THE MUGHAL EMPIRE

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• Bengal, Jaunpur, Gujrat, Malwa and Mewar had all become independent.
• These states were always fighting with each other.

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• And after 1526 , these kingdoms one by one, came under the control of the Mughals.

SOURCES ABOUT MUGHALS

1.) Ain-i-Akbari
• Was written by Abul Fazl, the minister and one of the Nine jewels at Akbar’s court.[ precious source]
• A large project of history writing commissioned by Akbar.

It is divided into five books

1. Manzil-abadi, is about the imperial home and its upkeep
2. Sipah-abadi, is about the emperor’s servants, civil and military services.
3. Imperial administration and includes rules for the judiciary and executive.
4. Discusses Science, Hindu philosophy and literature.
5. Contains Akbar’s sayings, as well as an explanation of the ancestry , author’s life.
2.) The Taj Mahal , Agra
• It was built by Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal.
• It is the mausoleum of both Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan..
• It is built at Agra on the banks of the River Yamuna.
• It was designed by Ustad Isha Khan and it is made of pure white marble.
• The main structure is constructed on a high platform. On each of the four corners of this platform there is a
minaret.
• The central dome rises to a height of 56.1 metres. The interior has an octagonal chamber.
• The actual graves are in lower chamber, underground.
• The walls are decorated with floral designs made of semi-precious stones.
• This method of decoration is called pietra dura. The Taj Mahal brought together all the architectural forms
developed by the Mughals like massive domes of marble, pietra dura inlay work and kiosks (chhatris).
• Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983 and was declared as one of the Seven
Wonders of the World in 2007.
3.) The Jama Masjid
• It was built by Shah Jahan and is the biggest mosque in India.
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• Its courtyard has the capacity to accommodate thousands of people at a time.
• It is built on a lofty basement with majestic flights of steps leading to the imposing gateways on three sides of
the courtyard.
• It has three gateways, four towers and two 40m high minarets constructed of red sandstone and white marble.
• The northern gate has 39 steps, the eastern gate has 35 steps and the southern gate has 33 steps.
• The face of its spacious prayer-hall consists of eleven arches of which the central arch rises far above the roof
level.
4.) The Red Fort, Delhi [ bank of the river Yamuna ]
• Built by Shah Jahan, after decided to shift his capital to Delhi.
• Red sandstone and marble were used in its construction. .
• The fort has massive walls and two gateways.
• The Western Gateway is known as the Lahori Gate.
• This gate was used for the emperor's ceremonial purposes.
• Among the many impressive buildings in the complex are Diwan-i-Aam and Diwan-i-Khas.
• The Diwan-i-Khas is the lavishly ornamented hall where the Peacock Throne was placed. The hall was used by
the emperor to give audience to the princes of the royal family, nobles and other important dignitaries.
• Aurangzeb later built the Moti Masjid in the Red Fort. It is made of pure marble.
• Important historical monument.
• The Prime Minister of India every year unfurls the national flag from its ramparts on Independence Day.
 MUGHAL DYNASTY
BABUR
Full name – Zahir- ud- din Muhammad Babur.
Babur was a descendant of Timur from his father’s side and Chengiz Khan from his mother’s side.
He was a ruler of Farghana who later captured Kabul. He was invited by Daulat Khan Lodi[ governor of Punjab]
to oust Ibrahim Lodi from the throne of Delhi.
The First Battle of Panipat was fought between Ibrahim Lodi and Babur in 1526. Babur defeated Lodi and
occupied Delhi and Agra.
Immediately after his victory, Babur had to fight a fierce battle with the Rajput ruler Rana Sanga of Mewar in 1527
at Khanwa. After defeating Rana Sanga, Babur secured and strengthened his position in Delhi and Agra.
Babur also had to fight the Battle of Ghagra against the Afghan armies. He was however not able to register a
comprehensive victory against the Afghans.
Babur died in 1530. Although he laid the foundation of the Mughal rule in India.
Humayun
Humayun ascended the throne in 1530. .
He was defeated by Sher Shah Suri, an Afghan chief, at Kannauj in 1540. Humayun managed to escape and took
shelter in Persia.
Sher Shah Suri was an able administrator and built the Grand Trunk Road of India running from Peshawar to
Bengal.
Sher Shah Suri died while inspecting gunpowder in one of his forts. His successors were weak.
Humayun conquered Kabul and Kandahar with the help of the Shah of Persia and then again captured Delhi in
1555.
However, he was able to rule only for one year and died in 1556 as a result of a fall from the stairs of his library at
Purana Quila.
Akbar
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Akbar was one of the greatest Mughal rulers in India. He ascended the throne at the age of thirteen years. He was
guided by his tutor, Bairam Khan.
Second battle of Panipat Bairam Khan vs Hemu [ 1556 ]
Akbar conquered several Indian states. He captured Malwa, Gondwana, Gujarat, Kashmir and Kabul. He then
annexed various states in the Deccan.
At the time of Akbar’s death, his empire extended from Kabul and Kandhar in the west to Assam in the east. His
empire encompassed Ahmednagar, Khandesh and Berar in the Deccan.
He also subdued many Rajput princes except Mewar.
The Battle of Haldighati was fought between Akbar[ Raja Man Singh ] and Maharana Pratap in 1576. The latter fled
the battlefield because he was inflicted with heavy wounds.
Akbar died in 1605.
Rajput Policy of Akbar
Akbar realised that the Rajputs were a powerful force in India and that it was difficult to rule the empire without
their help and cooperation.
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He thus valued their friendship. To further strengthen their friendship, he entered matrimonial alliances with the
Rajputs.
Bhara Mal, the ruler of Amber, married his younger daughter, Harkha Bai to Akbar.
Akbar gave complete religious freedom to his wives.
The Rajputs were given an important position in the imperial court, and many Rajput princes were made
mansabdars.
By taking these steps, he was able to reduce and end the centuries-old animosities which existed between the
Muslims and the Rajputs.
Because the Rajputs were made equal partners in the Mughal government, it greatly helped in the growth of the
composite culture in India.
Steps Towards Integration:
Akbar took a number of measures to promote greater understanding between the Hindus and the Muslims.
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Through these measures he created an atmosphere in which liberal views could grow .
1. Akbar abolished the poll tax or jizyah, which the non-Muslims were required to pay. He also abolished the
pilgrim tax on bathing at holy places such as Prayag and Benaras. Further, he abolished the practice of
forcibly converting prisoners of war to Islam.
2. To strengthen the liberal principles, Akbar enrolled a number of Hindus into the nobility. While most of these
were Rajput rajas, many of whom entered into matrimonial alliances with Akbar, mansabs (position or rank)
were given to others on the basis of their competence.
3. In 1575, Akbar built a hall called Ibadat Khana or the Hall of Prayer at Fatehpur Sikri. At this hall, he used to
call selected theologians of all religions, mystics and intellectuals and discuss religious and spiritual matters
with them.
4. Akbar issued a Declaration' or mahzar, which made Akbar the supreme or final arbiter in religious matters
and replaced the power of the ulema by the power of the Emperor.
5. Akbar promulgated a new faith called Din-i-Illahi. It was based on the principle of oneness of God. The basic
purpose of forming Din-i-Illahi was Sulh-kul or universal harmony.
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6. Akbar set up a big translation department for translating works in Sanskrit, Arabic and Greek into Persian. Thus,
the Singhasan Battisi, the Atharva Veda and the Bible were taken up for translation. These were followed by the
Quran, the Mahabharata, the Gita and the Ramayana.
SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL REFORMS
1. Akbar issued orders to the kotwals to check the forcible practice of Sati or the burning of a widow on the
funeral pyre of her husband. However, the women who committed Sati of their own free will were allowed to do
so.
2. Akbar legalised widow remarriage.
3. Akbar was against anyone having more than one wife unless the first wife could not bear children.
4.Akbar raised the age of marriage to 14 for girls and 16 for boys.
5.Akbar revised the educational syllabus, laying more emphasis on moral education and mathematics and on
secular subjects such as agriculture, geometry, astronomy, logic and history.
• The other Mughal emperors also were patrons of education and there was considerable development in this area.
• Jahangir passed a law, whereby if a rich man was to die without an heir, his assets would be used by the State to
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help in the development and maintenance of educational institutes.
• Shah Jahan although more interested in building monuments, took some significant educational initiatives like
providing scholarships to assist students.
• Female education also existed in some form during the Mughal period. Girls from rich families were usually
able to have an education, through private tuitions at home. The Middle class girls were usually able to attend
the same schools as the boys.
Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb was the third son of Shah Jahan. He had three brothers and two sisters.
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Shah Jahan had designated his eldest son Dara Shikoh as his heir, and so there was a rivalry between Dara and
Aurangzeb who also nurtured dreams of becoming the emperor.
When Shah Jahan became ill, Aurangzeb managed to succeed and he usurped the throne by putting his own father in
prison at Agra Fort. Shah Jahan died there after 7 years.
He was crowned the king in 1659 at Delhi.
He reversed many of Akbar’s policies towards non-Muslims. He reintroduced the Jizya or the tax on non-Muslims.
He had a massive army and the empire reached its zenith under him in terms of area.
Aurangzeb also banned the use of alcohol, gambling and music from his empire. The textile industry flourished
under him.
North – Kashmir , south – river Kaveri , west – Kabul and east – Chittagong.
Aurangzeb died in Ahmednagar in February 1707 of old age and illness at the age of 88.
He left behind an empire, which was on the verge of collapse.
Administrative system of the Mughals
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The Mughals emperors established a centralised state based on military power.
It rested on two pillars – the absolute authority of the emperor and the strength of the army.

Monarch
According to Abul Fazal, the office of a true ruler was a very responsible one which depended on divine
illumination. [vice-regent of God on Earth. He ruled the empire]
Paternal love towards his subjects without distinction of sect or creed.
The Emperor was the head of the Executive, Legislature, Judiciary and the Army. He was the supreme commander
of the armed forces and all other commanders were appointed and removed by him.
The royal uzuk (small singet ring) was affixed to farmans granting appointments, titles, jagirs, etc.
Ministers
In the days of Babur and Humayun, there used to be a Prime Minister, known as vakil, who was entrusted with
large powers in civil and military affairs.
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During the early years of Akbar's reign Bairam Khan was the vakil.
However, after Bairam Khan's death, the office of vakil was stripped off all its powers and it became more or less
honorary.
The head of the revenue department was the wazir, known as diwan or diwan-i-ala. [income and expenditure].
The head of the military department was called the mir bakhshi. The mir bakhshi was also the head of the
intelligence and information agencies of the empire.

Judiciary
The judicial department was headed by the qazi. This post was sometimes combined with that of the chief sadar
who was responsible for all charitable and religious matters.
Provincial Government
Under Akbar, the Mughal Empire was divided into twelve provinces or Subhas which were further subdivided into
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sarkars, and each sarkar was divided into mahals or parganas.
A Governor or subedar was in charge of the province. [ mainly mansabdar of high rank ].
He had to maintain law and order in the province and ensure the smooth collection of revenues.
Revenues of the provinces were looked after by the diwan.
Other important officials of the provinces were faujdar [military commander], kotwal [Maintaining law and order],
Bakshi [head of the Military Administration] , sadrqazi and muhtasib [a supervisor of bazaars and trade]. All these
officers were appointed by the centre.
Mansabdari System
The term mansab means an office or a rank and a person who occupied this office or held the rank came to be
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known as a mansabdar. A mansabdar maintained horsemen or soldiers depending on his rank in the court.
Some important features of this system were
An official in the royal service was given a rank or a mansab depending on the nature of his work. While a
mansabdar of a lower level could maintain up to ten horsemen, the mansabdar of the highest level could keep seven
thousand horsemen.
The mansabdars were appointed by the king. The king had the power to promote or dismiss them.
The king paid his mansabdars in the form of jagirs. The revenue collected from the jagir could be used by the
mansabdars to pay his horsemen.
The mansabdars had the right to collect only a fixed amount of revenues from their jagirs and had no power to
administer them.
During the reign of Aurangzeb, the number of mansabdars increased substantially. This resulted in the shortage of
jagirs.
Highest Ranked Mansab 10,000
Lowest Ranked Mansab 10
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There was a dual representation of Mansab:
Zat – This indicated the Rank in the administration as well as the salary of the Mansabdar.
Sawar – This represented the Cavalry Rank. It denotes the number of horses and cavalrymen maintained by Sawar.
Akbar time average salary Rs. 240 per annum
Jahangir time average salary Rs. 200 per annum
Shah Jahan reduced the number of sawars a noble was required to maintain, only 1/3 to 1/4.

Jagirs and place of work different.

Land Revenue System
Raja Todar Mal was the revenue minister of Akbar.
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He introduced some important reforms in the revenue system.
The main features of the revenue system at this time were
The land was surveyed and measured with a bamboo string attached to iron rings.
The cultivable land was categorised into four kinds—extremely fertile, fertile, middling and bad.
To calculate the land revenue to be paid, the average production of the last ten years was taken into account, and
the revenue was fixed on the basis of this average.
One-third of the produce was to be paid as revenue which could be paid either in cash or in kind.
In case of the failure of crops because of droughts and floods, the state advanced loans to farmers.