THE Mughal ruler Emperor Akbar is famous for rebuilding Lahore, as also for his `wisdom` as a ruler, amazingly he is known as a `kind` person. As one researches the history of Lahore one finds him as being very different.

But then one question about Akbar has always puzzled me, and that was why he stayed in Lahore for 14 long years, in the process making the city his capital for this period. In this piece let me try to explain the known reasons he came to Lahore, as also why he rebuilt and expanded the fort and the walled city.

The fort he expanded to accommodate more military officials, what to mention his huge harem.

The walled city he expanded to the east to accommodate a large central Asian cavalry army, and to the west he accommodated the Rajput Bhatti warriors who were initially opposed to him. Both were military moves.

But first the man. His full name was Abu`l-Fath Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar, the son of the second Mughal emperor Humayun.

When Humayun was defeated by Sher Shah Suri firstly at Chausa in 1539 and then at Kannauj in 1540 he ran away to Sindh, where he metthe 14-year-old Hamida Bano, the daughter of Sheikh Ali Akbar Jami.

To them was born Akbar on the 25th of October 1542 at the Amarkot Fort (now in Sindh, Pakistan) protected by the Hindu ruler Rana Prasad.

Akbar was raised in Kabul by his two uncles Kamran Mirza and Askari Mirza. He spent his youth learning to hunt, run, and fight, but never learnt to read or write. At the age of nine he was made Governor of Ghazni and married the daughter of Hindal Mirza his uncle named Rugaiya Sultan Begum. The marriage was officially solemnised in Jalandhar when both reached the age of 14 years. That is when Humayun died, and he became the emperor.

His appointed Regent was Bairam Khan, who when Akbar reached the age of 18 callously and to everyone`s shock expelled from India and advised him to go to Mecca. On the way a mysterious Afghan assassinated Bairam Khan. The message to all the courtiers was clear. This was the real Akbar.

On taking charge Akbar introduced the `mansabdari` system, which meant that ranks in the Mughal Army were introduced. But more importantly he set in motion the modernisation of his army with newly designed guns and cannons.

In this, the Ottoman rulers, as well as European engineers from Portugal and Italy, helped him a lot.He enhanced the Central Asian tradition of high-speed horse cavalry, which would crush many a large enemy `elephant-led` armies in battle. He also alongside consolidated his victories by building large forts.

Disillusioned with orthodox Islam and in an effort to bring about religious unity, Akbar promulgated`Deen-i-Elahi`, a religious mixture of Islam, Christianity, Hinduism and even Zoroastrianism.

This effort failed as priests of every faith and sect rejected it.

In 1560, Akbar led a Mughal army and started with the conquest of Malwa. The Afghan ruler Baaz Bahadar was defeated at the Battle of Sarangpure, after which Akbar led a team to slaughter the entire 30,000 enemy army. He himself led the beheading, mounting all the heads on holes to be displayed all over Malwa.

He then followed the Central Asian practice of slaughtering entire surrendered garrisons including wives and children, as also Muslim theologians including Syeds. When his commander Adham Khan argued with Akbar over this tactic, Akbar himself threw him off Agra Fort. He then went down with a sword to make sure he was dead. The real Akbar was on fiery display.

Such was the terror of Akbar that after the Battle of Damoh, the Rajput warrior queen Durgavaticommitted `Johar` as her companions were all disarmed and then massacred. The standard practice of Akbar`s army was to behead enemy soldiers by the thousands and display their heads on poles throughout the kingdom.

In 1567, Akbar attacked the fort at Chittor in Mewar. After a siege of four months the fortress fell. Akbar proclaimed it as `the victory of Islam over infidels`. The communal emperor had emerged. He followed this by mass slaughtering all captured soldiers, and then set about destroying temples. Thousands of heads of the slaughtered were mounted on poles and displayed all over Mewar.

The fall of Chittorgarh was followed by a Mughal attack on the fort at Ranthamor in 1568, reputed as the strongest Rajput fort. Again thousands of Rajput heads were put on display. Akbar marched back to Fatehpur Sikri, his capital, only to rush to Ahmedabad to defeat a huge Rajput army in September 1573.

Again the heads of all killed and living soldiers were cut off and a tall tower built.

Now comes the critical question posed atthe beginning ofthispiece.

Just why did Akbar come to Lahore and stay for 14 uninterrupted years.

In 1581, the Punjab was invaded by his brother, Mirza Muhammad Hakim. Akbar expelled him to Kabul ultimately chasing him out ofKabul. His Hindu soldiers had refused to cross the Indus as the Vedas forbids. All Hindu soldiers were provided eight months of advance salary for the mission. The trick worked. Money invariably defeats faith.

In August 1581, Akbar seized Kabul and took up residence at Babar`s citadel. After three weeks he returned to Lahore, where he was to stay for 14 years. But then this move to Lahore was followed by a very long period of constant conflict to the west of Lahore. The Uzbek tribes who had expelled Babar from Central Asia, started to move towards the north-western borders of Akbar`s India.

To add to this the Uzbeks started providing money and guns to Afghan and Pathan tribes of the Yusufzai of Bajaur. In Swat, the `roshaniya` sect tribesmen also rose.

Their aim was to destroy the Mughal ruler. Akbar`s first move was to bribe the Uzbeks against the hill tribesmen, and himself tried to pacify the Yusufzais and other rebels.

Akbar alongside ordered Zain Khan and Raja Birbal to lead an expedition against the Afghan tribes. In the battle against these tribesmen the Mughal army of 8,000, including Birbal, were all killed near Malandari Pass in Buner. Akbar had lost one of his trusted associates as well as an entire large Lahore army. Our his-tory books ignore this event.

Akbar immediately sent a new army to capture Yusufzai lands under Raja Todar Mal. Over the next six years the Mughal armies fought against the fierce Yusufzai and failed. Then suddenly the fierce Afridi and Orakzai tribes also rose.

In co-ordination the Uzbeks rose in an attempt to capture the Punjab.

To finance these numerous battles, he further increased land revenue, leading to an uprising of Punjabi peasants, led by Abdullah Bhatti, known as Dullah Bhatti, who he skinned alive and hung outside the Lahore Fort. That was the real Akbar.

It is clear that Lahore and its fort were expanded because of the constant threats from the Afghans, the Uzbeks and the tribesmen of today`s western provinces of Pakistan as also the peasants of the Punjab.

Once Akbar realised that they were not `completely` beatable, after a 14-year stint he returned to Delhi in disappointment.

Once the Mughals collapsed as all empires do, the Punjab peasants organised as `Misls` and formed a powerful country, which collapsed after 50 years. History has a lot to teach us ... if only we wish to learn.

ERRATUM: My column on Feb 9 (Sunday) mentioned the Aga Khan Trust conserving Jahangir`s Tomb in Delhi. The correct tomb is Humayun.

Mistake is regretted.