CHAPTER II AKBAR'S REFORMS THE DIVINE FAITH 1566-1605 A.D. assimilation of the Hindu chiefs was the most conspicuous feature of Akbar's reign. His wars were like other Indian wars, only mitigated by his sovereign quality of mercy to those who submitted, and by his scrupulous care that the peasants should not suffer by the passage of his troops. The empire was gradually extended till it stretched from Kandahar to the Bay of Bengal, and included the whole of Hin- dustan down to the Narbada. But the remarkable points about this expansion to the old limits of Ala-ad- din's realm were, first, that it was done with the willing help of the Hindu princes, and, secondly, that expan- sion went hand in hand with orderly administration. This was a new thing in Indian government, for hitherto the local officials had done pretty much as it pleased them, and the central authority had seldom interfered so long as the revenue did not suffer. Akbar allowed no oppression by his lieutenants, and not a few of his campaigns were undertaken mainly for the 25
