Akbar, Birbal First Meeting Akbar-Birbal companionship is one of the strangest things of history. As yet a young man of twenty with no career of his own, Birbal, a Brahmin scholar, left his place of birth in Madhya Pradesh for Delhi, Capital city, in search of work. He heard a herald that emperor Akbar would reward a thousand gold coins to the artist who pleased him with the portrait of the emperor, which should be the replica of what exactly he was.
In fact, this contest was the brainchild of Akbar himself who wanted to select a man of wit among his citizens to give him "comic relief" to the growing political and administrative seriousness in his royal court. On the appointed day and time, there was the beeline of artists before the court; each had a covered picture of the emperor. Everyone in the court was anxious to find who would get the coveted prize of one thousand gold coins. |
