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Khan-I-Khanan Tomb at Nizamuddin underwent a restoration process of three years and is now shining as a brand new monument. The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) along with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has been working on the refurbishment of the tomb since 2014.
The tomb is the final resting place of Abdur Rahim Khan, a prominent noble in the court of Mughal emperor Akbar, who died in 1627 AD. Rahim was one of the nine most important ministers in Akbar’s court who were known as the ‘Navratnas’.
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When the neighbouring Safdarjung’s Tomb was being built, marble and red sandstone from Rahim Khan-i-Khanan was used to establish it. The remaining marble withered away due to exposure.
Ratish Nanda, CEO of AKTC said that the stone carvers have spent three years in careful chiselling of heavy blocks that were brought from Rajasthan. Restoring the stone blocks to the base of the dome will provide additional structural stability to the monument.
Photo Credits: BCCL/ The marble cladding from Khan-i-khanan was used to build the Safdarjung Tomb
The monument comes under the purview of ASI and one of the officials told Indian Express that they wanted the monument to be left as it is since the heritage body is against restoration in principle and advocates only preservation. Therefore, they allowed only 10% marble cladding, which was completed last week.
BR Mani who is currently the Secretary General of Indian Archaeological Society (Delhi), said, “Historically, the marble from Rahim Khan’s tomb was used to build the Safdarjung Tomb. So, if the entire dome is covered with marble now, it may amount to retouching the history.” The entire project is expected to be completed by the end of 2019.
