Navaratnas

See Navaratna for the talisman, set of stones and gems, and Hind Rattan for the award.

See Navratnas for the corporations honored by the Indian Government.

Navaratnas Nauratan (Sanskrit dvigu nava-ratna- or "nine gems") was a term applied to a group of nine extraordinary people in a emperor's court in India. Some well-known groups are in the Raaj Sabha (court) of King Janaka, Emperor Vikramaditya and in Emperor Akbar's darbar.

In the court of Janaka

• Yajnavalkya
• Maitreyi
• Gargi

In the court of Vikramaditya

Nine gems during the reign of Vikramaditya

• Kalidasa, the most notable among all of them.
• Vetala Bhatta
• Varahamihira
• Vararuchi
• Amarasimha
• Dhanvantari
• Bhaktamara Stotra
• Shanku
• Ghatakarpura

In the court of Akbar

Birbal

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 (1551–1602) was the chronicler of Akbar’s rule. He authored the biographical Akbarnama. Abul Fazl documented the history meticulously, over seven years, in three volumes, the third volume is known as the Ain-i-Akbari and a Persian translation of the Bible.^[1] He was also the brother of Faizi, the poet laureate of emperor Akbar.

• Faizi (1547–1595) was Abul Fazl’s brother. He was a poet who composed beautiful poetry. His father was Mubarak Nagori, a scholar in the philosophy and literature of Greece as well as in Islamic theology.

• Miyan Tansen was a singer for King Akbar, born as Ramtanu Pandey, a Hindu Brahmin, in 1506, though some legends give it as 1493, he was a poet himself. He learnt music from Swami Haridas and later from Hazrat Muhammad Ghaus. He was a court musician with the prince of Rewa and later was recruited by Akbar as his court musician. Tansen became a legendary name in India and was the composer of many classical ragas. 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 buried in Gwalior, where a tomb has been constructed for him. It is unclear if Tansen converted to Islam.

• Raja Birbal (1528–1583) was a poor Hindu Brahmin who was appointed to the court of Akbar for his intelligence, and became the court jester. Born by the name Maheshdas, he was conferred the name Raja Birbal by the Emperor. 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 humor. There are many witty stories of exchanges and interactions between the monarch and his minister that are popular today. Birbal was also a poet and his collections under the pen name "Brahma” are preserved in Bharatpur Museum. Raja Birbal died in battle, attempting to quell unrest amongst Afghani tribes in Northwest India.

• Raja Todar Mal was a Hindu Khatri/Kayastha and was Akbar’s finance minister, who from 1560 onwards overhauled the revenue system in the kingdom. He introduced standard weights and measurements, revenue districts and officers. His systematic approach to revenue collection became a model for the future Mughals as well as the British. Raja Todar Mal was also a warrior who assisted Akbar in controlling the Afghan rebels in Bengal. Todar Mal had developed his expertise in Sher Shah's employment. In 1582, Akbar bestowed on the raja the title Diwan-I-Ashraf.

• Raja Man Singh was the Kacchwaha Rajah of Amber, a state later known as Jaipur. He was a trusted general in Akbar's army and was the grandson of Akbar’s father-in-law. His family had been inducted into Mughal hierarchy as amirs (nobles). Raja Man Singh was the foremost ablest among Akbar's military commanders and assisted Akbar in many fronts including holding off advancing Hakim (Akbar’s half-brother, a governor of Kabul) in Lahore. He was also the Mughal viceroy of Afghanistan, led campaigns in Bihar, Orissa, Deccan and was also the viceroy of Bengal.

• Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana was a poet was the son of Akbar’s trusted protector and caretaker when he was a teenager, Bairam Khan. After Bairam Khan was murdered treacherously, his wife became the second wife of Akbar. He is most known for his Hindi couplets and his books on Astrology.^[2] The village of Khankhana, named after him, is located in the Nawanshahr district of the state of Punjab in northwest India.

• Fakir Aziao-Din was a mystic and an advisor. Akbar regarded his advice in high esteem.

• Mullah Do Piaza was an advisor to Akbar.

Similar Groups

Many famous emperors in India had courtiers labeled in similar ways. For example, the valuable members of the court of Krishna Deva Raya were termed Astadiggajas, the eight giants. Lakshman Sen the ruler of the Sena Empire had Pancharatnas (meaning 5 gems) in his court; one of whom is believed to be Jayadeva, the famous Sanskrit poet and author of Gita Govinda. Ashtapradhan was the title given to the council of Shivaji.

Modern usage

Main article: Navratnas

A number of institutions in modern India are popularly named for this historic group, particularly public-sector units that perform well. As of June 25, 2007^[3] the list included following PSUs:

• Coal India Limited
• Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited
• National Thermal Power Corporation
• Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited
• GAIL
• Indian Oil Corporation
• Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL)
• Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL)
• Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
• Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL)
• Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)
• Power Finance Corporation (PFC)
• Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL)

References

1. ^ Abu al Fazl Biography and Works persian.packhum.org.
2. ^ "Abdur Rahim KhanKhana at Old poetry". Oldpoetry.com. http://oldpoetry.com/oauthor/show/Abdur_Rahim_Khankhana. Retrieved 2009-07-18. 
3. ^ Official List of Navratnas and miniratnas