Akbar's new 'dress code'
 

In Akbar. The Great Emperor of India there is an article by Elisa Gagliardi Mangilli (pp. 71-79), where she writes about the many changes the Emperor made. One of them was to take the tunic which the Hindu's had used for centuries, make a few changes, and then declare - that the Muslims should button it to the right, while the Hindu's should button it to the left, so one at a distance could see of which confesstion the person wearing it belonged to.

When looking at the miniatures of the time, it is interesting to se how 'many' Hindu's were at Akbar's court. To be quite frank, they also had a tunic which could be buttoned down the middle of the breast, but mostly Akbar is seen wearing his 'new' invention - and others would of course follow the Emperor.