CULTURE OF THE MUGHAL AGE
SOCIAL STRUCTURE, POSITION
OF WOMEN
ARCHITECTURE, PAINTING,
DIN-I-ILAHI
The rule of the mughals is known as
Mughal period in the history of India. After bringing
an end to sultanate reign in 1526 A.D.,
Zahir-ud-din Muhammad Babur inaugurated the
mughal supremacy in India. From 1526 to
1707 A.D. (death of Aurangzeb) six great mughal
emperors - Babur, Humayun, Akbar,
Jahagir, Sahajahan and Auragzeb ruled over the throne
with remarkable pomp and grandeur. This
period created a separate mark in medieval India.
because of its individual
characteristics and achievements. Remarkable progress was marked
in the fields of culture and arts. In
fact, the cultural attainments like architecture and painting
reached the pinnacle of glory. At the same
time, significant changes were observed in social
A brief account of mughal social structure, architecture, painting and
religion Din-i-
Ilahi is presented below. The social
religious and cultural attainments'are as glorious as their
political and military achievements.
SOCIAL STRUCTURE
We get vivid ideas about mughal society,
their social life and social characteristics from
Various sources. Especially the accounts
by the European travellers like Sir Thomas Roe,
Travenier who visited India in 16th and
17th century A.D. bear greater historical importance.
Also Ain-i-Akbari by famous court
historian of Akbar, Abul Fazl furnishes a wealth of
information regarding contemporary social
conditions of the period.
Emperor
The mughal society was based upon the
principles of feudalism where the Emperor or
Badshah was the supreme authority. As
the absolute ruler he was the pivot of administration.
He therefore led an extremely luxurious
life. All the royal personages and their relatives
enjoyed equal privileges and comforts
like those of the emperor. In fact, lavish feast, dancing
and music, hunting and other forms of
merry-making were the rule of the day. The emperor’s
lifestyle was thus manifestation of the
richest pomp and ceremony.
Nobility
The nobility was the next to emperor in
the category of social stratification. Being under
the royal patronage, they were the most
privileged section in the society enjoying monopoly
over administrative powers. As men of
high status, and social dignity, they led luxurious lives
in palatial residences. Their costly
suits, expensive food habits and royal life style were
symbols of wealth and prosperity. The
English ambassador Sir Thomas Roe has referrered in
this context that in a banquet arranged
by Asaf Khan, brother of Nurjahan, he had taken thirty
dishes.
Of course, with all these extravagances, the nobility owed its
allegiance to the emperor
and carried out their duties with efficiency
and loyalty. They performed an admirable role
towards maintaining the unity and
cultural integrity of the empire. In the words of Satish
Chandra:
‘The nobility of the Mughal although it suffered from a number of
internal weaknesses,
was on a broad view, a remarkable
institution. Xxx The mughals succeeded in imbibing the
nobles with a sense of common purpose
and loyalty to the reigning dynasty and in imparting
to them a distinctive cultural outlook
and in creating traditions of high efficiency and
endeavour in the administration.
Middle
Class
Next in the social hierarchy was the
middle class population. It included people or
different professions like merchants,
artists, writers, pundits, physicians, businessmen etc. This
group was not interested in exhibiting
their wealth or riches in public so that the local tax
collector or Faujdar would collect more
taxes. They were not extravagant like the nobles.
Rather they were quite economical
leading a very simple life.
During the mughal period there was caste
system among muslims based on birth, like the
hindus.
·
Ashraf
of High Caste
·
Razil
or Low caste.
The higher caste muslims like the hindu brahmins and kshatriyas enjoyed
higher Socia
status and prestige. They were Seikh,
Sayid, Mughal and Pathan. The prevalence of
different communities like Sunnis,
Shias, Bohras and Sufis also made the muslim society
quite varied and heterogeneous in
texture.
Accordingly, in the hindu society there were four major castes like
Brahmins,
Kshatriyas, Vaisyas and Sudras.
