Complete Medieval History | Akbar Rise to Power | LEC 31 | History for UPSC 2026 By Alok Ojha

Hello friends. Good evening. Am I audible and visible? Somebody please ping me so that I can begin with today's important session on the Mughal Emperor Akbar. Yes, guys. Somebody please ping me if I'm audible and visible. Just a second, guys. Yes. Hello, guys. Am I audible and visible? Somebody please ping me so that I can begin with today's session. Good evening, Rishi. Thanks a lot. Okay. So, guys, let's start with Mughal Emperor Akbar. Okay. Now, I have divided Akbar's topic of Mughal Empire specifically into three to four important parts. Okay. Today, it's a short video of approximately 40-45 minutes wherein we are going to discuss how Akbar came to power. Okay. Apart from this, then tomorrow's session, we are going to discuss about the expeditions led by Akbar, precisely the expeditions led by Akbar, okay, towards Rajputana or what policy was being followed by him towards Rajputana. Then, the Akbar's other expeditions, precisely the expeditions of Malwa, Gujarat and so on. And finally, in the fourth part, we are going to discuss about the administration of Akbar. What is Mansabdari system? What is Dehsal system? What was the religious policy of Akbar? What is Sulah-e-Kul? So, all these terminologies are quite important from the exam perspective. So, this chapter or Akbar, we can say, has been divided into three to four parts. Okay, guys. So, today, we will understand how Akbar came to power. Apart from this, I am also going to focus on Hemu, also referred as Hemchandra Vikramaditya, Maharaja of Hindustan. Okay, guys. Yes. Good evening, Anjali. I am. Good evening, Sasmita. Good evening. Okay, guys. So, pay attention carefully. We have already seen about Humayun. Okay. The foundation of Mughal Empire was being laid down by Babur. Babur, it's a Persian word which basically means tiger. Babur was being succeeded by his elder son referred as Humayun. Humayun, basically, it's a Persian word which basically means fortunate enough. But many historians do consider him the most unfortunate ruler of the entire Mughal dynasty. It is also believed about Humayun that Humayun, precisely speaking, like Sher Shah Suri, there were many battles that were being fought between both of them. The two important ones are Battle of Chausa, 1539, followed by Battle of Kannauj or Biligram. And from Kannauj or Biligram, this person, he fled to the region of Sindh. Okay. Yes. Good evening, Shiva. Good evening, Intuja. Okay, guys. So, we had seen till here. Now, Humayun, he moved to the region of Sindh. And at that particular point of time, Humayun wanted to conquer the region of India again at any particular point of time or at any cost. So, we had seen that he had approached one of the rulers of Marwad whose name was Maldev who had initially told him that I am going to help you out. But with the passage of time, what happened? Maldev shook hands with Sher Shah Suri. And at this time, Maldev was not ready or he was not in a consolatory mood to help out Humayun. Humayun came back to Sindh. And here he married Hamida Bano Begum. And he was given asylum in the court of Rana Prasad. Okay. Now, it is believed that Akbar was born in 15, what we say, 42 in the court of Rana Prasad itself when Humayun was in exile. Okay. And Akbar, he was born as Abul Fateh Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar on 15th of October, 1542. Correct? He was born to Humayun and Hamida Bano Begum. As discussed earlier, Humayun was continuously in exile. He was moving from one place to the other. So, what happened? Akbar during his childhood days was raised up by his paternal uncles. One was Kamran and other was Askari. If you remember guys, we had studied previously in Humayun. After death of Babur, he had four sons who were contenders to the throne. The elder one being Humayun, Kamran, Askar and Hindal. Correct? And Humayun, he became the Mughal emperor. So, as discussed, like this person Humayun, he was continuously in exile. He was running from one place to the other. And at this time, Akbar was being raised up by his paternal uncles. One was Kamran and the other was Askar. Okay. Right from his childhood, Akbar was trained in all sorts of military warfare skills. Horse riding, archery, shooting and so on. But he was not that learned person. He was not that literate person like his father whose name was Humayun. Correct? But one thing