Akbar & Birbal Riddles

Akbar was the Mughal Emperor of India, who ruled from 1556 to 1605. He was known for his wisdom and intelligence, but also for his love of wit and humor. One of his closest advisors was a wise man named Birbal, who was known for his intelligence and clever solutions to problems. One day, Akbar was feeling bored and asked Birbal to come up with a game to entertain him. Birbal thought for a moment and then came up with a plan. He told Akbar that he would ask him a series of riddles, and if Akbar couldn't solve them, he would have to pay a fine. However, if Akbar was able to solve them, Birbal would have to pay the fine. Akbar agreed to the game and Birbal began to ask him the riddles. The first one was: "What is the thing that goes on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs in the evening?" Akbar thought for a moment and then replied, "A human being. A baby crawls on all fours, a grown person walks on two legs, and an elderly person uses a cane to walk with three legs." Birbal was impressed with Akbar's answer and paid the fine. The next riddle was: "What is the thing that has no beginning, no end, and is infinite?" Akbar thought for a moment and then replied, "Time." Again, Birbal was impressed and paid the fine. The game continued for several more riddles, each one more challenging than the last. Finally, Birbal asked Akbar a riddle that he couldn't solve. It was: "What is the thing that weighs nothing, but if you put it in a bucket, the bucket becomes heavier?" Akbar thought and thought, but he couldn't figure out the answer. Birbal told him that the answer was "a hole." Akbar was amazed by the clever answer and realized that he had met his match in Birbal. From that day on, Akbar and Birbal continued to play games and riddles to pass the time, always trying to outwit each other.