Najaf Khan and his tomb, Delhi

"Hukumat-e-Shah Alam, Az Dilli te Palam"

"The rule of Shah Alam exists only from Dilli (Red Fort) to Palam (a suburban village then)"

– Popular saying deriding Shah Alam I's weak administration

Prince of an ousted dynasty, related to the ex-Emperor through a distant relationship, he was fleeing persecution and imprisonment in his native land and being given a terrible chase over dense forests and numerous plains by bloodthirsty soldiers and officers of his nemesis; accompanied by his close family and a few still loyal, travelling throughout the day and enforcing forced marches by night, he pressed on. The threat and fear of being tortured, and in all possibility executed, if caught permeated their thoughts and dreams, becoming a recurrent horrific nightmare and pervading their senses till they could think of nothing except escape from the sadist, cruel wolves in human form who were filled with unspeakable joy at the thought of punishing and killing them. Having long lost any understanding of what was happening, and with leaden feet and a terrible dread in their hearts, they ran for their lives – only to be caught.

Just when he had lost all hope and was giving himself to despair, Mirza Najaf Khan Baloch, the Safavid prince, was rescued from the prisons of Shah Nadir of Persia (Iran) by another of his distant relatives Saadat Khan, the Nawab of Awadh, who, on account of being the governor of one of the richest provinces in Mughal India, wielded considerable influence throughout the Indian subcontinent and also among several distant territories with whom the Mughals professed to trade and friendly relationship. The year was AD 1736 and three years later, the prince decided, inexplicably so, to shift residence to Awadh where his sister was married to a relation of the Nawab. In much detail have I recounted the entire tale of Saadat’s rapid rise and meteoric fall and his succession by his farsighted nephew and son-in-law Mirza Muqim Ali “Safdarjung” in an earlier blogpost that can be accessed here – Pixelated Memories - Safdarjung's Tomb Complex. Safdarjung, on ascending to a position of eminence in the court, immediately proceeded to strengthen himself – his influence was further enhanced by addition of numerous titles and command positions to his name by the grace of the fledgling emperor Muhammad Shah I (reigned AD 1719-48), but unsatisfied with the sluggish proceedings, he began on a policy of formidable military posturing by recruiting lethal soldiers and annexing the territories of smaller provinces flanking his own – the feeble emperor soon granted him the enviable position of “Wazir” (Prime Minister) and had Najaf Khan too employed in the Mughal army. But, Najaf had ambitions of his own, in his heart he knew that political intrigue was not his cup of tea and instead dreamt only of achieving an unparalleled skill in arms and a position of unmatched martial superiority further fortified by a massive standing army at his command. Before being hunted down in his own homeland, he had attained formidable training in horsemanship and developed an unmatched skill in the use of arms – now, given the reigns of a contingent of the Mughal forces, he diligently began to train soldiers into becoming lean fighting machines – it is claimed by historians that the toughened force that he trained was the supreme army of the land, equaled perhaps only by the European mercenaries – equipping his soldiers with modern weaponry and infusing them with determination and combat readiness through a backing of efficient organizational management and a superlative cavalry force, he embarked on creating a massive army that could withstand the rigors of prolonged battle as well the monotony of peace – at a time when the once almighty Mughal empire was falling apart and often in arrears with respect to its payments as a consequence of untamable governors expressing rebellion and an internal decay set in by a highly corrupt bureaucracy, he ensured that the soldiers were paid regularly and their training and upkeep of arms, armor and cavalry never suffered. The Mirza (*Mirza being a Mughal title, equivalent of a high-class gentleman) received his first setback in conflict not because of military unpreparedness, but political interference and lack of coordination between ally nobles and governors, resulting in a colossal defeat at the hands of the British East India “trading” Company at the Battle of Buxar (1764 AD) where his forces were irredeemably routed and his Emperor Shah Alam II (reigned AD 1759-1806) chased by the extremely advanced British forces, yet he sustained himself and his forces and continued to strengthen his hand in the background. The pathetic emperor, though able to retrieve the throne of Delhi for the Mughals once again with the help of the Hindu Marathas of central India, was reduced to a wretched supplicant cowering in terror and pleading for the lives of his family and subjects time and again by forces intent on raiding Delhi and its surroundings and plundering the riches and revenues of the land; filial royal rivalry, inexperienced generalship and scheming nobles continued to keep the army on its toes, rushing from one province to another to tackle the threat posed by overarching governors and terribly cruel warlords – appalling were the conditions and the empire seemed to be on the brink of collapse, when Mirza Najaf was decreed the Commander-in-Chief of all forces of Hindustan in 1772. Still hurting from the overwhelming defeat at Buxar, but by now possessing an immensely resolute infantry armed with artillery that was colossal in terms of the damage it inflicted and a reformed cavalry regarded with fear and despair by the enemy, Najaf Khan began the seemingly impossible task of setting the crumbling house in order despite the fact that large segments of the empire were breaking apart with an irrepressible regularity and new foes, in the form of extremely well-trained and unwavering European colonists and mercenaries, were making headway into the subcontinent.

Pristine - Mirza Najaf Khan's simplistic mausoleum

The first task that the valiant Mirza undertook on becoming the Commander-in-Chief was to expel the Rohilla Afghans of western Uttar Pradesh, who had become the regents of the feeble Mughal emperor Shah Alam, from Delhi – he was able to fulfill his mission in 1773 and from then on the emperor placed a blind conviction in his qualifications and administrative capabilities; even the hardliners were won to his side through his courteous manners and conciliatory tone, and he immediately began to grant his unremitting attention to the business of warfare and territorial preservation of the Mughal sovereignty. The revenue of several districts to the north and west of Delhi was assigned to him for raising the cost to assemble an excellent and gallant army which he built by availing the services of tenacious Persian and Turkish Muslim cavalry officers (“Mughalia”) and also by raising a contingent of extraordinarily skilled and fearless European mercenaries for his own personal guard; besides he stationed some of his trusted lieutenants – Mirza Najaf Quli Khan, Niyaz Beg, Muhammad Beg Hamadani and Afrasiyab Khan (the first and the last adoringly referred to by him as his adopted sons) – to develop into strongholds the territories granted by the emperor.

