Social Scientist

Akbar's Relations with Rajput Chiefs and Their Role in the Expansion of the Empire
Author(s): S. Inayet. A. Zaidi
Source: Social Scientist, Vol. 22, No. 7/8 (Jul. - Aug., 1994), pp. 76-82
Published by: Social Scientist
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3520154
Accessed: 25-03-2018 19:17 UTC

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide
range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and
facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at
http://about.jstor.org/terms

Social Scientist is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Social
Scientist

This content downloaded from 14.139.45.241 on Sun, 25 Mar 2018 19:17:50 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
NOTE / S. INAYET. A. ZAIDI

Akbar's Relations with Rajput Chiefs and Their

Role in the Expansion of the Empire

Akbar's relations with the Rajput chiefs should be studied and

understood in a larger perspective. The latter should be seen as one of
the social groups of the landed aristocracy. Akbar took the initiative
in shaking hands with them and their positive response was with
same consideration of personal interests.
By the middle of the sixteenth century, the Rajputs had emerged as
a powerful group of zamindars. They had large territorial chiefdoms
particularly in Rajasthan. It was one of the reasons why Akbar
concentrated on the Rajputs of Rajasthan. However, in other parts of
North India also, they enjoyed dominant position in many scattered
parganas. The Ain-i-Akbari's figures of army personnel and the war
animals indicate that they maintained large armies. A critical study
of the contemporary sources like the Tarikh-i-Alfi and the
Akbarnama clearly indicate Bhar Mal's large following. Bhar Mal
did not possess a large territory but he was Buzurg-i-Kalantaran.
Therefore Akbar, who wanted to expand his empire, realised the
significance of the Rajput chiefs, particularly in terms of their
military strength.
In the early phase of his reign, Akbar felt threatened sometimes
from the Turani and sometimes from the Irani nobles, the only two
racial groups that he inherited. When one of these groups created
problems or revolted, he had to depend on the other. To create a more
lasting equilibrium, he decided to recruit some more racial groups into
his nobility. His choice was mainly confined to the Rajputs, the
Shaikhzadas and the Afghans. The potentiality of the Shaikhzadas
whom he recruited was not much because of their limited numbers.
Akbar preferred the Rajputs to the Afghans because the Mughals had
seized political power from the Afghans. He knew how the Afghans
had created a confederacy with the Rajputs and the Shaikhzadas
against the Mughals, for the Afghans had political as well as social
relations with the Rajputs. Akbar also knew that his father Humayun
had been expelled from India by the Surs. Therefore, he preferred the

Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi.

Social Scientist, Vol. 22, Nos. 7-8, July-August 1994

This content downloaded from 14.139.45.241 on Sun, 25 Mar 2018 19:17:50 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
 AKBAR'S RELATIONS WITH RAJPUT 77

Rajputs to the Afghans. Interestingly, this preference is attributed to

Shah Tahmasp of Iran who is reported to have advised Humayun
during the latter's meeting with him in Iran that he should establish
friendly relations with the Rajputs rather than with the Afghans.
Akbar preferred the soft method in dealing with the Rajputs.
Failing that, he opted for the hard method. The soft method was that
of persuasion and conciliation, and the hard method was that of use of
the armed forces. Asif Qandhari explains why Akbar opted for the
soft method. He says that there were two to three hundred rajas who
possessed very strong forts. If each fort took one or half a year to
conquer, it would have been impossible for any Emperor of Hindustan to
conquer all the rajas by force during his lifetime. Therefore,
conciliation was thought to be a better course by Akbar.
The rulers who preceded in this country, after defeating the chiefs
and imposing an amount of peshkash on them, left them free to manage
the administration of their principalities. At the time of military
campaigns they were asked to join the imperial forces. The amount of
peshkash and military service was therefore not only a burden to the
chiefs but also to the peasants and soldiers. Naturally, whenever the
chiefs got an opportunity, they worked with full vigour and zeal to
overthrow the yoke of the central power.
Akbar made a drastic change in the nature of this relationship.
Instead of leaving them free to handle their own affairs, Akbar
brought them to the central stage and treated them as partners in the
sovereign power and the wealth of the Empire. Besides, at the social
level also, Akbar treated them on par with the Turani and Irani
nobles.
A perusal of the mansabs assigned to the Rajputs indicates that
many of them were given high mansabs. From the very beginning they
enjoyed high status at the Mughal court. Raja Bhar Mal and his son
and successor Bhagwan Das Kachawaha of Amber were given the
status of 5000 mansabdar in the Mughal hierarchy, which was not less
than that given to any Turani or Irani noble. Towards the end of
Akbar's reign, Raja Man Singh Kachawaha had earned the status of
7000 zat and 7000 sunar. Other Kachawahas, namely Jagannath, Raj
Singh, Madho Singh and Raisal Darbari Shaikhawat held the
position of 5000/3000,4000/3000,3000/2000 and 3000 respectively.
This was followed by a similar policy towards the Rathors of
different dominions. Rai Rai Singh of Bikaner, Pratap of Baglana and
Raja Suraj Singh of Jodhpr were accorded the status of 4000, 3000 and
2000/2000 respectively. Other Rajput clans represented in the Mughal
hierarchy were Bhaduria, Hada, Pundir, Tunwar, Bhati, Baghela and
Chandrawat (a branch of Sisodias).

