of the Mughals and the first successful conqueror of Rajput independence. Due to the Rajput policy of Akbar, the Rajputs forgot their ideal of maintaining their independent political existence and they gladly pulled up their strength with the Mughal emperor. It was the greatest success of Akbar. It helped in expanding and strengthening the Mughal Empire. Akbar neither forced any Rajput ruler to enter into matrimonial alliance with him nor asked their princesses to accept Islam before marrying them. Besides, he honoured his wives, allowed them to follow their own religion, respected their Rajput relatives and gave them high offices in the state. The Rajputs became loyal supporters of the Mughal emperor because Akbar offered most liberal terms to them in exchange of their services and friendship to him. Akbar simply desired that the Rajputs should accept his sovereignty, pay him annual tribute, surrender their foreign policy to him, support him with their forces when necessary and regard themselves as one with the Mughal Empire. In return, Akbar was prepared to give them liberty in their internal matters, honour them, offer them services in the state according to their merit and provide them complete

religious freedom. The liberality of Akbar was the primary reason of the success of his Rajput policy. AKBARS RELIGIOUS POLICY: Diversity of sects and creeds was the source of strife in his kingdom. As a ruler, Akbar needed goodwill of his subjects across the board, in order for him to consolidate the empire. In this regard, he shaped his policies on the principle of religious tolerance known as Sulh-i Kull (Peace with all). This policy of religious tolerance was basically aimed at proper functioning of political and administrative machinery of the Empire. Nevertheless, Akbar was not the first Muslim ruler in the sub-continent who showed religious tolerance towards his subjects. Muhammad bin Qasim had also adopted such policy of tolerance. Further, Zain al-Abidin introduced similar measures in Kashmir. In fact, Akbar formulated religious policies which not only caused uproars in the circles of orthodox Muslims, but his Muslim subjects considered him as an apostate to Islam. Most controversial policies of Akbar include abolition of jizya, immunity given to Hindu pandits and European Jesuits at the Ibadat Khana, prohibition of cow-slaughter, marriage reforms, discipleship, etc. Perhaps, the most abhorred was the Akbars promulgation in 1582 of the Din-i Ilahi (The Divine Faith). Akbars so-called Din-i Ilahi was an amalgam of Sufism, Hinduism and Zoroastrianism. Many among Muslims took Akbars Din-i Ilahi with a pinch of salt and considered that he had actually abandoned Islam. Vincent Smith and other European historian argue that Akbar had deserted the cause of Islam. On the other hand, Hindu writers, like Sri Ram Sharma in his Religious Policy of the Mughal Emperor, and Makhan Lal Roychoudhry in his Din-i- Ilahi, have generally held that although he followed a tolerant policy, he lived and died a Muslim. The foundation for the misunderstanding of Akbar's religious history was laid by Blochmann in the introduction to his translation of Abul Fazl's Ain-i-Akbari; here he set the pattern for relying on Badauni, Akbar's enemy, rather than Abul Fazl, his friend, for studying Akbar's religious history. The crucial question about Akbar's religious activity is whether he established a new religion or a new spiritual order. The expressions used by both Abul Fazl and Badauni in this connection, however, are iradat or muridi (discipleship) but Blochmann habitually translates these expressions as divine faith, thus converting a religious order (or even a bond of loyalty) into a new religion.

Almost every historian including Badauni, the worst enemy of Akbar, unanimously concur on the fact that in his early period of reign Akbar was an orthodox Muslim. S.M. Ikram remarks: There is every indication that he began his rule as a devout, orthodox Muslim. He said all the five prayers in the congregation, often recited the call for prayers, and occasionally swept out the palace mosque himself. He showed great respect for the two leading religious leaders at the court, Makhdum-ul-Mulk and Shaikh Abdul Nabi. About the emperors respect for Shaikh Abdul Nabi, Badauni in his Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh that: For some time the Emperor had so great faith in him as a religious leader that he would bring him his shoes and place them before his feet. Moreover, Akbar showed his devotion to Khwaja Muin-ud-din, the great Chishti saint. He used to routinely visit the tomb of the saint with great devotion. He always entered Ajmer on foot as a show of respect for the saint. In addition, he built the Ibadat Khana, the House of Worship, which he set apart for religious discussions. The assemblies in the Ibadat Khana had been arranged by Akbar out of sincere religious zeal. Mansabdar Mansabdar was the generic term for the military -type grading of all imperial officials of the Mughal Empire. The mansabdars governed the empire and commanded its armies in the emperor's name. Though they were usually aristocrats, they did not form a feudal aristocracy, for neither the offices nor the estates that supported them were hereditary. The term is derived from Mansab, meaning 'rank'. Hence, Mansabdar literally means rankholder. History Instituted by the Mughal emperor Akbar, mansabdari was a system common to both the military and the Civil department. Basically the Mansabdari system was borrowed from Persia. It was prevalent during the reign of Babur and Humayun. Akbar made some important changes to the system and made it more efficient. Mansabdar was referred to as the official, rank, or the dignity. Two grades delineated the mansabdars. Those mansabdars whose rank was one thousand (hazari) or below were called the Amir. Those mansabdars whose rank was above 1000, were called the Amiral Kabir(Great Amir). Some Great Amirs whose rank were above 5000 were also given the title of Amir-al Umara (Amir of Amirs) ZAT & SAWAR

The Mansabdars were differentiated by the Zat and the Sawar Rank. The Zat referred to the number of troops maintained by the mansabdar and the Sawar referred to the number of horses maintained by the mansabdar. It was dependent on whether the king ordered the mansabdar to maintain more horses than his rank. The categories are shown below: -No. of Sawar = No. of Zat => 1st Class Mansabdar -No. of Sawar = 1/2 the No. of Zat => 2nd Class Mansabdar -No. of Sawar < 1/2 the No. of Zat => 3rd Class Mansabdar A Mansabdar was in the service of the state and was bound to render service when asked. Additionally, they were graded on the number of armed cavalrymen, or sowars, which each had to maintain for service in the imperial army. Thus all mansabdars had a zat, or personal ranking, and a sowar, or a troop ranking. All servants of the empire, whether in the civil or military departments were graded in this system. There were thirty-three grades of mansabdars ranging from 'commanders of 10' to 'commanders of 10,000'. Till the middle of Akbar's reign, the highest rank an ordinary officer could hold was that of a commander of 5000; the more exalted grades between commanders of 7000 and 10,000 were reserved for the royal princes. During the period following the reign of Akbar, the grades were increased up to 20,000 or even more generally rs.20-25 per horse were paid to a mansabdar. Appointment, promotion, suspension or dismissal of mansabdars rested entirely with the emperor. No portion of a mansabdar's property was hereditary, a mansabdar's children had to begin life anew. A mansabdar did not always begin at the lowest grade. The emperor, if satisfied, could and did grant higher or even the highest grade to any person. There was no distinction between civil and military departments. Both civil and military officers held mansabs and were liable to be transferred from one branch of the administration to another. Each mansabdar was expected to maintain prescribed number of horses, elephants, equipment, etc., according to his rank and dignity. These rules, though initially strictly enforced, were later slackened. Senior mansabdars were awarded a jagir (personal fief) rather than a salary. Rates of remuneration, which included both the mansabdar's salary and so much per sowar, were matched by jagirs affording a similar aggregate yield. If their specified yield came to more, the surplus was due to the imperial treasury; if the jagirdar extracted more than the specified yield, he kept it.