He regularly participated in the festivals of other faiths, and in 1575 in Fatehpur Sikri-a walled city that Akbar had designed in the Persian style-he built a temple (ibadat-khana) where he frequently hosted scholars from other religions, including Hindus, Zoroastrians, Christians, yogis, and Muslims of other sects. The central government then doled out fixed salaries to both military and civilian personnel according to rank. This created checks and balances in each region since the individuals with the money had no troops, and the troops had no money, and all were dependent on the central government.
Each subah, or governor, was responsible for maintaining order in his region, while a separate tax collector collected property taxes and sent them to the capital. In 1574 Akbar revised his tax system, separating revenue collection from military administration. He did not force India’s majority Hindu population to convert to Islam he accommodated them instead, abolishing the poll tax on non-Muslims, translating Hindu literature and participating in Hindu festivals. In addition to compiling an able administration, this practice brought stability to his dynasty by establishing a base of loyalty to Akbar that was greater than that of any one religion.īeyond military conciliation, he appealed to the Rajput people by ruling in a spirit of cooperation and tolerance. Akbar was known for rewarding talent, loyalty, and intellect, regardless of ethnic background or religious practice. He allied himself with the defeated Rajput rulers, and rather than demanding a high “tribute tax” and leaving them to rule their territories unsupervised, he created a system of central government, integrating them into his administration. By the time he died, his empire extended to Afghanistan in the north, Sindh in the west, Bengal in the east, and the Godavari River in the south.Akbar’s success in creating his empire was as much a result of his ability to earn the loyalty of his conquered people as it was of his ability to conquer them.
Akbar was a cunning general, and he continued his military expansion throughout his reign.