<P> The beginning of the empire is conventionally dated to the victory by its founder Babur over Ibrahim Lodi , the last ruler of the Delhi Sultanate , in the First Battle of Panipat ( 1526 ) . The Mughal emperors had roots in the Turco - Mongol Timurid dynasty of Central Asia , claiming direct descent from both Genghis Khan ( founder of the Mongol Empire , through his son Chagatai Khan ) and Timur ( Turco - Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire ) . During the reign of Humayun , the successor of Babur , the empire was briefly interrupted by the Sur Empire . The `` classic period '' of the Mughal Empire started in 1556 with the ascension of Akbar the Great to the throne . Under the rule of Akbar and his son Jahangir , the region enjoyed economic progress as well as religious harmony , and the monarchs were interested in local religious and cultural traditions . Akbar was a successful warrior who also forged alliances with several Hindu Rajput kingdoms . Some Rajput kingdoms continued to pose a significant threat to the Mughal dominance of northwestern India , but most of them were subdued by Akbar . All Mughal emperors were Muslims ; Akbar , however , propounded a syncretic religion in the latter part of his life called Dīn - i Ilāhī , as recorded in historical books like Ain - i - Akbari and Dabistān - i Mazāhib . </P>
the era of the great mughals began with the accession of
Akbar the Great