Akbar's military conquests - Page 3

Originally posted by: history_geek

Not only he brought Salim but someone else also. :p

For kabul.
He himself started with a force of 50000 horses.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...
But battle was over by then..!.

Though Hakim was already demoralised but he ran away due to 'khauf' of Akbar.

It is mentioned in accounts - His mere presence was enough for the enemy to ran away...!!.. Compared to Alexander in chronicles.!.

Btw, Akbar used to sleep for 3 hours.!.


Sent you a PM. :D

Originally posted by: aviaanya

Thank you! Wow what an impressive knowledge. I really appreciate you sharing, What an amazing man and time.

Originally posted by: Donjas

Thank you for sharing this wealth of knowledge. Akbar was not only a great general but he had the ability to choose brilliant commanders for his armies.

And this is what distinguishes him from another great man Dara Shikhon. Dara was a terrible general and even though he had Shah Jahan's support, he still lost to Aurangzeb.

It is not enough to have great ideas, you must have the strength to defend them.

Originally posted by: AJSharma79

Its awe inspiring...these accounts. Jalal may not have won each war by himself,but the victories only goes to show that he had a VERY good head above his shoulders that enabled him to choose and select the right people to ensure victory for his kingdom.

And winning alone is not enough. Its more important how the victor rules after that. Clearly, historically he is very accomplished or else without the existence of modern technology that enables one to sit in one place and oversee many places, he managed to rule this vast land.

Its a pity to see him being reduced to a puddle of emotional mess at the hand of Jodha or shown as being at loss of what's happening in his kingdom. At this point I think the only levy that can be given is that, perhaps he is growing and shaping into the Great Akbar...mistakes will be made in the begninning.

Thank you for putting up this post

Splendid, Sandhya, my dearest girl! 👏

What a pleasant change from the endless arguments about our Terrible Trio! Thank you for compiling all this for us. And your interjections are either interesting or amusing or both.

Someone ought to show it to the CVs. Maybe then they will realise that their hero was a babbar sher, not Jodha Begum's housetrained pet Persian cat. A talking feline, whose mantra these days is Jodha Begum, aap bajah farmati hain/ theek hain.

It just might help make the show less diabetes-inducing and we can watch it without having to groan every 2 minutes.

As for Akbar the Great, like all great conquerors, battles must have given him a high. The remarkable thing about him was not so much that he was such a great conqueror, but that he was am equally great all round administrator, and that too without the advantage that his illustrious predecessor Chandragupta Maurya had, of having a Chanakya to guide him all his life. Or the inestimable one that Rajaraja Chozha had, a devoted, loyal, able and brilliant son. Akbar had a pain in the neck, Salim, in the whole latter part of his life, and two dipsomaniacs, Murad and Daniyal. What a crippling disappointment they must all have been!

One small point: After Jaimal and Patta failed to hold Chittor against Akbar, he ordered a general massacre of all the defenders. The figure of those killed is usually put at 40000. Akbar must have been furious at the fort having held out for so long, and his army must have suffered substantial losses as well. He must also have wanted to make an example of Chittor, and it must have worked, for Ranthambhore surrendered much more quickly.

I wonder how Jodha Begum reacted to this wanton massacre of the brave defenders of Chittor.

I remember wanting to respond to your comment about Rajaraja some time back. The one who conquered South East Asia, mainly Kampuchea, was his son Rajendra Chozha, who was therefore called Kadalkadanta Chozhan (the Chola who crossed the seas). Also Gangaikonda Chozhan, because he led his army right up to the Ganga and brought her waters back for the tank of the temple he built at Gangaikondachozhapuram.

When I was doing my district training as an IFS probationer, I was driving from Chidambaram to some other place when, lo and behold, there was this gigantic, deserted temple by the roadside, with a huge vimana as tall as that of the Rajarajeswaram at Thanjavur. I was entranced, and we all trooped in and inspected it thoroughly. It had 16 foot square carved panels all round, and a huge lingam with the aavudayaar (the outer circle) having a circumference of 52 feet! I also remember that it was the only temple I have seen which had all the navagrahams on their backs, not seated upright. The temple had been eventually abandoned when lightning struck it and damaged the lingam.

The beautiful and touching detail about this temple is that though the vimana is really taller than that of the Rajarajeswaram, Rajendra had it built curved, so that the effective height was less than the 252 feet of the temple his father had built.

Incidentally, the Rajarajeswaram has a 25 foot square topstone on the vimana, that weighed 80 tons and was dragged to the top by using a ramp that was 4 miles long. The carvings, which had to be perfect according to the agamashastra, were done after it was put in place. The sculptors could not have afforded to make the slightest mistake, for there was no way they could have got that 80 ton stone down again!

Shyamala Aunty

Originally posted by: Sandhya.A

Friends,

This is in continuation to the earlier thread on Akbar's reforms. This is about his military achievements. Akbar was a great imperialist who practically spent his whole life conquering one territory after another. When he ascended the throne in 1556, he could hardly be said to be the master of any territory. But because of his policy, wisdom and military skill, he laid the foundation of a vast empire.

