Why was king Akbar famous?
== == Akbar "The Great" [1542-1605], was one of the greatest
rulers in Indian history. He was born when Humayun and his first
wife, Hamida Bano, were fugitives escaping towards Iran. It was
during these wanderings that Akbar was born in Umerkot, Sindh, on
November 23, 1542. Legend has it that Humayun prophesied a bright
future for his son, and thus accordingly, named him Akbar. Akbar
was raised in the rugged country of Afghanistan rather than amongst
the splendor of the Delhi court. He spent his youth learning to
hunt, run, and fight and never found time to read or write. He was
the only great Mughal ruler who was illiterate. Despite this, he
had a great desire for knowledge. This led him not only to maintain
an extensive library but also to learn. Akbar had his books read
out to him by his courtiers. Therefore, even though unable to read,
Akbar was as knowledgeable as the most learned of scholars. Akbar
came to throne in 1556, after the death of his father, Humayun. At
that time, Akbar was only 13 years old. Akbar was the only Mughal
king to ascend to the throne without the customary war of
succession; as his brother Muhammad Hakim was too feeble to offer
any resistance. During the first five years of his rule, Akbar was
assisted and advised by Bahram Khan in running the affairs of the
country. Bahram Khan was, however, removed and for a few years
Akbar ruled under the influence of his nurse Maham Anga. After
1562, Akbar freed himself from external influences and ruled
supreme. Thanks to Akbar's exceptionally capable guardian, Bahram
Khan, Akbar survived his father's death at a young age to
demonstrate his worth. Akbar's reign holds a certain prominence in
history; he was the ruler who actually fortified the foundations of
the Mughal Empire. Areas not under the empire were designated as
tributaries. He also adopted a conciliatory policy towards the
Rajputs, hence reducing any threat from them. Akbar was not only a
great conqueror, but a capable organizer and a great administrator
as well. He set up a host of institutions that proved to be the
foundation of an administrative system that operated even in
British India. Akbar's rule also stands out due to his liberal
policies towards the non-Muslims, his religious innovations, the
land revenue system and his famous Mansabdari system. Akbar's
Mansabdari system became the basis of Mughal military organization
and civil administration. Akbar was a great patron of architecture,
art, and literature. His court was rich in culture as well as
wealth. In fact, his court was so splendid that the British
monarch, Queen Elizabeth I, once even sent out her ambassador, Sir
Thomas Roe, to meet the king! Many of Akbar's buildings still
survive, including the Red Fort at Agra, and the city of Fatehpur
Sikri, near Agra, which has a 10-km long wall encircling it. It may
come as a surprise for many that a great ruler like Akbar actually
could not read or write! And yet, he had a tremendous love for
learning. During his lifetime, Akbar collected thousands of
beautifully written and illustrated manuscripts. He also surrounded
himself with writers, scholars, musicians, painters, and
translators. His court had the fabled Nine Gems - nine famous
personalities from different walks of life. These included music
maestro Tansen and intelligent statesman Birbal. The reign of Akbar
was a period of renaissance of Persian literature. The Ain-i-Akbari
gives the names of 59 great Persian poets of Akbar's court. History
was the most important branch of Persian prose literature. Abul
Fazl's Akbarnama and Ain-i-Akbari were complementary works. Akbar
and his successors, Jehangir and Shah Jehan greatly contributed to
the development of Indian music. Tansen was the most accomplished
musician of the age. Ain-i-Akbari gives the names of 36 first-rate
musicians of Akbar's court where Hindu and Muslim style of music
mingled freely. The Mughal architectural style began as a definite
movement under his rule. Akbar's most ambitious and magnificent
architectural undertaking was the new capital city that he built on
the ridge at Sikri near Agra. The city was named as Fatehpur to
commemorate Akbar's conquest of Gujrat in 1572. The most impressive
creation of this new capital is the grand Jamia Masjid. The
southern entrance to the Jamia Masjid is an impressive gateway
known as Buland Darwaza. Like most other buildings at Fatehpur
Sikri, the fabric of this impressive gateway is of red sandstone
that is decorated by carvings and discreet inlaying of white
marble. Of all the Mughals, Akbar's reign was the most peaceful and
powerful. During his reign, Akbar managed to subdue almost all of
India, with the remaining areas becoming tributary states. Along
with his military conquests, he introduced a series of reforms to
consolidate his power. Akbar practiced tolerance aimed at
Hindu-Muslim unification through the introduction of a new religion
known as Din-i-Ilahi. He won over the Hindus by naming them to
important military and civil positions, by conferring honors upon
them, and by marrying a Hindu princess. He appointed nobles and
mansabdars without any religious prejudice. Akbar's religious
innovations and policies, and deviation from Islamic dogma, have
been a source of debate and controversy. Akbar was a great patron
of literary works and scholars. His court had numerous scholars of
the day who are well known as "Nauratan". Akbar himself appointed
important regional officers answerable to him. He was able to set
up a chain of informers, officials spied on their colleagues and
reported any misdeeds or suspicious behaviour back to the emperor.
Army commanders were given money with which to pay their soldiers
and Akbar kept detailed records of every man's name and
description. Even the horses were branded. Akbar also introduced a
new and fairer system of taxation based on carefully estimated
tables of crop yields. Tax collectors had their own district tables
and used them to work out how much grain the farmers should
contribute. This contribution was then converted into its cash
value, district by district, because food prices varied in
different parts of the empire. Akbar had three sons Prince Salim,
Murad and Daniyal. Prince Murad and Daniyal died in their prime
during their father's lifetime. However, Akbar faced problems with
Prince Salim and the last four years of Akbar's life were consumed
in crushing Salim's rebellion. Akbar fell ill and died of slow
poisoning on October 27, 1605. With him ended the most glorious
epoch in Indian history.