Shortly following the consolidation of his forces, Najaf Khan and his men were called to defend the capital against the Marathas, once allies in the war against Rohillas but since antagonized by supposed betrayal on the part of the emperor over the non-payment of war damages and grant of territories and revenues to their supreme leaders (“Sardars”); the emperor on his part felt that the Marathas had cornered the entire treasure, including cash, gold, elephants and horses, plundered from the Rohilla fortresses, and though Najaf Khan’s armies were still unprepared and untrained for decisive battle, he agreed to go to war rather than capitulate to the Marathas’ exorbitant conditions – the untrained soldiers proved highly ignorant and unmanageable, and wavered in the face of a colossal enemy that outnumbered them one to five, the consequence was large-scale butchering and maiming; but more than the enemy’s merciless and menacing advance, Najaf suffered on account of miserable carelessness on the part of Mughal artillery leading to explosion of huge powder chests and death of over four hundred soldiers and also because of backstabbing by other Mughal high officials, including the Wazir (“Prime Minister”) Husam-ud-Daulah who instead of supporting Najaf’s rear guard indulged in pillage and arson of their own camps with the Maratha soldiers! Najaf Khan’s nephew Mirza Ahsan was mortally wounded by cannon fire and died shortly. After plunder and pillage, the Marathas, numerically superior but lacking foresighted generalship, retreated with chest loads of treasure besides elephants, horses and other spoils. The hopeless emperor failed to punish the turncoat officials and immediately sued for peace with the Marathas, consenting to grant all their excessive demands along with crippling war levies – Husam-ud-Daulah bribed the Marathas, who were already terrified by Najaf Khan’s fighting ability and solid generalship, to demand the disbanding of his army and his dismissal and banishment from the capital, however, portending threat to their lord-commander, the Mughalia mercenaries immediately took up defensive positions outside Najaf Khan’s house – feeling betrayed, Najaf Khan audaciously defied the combined Mughal-Maratha authority and challenged them to expel him from the city; but sensing perilous conflict for his steadfast men and considering that he had no support except for his armed contingents nor allies and territories to financially support him in case of a gory war, he decided to surrender and accepted pension from the government and further agreed to the condition that he shall lead the forces in future conflicts as and when required by the administration – but he had no intention of doing so and had his soldiers abandon Maratha battalions in the thick of the soon convened war against Shuja-ud-Daulah, Nawab of Awadh and his kinsman – after the Marathas irreparably failed against the Awadh artillery backed by English commanders, Najaf Khan was dismissed along with his soldiers, though, to the dismay of Maratha command, after being paid in entirety and with much honor. His position was vindicated by the Maratha loss and he was asked to report to Delhi by the Mughal emperor, whereas Husam-ud-Daulah and the Marathas were chastised and disgraced for their abject failures on both the battle and diplomatic fronts – Najaf Khan had his own men deployed in the court, including his follower “Bahram Jang” Nawab Majid-ud-Daulah Abdul Ahad Khan as Wazir in place of Husam-ud-Daulah who was imprisoned and released only after rendering an account of state spending under his administration and forfeiting all his property and revenues to the emperor and Najaf Khan (his followers were not so lucky and were executed by various terrible methods after being imprisoned and subjected to horrific tortures for several months). 

The ruins of the gateway, as seen from within. Thankfully, the ASI has maintained the area remarkably well and there was a guard and numerous gardeners on duty.

Najaf Khan soon raised anew an army of excellent and devoted soldiers exceeding twenty thousand in number, and the next course of action where he proved himself to be foremost in valor and strategizing was subduing the Jats of Bharatpur (Haryana) through a protracted war – the latter had defeated Mughal governors at the gates of Delhi several times and even forced entire garrisons out of captured areas; their recently deceased leader Surajmal had, in supreme defiance of imperial authority, built a mud fort at Maidangarhi (near Mehrauli, Delhi's south-eastern frontier), only thirteen miles from the Mughal citadel at Red Fort (refer Pixelated Memories - Red Fort); they had even proceeded to capture, plunder and reduce to only a skeleton of its original glory the province of Agra, erstwhile capital and an important garrison town, which according to an assurance issued by the emperor was to be added to Najaf’s fiefs once he re-conquered it from the Jats. Resisting further territorial occupation by them and suppressing the inefficient smaller chieftains of Gurgaon, Rewari and Jhajjar through his vastly superior army equipped with copious supply of canons, artillery, rockets and muskets, before proceeding further to Ballabhgarh and Narnaul, Najaf Khan took to subjugation of the rebel state through terrorizing them by plundering their fields, butchering men and animals alike and levying heavy tributes – such was the terror of his forces and the unmitigated demoralization of the Jat soldiers that entire contingents of the latter abandoned camp and fled in panic when they noticed dust storms on the horizon, lest they be the his advancing columns. Mirza Najaf Quli Khan, the battle-hardened lieutenant, led a series of assaults and raids while Mirza Najaf Khan kept turning on the heat of battle on the Jats, till in the end they were pushed back to their frontiers and he established a weak regency kingdom that dared not come out against the empire while he lived (though he himself was mortally wounded by a spear thrust in the last of the major battles). The poor general however had such an everlasting dearth when it came to friendship and loyality that when he was away defeating the emperor’s enemies in Jat territories, Abdul Ahad Khan, whom he had raised from the rank of a mere courtier to the position of Wazir, began poisoning the emperor’s mind against his beneficiary, invoking the bogey of Najaf Khan’s religious practices arising from his Shia faith (for a primer, refer Pixelated Memories - Safdarjung's Tomb Complex), and also his camaraderie with his kinsman Shuja-ud-Daulah and their combined fomenting of a Shia uprising against the emperor. The Emperor ordered Najaf Khan to reduce his army’s strength so that he couldn’t pose a threat to the imperial guard, and also to surrender the spoils of the war including the fortress of Agra, but apart from this there wasn’t much that Abdul Ahad could have enforced on the invincible general, despite being authorized by the Emperor to do so, since no official or commander was a match for Najaf Khan’s ruthless strategizing in battle or his highly advanced war machinery. Abdul Ahad had to be content with fomenting occasional Sikh and Rohilla skirmishes to harass the undeterred Mirza, who simply brushed them aside with contempt as if they posed no more threat to him than a cluster of flies. Though now sick and often bedridden, the Mirza gathered his armies and mercenary forces and travelled once more to the Jat territories to conquer those territories that had resolutely remained independent and refractory during his last march – he conducted himself with admirable composure and gallantry, capturing Jat territories and most importantly, the well-fortified and nobly defended fortress of Dig, despite often being subdued by sickness and news of political vendetta against him by opposition nobles at the court – the soldiers adored him and found it difficult to believe that the boy once chased out of his native place by his enemies could rise so high to become the scourge of such powerful and affluent kingdoms. By enforcing overwhelming sieges and crippling blockades, Najaf Khan reduced the entire Jat country to subjugation, but before he could proceed any further he received news of the wretched Ahad Khan’s nefarious planning – the Wazir had vengefully turned on the Rohilla leader Zabita Khan, who was once in connivance with him against Najaf Khan, and war was declared again on the confused and terror-stricken Rohillas in AD 1776, for the purpose of which Najaf Khan was ordered to return to Delhi and take command of the army besides the office of paymaster (“Mir-Bakshi”) which he anyway executed, even though so far Zabita Khan held the coveted position nominally. 

