Takht-i-Akbari, in the Imperial Camp near Kalanaur, Gurdaspur, Punjab, 14th February 1556. At his accession the Mughal power extended over Delhi, Agra, parts of the Punjab, Kabul and Kandahar, but was challenged on all fronts. Delhi and Agra were lost almost immediately, but Akbar soon consolidated his position at the Second Battle of Panipat, where he defeated Muhammad Adil Shah and his Chief Minister Hemchandra (Hemu), 5th November 1556. He then established control over Bihar and Bengal, and went on to conquer Gondwana 1564, Chttor 1567, Gujarat 1573, Kabul 1581, Kashmir 1586, Sind 1591, Baluchisthan, Kandahar 1595, and Ahmednagar 1597. Marriage alliances and the family relationships established through them, ensured the loyalty of the most influential Rajput princes. Prorogued the 'Ibadat Khana' or Council of Religion to examine the advantages and drawbacks of all religions, 1575. As a result of these deliberations he established his own religion, known as 'Din-i-Ilahi', which drew its principals of universal peace and tolerance from several different existing religions. Despite his own illiteracy, he became a great patron of the arts, learning and scholarship, ammassed a large library from which he received daily readings and then discussed religion and literature with them. m. (first) at Ghazni, 1552, his cousin, Shahzadi Ruqiya Sultan Begum Sahiba (b. 1542; d.s.p. at Agra, 5th February1626 n.s. (bur. Kabul), daughter of his paternal uncle, Shahzada ‘Abu Nasir Muhammad Hindal Mirza. m. (second) 1556, a daughter of Jamal Khan, of Mewat. m. (third) at Mankot, 1557, a daughter of ‘Abdu’llah Khan Mughal. m. (fourth) before 11th September 1561 o.s., Salima Sultan Begum Sahiba (b. 23rd February 1539; d. at Delhi, 27th December 1612 n.s. (bur. in the Mandarkar Garden, Agra), widow of Waqil us-Sultanat, Yar Wafadar, Baradur Neku-siyar, Farzand-i-Sa‘adatmand, Nawab Bairam Khan Bahadur, Khan-i-Khanan [Khan Baba], sometime Vicegerent of the Empire, and daughter of Khwaja Nur ud-din Muhammad Mirza [Sayyid Amir], by his wife, Shahzadi Gul Barg Begum Sahiba, daughter of Al-Sultan al-’Azam wal Khaqan al-Mukarram Zahir ud-din Muhammad Jalal ud-din Babur Padshah Ghazi, Emperor of India. m. (fifth) at Sambhar, 6th February 1562, Wali Nimat, Hamida Banu Mariam uz-Zamani Begum Sahiba (d. at Agram, 19th May 1623 n.s., bur. Rauza Mariam, Sikandara), née Rajkumari Hira Kunwari Sahiba, alias Harkha Bai, eldest daughter of Raja Bihari Mal, Raja of Amber. m. (sixth) at Nagaur, 1562, Maharajkumari Shri Nathi Bai Sahiba, daughter of Maharajadhiraj Parama Bhattarak Shri Maharawal Ji Bairi Hariraj Singh Dev Bahadur, Yadukul Chandrawhal, Bijaimand, Maharaja of Jaisalmer. m. (seventh) befo