Simultaneously, with the presence of Buddhists, Jains,
Sikhs, Parsis and Christians the mughal
society was a multi-religious one.
Lower class
While the nobility and the middle
class constituted 10 to 15%, the lower class
comprised 85 to 90% of the entire
population. This class consisted of farmers, soldiers, shop
keepers, slaves, labourers etc. Even the
sudras and the untouchables of the hindu society
were a part of it.
The lower class people led very ordinary life due to economic adversity.
The social
structure was so unequal that they were
the worst sufferers in the society. Good clothes were
distant dreams while woollen clothes
were unknown to them. Shoes were objects of luxury.
Though scarcity of food was not there,
they faced tremendous hardship during calamities. Of
course at that time, they were expempted
from taxes and were provided with Taquavi loans
for agriculture on behalf of the
government. Akbar was extra careful in this regard. But the
situation deteriorated during the reign
of Shahjajan due to increase in revenue and corruption
among officials.
Slave system was another feature of
mughal society, Slaves were bought and sold like
commodities in the open market.
Sometimes the prisoners were converted to slaves. Akbar
had tried to put an end this system. But
in general, the slaves were the most neglected and
hated community who had no freedom worth
the name.
Food and Dress
There was no uniformity in the food
habits of the Indians. Both vegetarians and non-
Vegetarian dishes were prevalent. Staple
food was wheat, rice, barley and pulses. Wheat
products were of more use in north while
in the south rice and fish were preferred. Milk and
milk products constituted a part of the
diet. Different types of sweets like Ladu, Halwa,
Rasagolla, Jalebi etc. and drinks like
Lassi were very popular. The use of spices, butter,
gnee and cheese in the curry made it
very rich and tasty. Nan and Kebab were the choicest
non-veg dishes. Fruits and pickles were
a part of food habit. Intoxicants like wine, opium and
tobacco were in open circulation. Mouth
and hands were washed before and after taking
food.
The nobles and the middle class were very careful about their costumes as their
standard of living was better. The
textile industry being much advanced in the mnughal age.
ious types of cotton, woolen and silk
dresses had become a part of the dress code.
Higher and middle class hindus and muslims generally wore tight trousers
with Kaba
bone (highneck long coat). Ordinary
hindus wore Dhoti and Chadar for lower and upper parts
of the body and the muslims Kurta and
Payjama. Turban was of common use though the stul.
of wearing it was different. The dresses
of sultan, nobility and the wealthy persons were
embroidered with diamonds and gems and
they alone put on shoes.
Saree and Choli were common among the hindu ladies. Lahanga was more
popular in
rural areas. Muslim women
preferred.salwar, ghagra, jacket and dupatta.
Toiletry and Ornaments
People of mughal age were great lovers of beauty. They were quite fond
of leading a
comfortable life. The aristrocrat hindu
and muslim women of the period took great interest in
beautifying themselves and spent a lot of
time and money in this regard.
Use of soaps (made from pulses and flour), hair-dye, collyrium and
sandalwood paste
were parts of toiletry along with
mehendi to decorate hands and feet. Scented oil and
perfumes were extremely popular. Asmat
Begum, mother of Nurjahan knew the process or
preparing perfume from roses and Mamtaz
Begum added some innovations to the process.
Ormaments were used both by males and females. Ear-rings, rings and
necklaces were
used by the male folk while women preferred
bangles, armlets etc. The goldsmiths of Gujarat
were very renowned makers of gold,
silver and diamond omaments of exquisite designs.
Pastime
Different pastimes were in vogue during mughal period. Favourite
pastimes included
indoor games like chess, cards, dice
etc. for both male and female folk. Among the outdoor
games polo, wrestling, kite-flying,
archery, pigeon-flying etc. were immensely popular.
Animal-fighting was in great demand.
Fighting of elephant, sheep, buffalo, bull and
Various birds were very common. The
rural masses were entertained by magic and sorcery
shows.