A Mughal cavalryman, the likes of whom Mirza Najaf would have trained (Oil painting by Edwin Lord Weeks, Photo courtesy - Columbia.edu)

Emboldened by the presence of Sikh mercenaries in their midst, the difficulties faced by Mughal army struck in trenches and surrounded by marshes in the rainy season and the absolutely worthless command of Ahad Khan who harshly condemned and opposed every strategy devised by Mirza Najaf Khan, the Rohillas gave strong opposition to the invading forces till in the end Najaf Khan set the ball rolling their way by assembling his forces and calling all the lieutenants from their territories and declaring war on his own initiative against the Rohiilas. Much delayed by the rains, harassed by the incessant Sikh raids and tired of constant bickering of the court officials and the Wazir, Najaf Khan decided to himself enter the battlefield and at the very outset bought off undisciplined Rohilla allies or terrorized them away be threat of annexation of their kingdoms – he wreaked havoc in the desperate enemy lines and proceeded to punish and scatter them, regardless of his own losses, till in the end, the treasonous Rohilla resistance was crushed (1777) and, Zabita Khan’s family arrested and escorted to Delhi under armed guard; in fact, under duress, Zabita Khan was forced to marry his sister and daughter to Najaf Khan and Najaf Quli Khan respectively before being ejected from Delhi and its political affairs. More about the fate of the Rohillas can be read here – Pixelated Memories - Rohilla War Memorial, Calcutta. While the Mirza was busy defending the empire against potential adversaries, his own enemies held sway in the court and continued to plot and prepare for his downfall; however following the ascension of Sikhs and their increased clout in Haryana, Najaf Khan swiftly moved in to consolidate his power by restoring the Sikh territories back to Mughal administration (thereby gaining further trust and the position of “Wakil-i-Mutlaq” (Vicegerent) from the emperor) and arresting Wazir Abdul Ahad Khan, his primary enemy, on the charges of colluding with the enemy, corruption and securing garrison command positions for his undeserving relatives throughout Haryana and Punjab instead of checking the perilous rise of the Sikh warlords. Coveting further victory, Mirza Najaf continued to bring Sikh kingdoms under Mughal governance one after the other, either through sieges and negotiations, or through a chastising policy of punishment, assassinations and plunder; in an instance of brilliant statesmanship, he had Zabita Khan pardoned and his family and estates restored in order to set a Rohilla buffer state against the Sikhs.

The decorated protrusion along the mausoleum's front face. Notice the graceful use of minimalistic ornamentation.

Ironically, when Mirza Najaf Khan, the most influential commander of the later Mughals and a doggedly incorruptible officer, passed away in 1782 AD after a brief illness, he was buried in one of the simplest tombs that Delhi had ever seen – it isn’t known who commissioned the tomb, but it is considerately located close to the Karbala area (present-day Jorbagh) that has been venerated by the Shia population of the city as hallowed by the presence of Qadam Sharif, the shrine holding as sacred relic a footprint of Hazrat Ali, the son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad; also constructed in close vicinity a few years before Mirza Najaf’s death was the magnificent tomb of his brother-in-law Safdarjung while in 1820 AD the Mirza’s daughter Fatima too was laid to rest next to him. The Mughal army, pressurized by rebel governors and made hollow by corrupt commanders, collapsed soon after the Mirza’s unfortunate demise, especially after the Emperor restored Abdul Ahad to his position of Wazir and the latter reduced the army’s dimensions from 20,000 to 5,000 – Sikhs overran Delhi the very next year following Mirza Najaf’s death and the emperor himself became a worthless and nominal monarch whose writ did not extend much beyond his fortress’ frontiers – the royal family was tortured and executed, and the emperor blinded by the Rohilla warlord Ghulam Qadir Khan, following which the Mughal administration came under purview of Maratha dominance (AD 1788). In the face of extreme opposition from enemy nobles in the Mughal court as well as an exceedingly brainwashed Emperor, and repeated skirmishes from the Maratha infantry, Mirza Najaf Quli Khan rebelled and continued, till his demise in 1791, to hold the territories in Haryana that were established into a stronghold by Mirza Najaf Khan during the Jat subjugation; the territories were further sustained by Mirza Najaf Quli’s widow till her demise in 1792 AD following which they lapsed into the Maratha confederacy’s territories. 

The splendor of the Mughal court greatly decreased from 18th century onwards as a consequence of numerous defeats administered by invading forces and court rivalries and intrigues. Oil painting by Edwin Lord Weeks. On the right side is the beautiful Jama Masjid that Shahjahan built. (Photo courtesy - Wikipedia.org)

Consisting of a squat and extremely simplistic square enclosure boasting of octagonal bastions at the corners, the mighty general’s mausoleum is more of a memorial than a grand structure – the red sandstone walls are unadorned except for a set of ornamental stone panels, each bearing minimalistic floral motifs and flowing arches, affixed to the projected embossment that runs along the front face of the tomb – the embossment itself is flanked on the corners by decorative pillars and staircases leading to the low roof where a raised projection marks the position of graves underneath. The two entrances leading within the tomb to the actual graves, along the side facing the gateway and its opposite, yawn dark and deep but remain barred by means of grilles installed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Apart from these minor details, the tomb bears no other adornment except an extremely thin strip of sandstone molding (more prominently detailed over the bastions than on the sides) along the roof and shallow alcoves, identical in form and configuration of the entrances, on the sides not possessing an entrance. The gateway to the tomb complex, a slender double-storied structure with wide kanguras (battlement-like ornamentation), is desolately ruined – only a small end portion of it survives now and it is difficult to ascertain whether the space it enclosed was square or arched in nature. A dilapidated staircase that would have led up to the enclosure (“kotla”) walls can still be seen along the gateway's side facing the tomb gardens, while parallel to it on the opposite side only the thick rubble base  now remains of an identical staircase. The remains of the gateway have long ceased to display the plasterwork that once would have draped them and exhibit their bare rubble and Mughal-era Lakhori brick framework – nonetheless, they are better-off than the tomb complex’s enclosure walls which are, if not ruined, then defaced with graffiti or lined with heaps of garbage and construction debris – it is said that originally there was a gateway on each side of the square enclosure but now only the one survives. The lawns around the tomb are remarkably well-maintained – designed according to Mughal charbagh style of garden plantation where a square lawn is divided into smaller quadrants by walkways/waterways (only the former here), the lawns are planted with lush trees and rows upon rows of plants bearing colorful and fragrant flowers – to the credit of the cool, beautiful grass-carpeted lawns, the tomb complex has become the playground for local children and a public park for the aged desiring a brisk walk or school kids of the surrounding areas wishing for a short stopover before heading home at the end of the day – ASI recently identified the complex, on account of it drawing numerous visitors on a daily basis, for addition of a ticketing facility – I wonder how many of these visitors would come to visit Najaf Khan then. Of course, even now, those who visit seldom know anything about this forgotten officer whose tumultuous life could have been the theme for a dramatic Bollywood flick if only it was well known, researched or remembered. 

