Birbal
Also called: Mahesh Das · Topic: The Mughal Empire: Babur to Aurangzeb · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Birbal, whose original name was Mahesh Das, was a Brahman courtier of Akbar. He was famous for his wit and poetry. Akbar gave him the title Raja Birbal. He was one of the few people who joined Akbar's Din-i-Ilahi, a small circle of followers devoted to the emperor's own ideas on religion. He was killed in 1586 during a campaign against the Yusufzai Afghans in the north-west.
Example
Birbal is the hero of countless "Akbar–Birbal" stories, where his cleverness solves the emperor's puzzles. In real life, he was a trusted noble who died on a military campaign.
Don't confuse with
- Birbal of folk tales: most Akbar–Birbal stories are later popular inventions. The historical Birbal was a real courtier and commander.
Related concepts
- Fatehpur Sikri
- Buland Darwaza
- Panch Mahal
- Ibadat Khana
- Din-i-Ilahi
- Maktab Khana
- Razmnama
- Hamzanama
- Daswanth and Basawan
- Navaratnas of Akbar