4 The Mughal Empire

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My Learning Aim!
The Mughal Empire
The Sur Dynasty
Administration of the Mughals

.We have read in the previous chapter about Babur (1526 - 1530)
the Battle of Panipat which was fought Zahir-ud-Din Muhammad Babur was founding
between Sikandar Lodi and Babur. Babur was father of
the Mughal dynasty in India. He
invited by Daulat Khan and Alam Khan, both was born in Fergana, a small principality in
of whom were among the nobles of Sikandar CentralAsia where his father was a ruler. He
Lodi. Historians trace the lineage of Baburto
ascended the throne at the age of twelve
Timur from his paternal side and to Chengiz after his father's death. During this time, he
Khan from his maternal side who belonged to tried to bring Samarkand under his control
Mongolian tribe of Central Asia. and was successful in retaining it for brief
periods in 1497 and 1501. However,
The Mughal Empire he was
displaced by his nobles and could neither
The advent of Babur in India resulted in the retain his principality nor Samarkand. In 1504,
arrival of the Mughal dynasty in India which he invaded Kabul and in 1511-12
he tried to
ruled for three centuries(1526 -1857 CE) and capture Samarkand once
left a great legacy in the medieval history again but did not açhieve
of India In this chapter, we will read about success in his plans/These
different Mughal kings and the administration unsuccessful attempts
of this Empire. made him to focus on the
other partsof Asia. In the
Term first Battle of
Treasuçel
Mughal: The word Mughal is the Panipat,
Arabic translation of the word Moghot Babur emerged victorious
which in turn is the Persian term for and established the Great
Mongols. Mughal rule in India.

Babur
32 Pragmatie Soeial Studies -7
 Battles:Babur had to control thesmaller
kingdoms neighbouring NorthIndia which
were threatening to his kingdom. Raiputs
had formedan alliance under Rana Sanga,
king of Mewar in Rajasthan. In the Battle
of Khanua in 1527, the Mughals and the
Rajputs fought near Agrain which Babur
emerged victorious. During this battle,
Afghans had occupied Lucknow (UP).
After this battle, he turned his attention
to Lucknow and fought with other Rajput
chief Medini Rai of Chanderi. In the Battle,
of Ghaghra (1529) in Bihar, he defeated.
Afghan chief Mahmud Lodi. His Empire
now included the areas between Kandhar
(Afghanistan) to the borders of Bengal,
Buzz
After winning the Battle of Khanua,
Babur took the title of Ghazi
Contribution: Babur laid a strong
foundation of the Mughal Empire
through his skillsandwarrior capabilities.
He was a poet, a great lover of nature
and admirer of art and architecture. He
built gardens around India in Agra (Ram
Bagh) and Kabul (Bagh-e-Babur). Besides
gardens, Babur built several mosques
and structures in India. Babri mosque
popularly known by the name of Babri
Masjid Ayodhya (UP) was built by him.
Mosque inside Bagh-e-Babur
Sources: We get to know about Babur
by his autobiography Baburnama which
was originally written in Turkish ( Tuzk
e-Babri), translated to Persian during
Akbar's reign and in English in the 1921
22 entitled as 'Memoirs of Babur'. In this
book, he besides describing his political
events also describes the physical
features of India and its natural beauty
-
Humayun1530 1555)
Babur died in 1530 and his son Nasiruddin
Humayun became the next ruler of the
Mughal dynasty. Babur had four sons, of
whom three were given
the smaller territories to
rule.This irked them and
Humayun had to face
bitter hostilities from his
brothers during his rule.
His main rivals were his
brothers, and the Afghan
chief Sher ShahSuri from
the east and Bahadur Humayun
Shah from West India/ Humay n kamy n
Mg Hndal,
Battles: Humayu started from the west
and attacked Bahadur Shah to capture
Mandu (Malwa) and Champaner (Gujarat)
from him. On the other hand, Sher Shah
seizing an opportunity attacked Agra
the capital of the Mughal dynasty and
>Humayun had to force his cavalry back to
defend his territories. Humayun's brother
Kamran allied with Sher Shah against his
brother. Humayun had to face defeat
from Sher Shah in the Battle of ´Chausa
(Bihar) in 1539, and in Battle of Kannauj
(UP) in 1540. He fled India, and took
refuge in Persia. Sher Shah ruled North
India till his death in 1545. In between,
Humayun reestablished his kingdom
with the help of the Persian king Shah
Tahmasp byannexing Kabul and Kandhar
in 1555. Sher Shah's successors were
weak because of which Humayun was
able to reclaim Agra and Delhiin 1555 but
his rule was short lived as he met with the
accidental death in 1556.
The Mughal Empire 33
 -
Know More Sher Shah Suri(1540 1545)
Sher Shah came to power after defeating
Humayun. He was working as the deputy
In Humayun's childhood he fell very ill and his
conditions of survival were declared negligible by
doctors. It is a saying that Babur prayed for the of Bahar Khan before
transfer of his son's illness to hinself and sacrifice becoming the king
of his life for his son's recovery. Soon, Humayun himself. After the death
recovered and Babur fell ill and died thereafter. of Bahar Khan, he became
the governor of Bihar
Contribution: Humayun's great and within four years
contribution lies in the field of painting. came to be recognized
He brought with himself the Persian as the ruler of Bihar.
painters who blended the Persin and During his rule in Bihar,
Islamic style of painting with the Indian he organized the largest Sher Shah Suri
style. Humayun tomb built by his widow and efficient army.
is the first monumental evidence of the
Mughal India. Info The dctual name of Sher Shah was Farid.
Bell He received his title from the rúler of
Bihar Bahar Khan when he killed lion
with bare hands.

