Tombs of Battashewala Complex is an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) protected monument in Nizamuddin East, Delhi. The funerary complex, consists of three Mughal period tombs, known as the Bara Batashewala Mahal, the Chota Batashewala Mahal, an unidentified Mughal tomb and arched compound wall enclosures.
The complex is located in an 11 acres (4.5 ha) land within arcaded enclosures. It was an integral part of the 16th century necropolis of Delhi. Within its neighbourhood is the famous dargah (shrine) of Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya who lived during the 14th century. [1] The tomb complex is located next to the Humayun Tomb's enclosure. [2] Access to the tomb is also from the north gate of Humayun's Tomb and also from the Sunder Nursery. [3]
The Tombs of Batashewala Complex lie in the buffer zone of the World Heritage Site of the Humayun Tomb Complex; the two complexes are separated by a small road but enclosed within their own separate compound walls. The complex has three tombs which are identified as Bara Batashewala Mahal and the Chota Batashewala Mahal, enclosed within a compound wall with arches of 1,000 feet (300 m) length built with stone masonry; and a Mughal tomb of an unidentified person, to the east of the other two tombs, in a separate enclosure. All three tombs are reported to have been built during the late 16th – early 17th century. It is said that such a funerary complex does not exist anywhere else in India. [4]
The tomb, known as the Bara Batashewala Mahal, is a funerary structure where Mirza Muzaffar Husain, son-in-law of Akbar and the great-nephew of Humayun, is kept. It was built during 1603–4. Built in Mughal architectural style, it has a flat roof, which in the past, is stated to have been covered by a "textile canopy". [2] A single storied square structure of 30 feet (9.1 m) square, its architecture is similar to the Jal Mahal and Humayun tomb. It has a central chamber consisting of eight small rooms, and it is said to be a replica of an Iranian design. [2] [4] The interiors around the sarcophagus (crypt) is richly decorated with incised plaster and tiles. All four identical facades of the square tomb have five half-domed entrances, also decorated on plaster and tiles. In the past, the west facing facade had collapsed and the southern facade had been repaired poorly during the 20th century. However, during 2012–15, this tomb, including the entire complex, has been renovated. [4] [5]
As originally built, the tomb was in the form of an octagonal dome, extensively decorated. During the later part of the 20th century it had substantially deteriorated. The tomb has been partially restored now on the basis of the pictures of the structure as it existed during the 1960s, old drawings and from an examination of the features of the existing parts. [4]
This tomb is a tall structure and is located in the eastern part of the Battashewala Complex. It is built with stone masonry over a raised fort-type platform. It measures 100 metres (330 ft) in length and 60 metres (200 ft) in width. It is a domed structure with rich decorations. As part of the structure had collapsed, restoration works were undertaken in a planned manner. [4]
On account of the site's occupation, on a perpetual lease basis, by the Delhi State Bharat Scouts and Guides since 1941 as a camping ground, the tomb structures in the complex suffered serious deterioration; [6] the tombs were also ignored for several decades. However, after considerable efforts the ownership of the site was transferred to the Archaeological Survey of India in 2010 to undertake conservation works of the tombs. [4] Soon after, in 2011, conservation efforts were initiated by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC). A multi-disciplinary team of AKTC carried out the restoration works over a period of four years. The team adopted "traditional construction material and building techniques". The cement based repairs carried out in earlier times were all replaced. [3]
The complex of tombs have been refurbished at a cost of US$750,000, the first of its kind funded under the US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation Projects (AFCP). [7] The initiative to restore this complex was taken after the visit of President Obama to the Humayun Tomb Complex in 2010. [3] The restoration works have been carried out by the AFCP in association with the Archaeological Survey of India. The restored structures were formally opened to the public on 18 April 2015, which was also observed as the UNESCO declared World Heritage Day. [1] The Ministry of Culture, Government of India, has now plans to pose this tomb complex for inclusion as part of the UNESCO heritage complex of the Humayun Tomb. [3]
The Taj Mahal is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal; it also houses the tomb of Shah Jahan himself. The tomb is the centrepiece of a 17-hectare (42-acre) complex, which includes a mosque and a guest house, and is set in formal gardens bounded on three sides by a crenellated wall.
The Qutb Minar complex are monuments and buildings from the Delhi Sultanate at Mehrauli in Delhi, India. Construction of the Qutub Minar "victory tower" in the complex, named after the religious figure Sufi Saint Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, was begun by Qutb-ud-din Aibak, who later became the first Sultan of Delhi of the Mamluk dynasty. It was continued by his successor Iltutmish, and finally completed much later by Firoz Shah Tughlaq, a Sultan of Delhi from the Tughlaq dynasty (1320–1412) in 1368 AD. The Qubbat-ul-Islam Mosque, later corrupted into Quwwat-ul Islam, stands next to the Qutb Minar.
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Mughal architecture is the type of Indo-Islamic architecture developed by the Mughals in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries throughout the ever-changing extent of their empire in the Indian subcontinent. It developed from the architectural styles of earlier Muslim dynasties in India and from Iranian and Central Asian architectural traditions, particularly Timurid architecture. It also further incorporated and syncretized influences from wider Indian architecture, especially during the reign of Akbar. Mughal buildings have a uniform pattern of structure and character, including large bulbous domes, slender minarets at the corners, massive halls, large vaulted gateways, and delicate ornamentation; examples of the style can be found in modern-day Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.