Hunting or shikar was the most favourite hobby of the emperor. It was an
unquestionable right of the sultan to
hunt tigers or lions or capture elephants. Boating and
gardening were other pastimes., Muzra,
Musaira or folk dance were also channels of
entertainment.
According to Abul Fazl in Ain-i-Akabari, all these pastimes were no
doubt means of
entertainment. At the same time, it
helped in the exposition of talent and tightening
friendship.
Fairs and Festivals
Fairs and festivals had a major role in the mugal society. Different
types of festivals
were celebrated by the hindus and
muslims. Id-ul-Juha, Idul-Fitr, Shab-i-Barat, Muharram,
Ramzan were popular muslim festivals.
Similarly hindus celebrated Holi, Dussehra, Diwal,
Rakshi Purnima, Ram Navami etc . The
birthdays of the sultan and princes were celebtrated
with great pomp and gaity. Places of
pilgrimage of both the communities were visited and
respected with great enthusiasm.
Nauroz (Parsi New Year) or Uras of the Sufi saints were other two
popular festivals.
Education
The mughal emperors were highly
refined and aristocratic in taste and education. It is
true that they did not introduce an
organized educational system. But at the same time, they
were patrons of educationists and
educational institutions. The management of educational
institutions was purely a private
affair.
The muslim primary educational institutions were called maqtabs and
madrasas were
for higher education. The syllabus
included Arithmetic, Geography, Astrology and Theology
with Parsi as the medium of instruction.
Allahabad, Lahore, Ambala, Gwalior, Jaunpur,
Kashmir were the main centres of these
educational institutions.
The hindus got education through
pathsalas and vidyapiths. Benaras, Mathura,
Ayodhya, Mithila, Nadia were important
centres for hindu education in History. Astronomy,
Politics, Arithmetic etc. Benaras was
famous for Theology and Sanskrit studies which have
been compared with Athens of ancient
Greece by travellers like Travenier and Burnier. No
separate or special system was there for
women's education though hindu girls were relatively
more educated.
Social Customs
The Indian character was marked in general by simplicity, honesty and
morality in
mughal age. Joint family system was in
vogue where members of three to four generations
lived with mutual love, affection,
respect and hospitality.
The hindu customs included birth rites,
annaprasanna, vidyarambha, marriage, funeral
etc. where as the muslims had akiqka
(birth rites), bismillah (inauguration of studies), sayum
and chihillum (funeral rites) etc.
Honesty was maintained in the business circle by the merchants. People
in general were
Cod-fearing and conservative. Money
exchange was done through oral contract. Later on,
iere came certain degradations in the
popular character, but in general the moral standards
were high. J.A. Malcom in his 'Memoirs
of Central India' has rightly remarked:
‘Some weakness had crept into the Indian charácter because of age-old
misrule and
oppression of their feudal governments x
x X but no examples of any great population in
similar circumstances, preserving
through such a long period of changes and tyrannical rule,
having so much of virtues and so many
good qualitie, are to be in a great proportion of the
inhabitants as in this country.’
It is, however, true that both the hindus and muslims had come closer to
each other
during the mughal period than during the
sultanate age. The religious liberalism of emperor
Akbar and the teachings of sufi saints
and hindu preachers had paved the way such fora
peaceful co-existence. At the same time,
it is to be admitted that economic affluence had
brought moral decline among the ruling
class and unequal distribution of wealth had deprived
the majority of enjoying equal
privileges. This situation was more evident during the reign of
Aurangzeb when social differences had
created an atmosphere of suspicions and corruption,
Still then, communal harmony played a
pivotal role in bringing about a cultural glorification
POSITION OF WOMEN
The position of women in mughal priod
marked sharp decline in comparison to ancient
Indian society, Besides child marriage
and Purdah system, polygamy was another social evil
prevalent both among hindus and muslims
alike. The birth of a girl child was unwelcome
whereas the birth of a son was greeted
with joy and enthusiasm. Talaq (divorce) and
remarriage were common. The hindu
society was marked by inhuman Sati and Jahar
suicide) systems The contemporary
foreign accoumnts reveal a patheletic picture of Sati in
this regard. Jahar was an important
custom among Rajput women.