The adornment panels affixed on the front face embossment. It has been contended that the tomb was to be built further and could never be completed, perhaps due to the collapse of Mughal administration and the spread of anarchy soon after the Najaf's death.

Location: Jorbagh (Coordinates: 28°34'51.4"N 77°12'48.9"E)

Open: Sunrise to sunset

Nearest Metro Station: Jorbagh

Nearest Bus stop: Safdarjung Airport

How to reach: Walk from the metro station/bus stop - the distance is less than a kilometer in either case.

Entrance fees: Nil

Photography/Video charges: Nil

Time required for sightseeing: 30 min

Relevant Links - 

1. Pixelated Memories - Jama Masjid
2. Pixelated Memories - Red Fort
3. Pixelated Memories - Rohilla War Memorial, Calcutta
4. Pixelated Memories - Safdarjung's Tomb Complex

Suggested reading - 

1. Dsal.uchicago.edu - Agra (Imperial Gazetteer of India)
2. Google books - "Fall Of Mughal Empire Volume 3" by Jadunath Sarkar
3. Google books - "Mahrattas, Sikhs and Southern Sultans of India: Their fight against foreign power" by H.S. Bhatia
4. Jatland.com - History of Bharatpur/Chapter II
5. Timesofindia.indiatimes.com - Article "CAG hauls up ASI for locking up heritage" (dated Aug 26, 2013) by Richi Verma
6. Wikipedia.org - Baghel Singh
7. Wikipedia.org - Battle of Buxar (1764)
8. Wikipedia.org - Mughal Army
9. Wikipedia.org - Shah Alam II

Quli Khan's Tomb, New Delhi

History is a strange subject – it deals with myriads of personalities, millions of events & thousands of ifs. Shades of grey intersperse its extremes time & again – there is no such thing as a good or bad person, the only thing that matters to history is perspective & outcome. Such is the fickle nature of history & historians that often a powerful character is lost in the reams of pages, other times even a minor character is exposed to the scrutiny of the future generations due to the flick of a single action or event. There is perhaps not an iota of doubt that Mohammad Quli Khan, the subject of this article, perhaps never did anything that warranted his exclusion from the layers of history – he was not your ordinary guy next door, but a powerful general in the army of the Mughal emperor Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (ruled AD 1556-1605), at one time his powers must have been vast considering he was the foster brother of the emperor himself. & yet, nobody knows who our hero was, what his capabilities & achievements were, if he ever fought in any major battle to win territories for the emperor, if he ever vanquished the enemies of the land or if he was a beloved of the people. On the outset of this article, one can also debate if he passed on to the dark side & was corrupted by power, if the people disliked him & wanted him dislodged from his position of authority. We do not know that either. Did he fall out with the emperor & the latter had him killed?? After all, history does remember his blood brother Adham Khan, that powerful general whose very name brought terror to the hearts of his enemies, who brought rape & plunder to the territories he was asked to subdue,& who was finally brought to his end by the orders of the very emperor he had grown up with & pledged his unflinching loyalty to.

Growing up as a child, Akbar did not stay much with his father Emperor Humayun (ruled AD 1530-40 & 1555-56). Humayun was defeated by the armies led by the Afghan warlord & Governor of Bihar Sher Shah Suri in AD 1540. As a precaution against future complications, Sher Shah chased Humayun out of the country & the latter was forced to seek asylum with Shah Tahmasp, the Sultan of Persia. During this period, Akbar was raised by his wet nurses Jiji Anga & Maham Anga – the two brought him up like their own child, Jiji’s husband Atgah Khan became a second father to the young prince, Maham Anga’s sons Adham & Quli became Akbar’s playmates & brothers. In 1555, Humayun returned to India assisted by the Persian forces & displaced Sikandar Suri, the last of the Sur Dynasty rulers & the then emperor of India. Humayun passed away a year later as a result of injuries suffered in a fall & the young prince was crowned emperor at the tender age of 14. He elevated Quli Khan, Adham Khan & Atgah Khan to the position of army generals & they rose further on account of their unflinching loyalty to the empire & battle worthiness.

Mohammad Quli Khan's Tomb

Sadly, there are no records to tell us anything about Mohammad Quli Khan. His mere existence would have been lost to the tricks of history were it not for one single structure that refuses to cease to exist almost 400 years after his death – his tomb, built somewhere in early 17th century. The structure, relegated to a pristine, forgotten corner of Mehrauli Archaeological Park, is one of the most stunning tombs in the entire city of Delhi. Its magnificence is matched only by its seclusion, its brilliant stucco work & vibrantly-colored tiles that could have been the treat of the city hide their secrets well. The tomb, part of a larger complex, is built in a splendid manner with great effort having been taken for landscaping – it stands on a high plinth while the entire complex is built in a multi-layered manner, the lowest level being that of the Archaeological Park where it shares space with scores of other tombs & mosques, including that of the mighty emperor Ghiyasuddin Balban & the mystic Sufis Jamali & Kamali. It is not known who built the tomb – it could have been commissioned by Quli Khan himself, or emperor Akbar (provided Quli died before Akbar’s demise in AD 1605) or his successor Jahangir (ruled AD 1605-28), or even by his mother Maham Anga who possessed great power & command on account of being a second mother to the emperor.

