Akbar The Great, The Second Ruler Of The Mughal Empire

Akbar the Great, the second ruler of the Mughal Empire, was enthroned at age 14. His reign extended for the next 49 years until his death. Akbar was unlike any other Mughal ruler because of how progressive he was for his time. Throughout his reign, there was encouragement for religious freedom because, he himself was an incredibly spiritual and intellectual person. Badayuni, a contemporary historian during Akbar’s time, said, â€Å"His majesty spent whole nights in praising God†¦ and from a feeling of thankfulness for his past successes he would sit many a morning alone in prayer and meditation on a large flat stone of an old building which lay near the palace in a lonely spot, with his head bent over his chest, gathering the bliss of the early hours of dawn†(Smith 715). As can be interpreted by this quote, Akbar valued connections to a higher power, no matter what that higher power was. This way of thinking led to an impressive religious tolerance policy that was apart of his empire, one that helped to unite the country, and to bridge the divide between Hindus and Muslims specifically. â€Å"[Akbar’s] syncretistic genius had its impact not only on the political affairs of the Mughal Empire but also on the development of the arts†(Koch 43). The Sufi sect held the majority of the Islamic population in India at this time. And although Sufism holds more similarities to Hinduism than Orthodox Islam, there was still great animosity between the two religions. This only pushed Akbar furtherShow MoreRelatedThe Mughal Empire: Expansion and Art3293 Words   |  13 PagesThe Mughal Empire: Expansion and Art India is a land of contrasts, combining cultures, languages and religions. A melting pot to Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism and countless others, India presents a canvas for the interplay of different artistic techniques. The different ruling factions in India have had an incredible impact on Indian visual arts. The Gupta Empire (considered India’s Renaissance in Hindu culture and widely regarded as India’s Golden Age), the Kushan Empire, the MauryanRead MoreThe Empire Of The Ottoman Empire3539 Words   |  15 PagesThree of the greatest empire in the history the ottomans in turkey, the Safavids in Persia and the Mughals in the Indian subcontinent emerged in the Muslim world between the 14th and the 18th centuries. These three greatest empire resulted in a powerful cultural interaction. The empires expanded their power and thus Turkish, Mongol and Arab ways of life blended. It resulted in a flowering of Islamic culture that raised higher in the 16th centuries. The empires ruled through Islamic Sariah’s. TheyRead MoreMughal Inspiration: Art Forms Increasing Culture1789 Words   |  8 PagesMughal Inspiration: Art Forms Increasing Culture After the Mughals arrived in India, a great cultural growth occurred in many different forms of art, such as music, visual art, architecture, and literature. India was already a country with many different cultural aspects, but the Mughals, of Turkish-Mongolian descent, expanded the realm of art even further. This Mughal art and architecture was considered an Indo-Islamic-Persian style, which combined different aspects of Islamic and Persian art withRead MoreMughal Painting5148 Words   |  21 PagesMughal painting was rich in variety and included portraits, events and scenes from court life, wild life and hunting scenes, and illustrations of battles. Development Mughal painting developed and flourished during the reigns of Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan.Mughal painting reflects an exclusive combination of Indian, Persian and Islamic styles. As the name suggests, these paintings evolved as well as developed during the rule of Mughal Emperors in India, between 16th to 19th century. The MughalRead MoreThe Reasons Behind the Decline of the Mughal Empire Essay2751 Words   |  12 PagesThe Mughal Empire was the first large empire in India since the Gupta Empire (nearly a millennium years of difference); it was made up of many ethnicities, a variety of geographic localities, and hundreds of nobles and their principalities. At its largest extent, this empire contained over 140 million inhabitants, as well as encompassing 3.5 million square kilometers. However, as all empires do, the Mughal Empire faced many difficulties, and by the turn of the 19th century, had weakened significantlyRead MorePublic Administration Under the King Ashoka4145 Words   |  17 PagesASHOKA Born in 265 B.C, the great king Ashoka was the grandson of the famous ruler Chandragupta Maurya. As a young lad, Ashoka excelled in whatever he was taught. Be it the art of warfare or reading the Holy Scriptures, Asoka excelled in whatever he did. Ashoka had many half brothers and he was loved by one and all. Thus, after his father died, he was crowned as the king of Magadha around 268 B.C. After being crowned as the king, he proved himself by smoothly administrating his territory and performingRead MoreThe Ottoman And Mughal Empires1908 Words   |  8 PagesDuring the early modern period, two great Islamic states were created. One, covered most of the Middle East, while the Balkans covered the remaining majority of India. The two major Islamic Empires, the Ottomans and the Mughals, both brought major new influences to these regions as well. The Ottoman and Mughal Empires’ influences included great political and military strength, amongst other things. During the early mo dern period, these two empires established very large territories and new boundariesRead MoreMughal Architecture2652 Words   |  11 PagesMughal architecture, an amalgam of Islamic, Persian and Indian architecture, is the distinctive style developed by the Mughal Empire in India in the 16th and 17th centuries. All the early Mughal Rulers except Aurangzeb were great bui1ders. With the coming of the Mughals, Indian architecture was greatly influenced by Persian styles. The Mughals constructed excellent mausoleums, mosques, forts, gardens and cities. The Mughal buildings show a uniform pattern both in structure and character. The mainRead MoreShah Jahan and His Architectural Contribution to India5907 Words   |  24 PagesJahan and his Empire 13 2.1 Religious Changes 14 2.2 Political Changes 15 Conclusion 17 Bibliography 18 Introduction Shahanshah Shahab-ud-din Muhammad Shah Jahan I, Shah Jahan was the 5th emperor of the Mughal Empire after  Babur,  Humayun,  Akbar, and  Jahangir. He reigned from 8th November 1627 to 2nd August 1658 (30 years, 267 days). Shah Jahan was the favorite of Akbar the great.He is also called Shahjahan the Magnificent. He is a descendant of  Genghis Khan, Emperor of Mongol Empire and  TamerlaneRead MoreBusiness Environment of Pre-British India13645 Words   |  55 PagesIndia is one of the few civilizations which has been in existence for more than 5000 years. India is a homogenous culture and it has such strong roots that we have been able to absorb any outside intervention with ease. Be it the Muslim Kings or the Mughals, we have integrated everyone into our culture. â€Å"Everybody looks different and dresses differently. Complexions range from white to black coffee; noses from Biblical spurs to Mongolian pugs; some people are very tall, others very short. Dress, like