Battles: While Humayun was busy

invading territories from the west, Sher
Shah attacked Bengal and captured
Gaur which was itš capital. He fought
two battles with Humayun about which
Hurmayun tomb in Delhi
we have read in the last section. Within
Sources: We get information about the short span of time, he enlarged his
Hurnayun from his biography Empire from Indus in the east to Bengal
Hurnayunnarna written by his sister in the west. He died from
Gulbadan Begum in Persian. Khwandamir, the accidental
explosion
a court historian of Humayun wrote of gunpowder, during the
siege of Kalinjar fort fighting the Chandel
Qanun-iHurnayuni in 1535, which gives
historical details of the first three years Rajputs.
of Hurmayun's rule. Contribution: Sher Shah is known
for his
great military and administrative skills.
TheSur Dynasty not only contributed
He

The Sur dynasty came into existence under

in material welfare
of his kingdom but also
Sher Kharn popularly known as Sher Shah Suri contributed for
the welfare of the people. He
who belonged to the Sur tribe of Afghanistan. introduced
The Afghans were displaced after the Battle of
thenew coinage system known as rupiah.
He built many
Panipat, however, they were not completely roads, hospitals, mosques
and is remembered
destroyed. Some of the Afghan chieftains for the
of the Grand Trunk Road. construction
ruled some smallterritories in India. The lost He planted
trees and built inns on
charm of Afghans was refound by Sher Shah. this road which
Although,he ruled for the short period he left encouraged trade activities. He
Rohtasfort defend also built
the legacy of this dynasty to himself against the

