Birbal

Who was Birbal?

Birbal or more accurately Rajah Birbar, was a Hindu advisor in the court of the Mughal emperor Akbar during his rule in India and is mostly remembered in folk tales, which focus on his wit. He belonged to the Brahmin class and was appointed by the Emperor as a poet and singer around 1556–1562, later formed a close association with him, becoming an important advisor and soon being sent on military expeditions despite having no previous background. In 1586, the Emperor sent an army led by Birbal to crush an unrest in the north-west Indian subcontinent, which failed tragically when he was killed along with many troops in an ambush by the rebel tribe. This was one of biggest military setbacks during his reign and Birbal's death is said to have caused much grief to the Emperor.

Near the end of Akbar's reign, local folk tales began to emerge involving his interactions with Birbal, in which he was portrayed as being extremely clever and witty. As the tales gained popularity in India, he became even more of a legendary figure. He was mostly shown as being younger than Akbar, religious and being surrounded by envious Muslim courtiers; these tales involve him outsmarting them and sometimes even the Emperor, using only his intelligence and cunning, often with giving witty and humorous responses and impressing the Emperor. Some stories are told in versions containing a different set of characters from other Indian folklore. By the twentieth century onwards, plays, films and books based on these folk tales were made, some of these are in children's comics and textbooks.