Akbar (3rd Mughal Emperor): Important Conquests & Religious Policy

Q: What is the difference between Akbarnama and Ain-i-Akbari?

The Akbarnama is the three volume history of Akbars’ reign written by Abul Fazl. whereas the Ain-i-Akbari is the third volume of Akbarnama.

Updated on August 25, 2026Author:NEXT IAS Contributors

Akbar was the 3rd emperor of the Mughal dynasty who ruled from 1556 to 1605. After the death of his father Humayun, Akbar became the Mughal emperor at a very young age of 13 years in 1556. He was trained by the military commander Bairam Khan for initial years.

The Mughal forces won the 2nd battle of Panipat fought between Akbar & Hemu on 5 November 1556. Despite struggling with reading & writing, Akbar expanded the Mughal empire through his progressive thoughts. He was considered a visionary leader in history for his policy of Religious tolerance (Sulh-i-Kul & Din-i-Ilahi) & administrative innovation (Mansabdari system). Later, his empire was expanded from Bengal in the east to Gujarat in the west, from Kabul in the north-west to parts of the Deccan in the south.

Akbar abolished the Jizya (tax on non-muslims) & the pilgrimage tax which made him popular among Hindus. He discouraged Child marriage, allowed widows to remarry, and actively stopped the tradition of Sati (burning of widows). Influenced by Jainism, Akbar banned killing animals in particular religious events & himself followed vegetarianism for a long time period.

Timeline of Important Conquests by Akbar

S.No.	Year or Period	Conquest or Campaign	Opponent or Area	Outcome and Significance
1	1556	2nd Battle of Panipat	Hemu (Afghan-Rajput coalition)	The battle resulted in decisive Mughal victory. It secured Delhi and Agra region. It re-established the Mughal rule in North India.
2	1559 to 1560	Capture of Gwalior and Jaunpur	Local Afghan governors	It consolidated control over the Delhi-Agra region and eastern Uttar Pradesh.
3	1561 to 1562	Conquest of Malwa	Baz Bahadur, ruler of Malwa	Annexed Malwa. Baz Bahadur later entered Mughal service. It extended the mughal empire into central India.
4	1562 to 1569	Rajputana campaigns and alliances	Rajput states such as Amber, Jodhpur and Bikaner.	A series of matrimonial alliances and military actions brought most Rajput states under the Mughal empire.
5	1564	Annexation of Gondwana	Rani Durgavati and Vir Narayan	Mughal victory in central India.
6	1567 to 1568	Siege of Chittor	Rana Udai Singh of Mewar	The fort was captured after a prolonged siege. It also included heavy casualties and marked a major blow to Rajput resistance.
7	1569	Capture of Ranthambore	Rao Surjan Hada of Ranthambore	The fort was surrendered and consolidated Mughal control over Rajasthan.
8	1572 to 1573	Conquest of Gujarat	Muzaffar Shah III, Gujarat Sultanate	Gujarat was annexed and gave Mughals access to western ports which further enhanced revenue and trade.
9	1576	Annexation of Bengal and Bihar	Daud Khan Karrani (Afghan ruler)	Defeated Daud Khan. Bengal and Bihar were brought under direct Mughal administration which secured eastern India.
10	1576	Battle of Haldighati	Maharana Pratap of Mewar	It was a tactical victory for the Mughals. Rajput resistance continued in guerrilla form.
11	1581	Campaign against Mirza Hakim	Mirza Hakim, governor of Kabul (half brother of Akbar)	Kabul was reasserted under Mughal authority and strengthened north-western frontier.
12	1585 to 1586	Annexation of Kashmir	Yusuf Shah Chak, Kashmir Sultanate	Diplomatic pressure and military action led to the annexation of Kashmir. It extended the empire into the Himalayas .
13	1590 to 1591	Annexation of Orissa and Sindh	Local Afghan and regional rulers	It also consolidated control over eastern and western peripheries.
14	1591 to 1595	Campaigns in the Deccan (Berar, Ahmadnagar)	Nizam Shahi and other Deccan Sultanates	It began sustained Mughal presence in the Deccan plateau region.
15	1595	Capture of Kandahar	Safavid	Kandahar was brought under Mughal control. It secured a strategic north-western gateway.
16	1599 to 1601	Conquest of Khandesh and Asirgarh	Ahmadnagar forces, Chand Bibi or Bahadur Khan	Siege of Asirgarh in 1601. Khandesh region was annexed. It was the major deccan gateway which was captured. It was one of the last major campaigns of Akbar.
17	1600	Capture of Ahmadnagar (fort)	Ahmadnagar Sultanate	The fort was taken by Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khana and Prince Daniyal. It weakened Ahmadnagar and expanded the Deccan influence.

Religious Policy

The religious policy of Akbar evolved from traditional sunni orthodoxy into a policy of Sulh-i-Kul or universal peace. His belief in religious tolerance and a multi-faith empire led to the reforms that reshaped the mughal kingdom.

Akbar was influenced by the Ulemas or the orthodox Islamic scholars at the court. He used to execute his early military expedition against non-muslim rulers under traditional declarations of Ghazi.
In 1575, Akbar established the Ibadat Khana or the house of worship at Fatehpur Sikri for theological discussions which usually included narrow arguments. It was initially open to sunni scholars only.
In 1578, Akbar included the scholars of all major faiths namely Hindu, Christian, Jains, and Sufi thinkers.
The Mahzarnama was a legal document which declared the mughal emperor as the supreme arbiter in religious disputes at the time of any disagreement among the Ulemas or court scholars.
Later, the Sul-i-kul was officially adopted as the state. It granted equal protection and the freedom of worship to all the people regardless of their religion.
The formation of Din-i-Illahi in 1582 emphasized rationalism, vegetarianism, and loyalty to the emperor.