Birbal Biography – The Icon of Wit and Humour
Birbal Biography
Birbal was born in 1528 AD in the small village of Tikawanpur near Kalpi, Uttar Pradesh, India. His real name was Mahesh Das, his father, Ganga Das, was a scholar and his mother, Anabha Davito housewife. Birbal was the third son of their parents, and the family belonged to the Bhatt-Brahmin clan. His forefathers had a lot of association with poetry and literature. He was educated at the local school and learned Sanskrit, Persian and Hindi at an early age. Though he wrote prose poetry and influenced music, due to these skills, he quickly got a job in the court of Raja Ram Chandra of Rewa in the name of ‘Brahma Kavi’. He married a woman who belonged to a wealthy, respected family. There was also a fable that he was penniless before his appointment at the Mughal court.
Birbal and Akbar
He met Akbar at some time between the years 1556 to 1562 AD, and then the Mughal emperor admired the skills and wit nature of Brahma Kavi and employed him in the court. In very few years, he became the ‘Kavi Priya’ and got the title of ‘Birbal’ from Mughal Emperor Akbar. He played the Hindu advisor role in the Kabar court and solved many complicated problems Akbar faced at various times. He had a close association with the emperor and was one of the members of ‘Navaratnas’ in the court of the Mughal Emperor. His life story and humorous wit knew us as the Birbal Stories in the Indian subcontinent. He joined the religion of Din-i-ilahi, which Akbar founded.
Tragic Death:
The Afghan Yousafzai tribes had started the rebellion against the Mughal rule for a long time at the banks of the Indus River. With their fierce fight, many Mughal troops were killed and continued. Emperor Akbar sent an army under Birbal in 1586 AD to stop these attacks and suppress the rebellions. He started at the banks of the river Indus to help the commander Zain Khan. He needs to pass through a narrow Swat Valley path during his journey. There the Afghans were waiting for the attack on the Mughal troops. Whenever the troops entered the narrow pass, the rebels killed Birbaandth 8000 soldiers. Even the body was also not found for Hindu cremation. Like this, tragically, he ended the life who made everyone happy and still made us comfortable with Birbal stories.