Tomb of Rahim Das: First Mughal Monument Built for A Woman

"रहिमन धागा प्रेम का, मत तोड़ो छिटकाय।

 टूटे से फिर न मिले, मिले गाँठ परिजाय॥"

"Rahim says don’t break the thread of love, once broken can’t be joined, even if joined, it will have a knot."

Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khanan was one of the Navratnas in Akbar's court and also was a General in Akbar’s military camp. Along with these Rahim was famous for his couplets. He was mastered in Hindustani, Persian, Braj, Arabic, Turkish, Sanskrit, and many more languages. 

 In 1598, in memory of his beloved wife, Rahim built a tomb next to Humayun's Tomb in the vicinity of the shrine of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya in Delhi. The Tomb of Mah Banu shows the importance of love in Rahim's life like his poems. The tomb is now known as Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khanan's Tomb but was originally built in the memory of his wife and he himself was buried here in 1627. Historians say it was the first Mughal monument built for a woman and the architectural innovation developed there “informed the designs of the Taj Mahal”.

It is said that In the 18th century, the marble and sandstone from this tomb were used in the construction of Safdarjung's Tomb.

In 2014 InterGlobe Foundation and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture started a project to conserve and restore the tomb. And in 2020, after six years of restoration, Rahim Khan's tomb was opened to the public. It is one of the largest conservation projects ever undertaken on any monument of national importance in India.

Photo Gallery: