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Five many years earlier than the Taj Mahal was constructed by Shah Jahan, it was Abdur Rahim Khan-e-Khanan — commander-in-chief of Akbar’s military, and a poet — who constructed a tomb in Delhi in reminiscence of his spouse Mah Banu. It was the primary Mughal tomb constructed for a girl. After his dying in 1627, Rahim was additionally buried beside his spouse, identical to Shah Jahan was within the Taj.
As Rahim Khan’s tomb was opened to the general public earlier this week after six years of restoration work — maybe the most important conservation mission ever undertaken for any monument of nationwide significance in India — comparisons with the Taj as one set foot inside have been inevitable. While the latter attained glory and turned essentially the most sought-after monument within the nation, Rahim’s tomb, which impressed the structure of the Taj, stood alone and pale from public reminiscence.
But in its state of shambles, it carries one other piece of historic trivia. The monument got here for use as a quarry within the 18th-19th Centuries — stones from right here have been plundered to assemble monuments elsewhere within the metropolis, such because the Safdarjung Tomb — leaving the construction at a threat of collapse. In reality, within the 1920s, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) supplied masonry assist to overhanging sandstone blocks on the facade, saving the construction from collapsing on itself.
In 2014, the InterGlobe Foundation got here on board with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) to assist the “conservation of Rahim’s mausoleum”. Intense discussions with the ASI led to the approval of a remaining conservation plan. “The monument was at risk of immediate collapse at the time,” stated Ratish Nanda, CEO of AKTC.
The bodily revival included repairs to main broken buildings within the inside and exterior of the mausoleum, its canopies, dome and facade. The panorama round Rahim’s tomb has additionally been restored to its unique slopes and top. “It was clear from the onset that conservation work will be coupled with research, publications, festivals on Rahim’s cultural legacy. So, a team was established to research Rahim’s cultural legacy — his poetry, writings, association with Bhakti poets and, of course, his prowess with the sword,” stated Nanda.
Over 3,000 particular person craftsmen, together with stone carvers, masons and lime plasterers, are estimated to have spent 1.75 lakh hours on this huge conservation effort.
But Nanda says supervision is important in conservation work, and at Rahim’s mausoleum, it was much more important because the intricate ornamentation wanted to be restored and the situation of the constructing required complicated underpinning of foundations and stitching of cracks.
The six years that adopted have been half obstacles, half discoveries. Even as AKTC needed to cowl your entire dome with marble and restore it to its unique glory, the ASI allowed solely partial marble cladding. The 11-member ASI core committee, chaired by then Additional Director General BR Mani, had mandated that solely 10 per cent of the dome could possibly be coated with marble, whereas the remaining needed to be left as it’s. Said Mani, “If the entire dome is covered with marble now, it may amount to retouching history.”
The journey additionally shed extra gentle on Rahim’s character — no two patterns or medallions have been alike. Just like his dohas, even on the mausoleum, he used Hindu motifs — demonstrating his important understanding of Hinduism. “Rahim’s persona as a hydraulic engineer — he had built the water supply system in Burhanpur — was demonstrated here as well, when we discovered a fountain that lifted water over 20 feet high (from the pool on the sandstone terrace of the mausoleum),” stated Nanda.
Also, texts revealed that the enclosed backyard wherein the mausoleum stood stretched all the way in which to the Humayun’s Tomb complicated, which is now misplaced eternally. Till now, the monument lacked a dignified entrance, which has now been moved alongside Mathura Road, to encourage extra guests. The entry ticket has been mounted at Rs 40 by ASI.
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