Chini ka Rauza is a funerary monument, ''

rauza Rauza, Rouza, Roza (, , ) is a Perso-Arabic term used in Middle East and Indian subcontinent which means shrine or tomb. It is also known as mazār, ''maqbara'' or ''dargah''. The word ''rauza'' is derived through Persian from the Arabic ''ra ...

'' in

Agra Agra ( ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, containing the tomb of Afzal Khan Shirazi, a scholar and poet who was the

Grand Vizier Grand vizier (; ; ) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. It was first held by officials in the later Abbasid Caliphate. It was then held in the Ottoman Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Soko ...

of the

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 ...

Shah Jahan Shah Jahan I, (Shahab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram; 5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), also called Shah Jahan the Magnificent, was the Emperor of Hindustan from 1628 until his deposition in 1658. As the fifth Mughal emperor, his reign marked the ...

. The tomb was built in 1635. The Chini Ka Rauza is situated just 1 kilometre north of Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb, on the eastern (left) bank of

Yamuna river The Yamuna (; ) is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in List of major rivers of India, India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of B ...

, and 2 kilometres away from the Taj Mahal. The outer walls of the monument is decorated with

glazed tile Porcelain tiles or ceramic tiles are either tiles made of porcelain, or relatively tough ceramic tiles made with a variety of materials and methods, that are suitable for use as floor tiles, or for walls. They have a low water absorption rate, g ...

and hence the name Chini ka Rauza (the word chini coming from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

History

Also known as China Tomb, this is the mausoleum of Afzal Khan who was a Persian poet during the reign of

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 ...

. Later he became the wazir during

's reign. Khan died in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

in 1639 and was buried here at

.Havell, p.92 The tomb is built facing the city of

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

Architecture

The structure's architectural style is unusual because of the exotic architectural style and is unusually plain possessing a sultanate style unproportional dome. Due to the inclement weather, the various types of enamel colours have worn away from the tiles. In the facades, the builders used earthenware pots to reduce the weight of the concrete filling which was followed in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

and

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. The interior houses two graves (Afzal Khan and his wife) along with brightly painted walls and ceilings. It stands in the centre of a

Charbagh A ''charbagh'' or ''chaharbagh'' (; , , ) is a Persian gardens, Persian and Indo-Persian quadrilateral garden with a layout of four gardens traditionally separated by waterways, together representing the four gardens and rivers of Paradise, ...

styled garden overlooking the

Yamuna The Yamuna (; ) is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of Bandarpunch peaks of the Low ...

. Damaged yet intricate pietra dura inlay work at Chini Ka Rauza 05.JPG, Damaged yet intricate pietra dura inlay work at Chini Ka Rauza Interior of Chini Ka Rauza, Agra, India - October 2014.jpg, Interior view

References

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External links

Mughal tombs 1635 establishments in Asia Tourist attractions in Agra district Buildings and structures in Agra {{India-struct-stub

History

Architecture

See also

References

Notes

External links