The basis of his military prowess and authority was Akbar's skillful structural and organisational calibration of the Mughal Army. The Mansabdari system has been acclaimed for its role in upholding Mughal power in the time of Akbar. Akbar's army excelled in cannons, firearms, war elephants and was well known for fortifications.

1.Conquest of Delhi and Agra 1556 A.D.,

As a result of his success in the second battle of Panipat, Akbar occupied Delhi and Agra with the help of his regent Bairam Khan.

(This was mentioned in the introductory episode of the serial. It was shot very well in the movie too.)

2.Gwalior Ajmer and Jaunpur 1556-1560

For four years, Bairam Khan acted as a guardian for Akbar and added these territories in the Mughal Empire during this period. In 1558, Akbar took possession of Ajmer, the aperture to Rajputana. Late in the same year, a Mughal commander defeated and annexed Jaunpur in the eastern Gangetic valley. The Mughals had also besieged and defeated the Sur forces in control of Gwalior.

(This is also mentioned in the earlier episodes. Jallu earned the name Jallad during this time.😕 )

3 Malwa 1560 - 62

In 1560, an expedition was sent against Baz Bahadur, the Afghan Ruler of Malwa. He was defeated by the Mughal Generals Aadham Khan and Pir Muhammad. But Aadham Khan retained all the spoils and followed through with the Central Asian practice of slaughtering the surrendered garrison, their wives and children, Akbar personally rode to Malwa to confront Adham Khan and relieve him of command.

(We saw all this in detail. . Wow! Jalal had his shamsheer (😳) at AK's neck when our white witch MA pleaded on his behalf and Jalal as usual forgave😳. More so because MA destroyed proofs. Didn't Jallu look extremely good looking in that light blue dress in that episode? 😳)

Pir Muhammad Khan was then sent in pursuit of Baz Bahadur but was beaten back. Baz Bahadur temporarily regained control of Malwa until, in the next year, Akbar sent another Mughal army to invade and annex the kingdom.

(This happened only a few episodes ago.😊. AK and PM are in Malwa right now.😊)

Malwa became a province of Akbar's regime. Later, Baz Bahadur took service under Akbar

4. 1562 ...Akbar, as a part of his expansion policy entered into friendly and matrimonial alliances with many Rajput rulers. In 1562, he married the daughter of Raja Bharmal of Amer and Amer became a vassal state of the Mughal Sultanate.

(This is all that the general books mention of the most important aspect of our serial!😭)

5. 1564 Gondwana

Gondwana a small state in modern Madhya Pradesh, was ruled by Rani Durgavati, on behalf of her son Raja Vir Narayan. This hilly area in central India was of interest to the Mughals because of its herd of wild elephants. Akbar did not personally lead the campaign because he was preoccupied with the Uzbek rebellion, but left the expedition in the hands of Asaf Khan, the Mughal governor of Kara. Rani Durgavati offered tough resistance and fought bravely, but was defeated in the battle of Damoh while Raja Vir Narayan was slain at the Fall of Chauragarh, the mountain fortress of the Gonds. Asaf Khan misappropriated the spoils of the war, was taken to task by Akbar, he fled and then came back and was given his position again.

(I hope Rani Durgavati's story is shown by our CVs....

As for Asaf Khan, is this the same Asaf Khan that Abhay mentioned in his nausenas and nazaranas thread? But it was mentioned that he fled with the wealth from Uzbek campaigns! Somebody clarify please.😃)

6. Chittore 1567-1568

The Mughals had already established domination over parts of northern Rajputana in Mewar, Ajmer and Nagoor. (The areas that were under the Subedari of Shariffu before the fake pregnancy track and which Jalal split and gave individually) Now, however, Akbar was determined to drive into the heartlands of Rajputana. Most Rajput states accepted Akbar's suzerainty. But the ruler of Mewar,Udai Singh however, remained outside the imperial fold.

In 1567, Akbar moved to reduce the Chittor fort in Mewar. The fortress-capital of Mewar was of great strategic importance as it lay on the shortest route from Agra to Gujarat. Udai Singh retired to the hills of Mewar, leaving two Rajput warriors, Jaimal and Fatta. For four months, (Oct 1567 to Feb 1568) the Rajputs successfully kept the Mughals at bay. Akbar himself escaped death many times. On 23rd Feb 1568, Jaimal was fatally wounded by a shot from Akbar's gun. The Rajput women committed jauhar and the men fought very bravely, but Chittore ultimately fell to the Mughals.

Udai Singh then founded the city of Udaipur but his illustrious son Maharana Pratap (our ever-'green' dress warrior 😳...when will the CVs give our MP a different coloured new dress?) and grandson Amar Singh bravely defied the Mughals throughout their lives.

7. 1569 - 1570 Ranthambhor, Khalinjar, Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur

After Chittore, the Ranthambor fortress, one of the most powerful ones was captured followed by Khalinjar, Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur. The rulers of Bikaner and Jaisalmer married their daughters to Akbar.

(Kyun Jalal kyun? Aren't the overflowing numbers in the harem enough?😲)

8. 1572-73 Gujarat

Akbar's next military objectives were the conquest of Gujarat and Bengal, which connected India with the trading centres of Asia, Africa, and Europe through the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal respectively.

