Renaissance · South Asia · Religion

1577

Akbar Founds Din-i Ilahi

1577

Akbar began developing his idiosyncratic religion of Din-i Ilahi, or Divine Faith, blending elements of Islam, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, and Christianity. It attracted only a small courtly following and died with him, but it remains one of history's boldest experiments in imperial religious synthesis. The experiment's failure to attract followers demonstrated the limits of imperial authority in matters of personal belief.