needs to be remembered. Although he was not literate, but still he is considered as one of the most successful rulers of the entire Mughal empire. I will give you a small example. Like Akbar in the coming years, he will start Sulah-e-Kul. And at a place called as Fatehpur Sikri which is approximately 60 to 65 kilometres from Agra, he starts Ibadat Khana. And at Ibadat Khana, religious discussions are being held. People from all religions are being called. Hinduism, Jainism, Christianity, Islam. And the common principle, okay, like the common principles of all the religion are made as a law. Referred as Sulah-e-Kul. And the new religion was referred as Din-e-Illahi. This simply highlights one thing. Although Akbar, he was not that literate in comparison to his father Humayun. But still he was an able administrator. He reward all the religion. And this is reflected in his different policies. Okay. Now, moving ahead. Who was Hemu? What is the historic battle, second battle of Panipat which was fought between Hemu and Akbar? Rather than saying Hemu and Akbar, Hemu versus Bairam Khan. Who was Bairam Khan? He was a regent, Raj Pratinidhi and the military commander of Akbar. Not only Akbar, his father Humayun as well. Correct? So, before we understand the famous second battle of Panipat, let's understand about who was Hemu. Okay. And how did he climbed up the ladder of power? Let's understand about. Hemchandra Vikramaditya, also referred as one of the last Maharajas of Delhi. Okay. Precisely during the time of Mughal Empire. Pay attention carefully. Hope you understood the basic introduction of Akbar. So, he was born at Amarkot fort. Like specifically, his father was continuously in exile. Got the points? And he was being raised up by his paternal uncles. Now, let's understand specifically about who is Hemu. How did Hemu come to power? I have explained everything as a part of flowchart. Each and every minute detail has been mentioned in the PDF as a part of the explanation. So, please pay attention to the flowchart so that you can understand the points in a step-by-step and systematic manner. Okay. I will go in a step-by-step manner. Listen to me carefully. We had seen about Sher Shah Suri. Okay. Everything, this part, we had seen in yesterday's session. I am repeating and co-linking this because it is very important to understand how was Hemu associated with Sur dynasty. Okay. So, listen to me carefully for easier understanding of the concept. Okay guys. Sher Shah Suri. He died due to accidental blast of gunpowder at a place called as Kalinjar which is located in Bundelkhand region. He had two sons who were contender to the throne. The elder one being Adil Shah and the younger one being Islam Shah Suri also referred as Salim Shah Suri. Okay. Nobles chose the younger one, Islam Shah Suri because he was more competent. He was an able administrator and he had lot of experience concerning different battles and wars in comparison to his brother Adil Shah. Okay. This person, he ruled for approximately 9 years. Now, how Islam Shah Suri, he came in contact with Hemu. Let us understand this. Hemu, he was born at a place called as Rewadi which is located towards southwest of Delhi. It is believed that his father was a normal grocer and like he started working along with his father at the very young age. But destiny had written something different for Hemu. Like it is said that like Hemu, he was interested in warfare strategies. He was expert in military skills as well. Apart from being the son of a grocer, he was expert in all these kinds of warfare skills and strategies. Now, what happened? As I have told you, Islam Shah Suri, he came to power and his elder brother Adil Shah, obviously, he is going to revolt against his brother Islam Shah. We had seen this yesterday. So, what happened? This person Adil Shah revolted against his brother Islam Shah Suri. And now Islam Shah Suri wanted to suppress Adil Shah. So, he dispatched an army. And when he dispatched an army, at that time, Hemu, some or the other manner, he wanted to come in the eyes of Islam Shah Suri. So, what happened? As soon as Islam Shah Suri, he dispatched an army against his brother Adil Shah. What happened? Hemu started giving free rations to the entire army. Okay. So, he assisted in that manner. And as Hemu gave free ration to the entire army of Islam Shah Suri, the Fawzdar of the army, like he, like what we say, Fawzdar of the army was