As one follows the trail within the Archaeological Park & traces one’s steps towards Quli Khan’s tomb, one reaches the first level of the complex which is defined by a raised path snaking its way through dense vegetation, the stone margins that flank it interrupted b hexagonal bastions at regular intervals. One comes across a small irregular structure, built in such a manner that it looks as if several rectangular boxes of different sizes are stacked against each other – this is the entrance to the tomb complex that was added by Sir Thomas Metcalfe, a British officer of Scottish descent who acted as the British Agent (negotiator) at the court of the Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah “Zafar” II from 1835-53 & had bought the entire complex from the emperor, had it remodeled & converted into his country estate for use during the monsoon season & christened “Dilkhusha” (“Delighter of the heart”). It has often been claimed that Metcalfe removed Quli’s sarcophagus from the tomb & had it replaced by a billiards table, but it can be dismissed as a myth & an exaggeration of the amount of change that Metcalfe wreaked on the tomb complex – in all probability, Quli was buried deep underneath his tomb’s central chamber. Metcalfe did of course make several additions to the octagonal tomb & its surroundings – large cells (annexes) were built on two of its sides to accommodate him & his guests (it is said that he rented the place to honeymooning British & Anglo-Indian couples, what did they feel like sharing their “honeymoon suite” with a dead general??), he had canals dug around the complex & a Lodi-era dove coat near the above mentioned entrance to the estate was converted into a boat house, servants were hired for the upkeep of the place, a large stable was built close to a large rubble wall that is said to be the original boundary of Lal Kot/Qila Rai Pithora (the original citadel of Delhi) on the other side of the tomb. & then there are the most impressive additions that Metcalfe did to Mehrauli landscape – his quintessential ziggurats (stepped pyramids) & chattris (large hemispherical domes surmounted on thin pillars) where he would sit for hours & adore the towering Qutb Minar in the background. The reason usually given to explain Metcalfe’s refurbishing this tomb is not so exciting & romantic however – he wanted to keep an eye on Zafar when he visited his summer palace Zafar Mahal nearby. I have previously written posts about another of Metcalfe’s chattris that graces a small hillock opposite the Jamali – Kamali Complex & his ziggurats which you can access from here – Pixelated Memories - Metcalfe's Chattri & Pixelated Memories - Metcalfe's Ziggurats.

Metcalfe's Chattri (foreground), Quli Khan's Tomb & Azim Khan's Tomb (right side, background)

The entrance Metcalfe built now opens up to a large compound so thickly covered with vegetation that you almost expect a dinosaur to jump out from amongst the trees, little blue flowers sparkle with the rain drops that just fell, green grass beckons a visitor to come lie in its soft embrace, a few puppies loiter around with not a care for the world. The places is beautiful, so are the ladybugs that come flying out of nowhere & land suddenly on dead logs waiting to decay & mix with the dark wet soil, & so too are the white flowers that have sprung up in the bosom of shadows & in the thick of decay to prove that life always finds a way. The boat house is medium-sized & composed of two concentric cylindrical structures – the outer one is slightly shorter in height & consists of several arched entrances & small square holes on its inside surface to house pigeons, the inner cylinder has square entrances & square alcoves built into its walls – the only thing common to the two is the scribbling that they have been subjected to, apparently some youngsters decided to celebrate the birthday of the singer Bohemia & release of Akon’s new album here. It’s a pity that a singer today has become more important than our country’s architectural heritage dating back several centuries. The streams & canals that Metcalfe built are gone now, buried under layers of earth & overgrown with vegetation. In fact, it comes as a surprise now that this boat house was used for the purpose of keeping boats & swimming – the area is totally landlocked & it is a bit difficult to imagine that at one point in time, someone could have swum here!!

The first level & the abundant vegetation around it

Up the staircase that leads to the tomb, the strikingly peaceful & enchanting tomb comes as a surprise, it stands in a sprawling open ground, once a garden but now covered with dry grass & wild bushes. College kids were practicing a play they are supposed to enact in their college’s drama event next to the tomb’s entrance, on the expanse next to the tomb another group of local kids were busy at a game of cricket with stone blocks as wickets. The tomb stands on a high plinth & its yellowish walls seem inviting enough. Each side of the tomb is inset with an arched niche, alternate sides have an entrance built into the niche. Exquisite bands of calligraphy border the niche, the medallions are either inscribed with Quranic calligraphy or floral patterns, the entrances are surrounded by a profuse tile work in blue & yellow, while the non-entrance niches are surrounded by intricate stucco work mirroring complex floral patterns. Both the roof of the tomb & the drum (base) of the dome is ornamented with a row of kanguras (leaf-motif supposed to look like battlements but purely for ornamental purpose). The dome is topped by a lotus finial which is surmounted by a lightning conductor that looks more like a cracker rocket & lends a unique character to the entire structure. The tomb has been recently restored as part of the run up to Commonwealth Games 2010 which were hosted in Delhi, it is stunning enough to blow one away, its seclusion & quiet charm guarantees to impress one into believing that this is one of the most charming, if not the most charming, tomb in Delhi. In fact, this is one of those few structures where words failed me in describing the wonderful monument that now stood in front of me. As part of the tomb’s restoration, most of the additions made by Metcalfe were removed, ruins of a single arched chamber stands next to the structure now, perhaps to give an estimate of what the tomb looked like with the additions. Metcalfe was so impressed with the structure & the surroundings that he wanted his daughter Emily to come stay with him here & had built a room for her too. It is said that one of the extensions was furnished with cupboards & housed Metcalfe’s personal library. During the 40 years he spent in Delhi (“Dehlie” as he would have called the city), he preferred to spend most of his time here. Sadly, most of the treasures housed here were either moved to other places following Metcalfe’s death in 1853 (apparently as a result of being poisoned by Zafar’s senior queen Zeenat Mahal) or were lost in the revolt of 1857 (were Metcalfe alive in 1857, he would have been heartbroken at the plight of his beloved city). After the British takeover of Delhi, Mehrauli was relegated to the background & this whole area, teeming with medieval tombs, mosques & baolis (stepped wells), was reclaimed by nature & dense vegetation & only a monument or two that would bob up from amidst the tree cover were spared the ignonimous fate of being lost & forgotten. It is only recently that the presence of so many of these structures came to light, & as the present condition of the park illustrates – most of the structures are still in different stages of excavation & conservation. Quli Khan’s Tomb is no exception. From close to the ruins of Metcalfe’s additions, one can climb down a flight of stairs to reach the lower levels where a few chambers exist, but these have been barred & locked with iron grilles, rightly so to keep out vandals & inebriated fellows in this mostly lawless park complex.

The tomb & the ruins of Metcalfe's annexes - View from Metcalfe's stable

Towards the top on the inside, the corners of the octagonal structure are lopped off to convert it into a sixteen-sided structure on which the dome rests. The base of the dome is marked by arched niches, all decorated in brilliant blue & red paint work that guarantees to dazzle visitors. Similar art work is used to embellish the arched windows, the recessed corners & the roof too, though much of the central artwork on the dome is now gone & only the medallions remain. Pigeons flutter about in the place, the whole structure resonating with their coos which are magnified several times by the silence the place affords.

