Nila Gumbad, New Delhi

Standing right next to Platform 1 of the Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station, New Delhi is a beautiful blue-colored tomb. Looking over a railway junkyard, a small slum & the platform, the tomb is silent witness to all the atrocities that have been committed against it & stands largely neglected in the midst of all the surging humanity that passes it every day. With its entrances blocked with cement, doors locked, plaster flaking & tiles falling off, the tomb presents a very sorry picture. But despite its dilapidated condition it looks magnificent & forces one to imagine what it would have looked like in its days of glory.

Popularly called the Nila Gumbad (“Blue Dome”) because of the brilliant colour of its dome, the tomb was built by Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khana for his servant Miyan Fahim in 1624-25. Abdul Rahim was a general in Mughal emperor Akbar’s court (ruled AD 1556-1605) & was brought up by the emperor himself after the death of his father Bairam Khan (also a general in Akbar’s army). Rahim was also a very famous poet & composed couplets in Hindi, Persian & Urdu, popularly known as “Rahim ke Dohe” which are today taught in Indian schools as part of Hindi curriculum. Fahim grew up with Abdul Rahim’s son Feroze Khan & died alongside him too while fighting against the rebellion by Mughal general Mahabat Khan, during the reign of emperor Jahangir (ruled AD 1605-28).

The Nila Gumbad

The tomb sits on a 1.5 meter high pedestal & is reached by climbing a couple of stairs. It is shaped like an unequal octagon, resembling rather a large square with its corners knocked off. The wider sides of the octagon are pierced by arched doorways. The narrower sides have recessed arches that have paint work in red and white, reminiscent of bricks. The tomb, built of local quartzite stone, is plastered both internally & externally & at one time the tomb must have been very beautifully decorated with coloured tiles, but now only a portion of a wall facing the Railway Station shows remnants of the impressive designs & geometrical patterns.

Let's go somewhere!!

Also all except one entrance to the tomb have been blocked using cement. The tomb has certainly been treated very cruelly & nothing has been done to restore the structure or at least put up a boundary wall near it to prevent encroachments & slum dwellers from setting up their settlements along its walls. The high pedestal is on one side surrounded by a slum, a service road on another & a railway junkyard on other 2 sides.

The patterns

A lone security guard looks after the place, & would promptly open up the locked grille if you request him. Once inside, I was hoping to see an unkempt chamber with one or more graves. But two reasons again strengthened my belief that almost anything is possible in Delhi - one, the square chamber was very beautiful, the sunlight filtering through the windows created patterns of light & shadows. The beautiful roof still has its plaster work & mesmerized me immediately. So much so that for 5 minutes I just gazed at it & spent the next 20 photographing it from different points & angles. Second, there is no grave or sarcophagus inside the tomb!! Odd, why is it called a "tomb" then??

Say "Aahh..!!"

After exiting the chamber, I spent some time observing it, taking photographs. There is a huge finial on top of the dome, the dome too is losing its tiles. The guard disappeared after a few minutes leaving me alone. A small tract of wild vegetation hides remains of a large wall with some rooms built on one side. A similar wall is visible across the road, perhaps they had been joined once but destroyed when the road was built. Large rods of steel lie next to the tomb, a very thin dusty track is being used by motorcyclists to cross the railway track. Everything around the tomb suggests a general callousness, maybe the people inhabiting the region have gotten used to its presence & do not anymore think twice before passing from near it. The ignored tomb just stands sentinel to the passing trains & whistling engines. I read the ASI & Indian Railways are locked in a legal battle about the custody of the space around the tomb. Apparently the ASI wants to restore the tomb & build a garden around it after diverting the road that passes along it to the other side of the tomb. The Railways are reluctant as this would require the destruction of existing Station & its relocation along with the rail lines to some other location. Plans to integrate the 16th-century tomb with Humayun’s Tomb complex have finally got off the ground with the signing of a MoU between the ASI & railways which allows the service road bifurcating the two monuments to be shifted to the other side of the tomb. The work is being undertaken by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) & will also include repairing of cracks and tile work on the dome, reopening of doorways now blocked with masonry, removal of cement repairs made in the 20th century, restoration of the decorative plasterwork, & rebuilding of collapsed portions of the northern & western arcade walls (refer Times of India article - "Nila Gumbad gets a facelift & heritage corridor"). The northern arcade, is thought to have protected the monument from Yamuna that once flowed near Humayun’s Tomb but later changed course & shifted away. So far I did not observe any signs of any kind of construction or restoration activity.

