Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar was the greatest of Mughal Emperors and one of the ablest kings of the world has ever seen. It was under his reign that the Mughal Empire reached its climax. He united the whole of north India and built up an empire which extended from Afghanistan to Bengal and from Kashmir to Godavari in the south.
Akbar, along with his tutor and guardian Bairam Khan, was at Kalanaur in Punjab when he got the news of the death of his father, Humayun. There itself, on February 14, 1556 he was coronated at a simple ceremony by Bairam Khan, who himself became his regent. But the new king had neither a kingdom nor a capital as in the turmoil of Humayun’s death, Hemu, the Hindu general of Muhammad Adil Shah, had captured Delhi and Agra and ascended the throne as Vikramaditya. Akbar, with the help of Bairam Khan, defeated Hemu in the Second Battle of Panipat in 1556 and, thus, became the king of Delhi and Agra. He was a brave general and capable administrator. Though uneducated, he was highly cultured and refined. He initiated a policy of toleration and goodwill towards all his subjects. He befriended the Rajputs and married the daughter of Raja Bharmal of Amber. He abolished the Jazya (a tax that had been imposed on Hindus by the earlier rulers). He introduced a new Divine Faith (Din-i-ilahi), which combined the good points of all the religions. His long reign of five decades forms the bright chapter of the Indian history during which the country made rapid progress in all walks of life, establishment of a regular revenue system, organization of civil and military administration, encouragement of art and literature and construction of magnificent buildings and monuments. Akbar also brought about social reforms and made efforts of the abolition of Sati and child marriage. During his rule, the public services were open to all on merit without discrimination on the basis of caste, sect or color. Akbar died in 1605 and was buried at Sikandara near Agra.
