Which of the following statements about Akbar are correct? 1. In 1560s, Akbar had the Fort of Agra constructed. 2. In 1570s, Akbar decided to build a new capital at Fatehpur Sikri. 3. Akbar also commissioned a white marble tomb of Shaikh Salim Chishti at Sikri. 4. In 1585, Akbar decided to shift the capital back to Agra. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
- A.1, 2 and 4
- B.1, 2 and 3
- C.2, 3 and 4
- D.3 and 4 only
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, 1, 2 and 3. Statements 1, 2 and 3 are true, but in 1585 Akbar moved his capital to Lahore, not back to Agra.
Akbar rebuilt the Agra Fort in red sandstone in the 1560s. In the 1570s he chose Sikri, home of the Sufi saint Shaikh Salim Chishti, whose blessing he credited for the birth of his son Salim (Jahangir), as the site of a new capital, Fatehpur Sikri. Beside the great Jama Masjid there he commissioned the white marble tomb of the saint, and the Buland Darwaza was added to mark his Gujarat campaign. In 1585 the capital was shifted to Lahore so that Akbar could control the north-west frontier, and for about thirteen years Lahore stayed the capital; Agra became the capital again only in 1598.
A is wrong because it includes statement 4 and leaves out statement 3. C is wrong because it includes the false statement 4 and leaves out statement 1. D is wrong because statement 4 is false and statements 1 and 2 are left out.
Exam tip: Akbar's capitals: Agra, then Fatehpur Sikri (1570s), then Lahore (1585), then back to Agra (1598).
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