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What Hindu practices were unchanged by Mongul rule?

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Final answer:

Under Mughal rule, Hindu religious and cultural traditions, including temple worship, veneration of deities, and personal devotional practices were largely unchanged due to policies of religious tolerance, highlighted by Mughal ruler Akbar's actions.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Hindu practices that were unchanged by Mughal rule largely pertain to the religious and cultural traditions upheld by Hindus despite the predominance of Islam under Mughal governance. The Mughals, noted for their military legacy from Mongol ancestors, embraced a policy of religious tolerance and human rights, which fostered a diverse cultural climate in India. Most notably, the Mughal rulers allowed continued Hindu worship, the building of new temples, and did not enforce conformity to Islamic customs on their non-Muslim subjects. For instance, during Akbar's reign in the 16th century, not only were new Hindu temples sanctioned, but also the jizya tax imposed on non-Muslims was abolished, and Sharia law was applied only to Muslims, with Hindu law code governing Hindus. As a result, core Hindu practices such as temple worship, veneration of deities like Vishnu and Shiva, and personal devotional rituals such as singing and bhakti, or a personal relationship with the deity, remained central to Hindu life and were not hampered by Mughal policies. Vishnu, Shiva, and other deities like Krishna, Ganesh, and Hanuman continued to be worshipped in their iconic forms, which had been institutionalized during earlier dynasties, such as the Guptas, and were further disseminated under the protection afforded by Mughal toleration.

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