This content downloaded from 14.139.45.241 on Sun, 25 Mar 2018 19:17:50 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
78 SOCIAL SCIENTIST

The total strength of some important Rajput clans in 1605 was in th

following decennial order:

Clan Numerical Strength in Total mansabs

Akbar's service

1. Kachawahas 11 29,700
2. Rathors 7 10,800
3. Bhaduriyas 2 4,000
4. Baghelas 2 2,100

From the early 1570s the Rajput chiefs were assigned significant
offices. In 1572-73, while leaving for Gujarat, Akbar made Raja Bhar
Mal Vazir-i-Mutlaq of Agra. This meant that the administrative
charge of the city was entrusted to him. In 1585-86, when the Empire
was divided into subas and in each suba two governors were appointed,
Raja Jagannath Kachawaha and Raja Durga Sisodia were appointed
the governors of Ajmer province. Raj,a Bhagwan Das and Rai Rai Singh
of Bikaner were made the governors of Lahore. The subas of Agra and
Kabul were placed under the charge of Raja Askaran and Man Singh.
Ram Das Kachawaha distinguished himself by presiding over a
variety of offices. He was associated with the diwani affairs of the
Empire. When the Khalisa territory of the Empire was divided into
four divisions, one division, comprising the four subas-Agra,
Allahabad, Bihar and Bengal was placed under his charge. In 1595-96,
he was appointed the Diwan of Gujarat.
In 1595, when Prince Murad was given the charge of the Deccan, Raja
Suraj Singh Rathor was made his naib. Towards the end of Akbar's
reign, Man Singh held the subas of Bihar and Bengal.
Between 1595 and 1605, the qiladari of three important forts of
Rohtas, Ranthambhor and Gwalior was held by Man Singh, Jagannath
and Raj Singh.
Among the Rajputs, the Kachawahas were the most trusted and
were entrusted the surveillance of the Mughal harem. Bhagwan Das,
Ram Das and Raisal Darbari consecutively held this charge. This
office was very important since it functioned as the secretariat at the
royal residence of Akbar. Ram Das is known to have made
arrangements for a meeting between Akbar and Jain monk Jinachandra
Suri in his garden. Others present in the meeting were Prince Salim and
various other nobles.
Significantly, Akbar did not confine the recruitment only to the
chiefs of the clan but also gave mansabs and offices to other members of
the clan. Obviously, this was a move to break tribal solidarity, a

This content downloaded from 14.139.45.241 on Sun, 25 Mar 2018 19:17:50 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
 AKBARS RELATIONS WITH RAJPUT 79

