Akbar the Great
[14 October 1542 27 October 1605]
Akbar was Mughal Emperor from 1556 untl hs !eath" #e was the
thr! an! greatest ruler of the Mughal $%nast% n &n!a" '(bar
succee!e! hs father) #uma%un) un!er a regent) *aram +han)
who helpe! the %oung emperor e,pan! an! consol!ate Mughal
!omans n &n!a" ' strong personalt% an! a successful general)
'(bar gra!uall% enlarge! the Mughal Empre to nclu!e nearl% all
of the &n!an -ubcontnent north of the .o!a/ar r/er" #s power
an! nfluence) howe/er) e,ten!e! o/er the entre countr% because
of Mughal mltar%) poltcal) cultural) an! economc !omnance" 0o
unf% the /ast Mughal state) '(bar establshe! a central1e!
s%stem of a!mnstraton throughout hs empre an! a!opte! a
polc% of conclatng con2uere! rulers through marrage an!
!plomac%"
'(bar3s regn sgnfcantl% nfluence! the course of &n!an hstor%" $urng hs rule) the Mughal
empre trple! n s1e an! wealth" #e create! a powerful mltar% s%stem an! nsttute!
effect/e poltcal an! socal reforms" *% abolshng the sectaran ta, on non4Muslms an!
appontng them to hgh c/l an! mltar% posts) he was the frst Mughal ruler to wn the trust
an! lo%alt% of the nat/e sub5ects" #e ha! -ans(rt lterature translate!) partcpate! n nat/e
fest/als) real1ng that a stable empre !epen!e! on the co4operaton an! goo!4wll of hs
sub5ects" 0hus) the foun!atons for a multcultural empre un!er Mughal rule was la! !urng
hs regn"
'(bar ntro!uce! cons wth !ecorat/e floral motfs) !otte!
bor!ers) 2uatrefol an! other t%pes" #s cons were both roun!
an! s2uare n shape wth a un2ue 3mehrab3 6lo1enge7 shape con
hghlghtng numsmatc callgraph% at ts best" '(bar3s portrat
t%pe gol! con 6Mohur7 s generall% attrbute! to hs son) 8rnce
-alm 6later Emperor 9ahangr7) who ha! rebelle! an! then sought reconclaton thereafter
b% mntng an! presentng hs father wth gol! Mohur3s bearng '(bar3s portrat" 0he tolerant
/ew of '(bar s represente! b% the 3:am4-%a3 sl/er con t%pe whle !urng the latter part of
'(bar3s regn) we see cons portra%ng the concept of '(bar3s newl% promote! relgon 3$n4e4
lah3 wth the &lah t%pe an! 9alla 9alal4#u t%pe cons"
Conquest of Rajputana
#a/ng establshe! Mughal rule o/er northern &n!a) '(bar turne!
hs attenton to the con2uest of :a5putana" ;o mperal power n
&n!a base! on the &n!o4.angetc plans coul! be secure f a r/al
centre of power e,ste! on ts flan( n :a5putana"0he Mughals ha!
alrea!% establshe! !omnaton o/er parts of northern :a5putana
n Mewar) '5mer) an! ;agor";ow) howe/er) '(bar was !etermne!
to !r/e nto the heartlan!s of the :a5put (ngs that ha! ne/er
pre/ousl% submtte! to the Muslm rulers of the $elh -ultanate"
*egnnng n 1561) the Mughals act/el% engage! the :a5puts n
warfare an! !plomac%"Most :a5put states accepte! '(bar3s
su1erant%< the ruler of Mewar) =!a -ngh) howe/er) remane!
outs!e the mperal fol!":a5a =!a -ngh was !escen!e! from the
-so!a ruler) :ana -anga) who ha! !e! fghtng *abur at the *attle of +hanwa n 1527"
's
the hea! of the -so!a clan) he possesse! the hghest rtual status of all the :a5put (ngs
an! cheftans n &n!a" =nless =!a -ngh was re!uce! to submsson) the mperal authort%
of the Mughals woul! be lessene! n :a5put e%es" >urthermore) '(bar) at ths earl% pero!)
was stll enthusastcall% !e/ote! to the cause of &slam an! sought
to mpress the superort% of hs fath o/er the most prestgous
warrors n *rahmncal #n!usm"
&n 1567) '(bar mo/e! to re!uce the ?httorgarh >ort n Mewar"
0he fortress4captal of Mewar was of great strategc mportance as
t la% on the shortest route from 'gra to .u5arat an! was also
cons!ere! a (e% to hol!ng the nteror parts of :a5putana" =!a
-ngh retre! to the hlls of Mewar) lea/ng two :a5put warrors)
9amal an! 8atta) n charge of the !efense of hs captal"
?httorgarh fell on >ebruar% 156@ after a sege of four months"
'(bar ha! the sur//ng !efen!ers massacre! an! ther hea!s
!spla%e! upon towers erecte! throughout the regon) n or!er to
!emonstrate hs authort%" 0he total loot that fell nto the han!s of
the Mughals was !strbute! throughout the empre" #e remane!
n ?httorgarh for three !a%s) then returne! to 'gra) where to
commemorate the /ctor%) he set up) at the gates of hs fort)
statues of 9amal an! 8atta mounte! on elephants" =!a -ngh3s
power an! nfluence was bro(en" #e ne/er agan /enture! out hs mountan refuge n Mewar
an! '(bar was content to let hm be"
0he fall of ?httorgarh was followe! up b% a Mughal attac( on
the :anthambore >ort n 156@" :anthambore was hel! b%
the #a!a :a5puts an! repute! to be the most powerful fortress n
&n!a" #owe/er) t fell onl% after a couple of months" '(bar was
now the master of almost the w hole of :a5putana" Most of the
:a5put (ngs ha! submtte! to the Mughals" Onl% the clans of
Mewar contnue! to resst" =!a -ngh3s son an!
successor) 8ratap -ngh) was later !efeate! b% the Mughals at
the *attle of #al!ghat n 1576" #e spent the reman!er of hs lfe n e,le n the 'ra/all hlls"
'(bar woul! celebrate hs con2uest of :a5putana b% la%ng the foun!aton of a new captal)
2A mles 6A7 (m7 B"-"B of 'gra n 156C" &t was calle! >atehpur -(r 6Dthe ct% of /ctor%D7"
