Akbar abolished the pilgrimage tax (on Hindu pilgrims visiting holy places) in the year:

Akbar abolished the pilgrimage tax, which was collected from Hindu pilgrims at holy places such as Mathura and Prayag, in 1563.

How it happened:

• According to Abul Fazl, while Akbar was on a hunting expedition near Mathura in 1563, he learnt that pilgrims had to pay a tax at holy places.
• He considered it unjust to tax people for worshipping God, and ordered the tax to be abolished throughout the empire.
• This was done even though it meant a large loss of revenue.

Akbar's other measures of religious tolerance:

• 1562: He forbade the practice of forcibly converting prisoners of war to Islam (enslaving prisoners of war was stopped).
• 1564: He abolished the jizya, the tax paid by non-Muslims.
• He held regular discussions with scholars of different religions.
• He married Rajput princesses and appointed Rajputs to high posts.
• He gave grants to temples and religious institutions of different faiths.
• He celebrated festivals of different religions, such as Diwali and Nauroz.

His policy of "sulh-i-kul":

His policies were based on the idea of peace among all people and tolerance of all religions.

Reasons for his policy:

• Akbar's personal curiosity and open-mindedness.
• The influence of his teachers, Sufi saints and Bhakti saints.
• The political need to win the support of the majority of his subjects, especially the Rajputs.

Later history:

Both taxes were reimposed by a later emperor.

Why not the other options?

• ✗1556 was the year of Akbar's accession.
• ✗1564 was the year the jizya was abolished.
• ✗1579 was the year of the Mahzar.