When was the Ibadat Khana built by Mughal Emperor Akbar?
The Ibadat Khana was built in 1575 at Fatehpur Sikri. This structure served as a physical space for religious debate within his capital city.
Questions about Ibadat Khana
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who participated in the debates held inside the Ibadat Khana?
Hindus, Catholics, Zoroastrians, Jains, Buddhists, and Sikhs participated in these gatherings along with atheists. Specific participants included Jain Acharyas Hir Vijay Suri and Jin Chandra Suri who influenced Akbar to abandon non-vegetarian food.
What faith did Akbar create after hosting discussions at the Ibadat Khana?
Akbar created a new faith called Din-i-Ilahi or Faith of the Divine by the late 1580s CE. It combined elements from Islamic Sufism, Hindu Bhakti movements, Christian crosses, and Zoroastrian fire ceremonies.
How many people officially joined the Din-i-Ilahi movement led by Akbar?
Historians have identified only eighteen individuals who became formal adherents of the faith. Birbal stands out as the most prominent figure among these converts while other members remain unnamed nobles.
Where was the Ibadat Khana located within Fatehpur Sikri?
The building stood between the Jama Masjid and Jodha Bai's Mahal according to theories by scholars like Saeed Ahmed Mararavi and Vincent Flynn. Excavations led by K. K. Muhammed under Professor R. C. Gaur confirmed this location in the early 1980s.