quite impressed by Hemu. And he introduced Hemu to Islam Shah Suri. After introducing Hemu to Islam Shah Suri, it is believed that Islam Shah Suri was so impressed by Hemu that he made him the Superintendent of Bazaar. Okay. Yes. Good evening, Ramesh. Got the point still here? Moving ahead. With the passage of time, Hemu became very loyal to Islam Shah Suri. And he started gaining more prominence and importance in the court of Islam Shah Suri. And he became one of the trusted aides of Islam Shah Suri. So, what did Islam Shah Suri do? He made him the head of Sultan s secret service. Okay. I will repeat the point again. After death of Sher Shah Suri, Islam Shah Suri sat on the throne. He was being supported by the nobles. He was the younger son of Sher Shah. Obviously, his elder brother Adil Shah is going to revolt back. So, Adil Shah sent an army against Islam. And he dispatched an army against Adil Shah. At that time, Hemu, who was the son of a grocer man, he gave free ration to the entire army of Islam Shah. And he supported in that manner. So, Fauzdar, he introduced Hemu to Islam. And Islam was so, what we say, impressed by him that initially he made him Superintendent of Bazaar, that is Superintendent of the markets. And later he was being made as one of the important person of Sultan s secret service. Clear? Moving ahead. Islam Shah Suri, he ruled for 9 years. Now, like due to a prolonged disease, he died. And he was succeeded by his son whose name was Feroz Shah Suri. And Feroz Shah Suri, he was a minor. He was just 12 years of age when he succeeded the throne. Okay? He was being executed. He was being assassinated by nephew of Sher Shah Suri whose name was Muhammad Adil Shah. Correct? So, this person was being assassinated. But Muhammad Adil Shah, his eyes fell on Hemu. Because Hemu was a part of Sultan s secret service. And he was expert in everything. Expert in politics, expert in running the administration, expert in warfare skill, expert in military strategies. So, Muhammad Adil Shah s eye fell on Hemu. And now he was promoted from Sultan s secret service to Wazir. So, Hemu became Wazir for Muhammad Adil Shah. Okay? Moving ahead. Many historians believe that this person Hemu, he has defended his master Muhammad Adil Shah for many times. A very small example I will give you. Like he has fought 22 battles. Okay? Like specifically speaking, 22 to 23 battles. 22 battles were majorly fought during the time of Muhammad Adil Shah. And these battles were against the Afghan opponents of Muhammad Adil Shah. In every battle, Muhammad Adil Shah emerged victorious. And the entire credit for the victory of Muhammad Adil Shah goes to his Wazir, Hemu. Okay? I will give you a very small example about this. There was a person whose name was Taj Khan Karani. Okay? Now Taj Khan Karani, it is believed that he was a minister. He was a noble in the court of Islam Shahsuri initially. Okay? Now what happened? When Muhammad Adil Shah, he became the new emperor, this person completely denied his authority. Taj Khan Karani, he was a governor or like right now during the time of Muhammad Adil Shah, he was governor. But during the time of Islam Shahsuri, he was one of the nobles, one of the ministers in his court. So, as soon as Muhammad Adil Shah became the emperor, he denied his authority. And along with his followers, he moved from region of Gwalior and started moving towards the region of East. Okay? Now specifically, there is a place called Chibramu, which is located in the western part of UP in Kannauj district. Here he was defeated for the first time. Taj Khan Karani was defeated for the first time by Hemu. Now what happened? He started moving towards the region of Bengal. Now Hemu along with Muhammad Adil Shah started chasing him towards Bengal. So, this person who was defeated for the first time at a place called Chibramu in Kannauj district of western UP, he moved towards Purvanchal. And there is a fort of Chunar. He besieged the fort of Chunar. Again here Hemu came. Hemu defeated him for the second time. But he again slipped away from the hands of Hemu and moved towards the region of Bengal. Hemu asked his master Muhammad Adil Shah, you stay in Jaunpur. You stay in Chunar. I will get him from the region of Bengal. And Hemu moved towards the region of Bengal. Clear? I will explain the point again. Pay attention carefully. It is an important concept guys. Okay? Everything is being mentioned as a