Birbal

Birbal IPA: [biːrbəl] (born Mahesh Das; 1528–1586), or Raja Birbal, was an hindu brahmin advisor 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. Birbal was appointed by Emperor Akbar as a poet and singer in around 1556–1562. He had a close association with the Emperor, being part of his group of courtiers called the navaratna or nine jewels. In 1586, Birbal led an army to crush an unrest in the north-west Indian subcontinent, which failed when he was killed along with many troops, in an ambush by the rebel tribe. No evidence is present that Birbal, like how he is shown in the folk tales, influenced Akbar by his witticism.