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History of India
The
Nine Gems of Akbar
 The
Mughal Emperor Akbar (1543-1605), though illiterate and unable to read or
write, demonstrated a remarkable appreciation of other religious thoughts.
He was also a connoisseur of music and fine arts. The Mughal architecture,
that later culminated in the glorious Taj Mahal, found its beginnings in
Akbar’s rule. Music and miniature paintings reached their zenith. His
tolerance to other religions perhaps came from his many queens including
his principle wife who was a Hindu. He had also married a Christian, and
several Indian and Persian Muslim women. Akbar reigned as the Mughal
monarch for several decades and established himself as the most
benevolent, tolerant Emperor; and history knows him as Akbar the Great.
The court of Akbar held some of the best India had to offer at that time.
The Emperor had an enormously curious intellect. He would routinely
assemble religious leaders of other religions in his court and patiently
listen to them. Thus it was not only Hinduism he was curious about but had
Christian missionaries who were more and more common after Vasco da Gama
visited India. Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism also were his fascinations.
He eventually formed his own religion, Din Ilahi, gathering the best from
his understanding of the various religions. Akbar married thirty three
times and had brides from all faiths. With his alliances with the
daughters of nobles, he was able to bring peace in his empire. Several
Rajput kings were his relatives by marriage and were loyal to him.
Diplomacy through matrimony!
The great administrator who was also an aficionado of the arts attracted
the best contemporary minds to his court. Nine such extraordinary talents,
who shone brightly in their respective fields, were known as Akbar’s nine
gems. The nomenclature as nine gems is chosen because there are nine
well-known gems (nava-rathna). There were endless lists of worthy
people in his court that shone like the brightest gems, and to choose only
nine amongst them is a difficult task indeed.
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Abul Fazl (1551-1602)
was the chronicler of Akbar’s rule. He authored the biographical
Akbarnama, which was the result of seven years of painstaking work. He
documented the history meticulously, giving a full and accurate picture
of the prosperous life during the monarch’s reign. His account also shed
light on the brilliant administrative capacity of the Emperor.
-
Faizi (1547-1595) was
Abul Fazl’s brother. He was a poet writing verses in Persian. Akbar had
enormous respect for this genius and appointed him as a tutor for his
son. His famous work is called Lilabati, on mathematics.
-
Mian Tansen was a
classical singer of unparalleled fame. He was born a Hindu in 1520 near
Gwalior to Mukund Mishra, who was a poet himself. He learnt music from
Swami Haridas and later from Hazrat Mohammad Ghaus. He was a court
musician with the prince of Mewar and later recruited by Akbar as his
court musician. The prince of Mewar was said to have been heartbroken to
part with him. Tansen became a legendary name in India and was the
composer of many classical ragas. His raga Deepak and raga Megh Malhar
are famous. When he sang these ragas, Tansen was said to have lit the
lamp and caused rain showers. He is also credited with creating raga
Darbari Kanada and originating Drupad style of singing. Even today the
classical gharanas try to align themselves with Mian Tansen. He was
buried in Gwaliar, where a tomb has been constructed for him. There is a
tamarind tree next to the tomb, which is reputed to be as old as the
tomb itself. It is believed that one who chews a leaf from this tree in
earnest faith will be bestowed with musical talents. It is unclear if
Tansen converted to Islam. Akbar who was very fond of him gave him the
title Mian. Tansen’s son Bilas Khan composed raga Bilaskhani Todi and
his daughter Saraswati Devi was a well-known Drupad singer.
-
Birbal (1528-1583)
was a poor Brahmin who was appointed to the court of Akbar for his wit
as well as wisdom. Born by the name Maheshdas, he was conferred the name
Raja Birbal by the Emperor. A man of tireless wit and charm, he enjoyed
the Emperor’s favor in administration as his trusted minister, and for
his entertainment as his court jester. There are many witty stories of
exchanges and interactions between the monarch and his minister that are
popular even today. The stories are thought provoking, intelligent as
well as educational. Birbal was also a poet and his collections under
the pen name ‘Brahma” are preserved in Bharatpur Museum. Raja Birbal
died in battle, attempting to quell unrest amongst Afghani tribes in
Northwest India. Akbar was said to have mourned for a long time on
hearing the news.
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Raja Todar Mal was
Akbar’s finance minister, who from 1560 onwards overhauled the revenue
system in the kingdom. He introduced standard weights and measurements,
revenue districts and officers. His systematic approach to revenue
collection became a model for the future Mughals as well as the British.
Raja Todar Mal was also a warrior who assisted Akbar in controlling the
Afghan rebels in Bengal. Raja Todar Mal had learnt his craft from
another able administrator Sher Shah. In 1582, Akbar bestowed on the
raja the title Diwan-I- Ashraf.
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Raja Man Singh, the
Kacchwaha rajput raja of Amber. (Later Kacchwahas built Jaipur, close to
Amber). This trusted lieutenant of Akbar was the grandson of Akbar’s
father-in-law. His family had been inducted into Mughal hierarchy as
amirs (nobles). Raja Man Singh assisted Akbar in many fronts including
holding off advancing Hakim (Akbar’s half-brother, a governor of Kabyul)
in Lahore. He also led campaigns in Orissa.
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Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khan,
a poet was the son of Akbar’s trusted protector and caretaker when he
was a teenager, Bairam Khan. After Bairam Khan was murdered by
treachery, his wife became the second wife of Akbar.
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Fagir Aziao Din and
(9) Mullan Do Piaza were two advisors belonging to Akbar’s inner
circle.
I have seen other names
mentioned as gems of Akbar’s court. Daswant, the painter and Abud us-Samad,
a brilliant calligrapher, have also been named in some articles. Mir
Fathullah Shiraz, who was a financier, philosopher, astrologer and an
astute physician, has also been mentioned. Nevertheless, it is apparent
that Akbar’s court was filled with brilliant minds in the fields of art,
administration and warfare.
With these varieties of
brave soldiers with sharp intellect and wit as well as some of the
greatest names in the world of art and music, Akbar ruled what history
calls the greatest Mughal Empire. Akbar came to be called the greatest of
the six great Mughal emperors. The foresight of this illiterate and
dyslexic Emperor was remarkable and unique in history.
–
Neria Harish Hebbar, MD
April 5, 2003
See Also : A True Monarch : Akbar The Great
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