The tomb of Muhammad Quli Khan is located in the Mehrauli district of Delhi, not far from the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque and several Mughal-era monuments. Built in the early 17th century by Emperor Akbar (r. 1556–1605), this tomb was dedicated to Quli Khan, the brother of Adham Khan. While Adham Khan met a tragic end after a failed attempt to assassinate Akbar, Quli Khan had a more distinguished service to the Mughal Empire, apparently passing away on good terms with the Emperor. His tomb sits less than 500 meters from the larger but less decorative tomb of Adham Khan.
In the early 1840s, the tomb underwent significant changes under the hands of Thomas Theophilus Metcalfe (1795–1853), an official of the East India Company. Metcalfe converted the tomb into a weekend retreat, which he named “Dilkhusha.” His reasons for this conversion are unclear, but it is likely he wished to monitor the nearby Zafar Mahal, the residence of Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal ruler. Though the Mughal Empire had by then dwindled to a fraction of its former size, confined mostly to parts of Delhi, Bahadur Shah remained a powerful symbol of resistance against British rule. Metcalfe, in what appears to be an act of one-upmanship, expanded the tomb into a palatial estate to rival Zafar’s residence.
The tomb itself became the centerpiece of Metcalfe’s new building, with extensions added to all eight sides of the structure to create a massive octagonal residence. This expanded tomb was rented out to honeymooning couples and British officers. In keeping with the European ‘picturesque’ aesthetic, Metcalfe added garden follies, a guest house, and landscaped the surrounding area without much concern for the site’s historical significance.
However, his alterations were short-lived, as the site was damaged and vandalized during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, an uprising in response to British colonial oppression. Metcalfe, who passed away in 1853 due to a lingering digestive illness—speculated to have been the result of poisoning, possibly ordered by Bahadur Shah—did not live to see this.
According to Rana Safvi in her book Where Stones Speak, when the rebellion erupted, Bahadur Shah placed guards around the tomb, perhaps intending to reclaim it as a residence. However, after the British crushed the revolt and retook Delhi, the tomb, along with the Dilkhusha, was abandoned and fell into disrepair as time took its toll.
What remains of the tomb today stands on a raised platform about 4.8 meters high, built of rubble and designed in an octagonal shape. The plinth measures approximately 32.5 meters in diameter and includes five staircases, though it is unclear which, if any, are original to the structure. The mausoleum itself is also octagonal, measuring just over 14 meters across, with a central square chamber of about 6.3 meters on each side. Unlike many of the grand Mughal tombs, such as Humayun’s Tomb, this structure is a true octagon rather than a square with chamfered corners, similar in design to Adham Khan’s tomb.
The four main facades, oriented toward the cardinal directions, are symmetrical and provide access to the interior, while the diagonal faces are inset with half-octagonal niches. Each of the eight openings features a pointed arch. While the ornamentation was once significant, much of it has been eroded over time due to Metcalfe’s modifications, damage during the 1857 Rebellion, and subsequent neglect in the early 20th century.
The most intricate decorations were found around the four arched entrances to the interior. Narrow calligraphic bands bordered each arch, and the intrados, or spaces between the arches and their rectangular frames, were decorated with circular medallions featuring geometric patterns or Arabic inscriptions. Surrounding the outer rectangular bands were tessellated geometric tiles in various colors, which would have been quite striking when intact. Unfortunately, most of these tiles have since disappeared, and the few that remain are heavily worn, with much of the glaze lost.
The interior of the tomb retains its exquisite painted plasterwork. Once, the cenotaph of Quli Khan likely stood at the center of the domed chamber, but this was removed when Metcalfe repurposed the space as a dining room. Despite these changes, the actual grave of Quli Khan probably still lies beneath the plinth, where the Mughal general continues his eternal rest, indifferent to the slow decay of the tomb above.
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