part of PDF or PPT. Okay? I am explaining this in a step-by-step manner for easier understanding of the concept. Got it? Now as I have told you, during the time of Islam Shah Suri, he was raised to the level of superintendent of Bazar. Later he was a part of Sultan's secret service. Now Islam Shah Suri, he was being succeeded by his son Feroz Shah Suri who was being assassinated by one of the nephews of Sher Shah Suri whose name was Muhammad Adil Shah. Clear? Now Muhammad Adil Shah's eyes fell on Hemu and he raised him to the level of Wazir. It is believed that Hemu fought 22 battles against the Afghan opponents of Muhammad Adil Shah. One of the finest example was one of the governor Taj Khan Karani. Taj Khan Karani, he was one of the nobles or ministers initially in the court of Islam Shah. He revolted against Muhammad Shah. So he fled away from the region of Gwalior. After fleeing away from the region of Gwalior, he started moving towards east. So initially he came at a place called as Chibra Mau which is located in Kannauj region of western UP. Here he was being defeated by Hemu but he slipped from the hands of Hemu and he started moving towards the region of east again. Then he comes to the region of Chunar and he besieges the region of Chunar. He plunders the region of Chunar. Again Hemu along with his master Muhammad Adil Shah started chasing this person to the region of Chunar. Here also he was defeated for the second time by Hemu. And at this particular point of time, he fled to the region of Bengal. Now Hemu suggested his master Muhammad Adil Shah that I am moving towards east specifically to the region of Bengal. And at any cost, I am going to get back Taj Khan Karani or I will execute him. So he stayed in the region of Chunar. Hemu moved towards the region of Bengal. Hope it is clear till here. Yes, good evening Shweta. Moving ahead. When Hemu was in the region of Bengal, what happened? There was political turmoil and the power slipped from the hand of Muhammad Adil Shah to the hands of Ibrahim Shah Suri. And from Ibrahim Shah Suri, the power slipped into the hands of Sikandar Shah Suri. We had discussed this yesterday in quite depth and detail. Okay. Muhammad power shift from the hands of Muhammad Adil Shah to the hands of Ibrahim Shah Suri. From the hands of Ibrahim Shah Suri, it slipped to the hands of Sikandar Shah Suri who is considered as the last ruler of Sur dynasty. Okay. At this particular point of time. Where was Hemu? Bengal. Okay. Now when Sikandar Shah Suri, he became the last ruler of Sur empire, again there was a political turmoil. And this was seen by Humayun as an opportunity to attack India. And we had seen Humayun with the help of Shah of Persia. He had attacked India. Okay. He defeated the last Sur dynasty ruler Sikandar Shah Suri in battle of Sirhind and battle of Machiwada. And again, Mughals established their power in Delhi. So, after a political vacuum of 15 years, from 1540 to 1555, what happened? Mughals again came back to power by dethroning the last ruler of Sur dynasty, Sikandar Shah Suri. Clear? Perfect. Where was Hemu? Bengal. Got the point still here? Moving ahead. Do you want me to repeat or the points are clear? Please let me know, guys. Is it clear? Yes, please. Are the things clear? Just hold on. Just hold on, guys. A second. Please let me know if it is clear. Okay. Perfect, Rishi. Thank you. Now, let us understand how Hemu, he came in direct conflict. How he came in direct conflict with whom? Direct conflict with specifically Akbar. Humayun, he gained power. Humayun, he gained power. And it is believed that Humayun died like due to fall from the staircase of his library. And at that time, Akbar was approximately 13 to 14 years of age and he was at Gurdaspur, Kalanur, Punjab. Okay? So, Humayun died. And at that time, the governor of Delhi was Tardi Beg. Humayun acquired the power after a few months due to what we say fall from the staircases of a library. He died. Okay? After his death, what happened? It is believed that, it is said that his son Akbar, where was he? Kalanur, Gurdaspur, Punjab. And who was looking after the administration of Delhi? One of the governors whose name was Tardi Beg. Clear? Hemu, who was in Bengal, saw this as an opportunity. And he started plundering and attacking the regions around Delhi. It is believed that he had conquered the region of Narnal. He had conquered the region of Kalpi, Jalon, Ettawa. Okay? Sambhal. And