Link:http://www.dadazi.net/new/diff/akbar/akbar1.html
Akbar spent some of his best years at Fatehpur Sikri. He slept only three hours a night, beginning his day at sunrise by appearing at a palace balcony to listen to his subjects' complaints. Apart from official duties, he spent much time with the "nine jewels" of his court - including men like Raja Birbal, whose shrewdness is still a byword today and Mian Tansen, the great singer, who came to Fatehpur Sikri after Akbar defeated the Maharaja of Rewa and insisted - as one of the peace conditions - that Tansen be surrendered to him.Son's Rebellion. For more worldly pleasures, Akbar had a harem of over 5,000 women - no woman, it was said, except for Jodha Bai, entered the emperor's luxurious bedroom, the Khwabgab, twice. The apartment was jealously guarded. Once, when Akbar was away, a foster relative held a celebration there. Akbar was furious when he came to know; he demoted his kinsman and had the warden and housekeeper trampled to death by an elephantDespite such punishments, Akbar was a liberal by the standards of his time. He banned the practices of flaying people alive, for instance. And, recognizing that he had a very short temper, he ordered that a death sentence should not be carried out until he had confirmed it three times...
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