| Mullah Do Piaza | | Print | |
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Mullah Do Piaza whose actual name was Abul Hasan was one of Akbar's chief advisors. Akbar regarded his advice in high esteem and included him among the nine gems of the Mughal court. Mullah Do Piaza was known for his intelligence and was a close competition to Birbal. He is popularly known as Mulla Do-Piaza because of his liking of a dish known as 'do-piaza'. Do-Piaza is made with mutton and onions.
Mullah Do Piaza had mastered Persian and Arabic, philosophy and astronomy. And now he was not content to stay at home. He thought of going to Agra and getting a position at Akbar’s court.
Mullah Do Piaza's role in Akbar's court Mulla Do-Piaza was unhappy to hear that he would be given the charge of royal poultry house. He, being a scholar, wanted to debate with the most learned men in the empire, but had been asked to look after a few hundred hens, so it disappointed him.
Akbar was convinced and appreciated and promoted him to the post of royal librarian. Mulla Do-Piaza was disappointed. He had spent all his life gaining knowledge. Now he wished to show and use that knowledge and let others know how clever he was. After a year, Akbar came to inspect the library. He found that the books were covered with a jacket of silk, velvet or thick heavy expensive material with a raised pattern. There were hundreds of books and not one without a cover.
Mulla Do Piaza explained that, he collected the silk from people who came to the Diwan-e-Aam (Hall of Public Audience) with humble requests, written on sheets of paper and the paper folded and placed inside a bag made of the most expensive silk, which are later discarded. Akbar was impressed and gave him a position in the royal court. Mulla Do-Piaza finally fulfilled his most cherished desire and went on to become one of the chief advisors of the Emperor Akbar. His advices were valued a lot by the Emperor Akbar.
Mullah Do Piaza's Family Mulla Do-Piaza was born in 1540 A.D. to a humble couple. His father was a schoolmaster. There was never much money in the house so Do-Piaza never enjoyed any luxuries. All he wanted was to learn more and more. Books were not that easily available then as they are now. They were costly and handwritten. Mulla Do-Piaza read all the books that he could lay his hands on. He used go to a rich man`s house to do a job just because he wanted to read the books in that house.
Last Days of Abul Hasan’s Life Mulla Do-Piaza died in 1600 A.D. He was buried near Bhopal in Handiya.
Why was Abul Hasan Popular? It was said that Do Piaza was Abul Hasan’s favorite dish. He named this dish Syed ul Twam (the king of the dishes). Since after that he was known as Mulla Do Piaza, because he accepted only those invitations where Do Piaza was served. Mulla Do-Piaza was famous for his intelligence and smartness. And he was regarded as a competitor to Raja Birbal in the resolving problems and puzzles with wit. His portrait fetched $11,250 in a 1974 auction.
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