now in 1556, there was a famous battle which was fought, which is called as Battle of Delhi or Battle of Tughlaqabad. Between the Mughal governor, Tardi Beg and Hemu, also referred as Hemchandra Vikramaditya. And in this battle, Hemu emerged victorious. And he established himself as Maharaja of Hindustan. Okay? This is how Hemu, how he climbed up the ladder of power from a grocer's son to Maharaja of Hindustan. Got it? But again, destiny had written something different for Hemu. Akbar, who was in Gurdaspur, Kalanur, Punjab in 13 to 14 years of age, was led by a regent referred as Bairam Khan, an able military commander. And Akbar wanted to again acquire the power in the region of Delhi and Agra. Okay? So, what happened? Akbar, he started moving towards Delhi. Hemu, he comes to know about this. Hemu, under a weak commander, he dispatched a small force, approximately of 10,000 cavalrymen. And they were being defeated by Ali Quli Khan. He was one of the able military commanders of Akbar. Finally, Hemu's army and Akbar's army, led by the regent Bairam Khan, met on the famous battleground of Panipat. And this historic battle is referred as Second Battle of Panipat, which was fought in 1556. Precisely, 5th of November 1556. It is believed that Hemu's army was quite large. Like, specifically speaking, he had more than 30,000 cavalrymen, 1500 elephants in the battle. And Akbar's army was comparatively smaller in comparison to the army of Hemu. But still, Akbar emerged victorious. Why? The reason was, one of the, what we say, experienced persons, rather than saying one of the experienced person, two experienced person, were taking the command or leading the command of the army of Mughals. One was Bairam Khan and the second was Ali Quli Khan. Now, during the initial part of the battle, Hemu was on winning edge. But what happened? Bairam Khan immediately changed the strategy. Now, what happens? I will tell you a very simple example. We have seen in Delhi Sultanate that Allauddin Khilji, he was successful. Mehmood of Ghazni was successful. Feroz Shah Tughlaq was successful. And what were the major reasons for their successful expedition? Fast and staggering moving cavalry. They focused more on cavalrymen or they focused more on cavalry than on the elephants. True? Like, I will give you a very small example. If suppose some foreign invader is attacking India from the region of northwestern part of India, you are sitting as a ruler in the region of Delhi. It would be easier for you to contain that ruler with the help of horses or with the help of elephants. Obviously, with the help of the horses. So, what happened? At this particular point of time, Hemu had focused majorly on elephants. And obviously, when you are sitting on elephant and fighting the battle, you are on a higher pedestal and you are easily visible to your enemy. At this time, Bairam Khan saw this as an opportunity and he asked one of his archers to shoot at Hemu. He shot Hemu and the arrow hit specifically the eyes of Hemu and he got severely injured. Immediately, he was taken away from the battlefield by the person who was riding his elephant. Later on, he was being captured, presented before Akbar and finally Hemu was being executed. This is nothing but famous second battle of Panipat which was fought between Akbar and Hemu. And now again, Akbar at the age of 14 to 15 years of age, established himself as the Mughal emperor of India. Also referred as Badshah or Shahenshah. Did you understand about everything? Please let me know. Everything I have mentioned as a part of PDF or PPT. The aspirants, those who are new to the platform can easily download the PDF or PPT from the telegram channel history underscore alok ojha. Okay? Clear? See, I have mentioned everything. How he became superintendent of Bazaar. After that, specifically, how Feroz Shah Suri, he came to power. Later on, how he was made the Wazir. How he played a role of minister. Taj Khan Karani, the entire explanation I have done. Okay? Then, everything. Battle of Delhi, 1556, also referred as Battle of Tughlaqabad. Correct? Hemchandra Vikramaditya, Ali Kuli Khan, I have explained everything with the help of a flowchart, with the help of a diagram for easier understanding of the concept. Clear? Okay. Thank a lot, Ramesh, Sashmita, Rishi, Shiva. Thanks a lot. Parveen. Now, continuously, I have been taking one name and that name is Bairam Khan. So, two questions arise. Who is