The Mughal empire and Akbar

Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar (1556-1605) was the greatest of the Mughal emperors. He is considered as the architect of the Mughal empire in India and it was during his reign that the Mughal empire covered almost the whole of India from Afghanistan in the north to the river Godavari in the south. Born on 15^th October 1542 in Sindh and who became the king at the age of 14 before assuming imperial power Akbar is known in history for his religious tolerance and as a patron of the arts, architecture and for his introduction of the Mansabdari system of administration in the Mughal empire.

The Mughal empire had been established by Akbar’s grandfather Babur by defeating the last sultan of the Delhi Sultanate Ibrahim Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat in 1526.After Babur’s death in 1530 his son Humayun became the next Mughal emperor. But he failed to maintain the conquests of his father and was driven in to exile by Sher Shah Suri of the Sur dynasty. After the death of Sher Shah Suri in 1545 Humayun took advantage of the weakness of the Sur empire and managed to regain power in 1555 but ruled only for a few months before he died in 1556.Humayun’s confidant Bairam Khan helped Akbar to gain the throne at the age of 14 and acted as his regent. But the kingdom which Akbar inherited from his father Humayun was only confined to Punjab and the Afghans were still challenging the Mughals in north India.

The Afghan general Hemu had captured Gwalior and Agra and had defeated Akbar’s forces in the Battle of Delhi in October 1556.However at the Second Battle of Panipat fought on 5^th November 1556 the Mughal forces led by Bairam Khan and Akbar defeated Hemu which eventually paved the way for the reestablishment of Mughal rule in India. After the Second Battle of Panipat Akbar occupied Delhi, Agra and Gwalior. Akbar furthered his conquests to include Kabul, Kashmir, Sindh, Baluchistan and Kandahar in northern India. Gujarat, Bengal and Orissa were also annexed to the Mughal empire. Akbar turned his attention towards the south and conquered Khandesh, Ahmednagar, Bijapur and Golconda. However, it was the kingdom of Mewar which resisted against the Mughals. The Battle of Haldighati fought in 1576 between Maharana Pratap of Mewar and the Mughals finally led to the annexation of Mewar by Akbar.

Akbar’s success in maintaining his empire is attributed to his tolerant religious policies and his appointment of Rajputs in his administration. Through diplomacy and matrimonial alliances Akbar had won the confidence of the Rajputs and this was visible in his appointment of Rajputs to top administrative posts. He did not force Islam on the majority Hindu population of India, and he was the first Muslim ruler to have abolished jazia (poll tax on non-Muslims) in the year 1579.

In religion Akbar was liberal and he participated in the festivals of other faiths and in 1575 in Fatehpur Sikri he built a temple(Ibadat Khana) where he held frequent discussions with people of other faiths including Hindus,Zoroastrians,Christians,yogis and other sects.He also allowed the Jesuits to build a church at Agra and banned the slaughter of cattle due to his respect for Hindu customs.

Akbar also started the Sulh-i-Kul which in Arabic means peace with all. The Din-i-Ilahi founded by Akbar in 1582 had its origin in the Sulh-i-kul and it combined and promoted interfaith dialogue and equal treatment for all regardless of religious beliefs. The Din-i-Ilahi combined mysticism, philosophy and nature worship. Its ideas were an amalgamation of different religious beliefs.

The Infallibility Decree issued by Akbar in 1579 weakened the power of the Ulemas and the Mullahs. According to this decree Akbar became the supreme arbiter in religious and civil affairs. Akbar himself started the practice of reading Khutba from the Fatehpuri mosque in Agra.

In administration the Mansabdari system was introduced by Akbar. The term mansab stands for position, status or rank and it was the hierarchy of mansabdars which constituted an important part in the Mughal administration. The mansabdars belonged to the nobility and under this system the mansabdars or nobles were granted the rights to hold a jagir which means revenue assignments for their services rendered and these nobles were in the direct control of the king. Mansabdars were either paid in cash(naqad) or in the form of assignments of land(jagir)out of which they had the right for the collection of land revenue and other taxes through an authority appointed by the emperor.

Thus the Mansabdari system and the jagirdari system became an integral part of the Mughal dministration.The mansab or rank was designated by dual representation one by personal rank(zat) and the other by cavalry rank(sawar).The mansabdars  were given both ranks of zat and sawar and the emperor was the sole authority that decreased, resumed and conferred the mansab.

In arts Akbar had navratnas or Nine gems in his court which were Tansen, Birbal, Abul Fazal, Raja Todarmal, Shaikh Faizi, Mulla Do Piyaza, Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khana, Raja Man Singh and Fakir Azao Din. Akbar also ordered the translation of Hindu scriptures into Persian. Sanskrit, Hindi and Persian received royal patronage during the reign of Akbar.In architecture Akbar built the Agra fort and the Buland Darwaza at Fatehpur Sikri. The tomb of Humayun is another architectural masterpiece built during the reign of Akbar. The Agra fort served as the residence of the Mughal emperors till 1638 when the capital of the Mughals was shifted from Agra to Delhi by Shah Jahan.

