1869.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 87 



the Islam by means of the sword. But Akbar was too wise to attempt 

 this mode of conversion, though he reduced many an old Sunni 

 family to distress by plundering their mosques, or withdrawing their 

 grants, or exiling them. 



The Azdn, or call to prayer, was discontinued at court, and the 

 word Muhammad was forbidden to be used in names. Many courtiers 

 changed their names. Translations from Sanscrit, which had first 

 been commenced in 1573, were eagerly pushed on. The At'harban, 

 Ramayan, Mahabharat, Lilawati, and the History of Kashmir, were 

 translated into Persian. 



In 1583, the killing of animals on Sundays was interdicted, this 

 day being sacred to the Sun, as also during the first eighteen days 

 of the month of Farwardin (February — March), the first month of 

 Akbar's year, the whole month of A'bdn (October), in which Akbar 

 was born, and several other days, in order to please the Hindus. 

 This order, according to Abulfazl and Badaoni, was extended over 

 the whole empire. Akbar himself abstained from meat for more 

 than half the number of days in the year, and increased the fast days 

 (ciifiydnah) from year to year, with the view of gradually giving up 

 meat altogether. Rules of worship for the Divine Faith were issued. 

 Prayers were to be addressed to the Sun in the morning, at noon, 

 at sunset, and at midnight. Sun-worship had been openly practised 

 at court since 1579, whilst Akbar, from his early youth, had taken 

 part in the hom, a kind of fire-worship practised by the Hindu women 

 of the harem. During 1579, some Parsis had come from Nausari in 

 Gujrat, and a fire temple had been built in Fathpur Sikri, which was 

 placed under the care of Abulfazl. A Parsi priest of the name of 

 Ardsher, whom Akbar at great expense had brought from Persia, 

 instructed the emperor in the old rites of the Parsis. To this 

 Parsi we also owe the preservation of many Zand words in the 

 greatest Persian Dictionary of India. In 1580, the order had 

 been given that all courtiers should rise, when the candles were 

 brought into the halls of the Palace. In 1583, one thousand and 

 one Sanscrit names of the sun were collected and the reading of these 

 names was ordered as a means of spiritual blessings. Akbar said 

 them every morning after sunrise, assisted by a Brahmin, and then 

 showed himself to the multitudes that daily crowded round the palace 



