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Akbar’s Navaratnas
Akbar’s 4th Ratna
Raja Birbal
Raja Birbal
Foreign Minister of Akbar
 Who is Birbal?
• Birbal or Raja Birbal, was a Hindu
advisor and main commander
(mukhya senapati) of army in the
court of the Mughal emperor, Akbar.
He is mostly known in the Indian
subcontinent for the folk tales which
focus on his wit.
Continued….
• Birbal was appointed by Akbar as a Minister (Mantri) and
used to be a Poet and Singer in around 1556–1562. He
had a close association with Emperor Akbar and was one
of his most important courtiers, part of a group called
the navaratnas (nine jewels).
Birbal’s early life
• Birbal was born as Mahesh Das Brahmbhatt in
1528, to a Hindu Kayastha
family in Sidhi, Madhya Pradesh, India; in a
village called Ghoghra. His father was Ganga
Das and mother, Anabha Davito. He was the
third son of the family which had a previous
association with poetry and literature.
 Titles and name origin

• The details and year of his first meeting with Akbar

and his employment at the court are disputed but
estimated to be between 1556 and 1562. He became
the "Kavi Priya" (poet laureate) of the Emperor
within a few years of his appointment. Akbar
bestowed upon him the name 'Birbal' with the title
"Raja", by which he was known from then on.
Continued….
• Birbal comes from Bir Bar or Vir Var which means hasir
javab or quick thinker. 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 featured a courtier
called Vir Var who showed great loyalty to his king.
Akbar was also fond of literature, having works of
Sanskrit and other local languages translated into Persian.
 Position and association with Akbar

• His growing reputation led him to be part of Akbar's nine advisers, known as
the Navaratnas - the nine jewels. Birbal also played the role of a religious
advisor, military figure and close friend of the Emperor, serving him for 30
years. In 1572, he was among a large army sent to aid Husain Quli Khan against
an attack from the Akbar's brother, Hakim Mirza, which was his first military
role. He later accompanied the Emperor during his Gujarat campaigns. Despite
having no military background, he often participated in Akbar's campaigns and
was given leadership positions, like Todar Mal, who was an advisor in economic
matters.
End of Birbal
• In 1586, Birbal led an army to crush an unrest in
the north-west Indian subcontinent where he was
killed along with many troops in an ambush by
the rebel tribe. He was the only Hindu to
adopt Din-i-Ilahi, the religion founded by Akbar.