Akbar's Greatest Achievement Will Always Be His Policy of Tolerance

Akbar's ability to foster peace and his attempts to bring equality between religions inspired many people, like Mahatma Gandhi.

Akbar didn't force the majority Hindu population to convert to his religion of Islam. In fact, he actually accommodated them, abolishing the jizya tax on non-Muslims, translating Hindu literature, and even participating in Hindu festivals.

In Fatehpur Sikri, he built a temple(seen at right) where scholars from other religions, such as Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity. were invited to study. Jesuits were allowed to build a church at Agra, and the killing of cattle was discouraged out of respect for Hindu custom. In 1579, the "Infallibility Decree" increased Akbar's ability to create an inter religious and multicultural state. In 1582 he created the Din-i-ilahi("divine faith"), a new cult that combined elements of Islam, Hinduism and Zoroastrianism. d Akbar as a central prophet or spiritual leader. This was one of the first attempts by a ruler to use his influence to bring religious unity.