Of course within a family, women enjoyed her due rights and dignity. The
family peace
depended greatly on her care, service
and sacrifice. The higher class muslim ladies were
educated by tutors at home. On the other
hand, the hindu women participated more in social
and religious institutions.
Irespective of so many social restrictions, some women of both
communities had
acquired prominence by virtue of their
personalities and potentialities, They were Queen
Kamavati, Queen Yodhabai, Queen Rupmati,
Chandbibi, Nur Jahan and her mother Asmat
Begum, Mumtaz Mahal, Jahanara, Jizabai
et.al,
ARCHITECTURE
The influence of mughal culture in India
was most remarkable in the field of Art and
Architecture, Tremendous developments
were discemible under the impact of Islamic
tradition in this sphere, As a matter of
tact, the mughal milers were great patrons of Art, They
themselves were true lovers of beauty.
No wonder, artists and sculptors brought out immortal artifacts. The Indian skies now became
crowded with minarets, domes, arches, pillared caves etc. of Islamic style. Thus,
Indo0-Islamic architecture had its brightest exposition during the mugal period.
BABUR
The founder of the dynasty, Babur, had a
passion for gardening and architecture. He had
uijed the disciple of Cinon, the
renowned architect of Central Asia. Several structures are
adited to Babur in Agra, Gwalior,
Dholpur, Sikri ctc. Beautiful bathrooms, underground
ons for coolness and cleanliness, bowli
or stepping wells were parts of Baburian
Architecture, Many of them have perished
with the ravages of time. But Kabuli Bagh Masjid
at Panipat and Jama Masjid of Sambhal
are the brilliant surviving specimens of the early
mughal architecture.
Humayun
The politically unstable period of
Humayun's regin had also to its credit some structures
bequeathed to posterity. The most
outstanding one is the mosque at Fatchbad built in Persian
style with glazed tiles. The tomb of
Humayun built by his wife Hamidabanu Begum is a
masterpiece of Indo-Persian style of
architecture which has been rightly pointed out by
historian Percy Brown as 'Indian
definition of Persian sentiment.'
Akbar
The third mughal emperor Akbar had an
insatiable zeal for art and architecture. The
reflection of his religious tolerance
and liberalism had manifested itself in contemporary
architecture which was a unique combination
of Hindu-Persian style.
In the initial phase, he had constructed a number of forts at strategic
points like Ajmer,
Lahore, Allahabad. But the most
formidable one was Agra Fort made of red sandstone and
marbles, Its pillars, walls and roofs
had exquisite ornamented sculptures with two massive
galteways named Amar Singh Gate and
Delhi Gate.
Forty kilometers to the west of Agra Fort, Akbar had established his
dream capital at
fatehpur Sikri. According to its plan
and design, it consisted of an open courtyard, residential
structures, religious places and royal
offices. In 1569, the foundation of the city was laid in
the memory of Saint Salim Chisti. It
took twelve years to complete the city with brilliant
additions like Jama Masjid and Buland Darwaza. While
Jama Masjid is regarded as 'Glory of
fatepur’. Buland Darwaza is believed to
be the largest arched gateway in India.
In addition ,the secular buildings like
diwan-i-khas, panch mahal,khwab bagh,jodhai Mahal,
Sultan Mahal etc, are the mute witnesses
of Akbar's architectural luxury. In
the words of Abul Fazal :
His Majesty (Akbar) plans splendid
edifices and dresses the work of his mind and heart
in the garments of stone clay.
According to Prof. Lanepoole :
Nothing sadder or more beautiful exists in India than the deserted city,
the silent witness
of a vanished dream.' The city of
course, refers to Fatehphur Sikri.
