चाह गयी चिंता मिटी, मनुआ बेपरवाह
जिनको कछु ना चाहिए, वे साहन के साह“Wanting things is the root of all worries and if one can rid all wants there will be no worry.
People who do not want anything are the king of kings as they are happy in all circumstances.”
Situated on the Mathura Road, formerly the Mughal Grand Trunk Road near to Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi, the tomb of Abdur Rahim Khan-I-Khanan is a monument I have repeatedly failed to explore in recent years due to it’s closure for renovations. In early 2023 I was finally able to visit this magnificent tomb, and dig a little deeper into the life of the man who commissioned this imposing structure.
Abdur Rahim Khan-I-Khanan was a man of multiple talents: a statesman, courtier, soldier, poet, linguist, humanitarian, and patron. He was also one of Emperor Akbar’s legendary ‘nine jewels’ or navratanas in the Mughal court, which included poets, military generals, intellectuals, and both Hindu and Muslim nobles. ‘Khan-I-Khanan’ means ‘Khan of Khans’, a title given to him by the two Mughal Emperors he served; Akbar and Jahangir.
(Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
Born to a Muslim father, Bairam Khan, and a Hindu mother, Sultana Begum, on 17th December 1556 – he was equally proficient in Persian, Arabic and Turki as he was in Sanskrit and Hindavi (his mother tongue). He even had a passable command of Portuguese. His father, a Turkic noble, was one of the closest aides and military generals of Emperor Akbar and also served as his mentor. His mother was a noblewoman from Mewat in Nuh district (part of modern-day Haryana).
Abdur Rahim’s family belonged to the inner circle of the Mughal royal family, serving as companions and tutors to its princes through generations. Though his childhood was marred by the fall of his father’s career and subsequent assassination in Patan, Gujrat, he was immediately taken into Emperor Akbar’s court when he was just four years old. The pluralistic and cultured environment under Akbar’s mentorship fostered Rahim’s diverse talents.
He was given the position of tutor to Prince Salim (Emperor Jahangir), and one of his daughters married Akbar’s third son, Prince Daniyal. Abdur Rahim also became Akbar’s stepson, when Akbar married Bairam Khan’s (his father’s) second wife, Salima Sultan Begum. Following Akbar’s death, he served Jahangir, but fell out of favour with his former student. Despite Abdur Rahim being one of the most prominent ministers in Akbar’s court, he was never quite respected by Akbar’s son. His closeness to Akbar and the massive respect that he had gained among the Mughal nobles made Jehangir perceive him as a threat. Hence, he was always treated shabbily by Jehangir. This culminated in Jahangir ordering the killing of two of his sons at the Khooni Darwaza on the trumped-up charge that they were traitors. Their bodies were left to rot and be devoured by vultures and birds of prey.
History remembers him most for his translation of the Baburnama, Emperor Babur’s biography, from Chagatai to Persian, which was completed in 1590. But he also translated the Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata into Persian, and authored 300 expressive Hindavi dohas or couplets under the pen name Rahim Das. These works offer a deep insight into the complexities of life and human nature, and even four hundred years after his death form part of India’s school curriculum.
Most of his poems written in Hindavi focused on devotional (bhakti) and secular love. Interestingly, his verses were never sung to music, nor written for listening or even documented, they were passed down the centuries purely by oral tradition.
Most of his poems were dedicated to Krishna, but also included references to other Hindu deities such as Rama, Vishnu, and Shiva, demonstrating his love and respect for Hinduism. One of his poems on Lord Krishna end with these lines: “Every day, I expect his return from Vrindavan. The image of the dark-hued Shyam does not leave my mind.” What stands out is that most of his written work and poems have little or no mention of his military life or war.
In his role as commander-in-chief of the Mughal army, he led military expeditions to Gujarat, Sindh, Mewar, and Deccan. As governor of Mughal provinces at different points in his life he gave audiences to European travelers and merchants, and settled trade disputes.
So trusted was he by the emperor, his job description included being Mir Ard, or the one who, on behalf of the emperor, heard the thousands of applications addressed to the ruler. He also gained the title of Mir Ard of the Emperor’s court, which meant he would hear thousands of applications addressed to Akbar on the Emperor’s behalf.
His patronage in the arts and architecture was equally significant. His libraries in Gujarat, Malwa and Burhanpur were a treasure trove of learning. Manuscripts comprised Persian poetry, medical treatises, books on dream interpretation, Quranic commentaries and other religious books. Many of these now reside in private and museum collections across the world.
Like all creative folks, he had his own studio. It translated the Ramayana and Mahabharata into Persian and then beautifully illustrated the folios, restored damaged books, and supported Hindavi poets along with hundreds of Persian poets and musicians who came all the way from Persia.