The profuse paint work inside the tomb

A quick run around the complex promises to yield even more treasures, photographing the chattri against the tomb or the Qutb Minar that never seems to take its eyes off you is exhilarating. So is chasing butterflies in the large complex in a bid to photograph them. Through the vegetation, one can see Azim Khan’s Tomb peeping down from the high hill it sits upon (refer Pixelated Memories - Azim Khan's Tomb). Azim was apparently the guy who helped Akbar defeat & subdue Quli’s brother Adham after the latter went on a rampage in Malwa, the kingdom in central India that he besieged & conquered on Akbar’s orders. Sadly, contemporary documents are also silent on Azim’s history & credentials – why is that Adham, who was corrupted by power still finds mention in history books, but the (apparently) good guys Quli & Azim are forgotten?? That’s a question that would always haunt visitors to the tomb of Quli Khan.

Once a Lodhi dove coat, then Metcalfe's boat house, now its just another set of graffiti-covered ruin

Next I headed to the stable where Metcalfe housed his prized horses, a large rectangular structure complete with arched entrances & divided into inner & outer chambers. There is a small tank towards the back which too was once perhaps used for swimming purposes, given the presence of stairs leading down near one of its corners. Another set of stairs close by (beware of the cobwebs) lead up to the upper levels of the stable from where one can have an unhindered view of Quli’s Tomb as well as look at visitors going past Smith’s cupola or the small wall mosque in the Qutb Complex next door that is separated by just a rubble wall. The Alai Darwaza appears quashed from this point, the Qutb Minar seems even thicker & mightier, one begins to appreciate the proportions & design of the wall mosque. From here, you can also see the tank behind the stable which was perhaps once filled by Metcalfe’s retinue of servants for his horses. They must have thought their boss (“Matka” as they pronounced his name) was mad to live next to ruins & tombs while his spatial mansion in Old Delhi’s Civil Lines area gathered dust (The city house is now under the auspices of the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) & remains out of bounds for visitors).

Metcalfe's stable

After the more famous structures, you can have a peek at the Lal Kot wall & be amazed by the fact that it has been standing here for more than a thousand years, watching dynasties come & go, contemplating upon the development of newer & finer techniques of art & architecture, observing humans at close & feeling them betray their kindness & barbarianism by turns. A small gap in the corner where the wall comes in contact with the enclosing wall of the Qutb Complex (built recently, but made to look like the older wall) is from where you can cross over to the outside of the Archaeological Park & observe modern settlements coming up close by. One wonders if these settlements too would encroach upon these lands & destroy these wall fragments & tombs like it has been done elsewhere in Delhi, most notably the destruction of the fortress of Siri to make way for newer cities to come up (refer Pixelated Memories - Siri Fort Remains). Close by, another gap in the complex wall leads one out on a cemented road that is flanked by a small dump yard. There are a few structures standing here too – a bastion that could be an addition to the original Lal Kot wall at a much later stage, a large trapezoid gateway with thick tapering walls & arched openings on all its sides, thick lamp posts that were definitely added by Metcalfe given their odd shapes & apparently ornamental function. Trucks & tractors make a beeline for this extended compound, dumping & carrying away debris & construction material at regular intervals, the juice cartons, polythene bags, water bottles & potato chips wrappers come as a bit of a shock since very few tourists, if any, would come in this corner of the complex. Does this mean that the Govt. agencies in-charge of the adjoining Qutb Complex, a World Heritage Site, are responsible for this mess (refer Pixelated Memories - Qutb Complex)?? Thankfully, residents of the area around the park have taken it upon themselves to keep the park clean & free from encroachments – a daunting task given that the complex is almost 100 acres with numerous entry & exit points, an open drain running through it & the amount of waste that is being generated & dumped here is humongous. But then they say, a spark is all that is needed!!

An ornamental lamp post, in all probability built by Metcalfe

In case you are interested, you can pay a visit to the tomb where Quli Khan’s brother Adham Khan & mother Maham Anga were laid to rest by emperor Akbar. It stands close to the bus terminus, in another part of Mehrauli but very close to the Archaeological Park & can be reached by flagging down a bus or an auto going to the bus terminus & asking your way to Bhool Bhulaiya (as it is locally called). Adham’s Tomb is not as eye-opening as Quli’s Tomb considering the emperor was pissed at him for having murdered Atgah Khan in a fit of rage & jealousy & had him thrown off the ramparts of his fortress in Agra. One can also visit the Old Fort of Delhi which was the citadel of Akbar’s father Humayun & where Maham Anga commissioned one of the most magnificent mosques of Delhi, Khair-ul-Manazil (refer Pixelated Memories - Khair-ul-Manazil Mosque). The whole family’s history could be traced through the streets of Delhi, wish the books were not so silent on Quli’s life & times!!

Fluttering around

Location: Mehrauli Archaeological Park
Open: All days, Sunrise to Sunset
Nearest Metro Station: Saket
Entrance Fee: Nil
Photography/Video charges: Nil
How to Reach: After getting down at Saket Station, one can walk to Lado Serai Bus Stop. Buses are available from different parts of the city for Mehrauli & one can alight from the bus at Lado Serai stop itself. The Lado Serai stop is situated at a crossroad & at one side, one can see a large domed-structure seated on a high hill (Azim Khan’s Tomb) rising high behind the trees & the traffic. Walking towards this structure, one comes to a recreational park called Ahinsa Sthal (“Abode of Non-Violence”), marked with a large signboard (or simply ask for Ahinsa Sthal from the locals & shopkeepers, check if they are aware of its location - they weren’t when I visited the area in December 2012). The unmarked entrance to Mehrauli Archaeological Park is through an iron gate opposite the Ahinsa Sthal, a few metres back in the direction of the bus stop.
Time required for sightseeing: About 1 hr
Note – There are no facilities (toilets, food & drinking water) available within the Archaeological Park. While you can avail food & refreshments at one of the restaurants at Lado Serai, you can only find toilets at the shopping malls close to Saket Metro Station, almost a kilometer away.
Relevant Links -

1. Pixelated Memories - Ahinsa Sthal
2. Pixelated Memories - Alai Darwaza
3. Pixelated Memories - Azim Khan's Tomb
4. Pixelated Memories - Balban's Tomb
5. Pixelated Memories - Jamali Kamali Complex
6. Pixelated Memories - Khair-ul-Manazil Mosque
7. Pixelated Memories - Metcalfe's Chattri
8. Pixelated Memories - Metcalfe's Ziggurats
9. Pixelated Memories - Old Fort
10. Pixelated Memories - Qutb Complex
11. Pixelated Memories - Qutb Minar
12. Pixelated Memories - Siri Fort Remains

