Navaratnas of Akbar
Also called: Nine jewels · Topic: The Mughal Empire: Babur to Aurangzeb · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Navaratnas ("nine jewels") are nine talented people said to have adorned Akbar's court. Exam lists usually include Abul Fazl, Faizi, Birbal, Tansen, Raja Todar Mal, Raja Man Singh and Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan. The idea of exactly "nine jewels" comes from later tradition, not from records of Akbar's own time. Still, these names show the range of talent Akbar gathered in history, poetry, music, finance, war and wit.
Example
Raja Todar Mal, Akbar's finance minister, carried out detailed surveys of land, crop yields and prices to improve revenue collection. Tansen was the great musician of the court.
Don't confuse with
- Navaratnas of Vikramaditya: an older legend of nine scholars, including Kalidasa, at the court of the legendary king Vikramaditya of Ujjain.
Related concepts
- Fatehpur Sikri
- Buland Darwaza
- Panch Mahal
- Ibadat Khana
- Din-i-Ilahi
- Maktab Khana
- Razmnama
- Hamzanama
- Daswanth and Basawan
- Birbal