Akbar the Great facts for kids
Akbar (Abu'l-Fath Jalal ud-din Muhammad Akbar, 14 October 1542 – 1605) was the 3rd Mughal Emperor. He was born in Umarkot (now Pakistan). He was the son of 2nd Mughal Emperor Humayun.
Akbar became the de jure king in 1556 at the age of 13 when his father died. Bairam Khan was appointed as Akbar's regent and chief army commander. Soon after coming to power Akbar defeated Himu, the general of the Afghan forces, in the Second Battle of Panipat. After a few years, he ended the regency of Bairam Khan and took charge of the kingdom. He initially offered friendship to the Rajputs. However, he had to fight against some Rajputs who opposed him. In 1576 he defeated Maha Rana Pratap of Mewar in the Battle of Haldighati. Akbar's wars made the Mughal empire more than twice as big as it had been before, covering most of the Indian subcontinent except the south.
Contents
Administration
Akbar's system of central government was based on the system that had evolved since the Delhi Sultanate, but the functions of various departments were reorganised with detailed regulations for their functioning
- The revenue department was headed by a wazir, responsible for all finances and management of jagir and inamdar feudal lands.
- The head of the military was called the mir bakshi, appointed from among the leading nobles of the court. The mir bakshi was in charge of intelligence gathering, and also made recommendations to the emperor for military appointments and promotions.
- The mir saman was in charge of the imperial household, including the harems, and supervised the functioning of the court and royal bodyguard.
- The judiciary was a separate organization headed by a chief qazi, who was also responsible for religious beliefs and practices. in
Religious Policy
Akbar was a Muslim. He realized that to establish a strong empire, he had to gain the confidence of his Hindu people who were the majority in India.
Din-i-ilahi was a religious path suggested by Akbar. It was a code of moral conduct which reflected Akbar's secular ideas and he desire to achieve peace, unity, tolerance in his empire. Belief in one god, worship of source of light, non-killing of animals, Having peace with all were some features of Din-i-ilahi. It didn't have any rituals, holy books, temples or priests.
He was a very good emperor and he had a sense of justice.
When he was at Fatehpur Sikri, he held discussions as he loved to know about others' religious beliefs. On one such day, he got to know that the religious people of other religions were often bigots (intolerant of others religious beliefs). This led him to form the idea of the new religion, Sulh-e-kul meaning universal peace. His idea of this religion did not discriminate other religions and focused on the ideas of peace, unity and tolerance. This gesture of his made the Hindus and people of other religions call him with different names and start loving him.
Personality
Akbar's reign was chronicled by his court historian Abul Fazal in the books Akbarnama and Ain-i-Akbari. Other sources of Akbar's reign include the wod Sirhindi. Akbar was an artisan, warrior, artist, armourer, administrator carpenter, emperor, general, inventor, animal trainer, technologist. He became emperor at the age of 18.
Akbar had Navaratnas or nine jewels in his court which include Abul Fazel, Faizi, Tansen, Birbal, Raja Todar Mal, Raja Man Singh, Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana, Fakir Aziao-Din and Mullah Do Piazza.
Akbarnama
The Akbarnāma means the Book of Akbar. It is the official biographical account of Akbar written by Abu Fazal. It includes vivid and detailed descriptions of his life and times. It also includes the information about the flora, fauna, life of the people of his reign, and the places Akbar used to visit.
The work was commissioned by Akbar, and written by Abul Fazl, one of the Navratnas (Nine Jewels) of Akbar's royal court. The book took seven years to complete. An illustration was done in the Mughal school of painting. A part of this is Ain-i-Akbari.
Death
On 3 October 1605, Akbar fell ill with an attack of dysentery, from which he never recovered. Twelve days after his sixty third year he died on 27 October 1605, after which his body was buried at a mausoleum in Sikandra (Agra): Akbar's tomb.
Images for kids
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Akbar as a boy
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Mughal Empire under Akbar's period (yellow)
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Mughal Emperor Akbar training an elephant
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Akbar hawking with Mughal chieftains and nobleman accompanied by his guardian Bairam Khan
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Young Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana son of Bairam Khan being received by Akbar
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Mughal Emperor Akbar shoots the Rajput warrior Jaimal during the Siege of Chittorgarh in 1568
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Bullocks dragging siege-guns uphill during Akbar's attack on Ranthambhor Fort in 1568
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The court of young Akbar, age 13, showing his first imperial act: the arrest of an unruly courtier, who was once a favourite of Akbar's father. Illustration from a manuscript of the Akbarnama
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Falcon Mohur of Akbar, minted in Asir. This coin was issued in the name of Akbar, to commemorate the capture of the strategic Asirgarh Fort of the Khandesh Sultanate on 17 January 1601 CE. Legend: "Allah is great, Khordad Ilahi 45, struck at Asir".
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Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of Private Audience) in Fatehpur Sikri
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Silver coin of Akbar with inscriptions of the Islamic declaration of faith, the declaration reads: "There is no god except Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah."
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Portrait of Empress Mariam-uz-Zamani, commonly known as Jodha Bai, giving birth to Prince Salim, the future emperor Jahangir.
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Death of Bahadur Shah of Gujarat at Diu, in front of the Portuguese in 1537
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Portuguese ambush against the galleys of Seydi Ali Reis (Akbar's allies) in the Indian Ocean.
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The Akbari Mosque, overlooking the Ganges
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Portrait of the Mughal Emperor Akbar invocation of a Dua prayer.
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The Mughal Emperor Akbar welcomes his son Prince Salim at Fatehpur Sikri, (Akbarnameh).
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Akbar holds a religious assembly of different faiths in the Ibadat Khana in Fatehpur Sikri.
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Silver square rupee of Akbar, Lahore mint, struck in Aban month of Ilahi
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The great Mogul discoursing with a Humble Fakir
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Akbar triumphantly enters Surat
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Akbar hunting with cheetahs, c. 1602
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Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak presenting Akbarnama to Akbar, Mughal miniature
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Portrait of Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar with Mariam Zamani Begum, drawn as per Akbar's description.
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Gate of Akbar's mausoleum at Sikandra, Agra, 1795
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See also
In Spanish: Akbar para niños