Azim Khan's Tomb, New Delhi

Though no one is exactly sure who Azim Khan was, most historians conjecture that he was a general in the army of Mughal emperor Akbar (ruled AD 1556-1605). Historical accounts state that when Akbar’s valiant generals were leading his mighty armies to annex small kingdoms along the fringes of the great Mughal empire in order to further his expansionist policies, his foster brother & powerful general Adham Khan was busy satiating his own blood lust & carnal desires - he would enslave the women in the lands he captured for the Emperor & add them to his harem. His terrifying reputation preceded him - women in the conquered kingdoms preferred to commit suicide rather than face him. The kingdom of Malwa (Central India) had gained independence during the reign of Akbar's father, Emperor Humayun (ruled AD 1530-40 & 55-56). In 1561 AD, Akbar decided Malwa had enjoyed sovereignty for too long & decided to subdue it. He sent a large army led jointly by Adham Khan & General Pir Muhammad - Adham Khan invaded the kingdom under Akbar's banner but sullied the victory by refusing to send the spoils of the war to the emperor. He fell in love with Queen Roopmati, the wife of Baz Bahadur (literally “Brave Hawk”), the defeated king of Malwa. Baz Bahadur was defeated & fled the battle scene, but before Adham Khan could touch the queen, she committed suicide by jumping into a pyre (“Jauhar”). Adham Khan, in all his fury & in mood for vengeance, unleashed a pogrom - the historian Badauni who had accompanied the army to Malwa noted that the undisciplined soldiers displayed ruthlessness of an extreme order by killing captive enemy soldiers along with their wives & children - not even the Saiyyids (claiming descent from Prophet Muhammad) who had welcomed the Muslim armies were spared but burnt alive along with their holy books. Enraged, emperor Akbar himself decided to proceed to Malwa to subdue Adham Khan. This is where the lines between history & conjecture begin to blur - belief is that the emperor's massive force was led by none other than Azim Khan, the protagonist of our story. Adham was defeated, his powers curtailed for a period of time & he was ordered not to lead any military campaigns in the near future. However, strangely, most historical records & contemporary accounts are silent about the valour & the feats of Azim Khan. Following the victory, Azim was crowned with the title of “Akbar” (meaning magnificent) & rewarded by the emperor. Interestingly enough, Azim also means “the magnificent one”, & I am not sure how he prefixed his name with this new title. “The magnificent among magnificent, most magnificent one”??

The Tomb of the "Most Magnificent One"

It is said that the Sufi Saint Salim Chishti met Emperor Akbar at a hill in the city of Agra & told him that if he prayed with true faith, the saint himself would come & stand next to him to ask God to grant the Emperor's wishes. Akbar's wives were finding it difficult to conceive & when a son was born to him, he considered it a blessing by the saint & named his newborn Salim after him. Touched by the saint’s religious tolerance & policy of benevolence, the emperor went on to build the former's tomb (Fatehpur Sikri) near his newly envisaged capital at Agra. After Akbar’s death, Azim was retained as a nobleman in Akbar’s son & the new Emperor Jahangir Salim’s court. Azim became a follower of Hazrat Nizamuddin who he said appeared in his dreams & urged him to give up his life of war & violence. Hazrat Nizamuddin resided in Delhi in early 14th century & belonged to the Chishtiyya order of Sufism (to which also belonged saint Salim Chishti). Following Nizamuddin's teachings, Azim started on the path of broad-minded religiosity & forbearance, giving up his earlier life as a soldier & starting in the direction of spirituality as a mendicant. After a course of some years, Azim came to be known far & wide for his penances & people started to revere him & came to him to ask for guidance as well as solutions to their problems. To prevent people from flocking to him & disturbing his peace of mind, somewhere in early 17th century Azim decided to build a residence-cum-tomb for himself atop a summit of a hill surrounded by pointed rocks & barren land. His decision to reside on the chosen hill was guided by the fact that it was accessible only to a select few because of its height & almost unscalable vertical walls, & also because it reminded him of the story of Akbar meeting Salim Chishti atop a similarly unscalable hill (the lore doesn't tell us how did Azim, Akbar & the Sufi used to climb these hills in the first place if they were so high & dangerous).

History's Mysteries - Shrine of a General??

Centuries later, when Britain converted India into one of her colonies & let its men amok on the face of the country, the British soldiers converted this tomb into a hill-top resort meant for late night partying. They would come here in groups, often with mistresses, bring along booze & servants, & make merry. Most of these parties were held at the end of the winters, before the Brits departed from Delhi to their summer capital in nearby hill city of Shimla. They took pride in displaying their climbing & physical skills to their friends & considered scaling the hill’s sheer walls a mark of their strength & manhood.

After the British departed from the country, along came the Archaeological Survey of India (A.S.I.), the agency entrusted with the upkeep, protection & beautification of monuments within the country, who after initially ignoring the tomb for decades, recently decided to build a staircase leading up the hill to reach the tomb. The staircase is complete now, its wide steps have been set so as to match with the surrounding hill sides & present a picture of harmony. But still the tomb lies deserted, ignored by passer-bys as well as tourists arriving at the nearby World Heritage Site of Qutb Complex. Perhaps people still find the steep climb daunting. Whatever might be the reason, Azim Khan’s Tomb would have made even Count Dracula envious were he to visit Delhi. The Count’s fortress in Transylvania, covered by a thick pal of fog & chill, invites no visitor. Azim’s Tomb on the other hand lies unvisited despite being in open view & visible from a very busy highway on one side (the Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road).

Inside Azim's Tomb - Too meager for Dracula??

The square tomb is pierced by entrances along its three sides, however these entrances lie perennially locked by grilles in a bid to keep out vandals/scribblers who are so numerous throughout the city. The dome, topped by an inverted-lotus finial, rests on an octagonal base (drum). The tomb walls, as well as the drum, feature kanguras – ornamentations that resemble battlements, protruding vertically. Squirrels run around the tomb, feeding at rice & nuts left for them by the caretakers/locals. An earthen bowl filled with water was kept nearby. Wild yet beautiful flowers grew on the hill side, often in tandem with thorny bushes & desert plants that inhabit such rocky & barren lands. When I visited the structure, I found the caretaker assigned by the A.S.I. asleep on one of the benches placed there for the tourists. Were he awake too, he wouldn’t have been able to open the tomb for me since A.S.I. sealed off the iron-grilles barring its entrances with nuts & bolts - perhaps they felt that locks can be easily broken into. Clever chaps!! The tomb, plastered & cream-ish in colour, is now blackened because of the rains & vegetation, despite being restored just some time back by the A.S.I. The fear of the precipice surrounding the tomb ensures that not many people wander off to its rear sides, I did, & what I saw again put to shame the deeds of fellow Delhites. The walls of the tomb were defaced with graffiti & the love letters that wandering Romeos saw fit to emblazon here. I must have been there for only about 30 minutes, taking in the charm of the place, adoring the sights visible in the distance - the Qutb Minar, the tomb of Adham Khan, Mahavira statue atop Ahinsa Sthal etc, when there arrived a group of college kids with a bottle of alcohol & disposable glasses, & no marks for guessing where they decided to hang out – at the rear of the tomb!!

