Question

what is Pilgrim tax​

Answer 1

Pilgrim Tax is the tax a person pays who undertakes a journey to a sacred place as an act of religious devotion  .

Answer 2

ANSWER:

Pilgrim tax was the tax imposed on Hindus by the Muslim emperors for undertaking a journey to a religious or sacred place. Akbar abolished pilgrimage tax on Hindus in the year 1563.

EXPLANATION:

     Pilgrim tax was introduced in India by the Muslim rulers and it continued under the reign or Babur, Humayun, and Sher Shah Suri. Under this pilgrim tax system, Hindu pilgrims visiting religious or sacrosanct places were required to pay a specified amount to gain permit to enter the town and worship and perform rituals inside the temple.

     There were many advantages of this tax system to the Muslim rulers such as the revenue received from this was utilised towards the religious and administrative expenses of the temples; the orthodox Muslim nobles and aristocrats who followed the Islamic law and opposed the state’s support for idolatry were pleased by the imposition of a tax on Hindu pilgrimage; and pilgrim tax favoured the economic interests of the middlemen and functionaries of the Hindu temples, who greatly benefitted from this extra revenue.

    Emperor Akbar ended the pilgrim tax in the year 1563 as a part of his policy of religious harmony.