Past- Society and Culture- Politics- Economy-
Present- Society and Culture- Political- Economy
The Mughal control of India impact the society in several large ways. Religious tolerance was a new idea that Akbar brought with him, but this declined as other emperors came to power. He also appreciated the arts, and brought Islamic and Persian perspective to the artwork. The Mughal empire also merged their beliefs on the role of women and social classes into daily Indian life.
Akbar was quite possibly the emperor with the most tolerance for Hindus. He abolished the discriminatory taxes on Hindus and even included non-Muslims in his group of advisors.(1) He never began any wars for religious reasons (jihad), unlike many other emperors. (2) Akbar was angry with the religious situation. He did not see the need for clashing of religions. Instead, he invited Hindus, Muslims and many others to come debate at his palace for entertainment purposes. When things got out of hand, and the debaters began to insult and aggravate each other, Akbar abruptly stopped the debates. Then, in 1581, he created the Divine Faith, a mixture of his own ideas and those from the debates. His new religion was never certified by the courts but he still had a huge impact on the citizens of his empire. "Akbar's bold attempts at religious reform encouraged many Hindus to believe they could live in peace with their conquerors." (1) However, as other rulers came to power, the religious tolerance that Akbar had created started to diminish. Mughal emperors tried to convert Hindus, Hindu men married Muslim women and converted them and very few accepted any religion besides their own. (3)
Mughal rule also brought about better treatment of women. They had always played an important role in Mughal society. Men in the government often relied on their wives for political advice and many rich or aristocratic women learned to read and write. Those women sometimes worked and received salaries, and were also allowed to own land. Some women even fought in wars, right beside the men. Women of course were not treated equally, but the Mughals brought the Indian society closer to the equality of men and women than they had ever been before. However, the Mughals imposed several Islamic laws that restricted women, such as isolating women (purdah). Also, many of the Hindu laws remained intact, so women were clearly not treated equal to men.(3)
Akbar brought his love of the arts with him to India. His style was a mixture of Persian and Indian motifs. He also had his artists mimic the European style art work, focusing on perspective and life-like recreation. (3) Also, the Islamic influence of not including humans in pictures lead to the floral motifs that are seen today in carpets, lamps and textiles. (2)
The love of beauty that the Mughals had was also seen in their architecture. the beautiful Taj Mahal was built in 1632, under the rule of Shan Jahan, in memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The architecture of this building combined Persian and Islamic styles and is constructed of sandstone and white marble. It is obvious that the Mughals treasured presious stones (2) because the interior of the Taj Mahal, and of other amazing creations, is inlaid with geometirc patterns of beautiful black and colored stones, gold and other valuable stones.(3) Lal Qila, the Red Fort, is another breathtaking structure built in 1639 by Shan Jahan. This building was constructed of red sand stone, and the interior was all gold, silver, white marble and other various stones.
The amazing beauty of the Taj Mahal, and other buildings, is
appreciated by many people today, but during the time of construction,
most citizens of India were living quite a different life. The
majority of the people living in the Mughal empire were poor farmers.
Even though the prosperity brought about by the Mughal era created
wealthy merchants and nobility classes, most people were unaffected
by this gaining of wealth. Other than that, very little is know
about daily life in the Mughal empire; however, one foreigner
writes the following about the common folk of India: (3)"Their
houses are built of mud with thatched roofs, Furniture there is
little or none except some earthenware pots to hold water and
for cooking and two beds, one for the man, the other for his wife;
their bed cloths are scanty, merely a sheet or perhaps two, serving
as under- and over-sheet. This is sufficient for the hot weather,
but the bitter cold nights are miserable indeed and they try to
keep warm over little cow-dung fires" (3, Edwards, Michael.
A History of India: From the Earliest times to Present Day. London:
Thames and Hudson, 1961, p 187)
Footnotes
1. Traub, James. India, Challenge of Change. New York: Gulf and Western Corporation, 1981
2. Berinstain, Valérie, Paul Bahn, trans. India and the Mughal Dynasty. New York: Harry Abrams, 1998
3. Spielvogel, Jackson J. World History, The Human Odyssey. USA:West Education Publishing, 1998.