Question

Tansen was a ____________ in the court of Akbar.
A) Musician
B) Painter
C) Architect
D) Soldier

Answer 1

Hint: In 1556, Tansen went to the court of Akbar, and soon became the very favourite of the Emperor. He had composed several new ragas. He is known for writing the ‘Sri Ganesh Stotra’ and the ‘Sangita Sara’. He was also given the title of ‘Mian’ by king Akbar.

Complete answer:
He was the greatest musician our country has produced. In 1556, Tansen went to the court of Akbar, who was well known for his patronage of the arts. He soon became the very favourite of the Emperor. Akbar would call upon him to sing at any time of the day. Quite frequently he would just walk into the house of Tansen to hear him practise.

Tansen became one of the Navratnas (“nine gems”), a group of the most skilful intellectuals and artists in the court. He was a composer, musician and vocalist and his skill was appreciated by King Akbar by giving him the title Mian (“Master”). He is known for his Epic Dhrupads (which is the oldest style of vocal music) compositions, creating new ‘ragas’ (melodic modes in music) and for writing 2 classic music books called Sri Ganesh Stotra and Sangita Sara.

Tansen remained a singer in Akbar’s court till 1585 when he died. His tomb is present in Gwalior. For musicians, it is a place of pilgrimage.

Thus, the correct answer is Option ‘A’ i.e, Tansen was a musician in King Akbar’s court.

Note: Once the Emperor ordered Tansen to sing Raga Deepak, which if sung properly makes the air so hot that the singer is burnt to ashes. The legend goes that when he started singing, the air became warm. Soon the audience started sweating. As the music continued, birds started dying because of the heat and the water in the rivers began to boil. People started crying as flames shot up out of nowhere and ignited the lamps. Eventually, Saraswati and Rupvati had to sing Raga Megh, which made the rain come down. The plan was successful, and Tansen was saved.