The narrower walls display medallions & paintwork resembling red bricks

Again what interests me the most about monuments in Delhi is how many of them are interconnected to each other. After Akbar's death, a struggle for supremacy ensued between his sons, with each possessing his own armies & retinue of generals. Abdul Rahim was opposed to Jahangir's accession to the throne of Delhi. After Jahangir did became emperor, the first thing he did was punish all those who opposed him & those he considered blackguards. He ordered the execution of two of Rahim's sons & their bodies were left to rot at Khooni Darwaza (refer Pixelated Memories - Khooni Darwaza) to act as a warning to future traitors & mavericks. Guess Abdul Rahim & his other sons did make up with the new emperor later, since Feroze Khan did support Jahangir against Mahabat Khan & Jahangir also allowed for the construction of a magnificent mausoleum for Rahim about 2 kilometers away from Nila Gumbad & very close to his own grandfather Humayun's tomb complex (refer Pixelated Memories - Humayun's Tomb Complex).

Ignored!!

Moving along the road next to the tomb, one encounters the boundary wall of Humayun’s Tomb  & its back entrance with the hanging jharokhas (projecting chambers/windows) that the royal family might have used to view the river Yamuna. Moving further along, one comes across Gurudwara Damdama Sahib, Chilla-Khanqah Nizamuddin (refer Pixelated Memories Chilla-Khanqah Nizamuddin) & the main entrance to Humayun’s Tomb Complex. It is disheartening to see that so very near to the World Heritage Site of Humayun’s Tomb Complex, the Nila Gumbad is languishing in anonymity & ignorance.

Edit June 15, 2013 - AKTC has finally started work on the restoration of the Nila Gumbad. The structure might be included within the Humayun's Tomb Complex or an extended heritage zone also including an unknown Mughal Tomb (refer Pixelated Memories - Unknown Tomb, Nizamuddin Area), Batashewala Mahal & several other structures. Fingers crossed!!

How to reach: The easiest way would be to take a local train to Hazrat Nizamuddin Station, the tomb is bang next to Platform 1. Nearest Metro Station would be JLN station, but that’s quite some distance away. The tomb is situated near the back side of Humayun’s Tomb Complex & one can walk along the Complex boundary to reach it.
Open: Entry to visitors is not allowed. But try to convince the guard to open it for you during the day time.
Entrance Fee: Nil
Photography/Video Charges: Nil
Time required for sight seeing: 30 minutes
Relevant Links -

1. Pixelated Memories - Chilla-Khanqah Nizamuddin
2. Pixelated Memories - Humayun's Tomb Complex
3. Pixelated Memories - Khooni Darwaza
4. Pixelated Memories - Unknown Tomb, Nizamuddin Area

Jama Masjid, New Delhi

Jama Masjid, the Friday congregational mosque built by the Mughal emperor Shahjahan, is one of the most visited & most beautiful monuments in the entire Delhi. Located in the narrow lanes of Old Delhi/Chandni Chowk, the sheer size & grandeur of the mosque is a contrast to the streets & houses around it. Having visited Chandni Chowk several times in the past, I had a deep-seated wish to visit this monument & bask in its brilliant architecture & see its sky-piercing minarets up close. So when my sisters Saloni & Shruti suggested a visit to Chandni Chowk, I thought of it as a great opportunity to visit this royal mosque. Every time I had been to the Chandni Chowk area, I could not visit Jama Masjid due to one reason or the other, & had to be content with seeing the mosque from far away & in one case, from the back of it & imagining what it would be like from inside. But as I have now realized, the photos do no justice to this magnificent mosque.

The Jama Masjid

As one nears the mosque, the incredible size is enough to make you gush with amazement, however what you see from outside is not even a fraction of what lies in store for you in the complex grounds. 3 imposing entry gates, located on the north, south & east of the central prayer hall provide access to the complex grounds. The gates are themselves located on high ground & each is reached after climbing a high flight of wide stairs.

Before entering you are advised to read the rules that need to be observed inside. You are required to dress properly, failing which the caretakers would provide you with gowns to wear. This holds for both men & women, but is applied more often to women. The entry is free to all, irrespective of religion, caste or sex. However during the time of Namaz or other religious ceremonies, this “open to all” rule is repealed. As it happened, we reached at the time of afternoon Namaz & being non-Muslims, we were denied entry to the complex & told to wait for 45min. So one needs to time their visit properly, or wait for the Namaz to be over.

