Mahesh Das, aka Birbal (1528 - 1583)

Mahesh Das was well known for his yearning for poetry and music besides his penchant for humor and wit. As his poetic compositions were written under the nom-de-plume of 'Brahm Kavi', his original name was soon forgotten.

His fame drew him close to the Kings of Jaipur, Rewa and, ultimately, to Emperor Ab-ul-Fath Jalil-ud-deen Muhammad, (born 1542) at Agra! was later on known as 'Akbar', meaning 'Great(est)'.

He was recognized as one of the Navaratnas (lit. 'nine gems') at Emperor Akbar's court (1556 - 1605).

History has shown that Akbar had respected non-Islamic traditions unlike his contemporaries, and one of such respects was to bestow appropriate titles to courtiers in line with the Hindu culture. It was due to Mahesh Das' exemplary display of bravery during one of the Emperor's expeditions of war, that he was conferred with the title of 'Veervar'. As time passed, his original name was forgotten and his title, though in a corrupt form (Veer Bal, Bir Bal, Birbal), stuck forever.

It should be noted that Birbal was born to a Brahmin family and as such he was a strict vegetarian.