Restored to its former glory, Rahim’s Tomb to open for public on 17th

InterGlobe Foundation and Aga Khan Trust for Culture complete the restoration of mausoleum

Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan wasn’t just one of the navratnas of Akbar’s court, he was one of the important pillars of India’s cultural heritage. Till date, our children grow up by remembering his couplets in school days. They are still part of our social discourse.

***Restored Tomb of Rahim dazzling in night***

But besides his literary persona, he was also a brilliant architect. Rahim also patronised the construction of monumental buildings – canals, tanks, enclosed gardens in Agra, Lahore, Delhi and Burhanpur, among other Indian cities. One of the famous water supply systems of those times ‘Kundi Bhandara’ at Burhanpur was credited to him. So, no surprise that he built a marvellous mausoleum for his wife in Delhi in 1598, where he himself was also buried after his death in 1627, alongside his wife. It was a shame that his mausoleum was lying in a miserable state for decades. Despite the immense historical, architectural and archaeological significance of the structure and its prominent location in central Delhi, Rahim’s mausoleum stood in a ruinous condition with a risk of collapse.

***The old structure (left) and the restored one (right)***

***Mausoleum was restored to its original char bagh style***

But no more! Restored to its glory, after a painstakingly effort for last five years, the mausoleum will be opened for public on 17^th December 2020. Some good news at least in this gloomy time of pandemic.

In-line with the vision of reviving heritage monuments in the country, InterGlobe Foundation and Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), on Wednesday, announced the completion of restoration work on Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan’s tomb in the Nizamuddin area of Delhi. InterGlobe Foundation supported the project being executed by Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) for the physical restoration of the Rahim’s tomb and cultural revival of Rahim and his poetry. Archaeological Survey of India, the custodian of the monument was a key supporter and partner in the project, which started in 2014.

Soot and 20^th century layers required cleaning to reveal the ornamentation below, Patterns seen here include both geometric and floral patterns commonly seen in mausoleums but also patterns such as the Swastik and Peacock

The physical revival included repairs to the major damaged structures on the interior and exterior of the mausoleum dalans, canopies (chattris), dome, façade and landscape, along with the wall and ceiling surfaces. The landscape around Rahim’s tomb has been restored to original slopes and height. The conservation of the dome has been completed with a symbolic addition of marble cladding.

Commenting on the project completion, Rohini Bhatia, Chairperson, InterGlobe Foundation, said, “India is known for its cultural heritage, hence the preservation of our art and culture is essential for our identity. We are pleased to be a part of restoration of Rahim’s mausoleum. In addition to physical restoration, we are also establishing the relevance of sites and creating awareness among communities towards the need for preservation of culture and heritage. At InterGlobe Foundation, we strive to conserve the cultural heritage of our nation. Through restoration projects like Rahim’s tomb in Delhi and Indra Kund stepwell in Rajasthan, InterGlobe Foundation has impacted thousands of lives while successfully preserving the historical and cultural values that bind us as a nation”.

Modern cement-surkhi based repairs, carried out in the 21st century, had disfigured the ornamental incised plaster work in the arched bays of the lower arcade. Traditional lime base repairs were carried out by master craftsmen restoring decorative plaster work where evidence of original patterns could be found.

Ratish Nanda, CEO, Aga Khan Trust for Culture added, “Conservation at Rahim’s tomb has been possible with a public-private partnership. Not only has a significant monument been conserved for posterity but dignity has been restored to the resting place of the cultural icon, Rahim.

Conservation in the Indian context can benefit from thousands of years of building craft traditions and recourse to an inter-disciplinary scientific approach. 175,000 craft days of work has helped restore this grandeur”.

***Main chamber of the tomb, how it looked earlier (left) and after restoration (right)***

The cultural revival efforts also witnessed compilation of Rahim’s literary works and archival research on his life and works by eminent scholars, culminating in an English publication titled ‘Celebrating Rahim’. A three-day music festival was also held in 2017 to disseminate Rahim’s literary works that saw a confluence of musical renditions, scholarly discussions on the multi-faceted personality of Rahim and a very informative exhibition. In a first ever festival, Rahim’s verses were presented in a public forum. The conservation effort on the monument has included celebrating Rahim’s cultural legacy. Two major publications, ‘Celebrating Rahim’ and, ‘Abdur Rahim Khan-i-khanan – Kavya, Saundarya, Sarthakta’ have been produced.

InterGlobe Aviation (IndiGo) is supporting the future operation and maintenance of the tomb, where the focus will be to enhance the visitor experience. InterGlobe Foundation (IGF) is the CSR arm of the InterGlobe Group – a leader in Aviation, Hospitality and Travel related services. IGF is committed to building a society that is just, equitable, inclusive and utilizes resources in a sustainable manner. It nurtures partnerships and supports initiatives that bring together resources, expertise and vision in the areas of heritage & culture, environment and livelihood.

***The principal chamber of the mausoleum before cleaning (left), and cleaning of the principal chamber of the mausoleum revealed exquisite patterns in lime plaster (right)***

Conservation works were preceded by extensive structural assessment, documentation and archival research. Great care was taken to consolidate any existing evidence which was retained during the course of conservation

The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is a comprehensive group of development agencies that work across 30 countries in the areas of health, education, cultural revitalization and economic empowerment. Following the successful conservation effort at the Humayun’s Tomb World Heritage Site in New Delhi, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), an agency of AKDN, has been working for over 20 years in the Nizamuddin precinct to conserve cultural heritage, improve quality of life of local communities and enhance visitor experience. The project has included conservation of 60 monument, creation of Sunder Nursery and implementing a major socio-economic development programme in Nizamuddin Basti.