34 Pragaatie Social $tudios-7

 Mughals. His tomb is built in the middle of
the artificial lake in the town of Sasaram
in Bihar.
Tomb of Sher Shah Suri in Bihar
Sources: Tarikh-i-Sher Shahi by Abbas
Khan Sarwani is a historical work which
was compiled during the reign of Akbar.
This book gives the account of the rule of
Sher Shah.
His successors ruled till 1555 but could not
contribute much to this dynasty. Humayun
grabbing an opportunity came back to rule
India to continue the Mughal dynasty.
Akbar (1556
-
1605)
Akbar was the eldest son of Humayun who
wasthirteen years of age when his father died.
Succeeding his father, he was guided by his
father's close companion and regent Bajram.
Khn till he became capable of ruling the
kingdom himself. Akbar during his early life
learngdhe skills of hunting
ahd swordplay_but never
learned to read. However, he
made the texts of philosophy,
history, science and religion
read to him. He
extended his
empire to most of the Indian
subcontinent and was able
towin the loyalty of the non
Muslim population. Akbar
Battles
During his early years of rule, Afghans were
still prevalent and the emperor almost lost
Delhi to Hemu(Hindu ruler) and descendants
of Sher Shah. While he was busy fighting
Sikandar Shah Suri, Hemu attackedDelhi and
claimed Delhi. Akbar's forces led by Bairam
Khan and Khan Zmandefeated Hemuin the
Second Battl of Panipatin 1556. From 1556
1560, Bairam. Khan managed the kingdom
and became powerful. Akbar dismissed him
and took the control of his empire and army
himself.
Akbar extended his rule by invading Malwa
in 1561 which was agricultural land, and had
strategic and economic importance as well.
He conquered Chittor (capital of Mewar) in
1568, Ranthambor in 1569 both the Rajput
kingdoms besides conqyering Gujarat (1573)
which had manyports and was the area from
where trade was carried with Central Asia,
Bengal (1575), Kabul(1581), Kashmir (1586),
Khandhar (1595) and Deccan, Khandesh and
Ahmadnagar (1601).
• Policy with Rajputs: In order to
consolidate his Empire, Akbar adopted
the policy of conciliation and conquest
towards the Rajputs. The Rajputs ruled
the parts of North India but were not
united to build their Empire. Most of
the Rajput kings accepted the authority
of Akbar and helped him in building
his Empire. Akbar on the other hand,
employed the Rajputs as his courtiers
and by accepting the marriage alliance of
daughter of Bhara Mat of Amber (Jaipur)
Akbar gained their loyalty and respect.
The Rajputs were allowed to hold
territories on conditions of supplying
troops and paying tributes to the king as
and when required.
Some of the Rajput ings did not accept
the authority of Akbar like Rana Pratap
Singh.This led to the Battle of Haldighati
in 1576 and the capture of Mewar. Seeing
Rajput rulers
the fall of Mewar, other
were forced to accept the suzerainty of
The Mughal Empire 35
 Akbar, but Rana Pratap himself refused
to accept his authority and fought
against Akbar tillhis death in 1597.
Contribution
Akbar introduced several reforms in army,
religious practices, taxation, etc., for building
unity and winning the loyalty of his subjects.
Din-i-llahi: Akbar showered tolerance
over other religions which was an
important departure from the policy of
his predecessors. He paved the way for
Din-i-llahi(divine faith) which was not new
religion but was a principle to be followed
was,
for creating a unified social order. He
curious to know about other religion!
For this, he summoned ulemas, Brahmin
priests and other religious heads in
his ibadat khana (prayer hall) which
he built in Fatehpur Sikri. This hall was
built specifically to have discussions
about other religions and philosophy.
After knowing about different religions
he combined the good features of all
religions to formanew faith of Din-i-llahi.
This faith was directed towards Sulh-i-kul
(universal peace) of allreligions.
Mansabdari System:/The term mansab
means 'office, position or rank' was
introduced by Akbar in his administration.
He divided his whole kingdom into small
territories (mansabs) and appointed
mansabdars to control them/ These
mansabdars were both military/and civil
officers of his kingdom. These officers
were directly accountable to Akbar. Zat
and sawar were the two elements of
mansabdari system. Zat was the rank
and official status of the holder and the
horses and