strategy he consistently followed without making any distinction

between the Turani, Irani or Rajput tribes.
At the social plane also, Akbar treated them like other racial
groups of his nobility. From the very beginning, Akbar established
matrimonial relations with the Rajputs as he did with the Turani,
Irani and Shaikhzada families. The real intention behind this
relation was to cement the bond of friendship with the local
zamindars.
Both the Akbarnama and the Baburnama explicitly maintain that
marriages were contracted with the girls of local zamindar families 'to
conciliate' or 'to soothe the mind' of the zamindars. With this
objective in view Babur married a Yusufzai girl and Humayun married
a Mewati girl. Akbar's marrying the Rajput princesses was an
identical act.
But this strategy was not an innovation of the Mughals. In fact it
was one of the characteristics of the feudal or mediaeval Indian
polity. In India, before Akbar, the superior political powers married
daughters/sisters of their subordinate chiefs. In other societies in the
mediaeval times, particularly in Europe, we do find references to such
marriages. Giving daughters/sisters in marriage to the overlords was a
hallmark of political as well as social submission by the vassals. Even
Babur had to give his eldest sister Khanzada Begum in marriage to
Shaibani Khan when the latter defeated Babur at Samarqand in 1501.
This marriage was a part of the alliance contracted between Babur and
the Khan.
Bhar Mal's entry into Akbar's service and marriage of the
Kachawaha princess with the Emperor in 1562 should be seen as a
continuation of this tradition. Thereafter the members of the Mughal
royal family married many Rajput princesses. The Rajput clans with
which Akbar established matrimonial relations were the Rathors of
Jodhpur, Bikaner and Merta; the Bhatis of Jaisalmer; the Gehlots of
Dungarpur; the Baghelas of Bhatta; the Rajputs of Nagarkot; the
Ujjainya' s of Bhojpur etc.
One significant aspect of these marriages was that these were not
imposed marriages and in many cases the Rajput chiefs brought dolas
themselves to marry the princesses to the members of the Mughal royal
family. Moreover, the Rajput wives enjoyed full freedom in the
Mughal harem and because of their influence, Hindu festivals like
Dusshera, Diwali, Holi, Rakhi, etc., were celebrated at the Mughal
court with fanfare and gaiety.
An equally significant aspect was the establishment of social
intercourse between the two families. On special occasions the Rajput
wives of the Mughals used to visit their parental homes. Akbar even
sent the newly-born Prince Daniyal to the care of Raja Bhar Mal's wife
at Amber. Akbar also shared grief and happiness with the Rajputs. At
the moment of grief, they visited and consoled each other. When there

This content downloaded from 14.139.45.241 on Sun, 25 Mar 2018 19:17:50 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
80 SOCIAL SCIENTIST

was death in a Rajput family, Akbar paid personal visits and condoled
the dead. On the other hand, we also know that after the death of
Akbar's mother, Hanmda Begum, several Rajput chiefs shaved their
heads.
The titles Mirza, Farzand (son), and Bhaiya (brother) given to Man
Singh, Manohar Shaikhawat and Ram Chand Baghela respectively
were the manifestations of social closeness of the two families. The
title Mirza was generally suffixed with their names by the Mughal
personnel.
Rai Manohar Shaikhawat even emerged as one of the celebrated
Persian poets of his time. He was very dear to Akbar. Akbar took
personal interest and supervised founding of a town and its buildings in
Shaikhawati and the town was given the name of Manoharpur.
The surviving verses of Manohar show the complete rejection of
taqleed (imitation) which caused bigotry in the two religions. he
pleaded for applying aql (wisdom) and rationality in following any
religion. This philosophy was very much in consonance with Akbar's
attitude. But Akbar, however, did not favour him because of the
similarity of their ideas. In fact, Akbar never took it otherwise even if
somebody disagreed with him. An outstanding example is Man Singh
who refused outright to become a member of the din-i-Iradat-i
Ghazinan, the so-called (wrongly translated) Din-i-Ilahi.1 Akbar
never imposed his ideas over anyone, whatever the rationale behind
these ideas. Akbar, with the help of senior Rajput nobles personally
persuaded a Rajput widow to desist from committing sati. Akbar was
personally against this practice and used to dissuade widows from
committing sati, particularly those who were doing it under
compulsion.
With the growing interaction between Akbar and the Rajput chiefs,
it became clear that their interests were identical and complementary.
Experiencing equal status and treatment at the Mughal court, the
Rajputs did not look back and wholeheartedly participated in the
territorial expansion of Akbar's Empire. They knew that the expansion
of the Empire would also enhance their share in political power as
well as in the surplus income accruing to the Empire. They rendered
military services in the far-flung regions. They were sent to the north-
west frontiers against Mirza Hakim and the Raushanyas. Raja
Bhagwan Das was sent to Kashmir to deal with the Chak rulers and
other local zamindars. The armed forces of Man Singh and Rai Rai
Singh Rathor fought bravely in Gujarat. The Rajput forces also served
in areas now under Bihar, Bengal and Orissa. Rawal Har Rai of
Jaisalmer and Rai Rai Singh were asked to join Mirza Abdur Rahim
Khan-i Khanan against Mirza Jani Beg, the ruler of Sind.
The important role played by the Rajput forces under the command
of Raja Bhagwan Das and Man Singh against Rana Pratap cannot be
overlooked. Many subordinate sardars of the Rana were forced to

