Medieval History of INDIA Series | Lec 10: Reign of Akbar, Administration & Culture | UPSC GS

Friends, in this video we will learn about Akbar's administration, foreign relations, and cultural patronage. Let's start with administrative reform, in which we will talk about military, civil, and land administration. In administrative reforms, Akbar first improved his military administration. Let's see how. Reforms in military administration Akbar had to fight big battles since childhood. This was the reason that he did not compromise with his military administration. He had invented the Mansabdari system for the better management of the army and horses. Mansabdari means Akbar's military commanders, high civil and military officers, and provincial governors. According to the Mansabdari system, each Mansabdar was given a Zaat rank, i.e. personal administrative rank, and a Sawaar rank, i.e. number of horsemen to maintain. According to Zaat and Sawaar rank, each Mansabdar had to maintain a fixed number of soldiers and at least two horses per horseman for Akbar. It should be noted here that even though the Sawaar rank is high, if a Mansabdar's Zaat rank is low, then his overall rank will be lower in the official hierarchy. For example, a Mansabdar with 5000 Zaat and 2000 Sawaar will be senior to a Mansabdar with 4000 Zaat and 3000 Sawaar. Akbar did not allow Mansabdari to become hereditary. From time to time, he used to review the performance of the Mansabdars. If a Mansabdar was given a Jaagir, then there were two officials for his revenue and military administration, so that there was a balance. Akbar never gave home Jaagir to avoid conspiracy and revolt. In this, the exception was only for Rajputs, who could get home Jaagir. With the help of the Ottoman Turks, Portuguese and Italians on the technology front, he further improved his artillery and cannon power. He had also included matchlocks, i.e. gunpowder guns in his army. That is why his empire is also called the Gunpowder Empire. After military reforms, let's look at the improvements made in civil administration. Reforms in Civil Administration Akbar's administrative system evolved from the Delhi Sultanate. But Akbar also made a lot of improvements in it. His entire empire was divided into provinces, i.e. provinces, whose administrative head was Subedar and the revenue head was Diwan. Each province was divided into governments, i.e. districts, whose admin head was Fauzdar and the revenue head was Amalguzar. Smaller than the government was Pargana, i.e. Taluka, whose admin head was Sikdar and the revenue head was Qanoon. Finally, Gram, i.e. village, was the smallest unit, whose headman was Mukaddam and the accountant was called Patwari. In this way, Akbar's entire administration was based on checks and balances. In addition to this, the minister, revenue department, Jaagir and Inam land management were seen in the center. Mir Bakshi was the military head. Mir Saman was in charge of the imperial household. And Chief Qazi was the head of the judiciary. After the reforms in civil administration, let's look at Akbar's land revenue administration. Land Revenue Administration Akbar's land revenue administration was inspired by the Delhi Sultanate and Sher Shah Suri's land revenue system. But to make his system robust, he also conducted several experiments. Akbar's land revenue system was also called Zabti, Bandobast or Dahsala system. To make this system, King Todarmal first used a Uniform Land Measurement System, i.e. Ghaz-e-Ilahi. Then a careful land and crop production survey was conducted for 10 years. Then an average figure was calculated, which was to be given to the farmers in cash. If required, crops were also allowed instead of cash. In addition to this, to maintain tax justice, he divided the land into four categories. Polaj, i.e. cultivated every year, Paroti, once in 2 years, Chachar, once in 3-4 years and Banjar, once in 5 or more years. Due to this categorization, any farmer could not be taxed as per his wish. If we look at it in depth, then behind Akbar's effective administration, there was a big hand of his Navratans. The names of his Navratans were Administrator Birbal, Scholar and Statesman Abul Fazal and his brother Abul Faizi, Finance Minister Raja Todarmal, Mansabdar and Raja Bharmal's son Raja Bhagwandas and his grandson Raja Mansingh, Musician Tansen, Statesman, Poet Abdur Rahim Khane Khana and Advisor Mulla Dopiaza. Apart from administrative reforms, one important reason for Akbar's long rule was his sound foreign policies. Let's see. Foreign Relations of Akbar Let's first look at the relationship between Akbar's Safavids, i.e. the rulers of Iran. The Safavids and Kandahar Friends, if any foreign ruler had to reach the Indian subcontinent, then he had to cross the Hindu Kush mountain and come to North-West India on the way to Afghanistan. To deal with these dangers coming from the North-West, Akbar always