Close up of one of the entrance gates

A board put up on the gates states that one needs to buy a ticket worth Rs 300 for photography. However nobody was buying those tickets (I did not even see any official vendor selling them, it seemed that the rule was being enforced only by some young lads, 1-2 standing on each gate) & as I noticed inside, everyone was taking photographs too without any qualms, or paying any fees.

The view from the chaotic market place around the mosque

Once inside the great beauty & even greater number of people sleeping in the complex ground & prayer hall shocked me. I still don’t understand why people were being allowed to squatter & sleep in this national monument. I have seen people finding an asylum in places of worship throughout the country, but here I was more stunned since the people were sleeping in the courtyards & the wall alcoves even during the day time.

As we moved inside the main grounds, the first thing one observes (besides the mosque itself) is a cluster of people sitting around a square pool in the center of the courtyard. The water from the pool is used for ritual washing before praying inside the mosque. Since one is supposed to take off their shoes before entering the premises, our feet were burning as a result of walking on the heated up marble & the pool provided a relief where although we did not wash our feet for fear of offending the religious sensibilities of the Muslims present, we walked on the small puddles of water that dripped from the Namazis & even that was enough to cheer us up. The courtyard is around 75mX66m, large enough to accommodate 25,000 people, making Jama Masjid the largest mosque in the country. In front of the pool is a raised platform called Dikka. The mosque is so big that a second cleric (Muatllawi), used to stand on the Dikka and repeat the Ayats said by the the chief cleric (Imam) to the devotees who were unable to hear him. Taking pictures of the prayer hall & surrounding gates we spent a lot of time in the courtyard & I was even stopped by a guy asking me for my photography ticket. However after arguing about whether the other people taking photographs bought tickets or not, he let me go. One can simply say that they entered from the other gate & nobody on that gate said anything about a ticket. Once done with the photography there, we reached the prayer hall.

Enchanting!!

In 1650 Shah Jahan laid the foundation of this mosque, then known as “Masjid-i-Jahanuma” (“mosque commanding view of the world”), and it was completed in 1656. The mosque has three striped domes and two huge striped minarets (41m high) on either side (they don't look as imposing in pictures as they do in real life). The architect of this magnificent mosque was Ustad Khalil & around 6,000 artists worked on its construction, using only red sandstone & white marble. The entire complex stands on a high pedestal called the Bho Jhala hill & is a testimony to their prowess. During construction, special care was taken to maintain the level of the pulpit of the mosque above that of the royal throne (chaired by the emperor) in the Red Fort. A princely sum of Rs 1,000,000 was spent on the construction of Jama Masjid under the supervision of Saadullah Khan, Shah Jahan’s Minister-in-Charge of construction. Many nobles and nawabs of that era gifted stones and other construction material to the emperor for the mosque’s construction, which therefore are not included in its cost. The total area covered by this mosque is approx. 1200 square meters & running around in the complex as I did will get you tired very soon. Carrying a water bottle (or 2-3; you will need them) would be a good idea. Also one would do good to stay on the thin carpets/jute mats that are spread on the ground to provide pathways for the visitors to walk on. However if you intend to take photographs, you can’t stay on these routes as they constrict your view to a limited angle. Also as I observed, the ropes were torn to pieces at places, & more often than not, filled with stones that hurt your feet. It’s better to instead wear 2 pairs of socks as a moderator for the fiery heat. Better still, visit the place in winters or early morning.

The central hall is large, & once again a large number of people were sleeping or just sitting in groups inside the hall. Somehow it just stole the appeal of the mosque for me.

Lets sleep here - In the central prayer chamber

Since both my sisters were by now tired of running around with me (they hate photography & would rather sit in some shady corner than go around in sultry heat), I left them together to sit in the hall while I went around. The calligraphy on the walls of the hall is impressive. The Jama Masjid is covered with intricate carvings and has verses inscribed from the holy Quran.

The walls of the mosque are decorated with calligraphy & exquisite patterns

The grand Red Fort stands on the eastern side of the Jama Masjid & can be seen from one of the gates of the mosque. The architecture of the mosque is very scientific. It is said that the walls are built in such an angled manner that if there is an earthquake ever the walls would fall towards the outside.