This content downloaded from 14.139.45.241 on Sun, 25 Mar 2018 19:17:50 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
 AKBAR'S RELATIONS WITH RAJPUT 81

accept Akbar's sovereignty. The geographical situation of Rana's

patrimony and the support of the Bhils, who were efficient archers
and traditionally attached to the Ranas, however, made it possible
for the Sisodia chiefs to survive the Mughal onslaught.
Akbar showed his appreciation of the services of the Rajput chiefs
by promoting them to higher mansabs and increasing their jagirs. The
income from these jagirs was far more than their erstwhile chiefdoms.
Akbar, however, did not accord any special treatment to the erstwhile
principalities. These territories were treated as part and parcel of the
Mughal Empire. The revenue of these principalities was always
adjusted against their salaries. Akbar made only one concession in this
regard-a small part of the revenues was always assigned to them in
their home territories so that their families were not disturbed from
their home towns. The reason for assigning jagirs contiguous to their
home towns was to faciliate accommodation of their traditional
military personnel in the armed forces. This also explains the interest
of the Rajput chiefs in seeking assignment around their watans.
However, the resumed revenues of their principalities were included in
the khalisa (imperial land) and assigned to other nobles.
At the very outset, Akbar made it clear that paramount power in
regard of succession rests with him. In the early 1570s when there was
dispute over the succession of the Jodhpur gaddi, Akbar, keeping
Jodhpur in khalisa for nearly twenty years, gave tika to his favourite
Udai Singh, popularly known as Mota Raja. In case of the gaddi of
Umarkot, when their arose a controversy over succession between the
deceased Meghraj's son Kishan Singh and brother Man Singh, Akbar
overruled the succession of Kishan Singh and granted it to Man Singh.
The succession issues at Bundi and Bandhogarh were dealt with in a
similar fashion.
If Akbar resumed full or part of the Rajput principalities, he also
created new watan jagirs for his favourites. Narain Das Khangarot
was given Naraina in watan jagir. Similarly in 1604, Akbar assigned
some revenues of Shamsabad to Rai Rai Singh of Bikaner.
The significance of Akbar-Rajput relations lay not merely in the
territorial and political expansion of the Mughal Empire but more
importantly in the enduring social and cultural interaction among the
various social groups of the different regions. The Rajputs established
social contacts with the local people wherever they were posted such
as by establishing matrimonial relations with the local ruling
families. Man Singh and his brother Chander Singh married the
princesses of Cooch, Bihar and Gwalior. They also built new buildings
in those regions. Both temples and mosques were built by them. Man
Singh built a temple at Mathura and mosques at Lahore and Rajmahal.
These Rajput chiefs brought wealth and prosperity to their
erstwhile principalities and the adjoining regions. The material

This content downloaded from 14.139.45.241 on Sun, 25 Mar 2018 19:17:50 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
82 SOCIAL SCIENTIST

prosperity enjoyed by the local people made Akbar into almost an

avatar (incarnation) of Lord Rama and Krishna in their eyes.2
Thus the concept of oneness at the political, administrative, social
and cultural levels was strengthened by Akbar's Rajput relations.

NOTES AND REFERENCES

1. The translation of the term is rendered wrongly as Din-i-Ilahi which is

believed to be a new religion propagated by Akbar. In fact, Akbar initiated a
neutral ideology. Therefore, the meaning of the term is 'Ordinances of Divine
faith' or 'Regulations for those priviledged to be (His Majesty's) disciples'.
2. In the town Sandla, the Thakurs had a portrait of Akbar at the main gate of the
fort. Before entering the fort they first worshipped the portrait since they owed
their status as assignees of the place to Akbar.

This content downloaded from 14.139.45.241 on Sun, 25 Mar 2018 19:17:50 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms