In India, folk tales involving a king and his quick witted minister are common. One of such stories are of the Mughal emperor Akbar and his advisor Birbal. These tales focus on how Birbal manages to outsmart envious courtiers who try to trap and portray him in poor light in front of Akbar, often in a humorous manner with him shown giving sharp and intelligent responses.

 

The illustrated page is from the 'Akbar Birbal - The Three Questions', in which one of the first question asked to Birbal was "How many stars are there in the sky?". Birbal bought a hairy sheep and said, "There are as many stars in the sky as there is hair on the sheep's body. Any of my friend in the court are welcomed to count them if he likes."