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Chalmers, however, mistranslated them as "Jains, Buddhists." Elliot and Dowson (authors of "History of India as told by its own Historians") took Chalmers' interpretation as correct. This, in its turn, led Von Noer, (author of "The Emperor Akbar") to infer wrongly:-"It may be concluded with not too slight probability that there were Buddhists at Fattepur" (Beveridge's translation I, 327, note). The fact, on the other hand, is that there is not a title of evidence to the effect that any Buddhist ever attended these religious debates or that Akbar ever came in touch with a Buddhist scholar. Abul Fazl, as he himself admits, failed to learn anything about Buddhism because Buddhism was almost extinct in India in those times.
Badaoni, a staunch Muslim historian, while summarising the reasons, which led Akbar to renounce the Islām says: "The Principal reason was the large number of learned men of all denominations and sects, that came to his Court from various countries, were granted private audiences. His Majesty heard the opinion of each one, especially of non-Muslims, retaining that which appealed to his reason and rejecting everything else. As a result of this, a faith based o some elementary principles traced itself on the mirror of his heart; and out of the various influences that were brought to bear on His Majesty, there grew gradually as an outline on a stone, the conviction in his heart, that there were sensible men in all religions, deep thinkers and men endowed with miraculous power, among all nations."
He further states:-"Moreover Sumanis (Śramanas-Jaina ascetics) and Brahmans managed to get frequent private audiences with his Majesty. They surpass other learned men in their treatises on morals and on physical and religious sciences; they have reached a high degree of perfection in their knowledge of the future, in spiritual power and human perfection. Consequently, they laid down proofs, based on reason and testimony, of the truth of their own religion, and of the fallacies of others; and they inculcated their doctrines so firmly, and so skilfully represented things as quite self-evident things which otherwise require consideration-that to raise a doubt in His Majesty's mind about the truth of their doctrines was more difficult than crumbling a moutain to dust or tearing asunder the heavens above." (Blochman Al Badauni, p. 256).
"Hence His Majesty cast aside the Islamic revelations regarding resurrection, the day of judgment, and all the details connected with it, as also all ordinances based on the tradition of our prophet. The doctrine of the transmigration of the souls especially took a deep root in his heart,
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