Indian History and World History (Part-19)

In 1597, Akbar issued the Mahjranama.

This Mahjranama was prepared by Sheikh Mubarak, father of Abul Fazl.

The Mahjranama was announced by Akbar with the aim of taking all religious matters into his own hands.

In 1582 AD, Akbar started 'Din-i-llahi' (Tauhid-i- Ilahi).

Under this, Akbar tried to make it universal by including the basic principles of all religions.

Din-i-Ilahi was actually a school of thought based on Sufi mysticism. The head priest of this new sect was Abul Fazl. Among the Hindus only Birbal (Mahesh Das) accepted it.

Vincent Arthur Smith, a British Indologist and an historian, in his book titled The Early History of India, described whole scheme of Din-i-llahi as the outcome of ridiculous vanity, monstrous growth of unrestrained autocracy a monument of Akbar's folly, not of his wisdom." He further called it "a silly invention".

Khas Mahal and the Shish Mahal are part of Agra Fort. It was the main residence of the emperors of the Mughal Dynasty until 1638.

Agra Fort's construction was started by Akbar between 1565 and 1573.

It is situated on the west bank of the Yamuna River, about 2km upstream of the Taj Mahal.

In 1983 Agra fort was declared a UNESCO world heritage site.

Murshidabad originally called Makhsudabad was reputedly founded by the Mughal emperor Akbar in the 16th century.

In 1704 the nawab (ruler) Murshid Quli Khan (following Aurangzeb's orders) transferred the capital there from Dacca (now Dhaka, Bangladesh) and renamed the town Murshidabad.

Nagina Masjid is considered to be the Bengal style in Agra, It was built by Shah Jahan.

It is also called Gem Mosque. It is constructed with white marble.

Akbar constructed the Panch Mahal (Badgir) at Fatehpur Sikri which is situated near the Zenana. quarters (Harem). This mahal was mainly used for entertainment and relaxation.

The word "Zardozi' is derived from two Persian words, Zar meaning gold and Dozi meaning embroidery.

A Persian embroidery form, Zardosi attained its peak in the 17th century, under the patronage of Mughal Emperor Akbar.

Under the rule of Aurangzeb, the royal patronage stopped and this led to the decline of the craft. Since the cost was high and raw materials quite rare, craftsmen could not carry on with the embroidery on their own.

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.