The patterns & calligraphy in the central niche of the mihrab 

One thing that appealed to me the most was the thought of climbing up one of the minarets. I had always wanted to go up there & see what it looked like. One has to buy a ticket for Rs 30 from a small counter located next to the main hall to go up there. However women are not allowed to go alone to the top of the minaret. The way is from one of the adjacent gates & after climbing the stairs for some 5 minutes, I was amazed as to how much I have to climb. Then there was a glimmer of light & I had reached the first floor of the gate. After some more clicking, I moved towards the base of the minaret, indicated by the jute strips that covered the ground, supposedly to protect one’s feet from heat & stones. Here on the mid-level too, socks are very useful, as the torn strips of jute provide no relief from the burning cement. The domes look awe-inspiring from this point. Standing next to them, one notices how big they are, & their simple design with alternate black & white marble strips makes them look even more beautiful. The artists who created this mosque were creative in their own sense. Even the minarets are decorated with alternate red & white marble strips.

Going high - The mosque as seen from one of the gate's ceiling

Continuing the ascent up the narrow & dark stairs I was breathless & wished the emperor provided some resting space in between (Advice - Claustrophobes would be better off not climbing the minarets). Slots have been provided in the wall for light & air, & now even bulbs have been installed at regular distances. However it is very hard to imagine how people managed in the times of Mughals, in the absence of light bulbs & using lanterns etc. After the tiring climb, I reached the top where a small balcony with windows has been provided to see the view spread out under one’s feet. One can see the entire old city from this point & after climbing up the narrow stairs of the minarets I found that I did well by coming up there as the view was simply breath taking.

My beloved Delhi!!

Even the Red Fort looks much more stunning when seen from this point. The balcony is very small, & barely accommodated the 5 people including me who were standing there. I felt slightly claustrophobic & constantly afraid of falling down, as the floor ended immediately in the center & stairs began. So I stuck to the edges, holding on to the grill (which also move to & fro as you push them – please don’t try pushing them hard, I am sure they will give way).

View from the minaret - the Red Fort, pinnacle of Shahjahan's building prowess

Trying to balance my camera after tying its straps to my wrist, I pushed my hands out of the grills & started clicking when I noticed a guy scribbling on the walls of the balcony. I wanted to shout at him for defacing the monument, but was unable to since I was standing on a thin, lofty section of floor & was afraid of rolling down any time. It is disgusting when people write or spit on the monuments & tarnish the walls with their love stories. It is distasteful, nobody wants to know whom you love & more often than not, the following visitors will be abusing you for spoiling a perfectly beautiful place. The sad part is the guy was a Muslim & the mosque is supposed to be sacred to him. Finishing with my photography, I started the long climb down, this time more slow & grabbing the narrow walls for support.

Keeping an eye

I read that the cabinet in the north gate of the Jama Masjid contains a collection of Muhammad's relics - the Quran written on deerskin, a red beard-hair of the prophet, his sandals and his footprints, implanted in a marble block. However since that time I was not aware of these antiques I did not inquire about their whereabouts. But now that I know, maybe next time when I go there I will go see them too.

Royal entrance - A gate as seen from the minaret

Outside one of the gates of the mosque, a perennial fair ensues everyday - hawkers assemble to peddle carpets, clothes, utensils, kebabs & sweets & thousands of visitors grace the streets. Simply said, the Jama Masjid is a head turner, the iconic architecture of this exquisitely designed monument exuding old world charm & royalty, & it’s location in one of the busiest areas of Delhi, along with its honor of being the last structure built by Shahjahan before being imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb in Agra, make this a must visit place for all visitors to the historic city of Delhi. The onion-shaped domes & tall minarets, despite their gigantism exude serenity & harmony, the whole complex is peaceful & makes you want to sit down & spend some more time & think over the larger scheme of things.

Domes!!

Nearest Metro Station: Chandni Chowk
Open: All days
Timings: 7am - 6:30pm, Tourists not allowed during prayer times
Entry Fees: Nil
Photography/Videos Charges: Rs 300 (I did not pay this amount)
Time required for sightseeing: 3hrs
Preferable timings: Early morning to avoid the crowds & heat
Requirements: Wear proper clothes, avoid shorts, sleeve-less shirts/tops. Wear good, thick socks. Carry lots of drinking water.
Relevant Links - 

1. Pixelated Memories - Red Fort