Monk and Monarch

Author(s): Vidyavijay
Publisher: Deepchand Banthia

Page 76

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In spite of so much evidence, some European writers have attributed this feeling of non-killing of Akbar to the influence of Buddhistic and not Jain monks. But Akbar had never come in contact with Buddhistic Sadhus. Abul Fazl says that for a long time they had not seen Buddhistic Sadhus in India. In their third tour to Kashmere they had met with two or three old men who believed in Buddhism but had never met with Buddhistic Sadhus.
Vincent Smith also comes to the same conclusion:- "To sum up, Akbar never came under Buddhist influence in any degree whatsoever. No Buddhists took part in the debates on religion held at Fatehpur Sikri, and Abul Fazl never met any learned Buddhist. Consequently, his knowledge of Buddhism was extremely slight. Certain persons who took part in the debates and have been supposed erroneously to have been Buddhists were really Jains from Gujarat.
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Thus Akbar had continued contact with Jain Sadhus from V. S. 1639 to 1651; and even after this Jain Sadhus often visited the Mogul Court in the days of Akbar and Jehangir.