The Mughal ruler Akbar, despite his illiteracy, was a great lover of the artists and intellectuals. His passion for knowledge and interest in learning from great minds led him to attract men of genius to his court, known as the nine courtiers of Emperor Akbar or Navratnas:

Abul-Fazl
Faizi
Raja Man Singh
Miyan Tansen
Raja Todar Mal
Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana
Fakir Aziao-Din
Mullah Do Piaza
Raja Birbal
Abul-Fazel

Was the vizier of Akbar, and author of the Akbarnama, the official history of Akbar's reign in three volumes, the third volume is known as the Ain-i-Akbari and a Persian translation of the Bible [14]. He was also the brother of Faizi, the poet laureate of Emperor Akbar

Faizi

Was the poet laureate of Akbar's Court. He was the brother of Akbar's historian Abul Fazl. He composed beautiful poetry in Persian and is estimated by his contemporaries to have composed nearly 100 poetic works. Akbar highly recognized the genius in him and appointed him teacher for his son and gave place to him among his decorative 'Nav Ratnas'

Miyan Tansen

Was a musician in Akbar's court and is considered among the greatest composer-musicians in Hindustani classical music. He was an extraordinarily gifted vocalist, known for a large number of compositions, and also an instrumentalist who popularized and improved the rabab (of Central Asian origin). He was also a knower of Megh Raag (Raag which on singing brings rain) and Deepak Raag (Raag which on singing enlightens lamps)

Birbal

Was the Grand Vizier (Wazr-e Azam) of the Mughal court in the administration of Akbar and one of his most trusted members. He was the only person other than Akbar who was a Din-i-Ilahi believer. Birbal's duties in Akbar's court were mostly military and administrative but he was also a very close friend of the emperor, who liked Birbal most for his wit and wisdom, as a result of which they frequently had witty and humorous exchanges between them. These exchanges and stories have become part of a rich tradition of folklore and legend

Raja Todar Mal

Rose to become the Finance Minister in Akbar's Darbar. Todar Mal overhauled the revenue system of Akbar's Mughal Empire. He was from the Khatri (or Khattri/Khattree) community of Punjab. Todar Mal had developed his expertise in Sher Shah's employment

Raja Man Singh

Was the Kacchwaha Rajah of Amber, a state later known as Jaipur. He was a trusted general in Akbar's army

Abdur Rahim Khan-I-Khana

Was a poet in Akbar's darbar, and one of his main nine ministers (Diwan)in his court, also known as the Navaratnas; he is most known for his Hindi couplets and his books on Astrology. The village of Khankhana, named after him, is located in the Nawanshahr district of the state of Punjab in northwest India

Fakir Aziao-Din

Faqir means Sage or Ascetic in Urdu. He was one of Akbar's chief advisors, and belonged to his inner circle. Akbar regarded his advice in high esteem

Mullah Do Piaza

Was among the Mughal emperor Akbar's chief advisors. Akbar regarded his advice in high esteem and included him among the nine gems of the Mughal court, or Navratnas, as he was known for his intelligence. He was a close competition to Birbal, but he always lost at the end

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