wanted to hold on to key outposts such as Kabul and Kandahar. Controlling this North-West frontier region defined the political and diplomatic relations between the Safavid dynasties of the Mughals and Iran. That is why Kandahar has always been a topic of controversy between the Safavid rulers and the Mughals. This fortress town was once under the control of Humayun, which Akbar conquered again in 1595 AD. This saved the Mughal Empire from North-Western aggression to a large extent. Here is an interesting thing that although the Safavids maintained diplomatic relations with the Mughals even after 1595 AD, but they never gave up their claim on Kandahar. On the other hand, Akbar's second important foreign policy was to maintain relations with the Ottoman Empire for pilgrimage and trade. Akbar's Relations with Ottomans The free movement of pilgrims and merchants in the Ottoman territory was an important link between the Mughals and the Ottomans. That is why Akbar relied on soft power to maintain his reach to Mecca and Medina. By combining commerce and religion, he exported valuable items on ports located in the Red Sea such as Aden and Mokha. And whatever money came on the sale of these items, he donated it to the local ulema and shrine keepers. With this, the goodwill of Akbar and the Mughal Empire always remained in the Ottoman territories. Apart from this, Akbar had good relations with the Europeans and in particular with the Portuguese. Relations with Portuguese The Europeans first came to know about India through Christian missionaries, travelers, merchants, diplomats, etc. Then, after the discovery of the direct sea route from Europe to India in the 15th century AD, the Portuguese first reached India from the sea route. They established trading stations in many coastal cities. The Portuguese king was also very interested in promoting Christianity along with trade. For this, he used to promote the missionaries of the Society of Jesus, i.e. Jesuits. At the same time, Akbar was also very interested in learning about Christianity. So he sent his own envoy to Goa so that he could invite the Jesuit priests to the Mughal court. As a result, the first Jesuit mission reached Fatehpur Sikri in 1580 AD. And after staying there for about two years, he told Akbar and the ulema about the virtues of Christianity. Along with foreign relations, Akbar was also a very big patron of art and culture. Due to political and economic stability, efficient administration and better foreign policies, Akbar was able to pay much more attention to art and culture than Babur and Humayun. Let's see Akbar's cultural patronage Akbar used to heavily invest in art and culture even during the battles to make his reign a golden era. This tradition is also carried forward by Jahangir and Shahjahan. In Akbar's reign, Delhi, Agra and Fatehpur Sikri were important centers of art and architecture. So let's talk about architecture first. Architecture Many magnificent forts, palaces, mosques and mausoleums were built on Akbar's orders. These include a combination of Jain, Muslim, Hindu and regional architecture. In all the forts, the Agra Fort is the most famous, which was built in red stone. Apart from this, he also built many forts in Lahore and Allahabad under the presidency of Prayag Raj. Apart from this, to celebrate the birth of his son Salim i.e. Jahangir, he built a fort named Fatehpur Sikri 36 km away from Agra. This was also built in red sandstone. Not only this, after Gujarat victory, a tall door was built 176 feet high in Fatehpur Sikri. Many Gujarati and Bengali style buildings can also be seen in Fatehpur Sikri complex. There is also a famous Jodhabai Palace and Panch Mahal here, in which five stories were built. In Akbar's reign, for his mother Humayun, Humayun's tomb is made of marble, which is also considered the precursor of the Taj Mahal. After Akbar's death, his tomb was built near Agra in Sikandara, which was completed by Jahangir. Along with architecture, Akbar was also very fond of painting. Let's take a look. Painting The real foundation of painting was laid by Humayun. He brought two Persian painters to the Mughal court with him, Mir Syed Ali and Abdul Samad. They became more famous in Akbar's court. Apart from this, Basavan, Miskeena and Daswant were also great painters. Akbar was very interested in making illustrations of literary and religious texts. Miniature painting also got a lot of support from Akbar. For example, Akbar continued the illustration of Hamza named by Humayun. Apart from painting, Akbar was also a big patron of music. Music To promote music, he included Gwalior's musician Tansen in his Navratans. Tansen composed many new ragas. He was an Indian classical music composer, musician and vocalist. Swami Haridas used to be his guru. After music, we will talk about the advancements in the field of literature. Literature Literature was greatly promoted under Akbar's rule. His