Jahangir
Jahangir was a patron of painting. Nevertheless, the two magnificent
buildings of his
reign are the tomb of Akbar at Sikandara
and the tomb of his father-in-law, Itmad-ud-Daulah
at Agra. Khasuru Bagh in Allahabad and
Moti Masjid in Lahore are other manifestations of
Jahangir's architecture when marbles
were used for the entire structure.
Shah Jahan
The mughal architecture inaugurated by
Babur reached the pinnacle of
glory and tradition during the reign of
Sahajahan. In fact, Indo-Islamic style of
architecture had the finest expression
in the majestic background of marble.
The greatest splendour of Shah Jahan's reign has been preserved in his immortal creation of Taj
Mahal. After the premature death of his dearest wifec Mahal, construction of Taj Mahal started
in
1631 to preserve her memory. It was the result of twenty two years of perseverance of 20,000 artists under the chief
architect, Ustad Isha. In 1653, it was completed
and it was planned by Ustad Ahmad Lahori. The style of construction, refined
expression, subtle designs, symmetry,
O harmony and universal charm of Taj
Mahal
have inspired poets and writes to
describe
it in various ways like 'Dream on
Marble.
"Treasure of Beauty', "The
Temple of
Love' etc. Whatever may be the
metaphoric description, Taj Mahal is a
creation of the finest expression in
marble
of Shah Jahan's love and poetry.
The new walled city, Shahjahanabad, near
the present city of old Delhi along the west
bank of Yamuna was created between 1639
and 1649. The famous Red Fort or Lal Quilla
came into existence made of sandstone
and marble. The structures of Diwan-i-Khas, Diwan-
i-Am, Moti Mahal, Rani Mahal inside Lal
Qilla are extraordinary in their respective
spheres.
The wall of Diwan-i-Khas is the most
fitting tribute to this manificent edifice where it is
written.
Agar firdaus bar rui zamin
ası, ed: Hamin ast o hamin ast o
hamin ast o. "If there is a paradise on earth,
it is this, it is this, it is this." Diwan-i-Khas was adomed with the legendary Peacock Throne which was occupied by Nadir Shah in 1739 and was transported to Persia. The other integral pieces of mughal architecture of Shah Jahan's period are Moti Masjid and Jama Masjid. The beauty of Moti Masjid lies in its
natural expression of beauty and sanctity while Jama Masjid is cqually noteworthy for
its massive size and gateways.
In the words of Percy Brown :
Augustus's boast that he founded Rome in brick and left it in marble has
its counterpart
in the building style of Shah Jahan, who founded the
mughal cities in sandstone and left
them in marble.
Apart from the prominent ones, the period of Shah Jahan is credited with
innumerable
structure and buildings that sprang up
at Kashmir, Ajmer, Kandahar, Lahore, Ahmedabad etc.
Aurangzeb
The last great Mughal ruler was
Auranzeb. Being a puritan by nature, he lacked the
ancestral aesthetic sense. Certain
structure like Badashi Masjid at Lahore, Moti Masjid
within precincts of Red Fort,
Bibi-Ka-Maqbara in Aurangabad did come up during his time,
but none stands any comparison with the
architectural marvels of his predecessors.
Miscellaneous Architecture
Apart from the imperial style, we come
across with some superb architectural pieces of
the period created by hindu rulers. The
famous Manmandir of Raja Mansingh at Gwalior of
the carly 16th century, several palaces
of Bikaner, Jodhpur, Udayapur, Ambar, Jaisalmer,
palaces of Raj Virsingh at Datia and
Urchha are worth-mentioning in this context,. The other
manifestations included the city of
Jaipur by Raja Jaisingh, palace of Chandragiri Fort,
Padma Mahal at Hampi, palaces of
Madurai, Bharatpur etc.
Indo-Islamic style of architecture, however, began to decline after
Aurangzeb. Yet the
superb buildings sing the glories of
mughals art even today.
PAINTING
Like architecture, Mughal Age had a
glorious saga in the field of painting. Of course long before the advent of the mughals,
painting as a separate branch of art and culture had its origin since the ancient times.
