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236 PERIOD 2 • The Early Modern World, 1450–1750

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AP practiced some form of Hinduism. Mughal India’s most famous emperor, Akbar
CONTINUITY AND (r. 1556–1605), clearly recognized this fundamental reality and acted deliberately to
CHANGE accommodate the Hindu majority, much as the Ottomans did with their Christian
How did Mughal attitudes population in the Balkans. After conquering the warrior-based and Hindu Rajputs
and policies toward
Hindus change from the of northwestern India, Akbar married several of their princesses but did not require
time of Akbar to that of them to convert to Islam. He incorporated a substantial number of Hindus into the
Aurangzeb? political-military elite of the empire and supported the building of Hindu temples as
AP ® EXAM TIP well as mosques, palaces, and forts. But Akbar also softened some Hindu restrictions
Understand the religious on women, encouraging the remarriage of widows and discouraging child marriages
policies of major empires and sati (the practice in which a widow followed her husband to death by throwing
in this chapter. herself on his funeral pyre). A few elite women were also able to exercise political
power, including Nur Jahan, the twentieth and favorite wife of Akbar’s successor,
Emperor Jahangir (r. 1605–1627). She was widely regarded as the power behind the
throne of her alcohol- and opium-addicted husband, giving audiences to visiting dig-
nitaries, consulting with ministers, and even having a coin issued in her name.
AP ® In directly religious matters, Akbar imposed a policy of toleration, deliberately
COMPARISON restraining the more militantly Islamic ulama (religious scholars) and removing the special
Compare the political, tax ( jizya) on non-Muslims. He constructed a special House of Worship where he pre-
social, and economic sided over intellectual discussion with representatives of many religions — Muslim, Hindu,
aspects of the Mughal Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, Jain, and Zoroastrian. Akbar went so far as to create his own
and Ottoman empires.
state cult, a religious faith aimed at the Mughal elite that drew on Islam, Hinduism, and
Zoroastrianism and emphasized loyalty to the emperor himself. The overall style of the
Mughal Empire was that of a blended elite culture in which both Hindus and various
Muslim groups could feel comfortable. Thus Persian artists and writers were welcomed
into the empire, and the Hindu epic
Ramayana was translated into Persian,
while various Persian classics appeared
in Hindi and Sanskrit. Mughal archi-
tects created mosques, palaces, gardens,
and tombs that combined distinctly
Muslim themes with elements of
Indian, Persian, and Turkic cultures,
none more exquisite than the Taj
Mahal. Thus Akbar and his imme-
diate successors downplayed a dis-
tinctly Islamic identity for the Mughal
Empire in favor of a cosmopolitan
and hybrid Indian-Persian-Turkic
culture.
Such policies fostered sharp
The Taj Mahal Commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor as a tomb for opposition among some Muslims.
his favorite wife, this monumental white marble mausoleum in the city of Agra The philosopher Shaykh Ahmad
in northern India is considered by many the finest single example of Mughal
architecture. Its intricately carved decorations created by over 20,000 artisans Sirhindi (1564–1624), claiming to
were inspired by older Indo-Islamic artistic styles. (Mlenny/E+Getty Images) be a “renewer” of authentic Islam
Uncorrected proofs have been used in this sample.
Copyright © Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers.
Distributed by Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. For review purposes only. Not for redistribution.

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