Chausath Khamba, also spelled Chaunsath Khamba, is a tomb built during 1623–24. It is located in Nizamuddin precincts of

Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

Muslim shrines and tombs in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

, India. The name means "64 pillars" in

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

and

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

. It was built by

Mirza Aziz Koka Mirza Aziz Koka ( ), also known as Kokaltash and by his sobriquet Khan-i-Azam (''The Greatest Khan''), was the foster brother of Akbar, who remained one of the leading nobles at the courts of the Mughal emperors Akbar and Jahangir. He was also ...

, son of

Ataga Khan Shams ud-Din Ataga Khan (died 16 May 1562) was a prominent figure in the court of the Mughal emperor Akbar. He held important positions in Akbar's court, including that of ''wakil'' (advisor or minister), to which he was appointed in November 1 ...

, as a mausoleum for himself, at the time when

Mughal Emperor The emperors of the Mughal Empire, who were all members of the Timurid dynasty (House of Babur), ruled the empire from its inception on 21 April 1526 to its dissolution on 21 September 1857. They were supreme monarchs of the Mughal Empire in ...

Jahangir Nur-ud-din Muhammad Salim (31 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was List of emperors of the Mughal Empire, Emperor of Hindustan from 1605 until his death in 1627, and the fourth Mughal emperors, Mughal ...

ruled from Delhi. Mirza Aziz Koka had served several times as Jahangir’s

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

before he died in Gujarat.

Structure

Chausath Khamba monument was initially built as a hall in an innovative eclectic architectural style of the Mughal period. It was later converted into a tomb. It is a square structure constructed entirely of white

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

. The structure (pictured with facades) has 64 columns that support twenty five

bays A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

. Each bay supports a

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

. The domes are not visible externally since they are reverse domes (picture). The roof is flat. Each wall has five

arch An arch is a curved vertical structure spanning an open space underneath it. Arches may support the load above them, or they may perform a purely decorative role. As a decorative element, the arch dates back to the 4th millennium BC, but stru ...

es that are held by square

pilasters In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...

. In each face, between each of five pilasters, marble trellised screens have been fixed. According to inscriptions, the structure houses the tomb of Mirza Aziz Koka (also named Kotaltash). The tomb of his father,

, the Prime Minister of

Akbar Akbar (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, – ), popularly known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expa ...

, is also in the vicinity. In addition, there are several other unidentified tombs inside this monument. It is considered the family shrine of Atgah Khan. The structure is enclosed and has an imposing entrance gate. The

Ghalib Mirza Asadullah Beg Khan (27 December 179715 February 1869), commonly known as Mirza Ghalib, was an Indian poet. Widely regarded as one of the greatest poets in the Urdu language, he also produced a significant body of work in Persian. Ghali ...

tomb is located adjoining this structure on the northern side. Comparison is drawn to a similar tomb built in marble in

Sarkhej Sarkhej is a suburban neighbourhood in the city of Ahmedabad. It is primarily known for the Sarkhej Roza, an architectural complex located 8 km south from the city centre. One of the most important roads of metropolitan Ahmedabad, Sarkhej� ...

where Mirza Aziz Koka served several times as

’s

of Gujarat. He died in Sarkhej and was temporarily buried there. His remains were later shifted to Chausath Khamba.

Heritage status

The Chausath Khamba is located in the busy 14th century market area of Nizamuddin Basti in New Delhi. The shrine of the Sufi saint

Nizamuddin Auliya Khawaja Syed Muhammad Nizamuddin Auliya (sometimes spelled Awliya; 1238 – 3 April 1325), also known as Hazrat Nizamuddin (), Sultan-ul-Mashaikh () and Mahbub-e-Ilahi (), was an Indian Sunni Muslim scholar, Sufi saint of the Chishti Order, a ...

(1236 AD – 1325 AD) is nearby. The monument is part of the Nizamuddin religious complex and has been declared a heritage building. The forecourt of Chaunsath Khamba was recently landscaped by the Aga Khan Trust. The successful Sufi qawwali music of Jashn-E-Khusrau, in which performers from India and Pakistan performed, was held here in March 2010.

Other structures

There are two other structures adjoining the Chausath Khamba, which are also heritage monuments. ;Urs Mahal Located in front of the Chausath Khamba, Urs Mahal is an assembly hall (pictured in the gallery) where Khawwali programmes are held on festival days and on the days during "

Urs Urs (from ''‘Urs'') or Urus (literal meaning wedding), is the death anniversary of a Sufi saint, usually held at the saint's dargah (shrine or tomb). In most Sufi orders such as Naqshbandiyyah, Suhrawardiyya, Chishtiyya, Qadiriyya, etc. ...

of Sufi saint

". It is a protected monument (refurbished in 2003). ;Mirza Ghalib’s tomb Mirza Ghalib's tomb is a small tomb of famous Urdu poet

Mirza Ghalib Mirza Asadullah Beg Khan (27 December 179715 February 1869), commonly known as Mirza Ghalib, was an Indian poet. Widely regarded as one of the greatest poets in the Urdu language, he also produced a significant body of work in Persian. Ghali ...

(1797–1869), who was renowned in Urdu and

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

poetry during the

Mughal period The Mughal Empire was an early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of pre ...

. It is a protected monument. The tomb is a work of art located north of the enclosure of the Chausath Khamba.

References

External links

Chausath Khamba @Flickr

at ''

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

'' * {{Authority control Mughal tombs Mausoleums in Delhi 1620s establishments in India Monuments of National Importance in Delhi