Akbar: The Great Mughal by Ira Mukhoty is a comprehensive and vivid biography of one of India?s most remarkable emperors, Abu?l Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar. Born in 1542, Akbar rose to the throne at just thirteen after a troubled childhood and fierce succession struggles. Over his nearly fifty-year reign, he transformed the Mughal Empire into one of the wealthiest and most powerful empires of its time. Mukhoty?s account brings Akbar?s life to light with meticulous research and narrative flair, exploring his military brilliance, political reforms, and deep humanism. The book examines his religious tolerance, abolition of slavery and the jiziya tax, and progressive views on women, showing a visionary ruler far ahead of his time. Drawing on recent art historical research, Mukhoty also explores Akbar?s intellectual curiosity and the cultural vibrancy of his court. Through his triumphs and challenges?including tensions with his heir, Prince Salim?Akbar emerges as a complex, brilliant, and humane leader. Richly detailed and elegantly written, this biography finally gives the Great Mughal his due, offering readers an immersive portrait of a sovereign whose legacy shaped Indian history for centuries.