To complete his many talents, Abdur Rahim’s passion for architecture led to him to build many significant structures, including caravanserais, mosques, water canals, hammams, tanks and gardens in Agra, Delhi, Lahore, and Burhanpur.
Which brings us to the most important monument he ever commissioned, the tomb for his beloved wife Mah Banu in Delhi’s Nizamuddin East. The tomb sits prominently along the Mathura Road, formerly the Mughal Grand Trunk Road, and is in close proximity to the Dargah of Hazrat Nizammudin Auliya and Humayun’s Tomb. This is the first Mughal tomb ever constructed for a woman, even before the famous Taj Mahal in Agra. Abdur Rahim had it constructed around 1598 as a gift and tomb for his wife, and was himself buried there almost thirty years later upon his death on 1st October 1627.
This mausoleum started the trend of building magnificent tombs for wives, and from an architectural perspective with the tomb placed at the edge of the charbagh, it established the layout of such tombs. This was followed to the fullest by Shah Jahan when he had the Taj Mahal built in memory of his wife Mumtaz, in Agra.
Up until recently the tomb looked very different, I’ve read one scholar who described it as resembling a plucked chicken, with deep gouges where much of the fabric of the building had been removed. The structure was first scavenged mercilessly for building material in 1753 by the Mughal wazir Safdarjung’s son for the Safdarjung tomb a short distance away. Thereafter, the tomb was neglected and no doubt subsequently robbed from time to time for valuable building materials.
In 2020, after four hundred years, and a six-year conservation project of his resting place, Abdur Rahim Khan-I-Khanan came to life again. The project, carried out by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and InterGlobe Foundation, not only sympathetically restored the structure, but led to a renewed interest in the man himself as well.
This massive square edifice rises from a high platform faced by arched cells on all four sides. The platform has shallow octagonal tanks connected by narrow drains, possibly for allowing rainwater to drain off. Four chhatris are strategically placed at the corners of the central dome giving it a perfectly balanced look, unlike, say, Safdarjung’s tomb which suffers from a peculiarly compressed and elongated look. There is a high deeply recessed central arch on each side and several shallow arches on the flanks in each storey.
Unlike Humayun’s Tomb, its predecessor and early prototype of the garden-tomb so dearly loved by the Mughals, the plan is a plain square instead of octagonal. The charbagh pattern here is more simplistic with paths instead of water channels. The lofty double-storied mausoleum rises from the centre of what was once a Mughal garden reduced to little more than grass over the years, although some handsome old trees still remain.
Its seemingly incomplete restoration is aimed at finding a balance between what it was like originally, and what it ended up as eventually. I think it’s been very well done, both showing how the tomb would have looked upon completion, but also a stark reminder of just how decayed monuments can become if neglected or willfully abused.
What stands out the most about Abdur Rahim Khan-I-Khanan’s mausoleum is its elegance. Nothing here is nondescript.
The interior of the tomb chamber has beautifully incised designs in plaster and wonderful paint work – all of which have been faithfully and painstakingly restored to their original colours. Fortunately, much of the 400-year-old incised plaster patterns and paint remained intact, masked by the years of accumulated grime and soot and 20th Century lime wash.
At the very heart of the mausoleum under the central dome lie the tombs of Abdur Rahim Khan-I-Khanan and his wife, Mah Banu Begum.
In my opinion, the tomb of Abdur Rahim Khan-I-Khanan stands as a compelling must-visit destination in Delhi. Despite being somewhat eclipsed by the nearby, more renowned tourist attractions, this monument provides a serene escape from the bustling crowds — I even had the privilege of having the place entirely to myself for two hours! The site serves as a splendid example of the positive impact that thoughtful renovation and conservation efforts can achieve. It serves as a poignant homage to one of Hindustan’s distinguished poets and statesmen, ensuring that his significant contributions now reverberate well beyond the confines of history books.
तरुवर फल नहिं खात है, सरवर पियहि न पान।
कहि रहीम पर काज हित, संपति सँचहि सुजान॥“A tree doesn’t eat its fruit, the lake doesn’t drink its water;
good peoples’ wealth is for others’ benefit.”
रुठे सुजन मनाइए, जो रुठै सौ बार।
रहिमन फिरि फिरि पोहिए, टूटे मुक्ताहार॥“If good people get angry with you, you should reconcile with them every time it happens.
Just as you would repair a pearl necklace every time it breaks.”
बुरा जो देखन मैं चला, बुरा न मिलिया कोय।
जो दिल खोजा आपना, मुझसा बुरा न कोय ॥“When I looked for evil outside, I could not find any evil.
Once I started looking in my own heart, I found I was the evilest.”
रहिमन धागा प्रेम का, मत तोड़ो चटकाय।
टूटे से फिर ना जुड़े, जुड़े गाँठ परि जाय॥“Don’t break in haste the thread of love between people.
Once broken it cannot be joined for even when joined, there will always be a knot in it.”
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