Birbal was one of the seven 'NAVARATNAS' in the court of Akbar. He was famous in this whole world for his fables,ready wit and the sense of humour.The real name of Birbal was Mahesh Das. He belonged to a well to do Hindu brahmin family. But later adopted the religion known as Din-i-Ilahi.
He was born as Mahesh Das in 1528, in a village near Kalpi, Uttar Pradesh, India;[1] according to folklore, it was at Tikawanpur near the banks of river Yamuna.[2] His father was Ganga Das and mother, Anabha Davito; he was the third son of this Hindu Brahmin family which had a previous association with poetry and literature.[3][4]
He was educated in the Hindi, Sanskrit and Persian languages and specialised in music and poetry in the Braj language. Birbal was talented in writing prose and in music; he gained fame for his poetry and singing. He served at the Rajput court of Raja Ram Chandra of Reva, under the name "Brahma Kavi" and his position improved when he married the daughter of a respected and rich family, contrary to the notion that he was on poor economic terms before his appointment at the imperial court.
The painting Akbari Nao Ratna in Victoria hall, Kolkata depicts Birbal having a prominent position right next to Akbar. The Emperor found him entertaining at the start but in later years, he was sent on important missions. Birbal was said to have received a two-storey house in Fatehpur Sikri within the palace complex from the Emperor,[5][12] built close to his own chambers. He was said to enjoy having him by his side and was the only courtier to reside within the palace complex. One of the seven gates is known as "Birbal's gate".[6]
Badayuni mistrusted him but did mention that he was "having a considerable amount of capacity and genius". The Braj language poet, Rai Hol, praised Akbar and his nine companions, having a special emphasis on Birbal for his generosity. Abul Fazl respected him by emphasising on his spiritual excellence and position as a confidant of the Emperor rather than on his wit or poetry.[1]
Modern Hindu scholars assert that he made Akbar make bold decisions and the orthodox Muslims in the court despised him, since he made the Emperor renounce Islam. But no evidence is present that he influenced Akbar's beliefs.[7] Though sources suggest he influenced Akbar's policies to some extent. It was Akbar's affection for him, his religious tolerance and social liberalism which was the reason for this and Birbal was not the cause. Historically, he was more of a supporter of Akbar's religious policy and his religion, Din-i-Ilahi. Ain-i-Akbari mentions an incident involving prostitutes, where Akbar wanted to punish him, contrary to how he is portrayed as a deeply religious man.[1]
This was one of the largest military losses for Akbar and he was said to have expressed his grief over the loss his favourite courtier,[5] and not taken food or drink for two days.[6]He was anguished since his body could not be found for Hindu cremation and even is said to have proclaimed that it was his greatest tragedy since his coming to the throne.[7]
Badayuni writes,[10]
Early life
He was born as Mahesh Das in 1528, in a village near Kalpi, Uttar Pradesh, India;[1] according to folklore, it was at Tikawanpur near the banks of river Yamuna.[2] His father was Ganga Das and mother, Anabha Davito; he was the third son of this Hindu Brahmin family which had a previous association with poetry and literature.[3][4]He was educated in the Hindi, Sanskrit and Persian languages and specialised in music and poetry in the Braj language. Birbal was talented in writing prose and in music; he gained fame for his poetry and singing. He served at the Rajput court of Raja Ram Chandra of Reva, under the name "Brahma Kavi" and his position improved when he married the daughter of a respected and rich family, contrary to the notion that he was on poor economic terms before his appointment at the imperial court.
Name origin
Birbal comes from Bir Bar or Vir Var which means courageous and great, quite contrary for him since he was not known for his bravery or for his skill as a soldier. Akbar gave titles to his Hindu subjects according to their traditions and S. H. Hodivala writes that it could have been taken from a character in the folk tale Vetal Panchvinshati. This tale featured a courtier called Vir Var who showed great loyalty to his king. Akbar was fond of literature and had works of Sanskrit and other local languages translated into Persian.Association with Akbar
Akbar had started a religion called Din-i-Ilahi, which acknowledges Akbar as God's representative on earth and had a combination of Hindu and Muslim beliefs. In the Ain-i-Akbari (The Institutes of Akbar), it is mentioned that Birbal was one of the few people other than Akbar who were its followers, besides being the only Hindu.[11] He had a close association with the Emperor, despite being fourteen years elder than him; of the nine ratnas, Birbal was often called the brightest jewel.[7] Badaoni referred to this in sarcasm, as "a case of 'thy flesh is my flesh and thy blood my blood'". Akbar is reported to have saved Birbal's life in two instances.[1]The painting Akbari Nao Ratna in Victoria hall, Kolkata depicts Birbal having a prominent position right next to Akbar. The Emperor found him entertaining at the start but in later years, he was sent on important missions. Birbal was said to have received a two-storey house in Fatehpur Sikri within the palace complex from the Emperor,[5][12] built close to his own chambers. He was said to enjoy having him by his side and was the only courtier to reside within the palace complex. One of the seven gates is known as "Birbal's gate".[6]
Historic role versus folklore
In the folk tales, he is always portrayed as a pious Hindu, being younger than Akbar, and being morally strict in the midst of opposing Muslim courtiers, who are shown plotting against him; his success was only because of his skill and he convinces the Emperor to favour Hinduism over Islam. He is thus depicted as acquiring religious, political and personal influence over the Emperor, using his intelligence and sharp tongue and never resorting to violence. However, historically he never played such a role.[7][1]Badayuni mistrusted him but did mention that he was "having a considerable amount of capacity and genius". The Braj language poet, Rai Hol, praised Akbar and his nine companions, having a special emphasis on Birbal for his generosity. Abul Fazl respected him by emphasising on his spiritual excellence and position as a confidant of the Emperor rather than on his wit or poetry.[1]
Modern Hindu scholars assert that he made Akbar make bold decisions and the orthodox Muslims in the court despised him, since he made the Emperor renounce Islam. But no evidence is present that he influenced Akbar's beliefs.[7] Though sources suggest he influenced Akbar's policies to some extent. It was Akbar's affection for him, his religious tolerance and social liberalism which was the reason for this and Birbal was not the cause. Historically, he was more of a supporter of Akbar's religious policy and his religion, Din-i-Ilahi. Ain-i-Akbari mentions an incident involving prostitutes, where Akbar wanted to punish him, contrary to how he is portrayed as a deeply religious man.[1]
Death
The Yousafzai tribes of Afghanistan in the North West had started a rebellion along the east bank of the river Indus against the Mughal rule. After troops sent to crush the unrest suffered losses, Akbar sent Birbal with reinforcements from his new fort at Attock, to help the commander Zain Khan in 1586. Birbal advanced into a narrow pass in Swat valley (Pakistan)[13] where the Afghans were waiting in prepared positions in the hills. In the ensuing heavy defeat, Birbal and over 8000 soldiers were killed and his body was never found.[14]This was one of the largest military losses for Akbar and he was said to have expressed his grief over the loss his favourite courtier,[5] and not taken food or drink for two days.[6]He was anguished since his body could not be found for Hindu cremation and even is said to have proclaimed that it was his greatest tragedy since his coming to the throne.[7]
Badayuni writes,[10]
His majesty cared for the death of no grandee more than for that of Bir Bar. He said, 'Alas! they could not even get his body out of the pass, that it might have been burned"; but at last, he consoled himself with the thought that Bir Bar was now free and independent of all earthly fetters, and as the rays of the sun were sufficient for him, there was no necessity that he should be cleansed by fire.
