Between the years 1450 and 1750, the world was changing at a rapid, breakneck pace. Across the globe, Europe expanded and colonialized, scientists and philosophers developed new ideas and inventions, and gunpowder empires formed and reached their peak. On such empire was the Mughal Empire, located in India from the 1500s to the mid-1800s. The rise of the Mughal empire surely highlights the altering political, cultural, and religious landscape of India. From 1450 to 1750, India underwent massive changes in government, culture, religion—paradoxically, religion and the caste system were the shred of continuity in India during that time. India has always been a rich source of international culture, but the cultural influences that shaped India …show more content…
Before Mughal rule, India was Hindu, and thus was ruled by Hindus, with the exception of the Delhi sultanate. However, when Babur ripped down with a fury of Islamic, empire building fervor, the ruling class shifted from Hindu to Muslim. Interestingly, many Indians remained Hindu. When the Mughal originally conquered, they enforced the jizya, a tax on non-Muslims. This ostracized Hindus and made them simmer against the Shah. However, religious tolerance changed with Akbar the Great. He threw out the jizya and welcomed all sorts of priests and prophets in his court, from not only Hinduism and Islam, but also Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Sikhism, Judaism, Jainism, etc. Akbar regularly listened to religious debates and discussions, even creating his own religion, Din-I Ilahi. This religious tolerance was short lived. When Akbar’s grandson, Aurangzeb, took the throne, India changed for the worse. A devote Muslim, Aurangzeb reinstated the jizya, which enraged Hindus. He also ostracized and discriminated against the Sikhs. This is why the Sikhs and Muslims still harbor hateful sentiments for each other. Hindu provinces rebelled against the Mughals and split off from the empire. By 1750, government-ship was back in the hands of Hindus in many places across India. Between 1450 and 1750, India experience increased religious tolerance, which was followed by skirmishes and battles incurred due to