Bairam Khan? Okay. First question, who is Bairam Khan? And the second question, you might have seen the movie Jodha Akbar. Correct? And Jodha Akbar, the movie of Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. In that, you might have heard about one more character. And that is whom? Adam Khan. And second important character, his mother, Mahama Anga. You might have heard about these characters. Correct? So, now we will explore these characters. First of all, we will understand who is Bairam Khan. What was his role played as a naval administrator, as a military commander, or as a regent? And although he was so like loyal towards the royal family, like Humayun had said that, there is no other so luminous a star in our family as you are. These are the words of Humayun for his regent, Bairam Khan. So, he was such a loyal person, then why did Akbar execute him? Okay. Why did Akbar execute him in that case? So, let's understand about this. Okay. Who is Bairam Khan? Yes, perfect Rishi. It was a good movie, Jodha Akbar, which actually highlighted the rule of Akbar at that time. But not in a complete manner, but still. Okay. Now, as I have told you, Bairam Khan, he was a regent to Akbar. And he has served Babar, he has served Humayun. And during initial days, from 1556 to 1560, he has also served Akbar. Correct? So, he has served all three of them. As I have told you, Humayun, majority of his time, or major part of his time, from 1540 to 1550. Okay. He was running from one place to the other. He was seeking asylum from different rulers. Okay. So, he was continuously in exile. At that time, Humayun was being supported by his regent, Bairam Khan. Hence, Humayun has used these words for Bairam Khan. And in fact, it is believed that although Humayun was a Sunni follower of Islam, and Bairam Khan was Shia follower of Islam, what happened? Still, he supported his master Humayun. And it is believed that apart from the, what we say, Persian emperor, okay, this person, Bairam Khan also helped Humayun in regaining the lost power and establishing the Mughal rule again in India. Hence, Humayun has used words, there is no other so luminous a star in our family as you are. Correct? So, with the passage of time, as discussed previously in the first part of the session, that when Humayun died due to the fall from the staircase of the library, where was Akbar? Akbar was in Kalanur, Gurdaspur, Punjab. And he was, like specifically, he was fighting a battle, second battle of Panipat against Hemu. So, who was leading the battle? Bairam Khan. So, Bairam Khan, he served as a guardian for whom? He served as a guardian for Akbar. But with the passage of time, what happened? Akbar started realising one thing, that Bairam Khan, like initially Akbar was a minor. When battle of Panipat took place, Akbar was approximately 13, 14 or 15 years of age. Okay. But with the passage of time, Akbar started gaining more experience of the administration. Okay. He started understanding the political dynamics of that time. And so, he understood one thing. What is happening? My regent Bairam Khan is trying to corner me and he is trying to hijack the power. So, the time is right now where I should take the powers in my own hand. So, what did he do? He asked Bairam Khan to get retired and he gave him a jagir. And whatever money will come from that jagir, you keep it for yourself. There is no necessity to pay me back anything. Bairam Khan, he got infuriated. He got angry and he revolted against Akbar. Immediately, his revolt was being crushed by Akbar and his ministers and his nobles. And since Bairam Khan has served his father Humayun quite loyally, he has served Babur. And during the initial days from 1556 to 1560, he has also played the role of a guardian for Akbar. Bairam Khan was being asked to go to Mecca. He was being asked to go to the Haj Yatra, specifically from Mecca to Medina. But few historians believe that on the way to Mecca or Medina, he was being killed by an Afghan noble. Might be that Afghan noble, he might be sent by Akbar. These are not my opinion. These are the opinions of historians. So, what was the major cause for the downfall of Bairam Khan? First major downfall was, as I have told you, rather than saying majority of the rulers, all the major rulers of the Mughal Empire were Sunni followers of Islam. We had studied previously in the very first chapter, I guess this is the 31st lecture on Medieval Indian History