Sawar meant the number of
horsemen he had in hjspossession.
had liberal
Removal of Jizya: Akbar
attitude towards all religions because
-7
36
Pragmatic SocialStudies
of which he repealed the tax on Hindy
pilgrims for visiting their holy places in
1563. Another yearly tax on non-Muslims
called jizya was abolished in 1564
He
Centralized Financial System:
introduced the centralized financial
revenue.
system for the collection of
Diwans (civil administrators) were
revenues and
appointed for collection of king.
reporting about them directly to the
excessive
This helped peasants from
revenues and state from financial loses.
monuments
Art and Architecture: The
of Akbar unlike his
processors are found
in Delhi.
in and around Agra rather than scholars
Painters, poets, musicians and
patronage
of all religions received great
from Akbar. Miniature paintings, book
making and art was contributed in
his
period. Fatehpur Sikri (UP) is an example
of the architecture of his period.
Paanch Mahal in Fatehpur Sikri
Sources
We get to know about Akbar from the
court chronicles Akbarnama written in three
volumes by Abul Fazal who was his chief
advisor. Abul Fazal was his most trusted
courtier and was one among the navratnas
(nine gems) Akbar had in his court. The third
volume called as Ain-i-Akbari tells about Akbar
and his administrative policies in detail.
Explore More!
Like Vikramaditya of Gupta Empire, Akbar had
nine navratnas in his court. Find about these nine
navratnas. Who was the most famous among them?
Other Mughal Kings
After Akbar, who earned the title of 'Akbar the
Great' other Mughal kings also ascended the
throne on hereditary basis. In this section we
will talk about the remaining Mughal kings.
Jahangir (1605- 1627)
Jahangir (conqueror of the world) whose
original name was Salim was the son of Akbar
and the Rajput princess Jodha Bai. During
his reign,he followed the policy of his father
and expanded the Mughal Empire. In 1611,
Jahangir married Mehrunnisa who assumed
the title of 'Nur Jahan'. She
played an important role
in court politics and within
a short span of time, she
became powerful. She and
her family held important
posts in the administration
and her powerful tactics
led to the issuing of coins
in her name/
Jahangir
Battles: Jahangir faced a rebellion
from his son Khusro who seized Lahore
with the help of disloyal nobles but this
rebellion was crushed by Jahangir. In
1613, he defeated the Rajput king Rana
Sanga of Mewar who surrendered and
accepted Mughal authority. He moved
towards Ahmadnagar in Deccan and in
1620 conquered Kangra. In 1622, Persian
king Shah Abbas of the Safavid Empire
attacked Kandahar and took away the
Mughal territory. His relationship with
Sikhs soured as one of the Sikh gurus,
Arjan Dev was executed and died in the
Mughal prison for giving aid to his son
Khusro. In 1608 and 1615, two British
envoys - Sir Thomas Roe and Captain
William Hawkins respectively came
to Jahangir's court for the permission
of trading rights. He gave the trading
rights and in 1615 first English East
India Company was established at Surat
(Gujarat).
Contribution: Jahangir is known for
his impartial justice. During his reign,
the Mughal administration achieved
economic prosperity, political stability,
military strength and architectural
heights. He was a nature lover and
the gardens built by him at Srinagar
(Kashmir) are a testimony to this fact. He
built Akbar's tomb at Sikandra (UP).
Shalimar garden, Kashmir
Sources: Jahangir was a well read man.
During his reign he kept a diary as his
memoirs which were named as Tuzuk
iJahangiri. It is an autobiography of the
king which reveals the minute details
about him, his administration, and his
love of nature and art.
Shah Jahan (1628- 1658)
Shah Jahan (king of world) was the title
adoptedby Prince Khurram when he ascended
the throne after his father's death in 1628. In
1622, he had rebelled against his father and
during his father's late years, he came in open
conflict with his step mother Nur Jahan. He
married Arjumand Bano Begum popularly
known as 'Mumtaz Mahal' in 1612. War of
Succession broke out of
his four sons and in 1658,
he died after illness. He
preferred liberal Dara
Shikoh as his successor
but it was Aurangzeb
who emerged victorious
During Shah Jahan
Battles:
military
his father's rule, he led several
death
campaigns and after his father's
The Mughal Emnpire 37