Interview with Akbar, Emperor of the MughalEmpire.
Get in pairs and assign each other either a role of Shah Akbar or Journalist. Read the interview below in your roles and then answer guided questions after the text. You have 5 mins to read the text and 10 mins to answer the questions.
Akbar, who was coronated in the year 1556 due to his father's death, defeated Muhammad Shah Adali of Bengal and this Prime Minister Hemu at the 2nd Battle of Panipat. This defeat of Adlai and Hemu marked the end of Afghan power in India and perhaps gave the signal of the beginning of a glorious reign by Emperor Akbar.
Interview
Journalist:You have extended the Mughal Empire greatly since you became Emperor in 1556. Tell us about some of your conquests.
Akbar: I began my reign by defeating the Afghans and gaining control of Bengal. Since then, I have conquered Gondwana, Gujarat, Ahmednagar, Kabul, Sindh, Baluchisthan, Kandahar and Kashmir. I have also extended by influence over most of the Rajput states including Mewar, Marwar, Jodhpur, Bikaner.
Journalist:You have faced opposition from Bairam Khan and Adham Khan, two close associates of yours. How did you deal with these?
Akbar: Bairam Khan was my tutor, to whom I owe a great debt, but once I was ready to take over the administration completely, Bairam chose to revolt. I defeated him but allowed him to flee. With Adham Khan, the situation was slightly different as Adham is my half brother. I managed to quell his revolt as well as those of other regional chiefs like the Uzbegs.
Journalist:Inspite of defeating the Rajputs of Mewar at the battle of Haldighati, you have been unable to completely establish yourself there.
Akbar: My Rajput policy has been extremely successful, except for Mewar. Through marital alliances or conquest, I rule over most of Rajputana. Infact, my own chief minister RanaTodarmal is a Rajput. As for Mewar, I defeated RanaUdai Singh as well as RanaPratap Singh at Haldighati, but it is true that my rule in Mewar is still controversial.
In general, my Rajput policy is successful and personally. My regard for the Rajput's fierce loyalty and honor is very great.
Journalist:You are known as a tolerant monarch and have been established a new religion called Din -i- Ilahi. What is the basis of this religion?
I am a devout Muslim but from an early age I have been influenced by other religions. My tutor Beram Khan was a Sufi and many of my wives are non-Muslims. In 1575, I established the 'IbadatKhana' or Parliament of Religion, where I invited scholars of all religions to preach. I was shocked to hear these scholars arguing for I find some basic elements are common to all religions. Therefore, I began Din-I-Ilahi.
Din-I-Ilahi incorporates semblances of all religions and many of my courtiers including AbulFazal have joined it. It is not compulsory for people to follow Din-I-Ilahi but I hope that its principles of universal peace and tolerance will be adopted byall.
Who were Bairam Khan and Adham Khan? What did they do to Akbar?
How is Akbar ruling over Rajputana?
Akbar’s ruling in what region is still controversial?
What organization did Akbar establish in Mughal Empire, where he invited scholars of all religions to preach?
What were some of his surprising findings from these scholars?
What religion did Akbar establish after hearing from scholars of all religions?
In your opinion, do most religions (Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, etc.) have more in common or different? Why? EXPLAIN
In your opinion, is it better to have one uniform religion in a country or several different religions? Why? Explain using examples from successful and powerful empires we have already covered in this class (Roman, Ottoman, British, etc).