2. Raja Birbal (1528-1586) was a courtier in the administration of
the Mughal emperor Akbar and one of his most trusted members along
with being a part of Akbar's inner council of nine advisors, known as
the 'navaratana', a Sanskrit word meaning 'nine jewels'. Birbal's duties
in Akbar's court were mostly military and administrative but he was
also a very close friend of the king, who liked Birbal most for his wit as
well as his wisdom, as a result of which they frequently had witty and
humorous exchanges between them.
Born Mahesh Das, in 1528 in the village Ghoghara of Sihawal
tehsil in Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh. Birbal grew up in an
impoverished Brahmin household. He was a poet and author whose wit
and wisdom led the Emperor Akbar to invite him to be a part of the
royal court and to bestow upon him a new name - Birbal. Akbar also
conferred on him the title of "Raja", meaning "king".
3. Birbal’s Palace, also known as Northern Palace
of the Haram Sara is an integral part of the
Imperial Harem in Fatehpur Sikri. Most scholars
say that this building was the residence of
Akbar’s senior queens- Ruqayya Begum and
Salima Sultan Begum.
This home of the renowned Birbal, the great wit
at Akbar's court is a conjoining of two main
architectural traditions of India – Hindu and
Muslim. Here there has been no attempt to
fuse these traditions; they are simply placed
together in an elaborate medley. Varieties of
ornamental carvings are displayed both on the
inside and outside of the Palace.
4. It is said that Akbar came across a young man named Mahesh
Das on one of his hunting trips. In the meeting that occurred, Akbar was highly
impressed with the wit of Mahesh Das. The Emperor gave Mahesh Das his ring
and asked him to come and visit him in his palace any time. Later on when
Mahesh Das went to meet to Akbar's palace to meet him, he was greeted by
the fort's guards. Looking at his physical condition and torn clothes, the guards
did not believe him and refrained from allowing him to meet the Emperor.
When Mahesh Das showed the guards the Emperor's ring, they realized that
he must have come to collect some reward, and agreed to let him inside only
with the condition that he would share half of the reward with them. Mahesh
Das promised to do so and was given access to the court. Mahesh Das went
inside to meet Akbar and showed him the ring, who immediately recognized it
and immediately offered him any reward he wanted. The young man thought a
while, and asked Akbar for 100 lashes of the whip. The Emperor was shocked
but knew Mahesh Das by now to realize something mischevious. On probing,
he found out about the guard's deal with Mahesh Das, and was both amused
with Mahesh Das' wit as well as furious with the guard's attitude. He
immediately called to give fifty lashes of the whip for the guard and rewarded
Mahesh Das by giving him a permanent place in his court along with a new
title of the name Birbal.
5. History of the Birbal Bhawan, Fatehpur Sikri
Built as a form of homage to the memory of the memory of the great
Sufi saint, Sheikh Salim Chisti, who, it is said, blessed the emperor with an heir
to the Mughal throne in India, who was to be later known as Jahangir,
Fatehpur Sikri was built in 1571 and stood as the capital of the Mughal empire
till the year 1585. One of the most striking relics of the rich history and culture
of India, the entirety of the complex of Fatehpur Sikri has been awarded by
UNESCO by putting the monument as an important part in the prestigious list
of heritage monuments in the world. Perhaps, no other monument in Fatehpur
Sikri can take credit for this honor as can the Birbal Bhawan, Fatehpur Sikri.
Seen to be the residence of Birbal, one of the Navaratna or Nine Jewels of the
court of Emperor Akbar, the Birbal Bhawan in Fatehpur Sikri can be rated as
one of the most important tourist attractions of Fatehpur Sikri.
6. Birbal's House:
Though it is named so, chances are unlikely
that this was used by this famous minister of Akbar. This is
one of the most beautiful buildings within the palace
complex.
7. Birbal's House at Fatehpur SikriAccording to popular beliefs the most
probable occupants of this palace were Akbar's two senior queens, Ruqayya Begum
and Salima Sultan Begum. Birbal's house stands near the northwest corner of Jodhbai's
palace. It is one of the marvelous buildings of imperial Harem. It was built in 1571. It
consists of fours-quare rooms, each measuring 16'-10" (5.13m) square side, all
interconnected through open doorways and two oblong entrance porches on
Northwest and Southeast corners. While all the four rooms, have flat ceilings, porches
have triangular chhappar ceiling with pyramidal roof. The interior of the building is
divided into three days by richly carved pilasters. Shafts of these pilasters have been
divided into three zones, which contain three different kind of decoration like single
border designs, arabesque geometrical designs and stylized floral designs.
Capitals of these pilaster bears lotus petals and stalactite designs. The first
floor has beautiful Jharokhas overlooking the court below and a simple chajja. Each
dome of the upper rooms rests on an octagonal drum, which is also carved with a
raised trefoil pattern. The domes are crowned by an inverted lotus and kalash finials
and also bear traces of tile work. Though the entire construction is composed of lintels
and beams, but beautifully carved brackets have been used to span the spaces
between the pillars and ornamental arches. These brackets are carved on both faces
with lotus and arabesque designs. Spandrels of the arches also bear arabesque and
floral design.
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10. It is easy to imagine the life that set the pulse of the bustling
capital of the ancient Mughals racing even by looking at the ruins of
Fatehpur Sikri today. Narrow intersecting roads, which lead to some of the
most spectacular palaces, gardens and holy places, had probably been the
only lives the subjects of Akbar knew at the time. Till the fort was
abandoned due to a severe scarcity of water, all the palaces and roads of
this ancient land mark remained well maintained. Throwing light on the
city are the various monuments of Fatehpur Sikri, notable among which is
the Birbal Bhawan, Fatehpur Sikri. Though it cannot be ascertained that
the palace ever housed this importat jewel of Akbar's court, the palace is
connected via a screened passage to the Haram sara viaduct, which in turn
leads to the Hathi Pol, one of the most prominent attractions of Fatehpur
Sikri.
11. Akbar, who himself was illiterate,
had great interest in interacting with
learned people and highly tories about
Birbal. In many of these accounts, Akbar
would ask Birbal a question on any matter -
something philosophical, witty, bizarre, or
even unusual - and Birbal would provide a
funny, clever, or brilliant answer. Birbal's
collections of poetry, published under the
pen name Brahma, are preserved in the
Bharatpur Museum, Rajasthan, India.
Raja Birbal died in the battle of
Malandari Pass, attempting to quell unrest
amongst Afghan or Pashtun tribes in
Northwest India. Akbar was said to have
mourned for a long time on hearing the
news. The death was said to be caused by
treachery not because of military defeat.
