Inside Delhi’s Rahim's Tomb: A Monument Of Love Older Than Taj Mahal

Rahim's Tomb is the first monument of love and was built 50 years before the Taj Mahal.?

Built in 1598 by Rahim for his wife Mah Banu, historians say the building was the first Mughal monument built for a woman and the architectural innovation developed there “informed the designs of Taj Mahal”.?

The tomb stands within an ensemble of 16th-century medieval monuments in the Nizamuddin area of the national capital.

Union minister for Tourism and Culture Prahlad Singh Patel will be presiding over the completion ceremony on the 464th birth anniversary of Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan – a poet and one of the navaratnas ( nine gems) of Mughal emperor Akbar’s court.

A major part of the renovation work – carried out by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) and funded by the InterGlobe Foundation in association with the ASI since 2014.

The work was completed recently and the tomb was thrown open to the public on the 464th birth anniversary of Rahim on Thursday, December 17.

According to the organisations involved in the conservation effort, the physical revival of the tomb included repairs to the major damaged structures on the interior and exterior of the mausoleum dalans, canopies (chattris), dome, fa?ade and landscape, along with the wall and ceiling surfaces.

The landscape around Rahim's tomb has been restored to original slopes and height. The conservation of the dome has been completed with a symbolic addition of marble cladding.

"Conservation at Rahim's tomb has been possible with a public-private partnership." Ratish Nanda, CEO, Aga Khan Trust for Culture said.

The cultural revival efforts also witnessed compilation of Rahim's literary works and archival research on his life and works by scholars, culminating in an English publication titled 'Celebrating Rahim'.