series. The very first lecture was on the rise of Islam. True? Therein, I have discussed the entire concept of Caliph. Who are Shias? Who are Sunnis? I have discussed that in quite depth and detail. So, specifically speaking, what happened? Majority of the rulers of the Mughal dynasty were Sunni followers of Islam. On the other hand, now what happened? This person, Bairam Khan, he was a Shia. Majority of the nobles and ministers were Sunnis and they were completely opposed to Bairam Khan. So, that became one of the major reasons for his downfall. Another important reason for the downfall of Bairam Khan was vanity and haughtiness of Bairam Khan. Vanity means having a feeling of pride among oneself, having a feeling of pride within oneself that I am the more powerful one. Although Akbar is Shahenshah, he is a Sultan but still I am the Sultan maker, I am the king maker and the king maker is more powerful than king. Secondly, he had an absolute feeling of superiority in comparison to the other nobles. Third important thing, showing favours to some nobles like he followed the practice of favouritism or nepotism and the practice of favouritism and nepotism becomes the major cause for downfall of majority of the kingdoms. Any particular person should be given that post on the basis of merit, not on the basis of favouritism. True? I will give you a very small example. If you remember Delhi Sultanate, we had seen about Razia Sultan, correct? At that time, Razia Sultan observed one thing that her entire court was filled with Turkish nobles who were not that competent enough and still holding higher positions. Why? Just because they were Turkish. As soon as Razia Sultan, the first female Sultan of entire Delhi Sultanate, she sat on the throne of Mamluk dynasty or slave dynasty, she started the practice of appointing non-Turkish as a part of the nobles because she believed that the post should be given to a person on the basis of merit and not on the basis of nepotism and favouritism. It is believed that Jalaluddin Muhammad Yaqub, one of the Abbasidian or African slave, was being appointed to the court of Razia Sultan and the nobles started revolting at that time. Similarly here, Bairam Khan used to favour the nobles who used to support him. Other important thing, execution of what we say Governor Tardibeg. Right now I have told you, we have discussed right now that when Humayun, he attacked the region, when he attacked the region of Delhi and he dethroned Sikandar Shah. After the death of Humayun, Tardibeg, he was the Governor of Delhi and after the death of Humayun, this was seen as an opportunity by Hemu to take over Delhi and the famous battle of Delhi or battle of Tughlaqabad was fought in 1556 between Hemu and Tardibeg. Tardibeg lost the battle. Later on this region was being recovered by Akbar. But still what happened? Bairam Khan, he executed, he killed Tardibeg. So in that case, Bairam Khan is acting like an autocrat now and this is intolerable completely to Akbar. Akbar had his own ambitions apart from this conspiracy of royal household against him and finally as I have told you, as soon as Akbar came to know that Bairam Khan is trying to corner Akbar and Akbar is just Sultan in name and not well in spirit, what happened? Akbar gave jagir to Bairam Khan. Bairam Khan revolted against Akbar and that became one of the major causes for the downfall of Bairam Khan. Did you understand about who was Bairam Khan? What role was being played by Bairam Khan in bringing Akbar to power and what were the major regions for downfall of Bairam Khan? One of the regions of Akbar. Clear my friends? Yes please. Yes guys. Clear everyone? Okay. Now let's understand within next 5 to 10 minutes who was Mahamanga. Google it. I will be telling you one terminology right now and that terminology is Petticoat government. During the time of Akbar, the period from 1560 to 1562 was referred as Petticoat government during the time of Akbar and why? Let's explore about this. And who was Mahamanga? As discussed multiple times that Humayun had spent major part of his life in exile and so did his mother Hamida Banu Begum along with Humayun. So what happened? Akbar was being raised up by Mahamanga and she acted like a foster mother. Mahamanga had one more son whose name was Adam Khan. Okay. And she was a very influential lady. What we say astute statesman. Apart from this, she also played a major role in the political and