library had 24,000 books. He liked history so much that he had a separate department of history. And he also ordered his friend Abul Fazal to write Akbar Nama, in which all the things of his rule are written in detail. Let's know about Akbar Nama. Akbar Nama and Abul Fazal The author of Akbar Nama, Abul Fazal's initial life took place in Agra. He had a very good grip on Arabic, Persian, Greek philosophy and Sufism. He was also an independent thinker and debater, who often opposed the views of conservative scholars. Because of these qualities, Akbar made him his advisor. Akbar's main goal was to separate the state from religious orthodoxy. In this work, Abul Fazal supported him a lot. As a court historian, Abul Fazal articulated many policies and principles of Akbar's rule in a remarkable way in front of everyone. In 1589 AD, Abul Fazal started writing Akbar Nama. It was written after referring to many sources. Like Vakai, i.e. actual record of events, official documents, oral testimonies, etc. Akbar Nama is divided into three parts, in which the first two are written in chronological format. In the first part, the history of the first 30 years of Akbar's life is written from Adam. And in the second part, the history of the 46th year i.e. 1601 AD of Akbar's rule is documented. The third part is famous by the name of Ain-e-Akbari. In this, a long discussion has been held on the culture, tradition, religion, etc. of the people living in Akbar's empire. In addition to this, the statistical details of crops cultivated during Akbar's time, their yield, prices, wages and revenues have also been included in it. One special thing about the whole Akbar Nama is that Abul Fazal has written it in a very beautiful way, in which diction and rhythm have been taken care of. Akbar Nama is a classic example of Indo-Persian writing style. Akbar Nama's edited version was published for the first time by the Asiatic Society in the 19th century AD. And its English translation was done by Henry Beveridge in the early 20th century. At the same time, the Persian translation of the whole Mahabharata was also done under the leadership of Abul Fazal's brother poet Abul Faizi. Apart from literature, Akbar's linguistic policy was also very inclusive. Let's see. Linguistic Policy At the time of Akbar, the Persian language had become the official language of the court. At the same time, regional languages such as Bengali, Oriya, Rajasthani and Gujarati were also developing very rapidly. The Ramayana and Mahabharata began to be translated into regional languages on a large scale. In Hindi poets, Tulsidas was the most influential poet. At the time of Akbar, he had written Ramcharitmanas in Awadhi Hindi. This was the talk of art and culture patronized by Akbar. Now we will know some dark sides of Akbar's personality. And finally we will talk about his legacy. Dark sides of Akbar's personality Akbar sometimes behaved with a lot of cruelty. He could not tolerate rebellion at all. Historians tell us three such examples where Akbar forgot humanity in anger. In the first case, he threw his stepbrother Adham Khan twice from the roof so that he could not survive. Secondly, he gets tired of the rebels and crushes them with an elephant. And thirdly, after surrounding Chittorgarh fort, Akbar had cut the common people of Chittor like a carrot. But despite these incidents, we remember Akbar as a great king. Let's see his legacy. Legacy of Akbar In the later 16th century AD, where religious persecution was going on in British and Spanish territories, an Indian emperor had started a new story of secularism from Fatehpur Sikri. Akbar had successfully separated the state and religion. His Tauheed-e-Ilahi reflected this policy. From Delhi Sultanate to Akbar's period, there was a big gap between Muslim rulers and Hindu masses. But Akbar, along with inter-religious marriage with Jodhabai, filled this gap completely by giving Rajputs a place in his administration. Abolition of Jazia and Sati Abolition were important secular reforms done by him. He had also started a religion called Deen-e-Ilahi for universal peace, in which the goodness of every religion was included. Apart from this, due to the reorganization of Akbar's innovative Mansafdari system and provincial civil administration, the Mughals succeeded in shaping India's destiny for the next 200 years. Not only this, the Britishers modified the land revenue system of Todarmal and brought the Permanent Settlement Land Revenue System, which ran until India's independence. There was a lot of expansion in the Mughal painting during Akbar's time in art and culture. Even today, these paintings are considered a masterpiece. The portrait painting style started by him reached its peak during the time of Jahangir. He built many forts and palaces in Agra and Fatehpur Sikri, which are still major tourist attractions. With these legacies of Akbar, we end today's discussion here.