Prehistoric Indian painting was confined only to the caves while the
paintings of Ancient India are still preserved in Ajanta,
Ellora, Bagh and other places. But with the patronage of
the mughal emperors, painting now began
to bloom with new beauty. It represented a unique blend of Persian and Indian schools.
Babur
Though remarkable as a warrior, Babur was equally a lover of painting.
He had a fascination for natural objects like
rivers, fountains, flowers etc. and had visited Herat in Central Asia famous for Persian painting
before coming to India. In fact, he inaugurated the tradition of mughal painting by
patronizing painters of his time.
Humayun
Humayun had his similar taste for
painting like Babur. Renowned Persian painters like
Mir Syed Ali, Abdus Samid, Dost Muhammad
et.al. were invited to the court of Humayun.
The famous book Dastan-i-Amir-Hamja was
picturised during the period, but could not be
completed due to the untimely death of
the emperor.
Akbar
Radical changes were marked in the field of painting during the reign of
Akbar. Making
painting an independent department,
Akbar had placed it under Khwaja Abdus Samad. As
known from Ain-i-Akbari, the emperor had
introduced the system of giving prizes to both
Indian and foreign painters to encourage
their art as well as talent.
Famous painters of Akbar's time were Abdus Samad, Faruq Beg and Jamsed,.
The
Qutstanding hindu painters were Baswan,
Daswant, Mukund, Tarachand, Kesu and Lal.
Remarkable paintings of the period are Hamzanama (based on the life of
Amir Hamza,
the uncle of Muhammad), Chengiznama (on
Chengiz Khan's life), Rajamnama (Mahabharat
Stories), Akbarmama (on Akbar's life)
etc. Special libraries were opened for the preservation
of these paintings.
Jahangir
The fourth Mughal Emperor Jahangir
was a connoisseur of painting. In fact, the art of
painting reached its apex under his
generous patronage. Since childhood, his inclination
towards painting prompted Jahangir to
master the art from renowned painters of his time. So
during his reign we find more of
painting than architecture. At the same time, remarkable
changes occurred in the sphere of
painting as stated below.
·
Presentation of themes
on natural objects like rivers, lakes, birds, animals, fruits
and flowers.
·
Stress on human figures
in place of imagination.
·
Perfect harmony in the
use of colours.
The personal interest of the emperor helped the growth of indigenous
painting tradition
free from external influences.
Outstanding painters of his time were Muhammad Nadir, Ustad Mansur,
Muhammad
Murad, Bisandas, Manohar, Madav, Tulsi
et.al.
Observing the prosperous painting tradition of Jahangir's reign, the
noted art historian
Percy Brown has rightly remarked,
With his (Jahangir) passing, the soul of Mughal painting also deported;
x xx it lived on
under the other kings but its real
spirit died with Jahangir."
Shah Jahan
Though famous for architecture, Shah Jahan waS not indifferent to
painting. Of course it
Is true, he had lesser passion for
painting unlike father Jahangir or grandfather Akbar. Hence
painting of his time had lost its own
notable characteristics to become lifeless and cold, Mir
Hasan, Fakirullah, Anup, Chitra and
others were the painters of the period. His eldest son
dara was patron no doubt, but his death
brought an irreparable loss to this tradition.
Aurangzeb
As an orthodox Muslim Emperor, Aurangzeb
had adverse attitude towards paintin
Even he had disfigured some previous
paintings and had stamped out all artistic activities and
with him mughal tradition of painting
truly came to an end.
Other Paintings
It was again during the mughal period, we find some regional centres
like Mysore,
Bengal, Lucknow, Patna, Hyderabad etc.
had established their efficacy in painting. Different
schools of painting now evolved from
these regional traditions. Prominent among them are:
·
Rajput painting and Pahadi Painting
The centres of Rajput paintings were Jaipur and Nathadwar of Rajputana
which exhibits
the influence of ancient Ajanta Art
Painting. Similarly Basoli, Chhamba, Jambu section of
Pahadi paintings are remarkable for
their uniqueness.
