Mughal Emperor Akbar died on October 27, 1605. Here are some interesting facts about the powerful emperor on the occasion of his 413th death anniversary.
1) Akbar was dyslexic. He was known for his passion for hunting and engaged in the activity from a very young age but because of his dyslexia, he had difficulty reading and writing. He also remained illiterate all his life. At the same time, however, the Mughal emperor also supported a wide spectrum of artists, writers, musicians, painters and scholars during his rule.
2) He developed the Din-e-illahi. The Din-e-Illahi, meaning the ‘Religion of God’ was developed by the emperor as a synthesis of major belief systems prevalent in India and included elements from Islam, Hinduism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism.
3) Akbar had more than 25 wives but over 5,000 women were concubines in his harem. Jodha Bai, a princess from Jaipur, is the most renowned. Later in his life, however, Akbar expressed his regret and said that “ideally a person should marry only once and second marriage only if he is childless”.
4) Akbar played a critical role in developing the Mughal army into a formidable force and expanded the empire in all directions.
5) Akbar was particularly fond of food and played an important role in the development of the “Mughlai cuisine” which is considered to be an integral part of South Asian cuisine even today.
