Unique facts about the Mughal dynasty that your textbooks didn’t tell you 

All of you have grown up reading about the Mughal dynasty as part of your syllabus. But did you know that the Mughals encouraged cotton production in India? Or, the fact that Akbar was dyslexic? Well, the list doesn’t end here. Read on to know more.  

Mughals encouraged cotton production in India 
Textile production, especially for cotton, became a significant element of the Mughal empire, thanks to the invention of the gear worm cotton gin. It was a machine for removing the unwanted seeds in cotton.  The instrument is said to have originated during the Delhi Sultanate period. Improvements such as the use of the spinning wheel and the installation of a crank handle to the cotton gin, helped in the expansion of the Mughal cotton industry. These measures allowed them to export cotton all over the world. 

Their official language left its mark on Hindi and Urdu 
Persian was the Mughal empire's official language. It found its way into the native languages of the conquered lands over the duration of their rule. The Persian influence is most noticeable in Urdu, the native language of Pakistan and Hindi, India's official language. While Urdu and Hindi are nearly identical, Urdu is distinguished by its use of a Persian alphabet-based system.  

Mughal empire was called the Gunpowder Empire 
The establishment of three Islamic empires, the Ottomans of Anatolia, the Safavids of Persia and the Mughals of India, marked the early modern period (roughly 1500 - 1800 C.E.). Their rise to power was remarkably similar: Fast expansion and conquest with gunpowder-based weaponry such as muskets, handguns, hand cannons and siege cannons. The bulk of the Mughal army consisted of gunpowder infantry, light cavalry and gunpowder siege weaponry. They used to employ cannons or artillery pieces powered by gunpowder over typical siege weaponry like ballistas, battering rams, and trebuchets. This is what earned the Mughal empire its other name: Gunpowder Empire.  

Akbar: An emperor with dyslexia and love for fine arts 
Akbar, the third Mughal ruler, was born as Abu'l-Fath Jalal ud-din Muhammad Akbar on October 15, 1542. It is said that he was dyslexic and didn’t enjoy reading and writing. However, Akbar preferred the company of poets, musicians, painters and scholars. Two important names worth mentioning here are Tansen, a famous pianist and Birbal, a nobleman.