Abdur Rahim Das was one of the famous poets. Rahim Das was one of the nine important ministers also known as Navaratnas in the court of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. He is also known as Khan-i-Khanan or only Rahim. Emperor Akbar saw his talent and gave him the title Khan-i-Khanan. Rahim Das was also very famous in his Hindi literature and he also wrote many books. The literature created by him introduces people to the moral qualities and realities of the world.
Rahim Das’s full name is Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan. He was a poet as well as a good general, patron, diplomat, art lover, and writer.
Biography of Rahim Das
| Name | Rahim Das[1] |
| Full Name | Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan |
| Date of Birth | 17 December 1556 |
| Place of Birth | Lahore (Pakistan) |
| Father’s Name | Bairam Khan |
| Mother’s Name | Sultana Begum |
| Spouse | Mahbano Begum |
| Religion | Islam |
| Death | 1 October 1627 (age 70), Agra |
Early Life of Rahim Das
Rahim Dasji’s full name is Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan and he was born in Lahore on December 17, 1556. His father’s name was Bairam Khan and his mother’s name was Salima Sultana Begum. Rahim’s father Bairam Khan was the mentor of Akbar.
Bairam Khan belonged to a Turkish family and joined Humayun’s army. Bairam Khan was a keeper in Akbar’s teenage years. Bairam Khan helped Humayun reestablish the Mughal Empire.
Once Bairam Khan was on his way to Haj, he was there for rest in Patna, Gujarat. As soon as he left Patna, Bairam Khan’s old opponent Afghan Sardar Mubarak Khan stabbed him in the back and killed him fraudulently. After Bairam Khan’s death, Rahim Khan was raised by Akbar. At the age of sixteen, he married Mahbano Begum.
Also Read: Biography of Nirmal Verma
Education of Rahim Das
When Rahim Das and Sultana Akbar came to court after Bairam Khan’s death, Akbar married Sultana Begum and made Rahim his godson, and Rahim’s education in Akbar’s court began like a Prince.
Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan had knowledge of many languages Turkish, Arabic, Persian, Hindi, Sanskrit verse composition Persian grammar, etc. Mughal emperor Akbar was heavily influenced by Rahim. Mulla Mohammad Amin was placed in court for Rahim’s education and started getting education on how poems are written, how verses are written, and mathematics etc., He also gained knowledge of English and French on Akbar’s instruction.
Of course, Akbar had many Sanskrit scholars in his monarchy, but in the development of Rahim Das, getting the knowledge of writing poems was the result of Akbar’s hard work and knowledge. Rahim was honored with the title of “Mir-Arz” by Akbar.
Rahim Das’s Personality
Abdur Rahim was one of the nine important ministers also known as Navaratnas in the court of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. He was raised by Akbar after his father’s death.
When he got properties and money worth crores of rupees, he started distributing them among the poor to help the poor, for this, Akbar started to envy Rahim that he had someone more sympathetic than him in court.
Mughal Emperor Akbar was a Muslim ruler who had many Hindu courtiers in the court and many of his Navratras were Hindus, so all the gods and goddesses of Hinduism were respected in the Court of Akbar.
Rahim was a Krishna devotee poet, he often wrote about Lord Krishna. Rahim Das Ji was a devotee of Lord Krishna while being a Muslim. Rahim’s Krishna bhakti was also not opposed because there were many Hindus in Akbar’s monarchy.
Rahim is considered an important poet among the poets of the Bhakti era, he started writing poems for Hinduism in Krishna Bhakti.
He started comparing him to Tulsidas, Surdas, the great poet of the bhakti era, etc., Abdur Rahim wrote poems as well as worked in many positions at the palace in Akbar and made a very good contribution to it.
Literary work of Rahim Das
Rahim Das had a good knowledge of Arabic, Persian, Sanskrit, and Hindi. He used Avadhi and Brajbhasa in his compositions. Rahim Das’s Doha is written in both Avadhi and Braj bhasa. His works are like the language of books like the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Purana, Gita, etc.
This had a profound impact on Rahim Das’s life and he was a Muslim from birth who changed completely after this incident.
But after this incident, he became a devotee of Lord Krishna and he dedicated all his works to Lord Krishna. Rahim Das was a guru. Rahim Das’s poetry had his knowledge of all these languages- Turkish Arabic, Persian, etc.
Rahim Das has composed in many languages because he had knowledge of many languages, despite being a Muslim religion, he found a significant place in the world of Hindi poetry. Babar’s autobiography written in Turkish was translated by Rahim into Persian as Tuzuk-e-Babri
Major works of Rahim Das
Apart from writing various Dohas, Rahim translated Babar’s memoirs, Baburnama to the Persian language as Tuzk-e-Babri which was completed in 1589-90AD. He had an excellent command of the Sanskrit language.
In Sanskrit, he wrote two books on astrology, Khetakautukam (Devanagari)and Dwatrimshadyyogavali (Devanagari).
Death
Abdu Rahim Khan-i-Khanan died on 1 October 1627 at the age of 70.
FAQ
1. When and where was Rahim Das born?
Ans: Rahim Das was born on 17 December 1556 in Lahore, Pakistan.
2. What is the full name of Rahim Das?
Ans: Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khanan.
3. Who translated Baburnama to the Persian language Tuzuk-e-Babri?
Ans: Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan.
4. Rahim Das was the favorite of which Mughal King?
Ans: Rahin Das was the favorite of Mughal King Akbar.
5. Who was the most famous poet of Akbar’s court?
Ans: Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan.
6. Who gave Rahim Das the title Khan-i-Khanan?
Ans: Emperor Akbar.
7. When did Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan died?
Ans: Abdu Rahim Khan-i-Khanan died on 1 October 1627 at the age of 70.
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