The role of great women in the Mughal Empire

Image source: Nur Jahan ((History and chronicles, wordpress.com)

Image source:  Mumtaz Mahal (travelogyindia.com)

The Mughal Empire founded by Babur by defeating Ibrahim Lodhi in the First Battle of Panipat was the largest empire in medieval India. After Babur, Humayun came, then Akbar, Jahangir, Shahjahan and Aurangzeb. The role of great Mughal women is largely ignored by historians. From wives to mothers to daughters each of them played an important role in the Mughal period.

They excelled in the arts, poetry, painting, music and administration. It was they who worked behind the curtains acting as regents, and advisors to the Mughal emperors. The most famous of the Mughal  women were Khanzada Begum, Gulbadan Begum, Maham Begum and Bega Begum.When Akbar came to the throne at the young age of 13 foster mothers such as Jiji Anaga and Maham Anaga became powerful. With the growth of the Mughal empire the wives of the emperors gained influence. So there was Harkha Bai, Salima Sultan Begum, Nurjahan and Mumtaz Mahal. As the empire prospered under Shah Jahan unmarried daughters became powerful like Jahanara Begum and Roshanara Begum. Finally under the last great mughal Aurangzeb we have his daughters like Zeb un nissa and Zeenat un nisa.

The early Mughal emperors Babur and Humayun had great respect for their mothers and grandmothers. Babur and his son Humayun had great respect for their elder sister Khanzada Begum. When they were invading India on horseback it was Khanzada  who secured Babur’s’ safety from the Uzbek warlord  Shaibani Khan.

There was no distinction between public and private space during the period of the earlier Mughals. Gulbadan Begum, Babur’s daughter and Humayun’s sister was asked by Akbar her grandnephew to write a biography of Babur and Humayun called Humayunnama. It has been translated in to English from Persian and is a major source about the life of the Mughal Women. With the coming of Akbar to the throne his  foster mother Maham Anaga played a prominent role in the Mughal court. She controlled the empire as regent when Akbar was young. A highly shrewd and ambitious woman she advanced her own authority in the Mughal court. When Akbar married a Rajput princess Harkha Bai it changed its outlook towards the Rajputs and led to a gradual shift in his attitude towards Hindus.

Akbar gave her the title Mariam-uz-Zamani and she bore him a son which later ascended the Mughal throne with the title of Jahangir. When Jahangir became the emperor he married Mehr-un-nissa and conferred on her the title of Nur Jahan meaning light of the world. After her marriage to Jahangir she swiftly rose in ranks and became the real power behind the throne. The emperor consulted her on every matter and her approval was necessary on any imperial seal. In the later years of Jahangir’s reign the Nurjahan junta came to dominate the Mughal court. Itimad ud Daula the father of Nurjahan, Asaf khan, Nurjahan’s brother and prince Khurram (the future emperor Shah Jahan) formed an alliance which came to be known as the Nur Jahan junta. Asaf Khan married his daughter Arjumand Banu Begum (Mumtaz Mahal) to prince Khurram (Shah jahan). Shah Jahan conferred on her the title of Mumtaz Mahal and the TajMahal was built by Shah Jahan in the memory of his favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal. Mumtaz Mahal was a religious woman and she took keen interest in the day to day administration of the empire. She had no political aspirations in contrast to her aunt Nur Jahan who wielded considerable influence in the Mughal court during the reign of Jahangir. She bore Shah Jahan fourteen children and died an untimely death in 1631. The TajMahal at Agra was built by Shah Jahan as the final resting place for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. Shah jahan’s daughters Jahanara and Roshanara also played an active role in the Mughal court. When the war of succession broke out between Dara Shikoh and Aurangzeb over the Mughal throne. Jahanara supported his brother the heir apparent Dara Shikoh. Eventually Aurangzeb ascended the mughal throne by defeating and killing all his brothers.

Aurangzeb’s daughters Zeb un nissa and Zeenat un nissa also held important positions during his reign. Both were known for their deep knowledge of Islam and extensive charity. Aurangzeb’s chief wife Dilras Banu Begum also known as Rabia-ud-daurani had a deep influence over his religious policies.

Thus it can be said that the role of the great women in the Mughal Empire cannot be underestimated. They played different roles as wives, mothers and daughters. From, the beginnings of the empire by Babur till the death of Aurangzeb in 1707.  It was the Mughal women who worked as the real power behind the throne of the Mughal emperors.