nce
I will refer later.

[Footnote 15: Noer, I, 439.]

Of decided significance for Akbar's success was his patronage of the
native population. He did not limit his efforts to lightening the lot
of the subjugated Hindus and relieving them of oppressive burdens; his
efforts went deeper. He wished to educate the Mohammedans and Hindus
to a feeling of mutual good-will and confidence, and in doing so he
was obliged to contend in the one case against haughtiness and
inordinate ambition, and in the other against hate and distrustful
reserve. If with this end in view he actually favored the Hindus by
keeping certain ones close to him and advancing them to the most
influential positions in the state, he did it because he found
characteristics in the Hindus (especially in their noblest race, the
Rajputs) which seemed to him most valuable for the stability of the
empire and for the promotion of the general welfare. He had seen
enough faithlessness in the Mohammedan nobles and in his own
relatives. Besides, Akbar was born in the house of a small Rajput
prince who had shown hospitality to Akbar's parents on their flight
and had given them his protection.

The Rajputs are the descendants of the ancient Indian warrior race and
are a brave, chivalrous, trustworthy people who possess a love of
freedom and pride of race quite different in character from the rest
of the Hindus. Even to-day every traveler in India thinks he has been
set down in another world when he treads the ground of Rajputana and
sees around him in place of the weak effeminate servile inhabitants of
other parts of the country powerful upright men, splendid warlike
figures with blazing defiant eyes and long waving beards.

While Akbar valued the Rajputs very highly his own personality was
entirely fitted to please these proud manly warriors. An incident
which took place before the end of the first year of Akbar's reign is
characteristic of the relations which existed on the basis of this
intrinsic relationship.[16]

[Footnote 16: Noer, I, 224-226]

[Illustration: VIEW OF FATHPUR]

Bihari Mal was a prince of the small Rajput state Ambir, and possessed
sufficient political comprehension to understand after Akbar's first
great successes that his own insignificant power and the nearness of
Delhi made it advisable to voluntarily recognize the Emperor as his
liege lord. Therefore he came with son, grandson and retainers to
swear allegiance to Akbar. Upon his arr