DIN-I-ILAHI
Din-i-ilahi carves out a separate place
in the religious history of India for its individual
significance. Its propounder was the
third Mughal Emperor, Jallaluddin Muhammad Akbar.
He is immortal in history not only as a
powerful invader or an able ruler but also for his
liberal religious policy. And
Din-i-Ilahi was the greatest expression of his religious tolerance
and liberal outlook.
Background for Liberal Religious Policy
Akbar's period of rule was in the second half of the 16th
century, that is from 1542 to 1605 A.D.
It was the period of
Bhakti and Sufi Movements in the
medieval religious history which
laid stress on tolerance, religious
liberalism and humanitarian
approach. Thus, a congenial religious
atmosphere was created
lessening the difference between the two
communities, Akbar was
the child of his age which prompted him
to accept the liberalism of
the period. In other words, he was the
true representative of the
spirit of his times.
Family heritage had a great indirect
role, that had inspired
Akbar to adopt religious liberalism. His
grandfather Babur, though
a Sunni Muslim maintained a very
tolerant religious attitude.
Akbar's mother Hamidabanu Begum was the
daughter of a liberal
Shia Maulavi, Mir Baba Dost. Again Akbar
in his childhood was brought up among hindu
surroundings. His private tutor, Abdul
Latif was an unorthodox man who had implanted the
philosophy of Sul-i-Kul or universal
toleration in the mind of Akbar. Thus his family, his
surrounding and his education made Akbar
a very broad-minded personality with liberal
attitude towards all religions.
In addition, the hindu wife and friends
of the emperor had their share of profound
influence. He began to realize the
harmonious attitude of religion being acquainted with
hindu rituals. Akbar's two bosom friends
Abul Fazl and Fayazi and their father Mubarak were
all Sufis. They inspired Akbar to keep
aloof from religious biogotry and external formalities
of the religion.
Thus, liberal childhood surrounded by
liberal personalities of his time and his own
contemplative nature brought new
realisation of religious ideas. That the fundamental aim of
all religions is one and the same. But
the methods are different. This very realization goaded
Akbar to give a concrete shape to his
own religious beliefs. Further, the overwhelming
majority of the hindus in his empire
convinced him to adopt a liberal religious policy to win
their support which was essential for
the newly created mughal dominions.
FIRST PHASE (Spiritual Awakening)
In 1562, Akbar married a Rajput
princess. The next year he abolished the Pilgrim Tax
which has earlier collected from the
hindus. In 1564, he went another step forward and
revoked the much hated Jaziya Tax to win
the hearts of hindu subjects. Compulsory
proselytisation was completely banned.
Then as a first step towards creating
religious harmony, Akbar constructed Tbadat
Khana (House of worship) a Fatehpur
Sikri in 1575. At the outset, he listened to the famous
Islamic scholars about the essence of
Islam. But he was not fully convinced. Then Akbar
invited the outstanding Hindu Pundits
Purushottam and Devi, Jain Pundits like Hiravijay
Suri, Bhanuchandra Upadhyay Zoroastrian
scholar Dastur Meherji Rana, Father Radolpho of
Christianity and Sikh Gurus to listen to
the main tenets of each religion. After listening to the
deliberations, he realized that at a
certain point the fundamental truth of all religions was the
same. Hence, he wanted to amalgamate the
essence of all religions by promulgating a new
religious faith acceptable to all.
SECOND PHASE (Doctrine of Infallibility)
The religious deliberations at lbadat
Khana had convinced Akbar of one fact, that is
role of the ulemas who are making
religion a complicated one by interfering in political
affairs. So to curtail their authority,
at the suggestion of Seikh Mubarak, at Fatehpur mosque
he himself declared 'Allah-o-Akbar'
(Allah is all powerful) and read out Khulba (Semon)
which invited stiff resistance from the
ulemas. In 1579, at the instigation of Akbar, Seikh
Mubarat issued the famous Doctrine of
Infallibility which declared Akbar to be supreme in
all affair. The ulemas and mullahs
signed it under pressure and conferred on Akbar the title
Imani-i- Adil out of compulsion.