I feel sorry for Kishor, a worthless bastard!!

The fourth wall of the tomb, the one overseeing the most dizzying cliff-face, does not have an opening & instead its interior functions as a mihrab (wall faced by Muslims while praying, indicating the direction of Mecca). Inside, beautiful patterns cover the ornamental arches, the dome rests on a layer of small, arched alcoves meant for decoration. While there is no sarcophagus inside the tomb, two graves lie outside - the larger of these two has calligraphic inscriptions along its sides - both of them however are in a run-down condition, broken, crumbling & exposed to the fury of nature. It has been claimed that the grave inside is buried deep within the hill right underneath the chamber, though this also remains mere speculation. Strategically placed stone benches flank the graves outside.

Look what I found!!

Even today, a lot of monuments that aren’t so well known, or are not deemed that high in terms of heritage &/or architectural value, are looked after by families & caretakers who live nearby (not on Govt.’s payroll). These people either consider themselves the blood family of the occupant/builder of these tombs/structures, or are religious followers & part-time priests. In the absence of Govt. funds & upkeep, these people often protect these structures from hoodlums & demolition. One such family looked after the tomb of Azim Khan but they were forced to migrate to Pakistan at the time of India’s independence from British rule in 1947 & subsequent partition to create Muslim-dominated Pakistan & Bangladesh. Gone with them are all the records & the history of the inhabitant of the tomb, & no one is left to care for it & defend it from inebriated fellas & rowdy vandals. Perhaps they could have shed some light on the mysterious occupants & their lives. The tomb should have qualified as a religious spot since Azim too became a man of God later in his life, but even that is contested since the officials have not yet been able to ascertain if it is actually the tomb of Azim Khan or someone else. Perhaps it never will be found out for sure. No documentation exists for the tomb, & all the stories are actually passed down from elders to the subsequent generations in the nearby villages, & of course distortions & fantasies encapsulate the kernel of truth that these stories possess. Such is the sad state of affairs that so many heritage structures & buildings find themselves in the national capital!!

PS: If time permits, do visit the nearby Ahinsa Sthal ("Abode of Non-Violence", refer Pixelated Memories - Ahinsa Sthal). The view of Azim Khan's Tomb from the heights of Ahinsa Sthal is simply breathtaking.

The view from Ahinsa Sthal

Location: Lado Serai, Mehrauli
Open: All days, Sunrise to Sunset
Nearest Metro Station: Saket
How to Reach: After getting down at Saket Station, one can walk to Lado Serai Bus Stop. Buses are available from different parts of the city for Mehrauli & one can alight from the bus at Lado Serai stop itself. The Lado Serai stop is situated at a crossroad & Azim Khan’s Tomb is visible behind the trees & the traffic.
Entrance Fee: Nil
Photography/Video charges: Nil
Time required for sightseeing: About 30 min
Relevant Links -

1. Pixelated Memories - Ahinsa Sthal
2. Pixelated Memories - Qutb Complex
3. Pixelated Memories - Qutb Minar

Suggested Reading - 

1. Hindu.com - Article "Renovation of mystery tomb" (dated Jun 07, 2010) by R.V. Smith
2. Timesofindia.indiatimes.com - Article "Passage to past: ASI builds pathway to Mughal-era tomb" (dated May 31, 2010) by Richi Verma
3. Traveltravailsandheck.blogspot.in - the road above my street pt 38

Re-edit - Jan 15, 2014

Afsarwala Mosque & Tomb Complex, New Delhi

Located within the Humayun’s Tomb Complex, the Afsarwala Mosque & Tomb Complex is reached by entering through the Arab Serai Gate. “Afsar” literally means officer, & even though the identity of the person buried in the tomb is not known, it is widely believed that he was some noble or military officer during the time of Mughal emperor Akbar. The tomb and mosque were built sometime before 1566, as this date is inscribed on one of the three graves inside.

The Afsarwala Tomb & Mosque Complex

As one enters this enclosed garden, one sees the side-view of the mosque. The black-colored mosque, though sans any decorations, looks beautiful in its own stead. Besides the mosque is a large chamber, adorned with beautiful “jalis” (stone lattice work). My guess is that this chamber was also used for prayers. The chamber is located on ground level, while the mosque & tomb together stand on a high plinth.

The mosque window

The duo of mosque & tomb look magnificent standing together, & the black mosque compliments the orange-ish tomb. At one time perhaps their domes were covered with plaster & tiles, but now they have lost all artwork, & are inscribed with the names of modern lovers, chalked or scratched on their surfaces. This time around, I agree with A.S.I.’s decision to grill all the stairways & prevent people from reaching the upper floors. The names & markings really look hideous & were it not for the uniqueness & design of the tomb-mosque duo, they were all but destroyed. The domes are topped by inverted-lotus filials.

Companions..

The mosque has three arches along the front, the central arch being the largest. Each end of the façade has a narrow staircase built into the thick outer wall.

Black Beauty

The tomb adjacent to the mosque is better preserved. Shaped like an irregular octagon, with alternate sides wide & narrow, the tomb is sparingly decorated with inlays of black and white marble on a background of red sandstone. The wider sides of the octagon are decorated with deep recessed arches, each pierced by a doorway. The narrower sides have comparatively shallower recessed arches, but no entrances.

General's Tomb

The interior of both mosque & tomb were once beautifully decorated, with the carved medallions still visible. However most of the decorations are now lost with time & even the plaster is now flaking away from the walls & roof.

Plaster work, inside the mosque

The tomb is cruciform in plan & contains 3 graves, one of them inscribed with verses from the Koran & the number 974, which probably refers to the date in the Hijra era corresponding to AD 1566-67.

Inscription on one of the graves

The mosque & tomb both look charming & I spent a lot of time taking photographs in the complex. The tomb simply beckons one towards itself, & sitting inside it one simply forgets everything by getting lost in their own thoughts. The trees flaying their branches outside the windows look beautiful.

The world outside..

Open: All days 8:00 am - 6:00 pm
Entrance Fee:
Citizens of India and visitors of Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Maldives, Afghanistan Thailand and Myanmar - Rs. 10 per head.
Others: US $ 5 or Indian Rs. 250/- per head
(children up to 15 years free)
Nearest Metro Station: JLN Stadium Metro Station
Photography charges: Nil
Time required for sight seeing: 30 min

Relevant Links - 

1. Pixelated Memories - Arab Serai
2. Pixelated Memories - Humayun's Tomb Complex