Gujarat, with its coastal regions, possessed areas of rich agricultural production in its central plain; an impressive output of textiles and other industrial goods, and the busiest seaports of India. Gujarat was attacked in 1572, and its ruler Muzaffar Shah was found hiding in the cornfield who submitted with least resistance. However, when Akbar returned, Muzaffar Shah started to give trouble. Akbar came back in 1573 and crushed the revolt with a heavy hand. The Buland Darwaza was built in FS to commemorate this victory.

9. 1574-76 Bihar and Bengal

Daud Khan the Afghan ruler of Bihar and Bengal refused to accept the suzerainty of Akbar. Expeditions were sent in 1574 and then again in 1576 to defeat him and Bihar and Bengal were annexed. Munim Khan, the Mughal governor of Bihar, was ordered to defeat Duad Khan, but later, Akbar himself set out to Bengal. This was an opportunity to bring the trade in the east under Mughal control.

10. 1585-86 Kabul

Kabul was under Akbar's half-brother Mirza Haakim (Our Jalal's love guru - ). However Mirza Haakim troubled Akbar and tried to invade Punjab in 1581 (On no!😲...how can our chocolate baby, chubby cute, complan boy do this to his bhai jaan😲😭) which was thwarted by Akbar. When Mirza Hakim died in 1585, Kabul was annexed to the Mughal Empire completely.

11.1586-95 Kaskmir Sind and Kandhar

The beautiful valley of Kashmir was added to the Mughal Empire when Bhagwan Das defeated its ruler Yusuf Shah in 1586. In 1591, Abdul Rahim Khanekhana defeated the ruler of Sind Mirza Fani Beg and annexed Sind to the Mughal Empire. (Seems our cutie Rahim had his Momma dearest's flair for poetry and his papa dearest's flair for military expertise too.👏). Then it became easy for Akbar to defeat the Shah of Persia and conquer Kandahar.

12.1595-1601 The Deccan

Akbar was the first Mughal Monarch to pay attention to the Deccan. He tried to bring the various states of the Deccan under him - like Khandesh, Ahmadnagar, Bijapur and Golconda and succeeded. ( The story of Chand Bibi of Ahmadnagar who stood up to the Mughals is a popular one in Amar Chitra Katha).

(All these are about the main and interesting conquests of Akbar. There are many many more that I have left out as I didn't want the post to sound like a big history essay.)

There is a dialogue in the serial in which Jalal says that he was a sipahi first. The sipahi in him was alive and active till his final days. While explaining about the Ratanpur Qila, he said that he conquered more than what he saw from the tallest tower of the fort. He had infact conquered more than anyone foresaw, given the diversity, complexity and strength of those he faced...He not just conquered, but he administered his sultanate very ably and left behind a legacy and an imprint in the History of India, equalled by very few kings after him.

PS: These details are to the best of my knowledge and understanding. Friends, you are welcome to correct if inaccurate and add facts and anectodes.

Thnk u so much dear.
I wanna see war in the serial. I wanna see my Jallad in action 😳 . Pls cvs show us some war.
And our cutie pie Rahim was a warrior too. I thought he was only a poet.

Another wonderful & very informative post on Akbar, Sandhya 😃 . My God, not for anything is he called Akbar, the Great. What a highly intelligent & very farthinking strategist he was 👏 . And only 3 hours sleep 😲( I feel like Kumbhakarni) , & his enemies quivered only by looking at his brave, fearless visage, OMG ⭐️ . And such brilliant management & commandeering skills not to forget his acute perceptive skills .

On a lighter note, why r u wondering about his overflowing harem yaar. Woh bhi ek strategy tha from Jallu. He amassed so many begums knowing they ll be busy being in eternal war among themselves & would leave him troublefree to conduct his bigger wars to expand his sultanate , haina great strategist 😉 😆 .

And dont keep harping on his 'Anantasayanam' pose please 😛 , that was only because he injured his foot, poor thing 😭 . Ab dekho, kitna brisk aur active hain phirse, kitna daudtha hain apne Jodhu begum ke aage peeche, tu bhi na 🤪 . And he ll first concentrate on winning his begum s dil, baad mein dekho his dimag will start working overtime on ...err, all matters 😉 . Kal bhi dikhaya na, he d already abolished slavery before his begum pointed it out to him, his only fault was he didn't keep an eye on it closely enough to see if it was strictly adhered to. So wait for such chota chota streaks of our Jallu s original brilliance to shine thro hidden currently under the haloed glow 😉 .

And tereko MP ko green dress pe bahut fikar hain. Chod usko. Jallu ko hi bahut din ke baad abhi ek naya jamaa mila hain, so worry for Woodyji when he comes onscreen again 😛 .

And thanks again for this informative post, Sandhya, keep them coming please 😊 😕

Sandhya thanks for the wonderful information...

Originally posted by: Sandhya.A

Very true.

Emotional mess is understandable. He is awakening to his inner self for the first time.

But his total inept admin even in the most basic matters is pathetic indeed.😭