Akbar was the first among the monarchs of medieval India who raised the policy of religious tolerance to the pinnacle of secularism. The socio-political condition of the country was such that Akbar thought it was advisable to adopt independent views in religious matters. The non-Muslims constituted the majority of his Indian subjects. Without winning their confidence and active support, Akbar could not hope to establish and consolidate the Mughal rule in India. Religion had played the role of a divisive force in Indian society ever since the advent of Islam which most of its people had refused to embrace. Akbar fully understood the centrifugal tendencies of the complex Indian socio-political order and made a serious attempt to eliminate these by separating religion from politics. To win the goodwill of Hindus, he abolished the pilgrimage tax and Jizya. Freedom of worship, matrimonial alliances with Hindus, high civil and military positions to Hindus, translation of Hindu scriptures, establishment of Ibadatkhana, issue of infallibility decree, freedom to construct temples, land grants, considerations of Hindu sentiments, reforms in Hindu society were some measures adopted by Akbar to establish religious harmony but he had not forsaken Islam. ....Read more