Nizamuddin Dargah is the dargah (mausoleum) of the Sufi saint Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya. Situated in the Nizamuddin West area of Delhi, the dargah is visited by thousands of pilgrims every week. The site is also known for its evening qawwali devotional music sessions. The descendants of Nizamuddin Auliya look after the whole management of dargah Sharif.
Makli Necropolis is one of the largest funerary sites in the world, spread over an area of 10 kilometres near the city of Thatta, in the Pakistani province of Sindh. The site houses approximately 500,000 to 1 million tombs built over the course of a 400-year period. Makli Necropolis features several large funerary monuments belonging to royalty, various Sufi saints, and esteemed scholars. The site was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981 as an "outstanding testament" to Sindhi civilization between the 14th and 18th centuries.
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Chausath Khamba, also spelled Chaunsath Khamba, is a tomb built during 1623–24. It is located in Nizamuddin precincts of Sufi Muslim shrines and tombs in New Delhi, India. The name means "64 pillars" in Urdu and Hindi. It was built by Mirza Aziz Koka, son of Ataga Khan, as a mausoleum for himself, at the time when Mughal Emperor Jahangir ruled from Delhi. Mirza Aziz Koka had served several times as Jahangir’s Governor of Gujarat before he died in Gujarat.
Barakhamba, also known as Barakhamba Monument, is a 14th-century tomb building from the Tughlaq period that is located in New Delhi, India. Barakhamba means '12 Pillars' in Urdu and Hindi languages. The name has also been used for an upscale modern metro road named the "Barakhamba road" in Connaught Place at the heart of the city.
Jamali Kamali Mosque and Tomb, located in the Archaeological Village complex in Mehrauli, Delhi, India, comprise two monuments adjacent to each other; one is the mosque and the other is the tomb of Jamali and Kamali. Their names are tagged together as "Jamali Kamali" for the mosque as well as the tomb since they are buried adjacent to each other. The mosque and the tomb were constructed in 1528-1529, and Jamali was buried in the tomb after his death in 1535.
Ratish Nanda is a noted Indian conservation architect, who is the Projects Director of Aga Khan Trust for Culture, India.
Sunder Nursery, formerly called Azim Bagh or Bagh-e-Azeem, is a 16th-century heritage park complex adjacent to the Humayun's Tomb, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Delhi. Originally known as Azim Bagh and built by the Mughals in the 16th century, it lies on the Mughal-era Grand Trunk Road, and is spread over 90 acres. Future plans aim to link nearby areas to develop it into India's largest park covering 900 acres.
Persian Inscriptions on Indian Monuments is a book written in Persian by Dr Ali Asghar Hekmat E Shirazi and published in 1956 and 1958 and 2013. New edition contains the Persian texts of more than 200 epigraphical inscriptions found on historical monuments in India, many of which are currently listed as national heritage sites or registered as UNESCO world heritage, published in Persian; an English edition is also being printed.
Sabz Burj is an octagonal tomb situated in Mathura Road, near Nizamuddin complex, beside Humayun's Tomb, New Delhi.
The Architecture of Delhi dates back more than a thousand years. As the capital of several great empires of India, including Rajput kingdom, Delhi Sultanate, Mughal Empire, and British Raj, the city of Delhi has been a centre for art and architecture.
The tomb of the noble Isa Khan Niazi is located in the Humayun's Tomb complex in Delhi, India. The mausoleum, octagonal in shape and built mainly of red sandstone, was built in 1547–1548 during the reign of Sher Shah Suri. The mosque of Isa Khan is located west of the mausoleum, which along with other buildings form the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Humayun's tomb complex.
The Afsarwala tomb complex consists of a tomb and mosque, located inside the Humayun's Tomb complex in Delhi, India. The mausoleum houses the tomb of an unknown person. The tomb, together with other structures, forms the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Humayun's tomb complex.
Nila Gumbad is a tomb located within the Humayun's Tomb complex at Delhi, India. Historians are unsure about the identity of the person who has been buried. Some claim that it houses the tomb of an attendant of a Mughal noble and was buried during the reign of Jahangir. According to others, the tomb existed much before the Humayun's Tomb was constructed. At the time of construction, it was covered with glazed tiles most of which have been destroyed. This building along with other buildings form the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Humayun's Tomb complex.
The Bara Pulah Bridge or BaraPullah Bridge is a busy road-passing in Delhi, near Humayun's Tomb and Khan-i-Khana's Tomb. It is surrounded by the fruit and vegetable market behind the Nizamuddin railway station. Due to the increasing population and traffic problems, the government announced a new Barapullah Elevated Road project during the Delhi Commonwealth Games. The new overpass bridge has marginally solved the traffic problems, but has overshadowed the historic bridge which is now almost invisible and overrun by squatters. The BaraPullah Bridge is a monument of national importance and protected by the Archaeological Survey of India.