administrative setup at that time. Okay. So specifically speaking, what happened at this point of time? So at this particular point of time, she continuously used to interfere with the policies of Akbar. Continuously with the policies of Akbar. Okay. A very small example I will give you. Like she had a lot of influence in power. What we say, I will give you a small example. She had a son named as Adam Khan. And Adam Khan, he was one of the foster brothers of Akbar and since he was one of the sons of what we say Mahamanga, he was raised to the higher level. And he became a military commander. Okay. But yesterday also I had given you one of the finest examples of Adam Khan. Correct? Like at that time, Akbar, he wanted to capture the region of Malwa. And Malwa was under Baaz Bahadur. Baaz Bahadur had a queen named as Rani Roopmati. And this person, Adam Khan, when he attacked Malwa, he coveted upon Rani Padmini. Sorry, Rani Roopmati. Now he attacked here. And at this particular point of time, Baaz Bahadur, he fled away from the battlefield. When he fled away from the battlefield, Rani Roopmati, she committed Johar by consuming poison. Okay. At this time, Adam Khan had attacked the region here. He had created massacre here. Okay. Apart from this, he had killed different ministers of Baaz Bahadur, their family members. And this was not liked by Akbar. But still he pardoned him for this time. Okay. Another example. What happened? This time, like this was the first example. There are many such examples where Akbar had pardoned the mistake of his foster brother, Adam Khan. Now Akbar had an important minister, Ataga Khan. And Ataga Khan was an able and intelligent administrator. And this could not be digested by Adam Khan. He was very jealous. He was very envious of Ataga Khan. He used to believe that Akbar is my foster brother and he is not giving me that much importance in comparison to the other minister, Ataga Khan. He killed Ataga Khan in the royal court. And none of the nobles, none of the ministers revolted against Adam Khan because everyone knew that he is the foster brother of Akbar. This time, Akbar got very angry. It is said that Akbar asked his nobles to throw him from the fort. And he asked him to throw Adam Khan twice. For example, if he is thrown for the first time and if he survives in that case, throw him back again. At this time, Adam Khan was being executed. Heartbroken, what we say, Mahama Anga. She also died on the 40th day or approximately 40 days later, the death of her, what we say, son, whose name was Adam Khan. So, this was the story of how Akbar came to power. Who was Hemu or Hemchandra Vikramaditya? What was the role played by Bairam Khan in bringing Akbar to power? How was Bairam Khan being executed? What were the major reasons for downfall of Bairam Khan? Who was Mahama Anga? And the period from 1560 to 62 is also referred as Petticoat government during the time of Akbar s administration. How was Adam Khan, one of the foster brothers of Akbar, being executed? Hope you understood everything in today s short session. Is it clear, my friends? Please let me know. Any question, any query, any kind of doubt, please feel free to ask. Yes, my friends. Clear? Okay. Guys, study IQ, what we say, target year 2026. The Resolution GS Foundation batch, okay, P2I, prelims to interview. So, the morning batch will start from 20th of August 2025, 8am sharp in the morning. The batch is completely in English language, which will cater to the needs of students precisely from the northeastern part of India and southern part of India. Proper timetable, answer writing practice, proper focus on, what we say, individual subjects like ancient, medieval and modern Indian history, geography, polity, economy, current affairs, science and tech and so on. Okay, guys. So, the batch is going to begin on 20th of August 2025. It s a morning batch, 8am. Okay. And the prizes are starting at a very affordable rate of 9999. I repeat, 9999. To avail the benefits of this batch, you can use the code that is flashing on your screen, ALOK LIVE. I repeat the code, ALOK LIVE. Hope you understood today s session of Akbar s Rise to Power. Tomorrow, we are going to discuss about the Rajputana expeditions led by Akbar and the famous Battle of Haldighati followed by Battle of Dever fought in 1582 on the day of Vijayadashami or Dashera. Okay, guys. With this, I stop my words for the day. Thank you and have a very wonderful day.