Jalal-ud-Din Muhammad Akbar (1542-1605)
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Jalal ud-Din Muhammad Akbar,
also known as Akbar the Great, He was born in 1542 and died in 1605 (November
23, 1542–October 17, 1605). His name was changed from Badr-ud-Din Muhammad
Akbar to Jalal-ud-Din Muhammad Akbar.He was the son of Nasiruddin Hamayun, whom
he succeeded as ruler of the Magul Empire from 1556 to 1605. He was Babur's
grandson.The long reign of Akbar has been regarded as the golden age of Mughul
rule. On the eve of his death in 1605, the Mughal Empire spanned almost 1
million square kilometres.
Akbar was only 14 when he
ascended the throne in Delhi, following the death of his father, Humayun. It
took him around two decades to consolidate his power and bring parts of
northern and central India into his realm. He successfully countered external
military threats from the Pashtuns by waging wars against Afghan tribes, and he
defeated Hindu King Samart Hemu Chandra Vikramaditya, also known as Hemu, at
the Second Battle of Panipat.The Emperor solidified his rule by pursuing
diplomacy with the powerful Rajput caste and by admitting Rajput princesses to
his harem.
Akbar was an artisan, warrior,
artist, armorer, carpenter, emperor, general, inventor, animal trainer,
lacemaker, technologist, and theologian. His most lasting contributions were to
the arts. He began a large collection of literature, including the Akbar-nama
and the Ani-i-Akbari, and added art from all over the world to the Mughal
collection.
In order to understand the
reality of religion, he established Ibadat Khana in 1575. Originally, it was a
debating house open only to Sunni Muslims, but following differences of opinion
that used to get uglier due to intolerance, Akbar encouraged Hindus, Roman
Catholics, Zoroastrians, Hains, and even atheists to participate. He founded
Din-i-llahi, or "the divine faith." According to Dr. Iswari Prasad,
it was an electic pantheism containing good points from all religions; it was a
socio-religious order, a brotherhood designed to cement diverse communities in
the land. According to Prof. S. R. Sharma, giving Din-i-llahi the rank of
religion is a gross exaggeration.It had no book, no priesthood, and practically
no novel religious beliefs.
Akbar was also an exact
contemporary of Elizabeth I of England but was the ruler of a far greater
number of people in India than the sparse population of England. The population
of the subcontinent of India at the end of the sixteenth century was estimated
at 140 million people, with most of them living in the territory controlled by
Akbar, between the Himalayas and the Deccan plateau. Compare this with the
population of five million in England and 40 million in Western Europe. Akbar was
indeed a true monarch, and India, with its enormous manpower, quickly became
rich again.
