Birbal

Birbal IPA160 , 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 15561562. 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 northwest 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.

Birbal was born as Mahesh Das in 1528,in a village near Kalpi, presentday Uttar Pradesh, India according to folklore, it was at Tikawanpur near the banks of river Yamuna. His father was Ganga Das and mother, Anabha Davito. He was the third son of a Hindu Brahmin family which had a previous association with poetry and literature.

Source: Wikipedia