Despite his numerous activities, Akbar found time to implement several social reform measures aimed at eradicating the evils of both Muslim and non-Muslim societies. His religious tolerance principle, however, did not blind him to certain evils in Hindu society. All inland customs and taxes on trades and professions were abolished by Mughal Emperor Akbar. While the removal of these impositions provided economic relief to the people by lowering prices, free movement of goods produced an indirect sense of oneness among the people. In this article, we will discuss Integration of Social Reforms During Mughals which will be helpful for UPSC exam preparation.

Integration of Social Reforms - Features

• Akbar instituted a number of social and educational reforms. He prohibited sati (the burning of a widow) unless she expressly desired it of her own free will.
• Furthermore, Akbar made it a strict rule that widows of childbearing age who had not shared the bed with their husbands were not to be burned at all. Widow remarriage was also legalised by Akbar.
• Akbar was opposed to second marriage (having two wives at the same time) unless the first wife was barren.
• Akbar raised the marriage age to 14 for girls and 16 for boys.
• Akbar prohibited the sale of wine and spirits.
• Akbar revised the educational curriculum, focusing more on moral education and mathematics, as well as secular subjects like agriculture, geometry, astronomy, government rules, logic, history, and so on.
• As his court was infused with famous and scholar people, more popularly known as the 'navaratna,' Akbar gave patronage to artists, poets, painters, and musicians.
• According to many historians, Akbar's empire was essentially secular, liberal, and proponent of cultural integration. It was enlightened on social and cultural issues.

Abolition of Tax

• Akbar was hunting near Mathura in 1563. He noticed that a tax was being collected from the pilgrims who had gathered there.
• Akbar had no idea about the tax collected from Hindu pilgrims from all over the world. When Akbar inquired, he was told that it had been the custom of every Muslim ruler to collect pilgrim tax from Hindus at every Hindu pilgrimage site.
• The tax was not set in stone. It was determined arbitrarily based on the pilgrim's rank and wealth.
• The pilgrim tax, according to Akbar, was morally wrong because it was imposed on people who came "in search of the light of God" and because it was not uniform but arbitrary, variable according to the whim of the tax collector.
• Throughout his empire, he abolished the pilgrim tax.
• Akbar also abolished jizya, the poll tax levied on non-Muslims, because its imposition, in his opinion, hampered the emotional integration of his subjects into one united brotherhood.
• An influential section of the court was strongly opposed to the repeal of this tax on religious and financial grounds. But Akbar stayed true to his word.

Child Marriage

• Akbar was opposed to child marriage, which was common among both Hindus and Muslims.
• Akbar issued orders prohibiting marriage before the age of 12 and between cousins, despite the fact that such marriage is permitted under Muslim law.
• Later, the minimum marriage age was raised to 16 for boys and 14 for girls. Akbar appeared to have a very modern mind.
• Before marriage could take place, the parents of the boy and girl, as well as their mutual consent, was required. A nominal marriage tax with varying rates was implemented.

Emphasis on Secular Studies

• It should be noted that Akbar's emphasis on secular studies was not well received by the orthodox school of thought, but Akbar had no intention of destroying Arabic literature.
• In fact, the Imperial Library housed a large number of Arabic works. Akbar not only broadened the curriculum of studies, but also opened the doors to educational institutions that had previously been exclusively reserved for Muslims.
• For the first time, Hindu and Muslim children sat side by side in the same educational institutions under his leadership. During his time, Sialkot was a well-known centre of learning.
• Because of Akbar's devotion to education, Abul Fazl wrote in praise, "All civilised nations have schools for the education of youths, but Hindustan is particularly famous for its seminaries."
• A large college, the likes of which few travellers can recall, was established on the hill at Fathepur."
• Agra had a number of Madrasas, the most famous of which was in Gujarat. There were many private schools in addition to the Madrasas and educational institutions established by Akbar and the nobles.
• Education for women was also promoted. Muslim nobility sent their daughters to school as was customary.
• Princess Gul Badan contributed the famous Humayun-Nama to Abul Fazl's Akbarnama.
• Salima Sultana was a well-known Persian poet, and Maham Anaga, Akbar's chief nurse, was also a well-educated lady.

Practice of Sati

• One of Akbar's most memorable reforms was his opposition to the inhuman Sati practise.
• Jajman, Raja Bhagawan Das' cousin, died too soon. His widow was reluctant to become a Suttee, that is, to burn herself in the funeral pyre of her late husband, but her step son Udai Singh and other relatives almost forced her to agree.
• As soon as the news reached Akbar, he rushed to the scene and, risking being misunderstood by his Rajput relations, intervened and had those who were forcing the widow to become a Satee arrested (Akbarnama).
• In another case, Akbar intervened to persuade Birbhadra of Panna's young widow not to immolate herself in her husband's pyre.
• Although Akbar did not issue a formal decree prohibiting the practise of Sati, he strongly discouraged it.

Slavery

• In 1562, Akbar outlawed the age-old practise of enslaving prisoners of war, selling their wives and children, and so on.
• This pernicious practise that had been practised for centuries was abolished, saving many innocent unfortunate people from slavery.

Prohibition of Sale of Wine

• Akbar recognised the social evils of intoxicants, whether they were drinks or not, but he also recognised that total prohibition would be impossible to enforce, so he made a compromise.
• He only allowed wine to be consumed by those who had doctors' approval. Excessive drinking, disorderly behaviour after drinking, and the use of booze were all made illegal.
• When purchasing wine, the names of the purchasers had to be recorded in the shop.

Conclusion

The evil of gambling was recognised by Akbar, but it was so widespread that he found it impossible to suppress the evil. Gambling destroyed families and caused strife, yet it was almost universal. Akbar established a state bank from which gamblers could obtain loans, and each gambling establishment was required to pay a fixed charge. The social reforms instituted by Akbar give the impression of a new world or modernism.