THIRD PHASE (Realisation of Truth)
After the issue of Doctrine of
Infallibility, Akbar as usual heard the religious deliberations
at Ibadat Khana regularly. His inner
realization led him to believe that each religion rests
upon some fundamental truths which are
made popular by the prophets. The fundamental
truth of all religions should be given a
combined and concrete shape for universal acceptance.
FOURTH PHASE (Din-i-Ilahi)
The final expression of Akbar's enlightenment was the propagation of a
new religious
concept known as Din-i-Ilahi or
Tahid-i-Ilahi.
It means Divine Faith or Divine
Monotheism. In 1582, taking into account the essence
of all religions, Din-i-Ilahi came to
limelight, Its aim, was to establish harmony among all
religions. The followers of Din-i-Ilahi
were called 'Ilahia'. The principles were very simple
and intelligible as stated below.
·
The followers of
Din-i-Ilahi will accept Emperor Akbar as their spiritual preceptor
to be guided under his
supervision.
·
The emperor in return,
will accept them by greeting 'Allah-o-Akbar' (Allah is
powerful) and they will show
allegiance by uttering. 'Jallah-Jallahalahu' (His
glory is glamorous).
·
The funeral feast given
after the death of a person should be organised during his
lifetime.
·
Each follower should
organise a community feast in his own birthday. Also one
should provide alms to the poor.
·
The followers of
Din-i-Ilahi must be vegetarians and must entertain others with
vegetarian dishes.
·
Error should be
rectified by forgiveness and anger by peace.
·
One has to leave all
worldly attachments of life, property and respect.
·
One should not marry
either an old woman or a pre-matured girl.
·
The other featurės
included attention on personal hygiene, good behaviour.
detachment for materialistic
desires and stress on devotion and knowledge etc.
Spread
of Din-i-Ilahi
Din-i-Ilahi comprised of very less
number of followers as Akbar made virtually no
attempt for its propogation. He could
have preached it like other prophets or could have made
it compulsory. Instead, Akbar left
everything on the will of the people. Again, the muslims
were indifferent to Din-i-llahi. Among
the hindus only Birbal and from the muslims Abul
Faz, Fayazi and Seikh Mubarak had
accepted this faith. In his life time, the number of
followers of Din-i-lahi were very few
and after the demise of the Emperor it also met its
premature death.
An Assessment
Different historians have put forward
different views regarding Din-i-Ilahi. While some
favour it, others have their share of
criticism.
In the words of Vincent Smith,
Din-Ilahi was a monument of Akbar's
folly and not of his wisdom.'
For Baduni,
"Akbar put forward Din-i-Ilahi
basing on his power and strength.
On the other hand S.R. Sharma remarks,
"Din-i-Ilahi was a vivid
manifestation of emperor Akbar's nationalist spirit.
According to Ishwari Prasad,
"Din-i-Ilahi is a unique
combination of mysticism, philosophy and nature-worship.'
Thus, Din-i-Ilahi was never accepted as
a separate religion. Of Course its principles
were, to bring harmony among hindus and
muslims to strengthen the politico-cultural
Toundation of the country. Through there
was no compulsion to accept it, still stress was laid
on spontaneous spiritual expression and
to create a peaceful, friendly atmosphere. Again due
to Din-i-Ilahi the influence of the
ulemas was restricted to a considerable extent.
Even though Din-i-Ilahi disappeared after Akbar, its impact was
far-reaching. It was a
symbol of universal brotherhood on the
socio-politico-religious foundation of the soil. In
some way, it had also strengthened the
political foundation of the empire,
On the whole, apart from military
conquests and political governance, the long period of
Mughal rule has left behind a new sense
of religious coexistence, social uplift and cultural
brilliance.
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