| Safdarjung Tomb, Delhi | |
|---|---|
 Front view, September 2012 | |
  Location within Delhi | |
| General information | |
| Type | Tomb |
| Architectural style | Mughal,Indo-Islamic |
| Location | New Delhi,India |
| Coordinates | 28°35′21″N77°12′38″E / 28.589266°N 77.210506°E /28.589266; 77.210506 |
| Completed | 1754; 272 years ago (1754) |
Safdarjung's tomb is a sandstone and marble mausoleum inDelhi,India. It was built in 1754 in the lateMughal Empire style for NawabSafdarjung. The monument has an ambience of spaciousness and an imposing presence with its domed and arched red, brown and white coloured structures. Safdarjung,Nawab of Awadh, was made prime minister of theMughal Empire (Wazir ul-Mamlak-i-Hindustan) when Ahmed Shah Bahadur ascended the throne in 1748.
The tomb, within a garden, is in a late version of the style of earlier Mughal imperial tombs, most famously theTaj Mahal, with inside "eight paradises" (hasht bihisht) or eight rooms around the main chamber under the dome, and a garden divided into four parts outside. This was the first time someone outside the immediate imperial Mughal family built themselves such a tomb and garden complex, reflecting the greatly diminished powers of the emperors by this date.[1]
The tomb is located near theSafdarjung Airport at theT junction ofLodi Road andAurobindo Marg (earlier nameMehrauli Road) in New Delhi.[2]
The structure was constructed in 1754 in the lateMughal architecture style
Safdar Jang, born Mirza Muqim Abul Mansur Khan, was the secondNawab of Awadh and one of the most powerful nobles during the declining years of theMughal Empire. Following the death ofEmperor Muhammad Shah in 1748, he moved to Delhi. Under the newly crowned MughalEmperor Ahmad Shah Bahadur, Safdar Jang was appointed as the Prime Minister (Wazir) with the titleVazir ul-Mamalk-i-Hindustan when the Mughal Empire's influence had dwindled to only parts of northern India.[3]
As Wazir, Safdar Jang effectively wielded considerable power, reducing the emperor to a mere figurehead. His dominance and authoritarian approach, however, earned him strong opposition from rival nobles, includingImad-ul-Mulk andNajib-ud-Daulah, who led a faction against him. Contrary to popular belief, theMarathas were not directly involved in his ousting. After a series of battles, Safdar Jang was forced to leaveDelhi in 1753 due to mounting opposition, returning toAwadh where he died in 1754.[4]
Following his death his son NawabShuja-ud-Daula sought permission from the Mughal emperor to construct a tomb for his father in Delhi. The tomb, designed by an Abyssinian architect named Bilal Muhammad Khan, was built at a cost of approximately three lakh rupees and remains a significant example of lateMughal architecture.[5]
To the south of this tomb is the historic site of the battle that was fought in 1386 betweenTimur of Mangol and Sultan Mahmud Khan of theTughluq dynasty when the latter was defeated.
The Safdarjung tomb, the last monumental tomb garden of the Mughals, was planned and built like an enclosed garden tomb in line with the style of theHumayun tomb andTaj Mahal.[6] It was completed in 1754.[7][8] The slabs from the tomb of Abdul Rahim Khankhana were used in the construction of the tomb.[9]
The tomb has four key features which are: The Char Bagh plan with the mausoleum at the center, a ninefold floor plan, a five-part façade and a large podium with a hidden stairway.[10]
The main entry gate to the tomb is two-storied and its façade has very elaborate ornamentation over plastered surfaces and is in ornate purple colour. There is an inscription inPersian on the surface and its translation reads "When the hero of plain bravery departs from the transitory, may he become a resident of god’s paradise". The rear side of the façade, which is seen after entering through the gate, has many rooms and the library. To the right of the gate is the mosque which is a three-domed structure marked with stripes.[2][11]
Entering through the main gate gives a perfect view of the mausoleum.[2] Its walls are built high and the central dome, which is the main mausoleum of Safdarjung, is built over a terrace. Red and buff stones are the materials used for building the main mausoleum which measures 28 metres (92 ft) square. The central chamber, square in shape, has eight partitions with acenotaph in the middle. Here there are partitions in rectangular shape and the corner partitions are in octagonal shape. The interior of the tomb is covered withrococo plaster with decorations. There are four towers around the main tomb at the corners which are polygonal in shape and are provided with kiosks. They have marble panels which are faded, and decorated arches. There is an underground chamber in the mausoleum which houses the graves of Safadrjung and his wife. The ceiling of the mosque has been plastered, painted and ornamented.[11]
The façade, though built in the style of the Taj Mahal, lacks symmetry as the vertical axis has been given prominence which has resulted in an unbalanced appearance to the tomb.[6] The dome is more elongated; the central part has a tallerpishtaq. The four minarets at the four corners are part of the main mausoleum which was totally a different concept in elevation compared to the Taj Mahal where the towers are detached and away from the facade of the tomb.[10]
The architecture of the tomb is praised and also derided; it is derided for the lack of proportioning of its various units and use of poor material for construction.Reginald Heber, who was Bishop of Calcutta between 1823 and 1826, based on the light brown colour of the stone used, had observed that the tomb has the "colour of potted meat". Even ASI has observed that the marble used for ornamentation in the towers though pleasing is "rather florid".[12] Another observation is that the tomb can not be compared to the Taj Mahal or the Humayun Tomb, as, at the time it was built, the Mughal Empire was on the decline and sandstone had to be used and lines were set improperly and the quality appeared "thread bare".[11]
The large square garden surrounding the tomb is surrounded by a wall that is approximately 280 metres (920 ft) long on each side.[13] The layout is in the form of four squares with wide footpaths and water tanks, which have been further subdivided into smaller squares. The garden is in the Mughalcharbagh garden style, and is a smaller version of the garden of the Humayun Tomb which is also built in Delhi. One channel leads to the entrance gate and the other leads to the three pavilions. The main podium over which the mausoleum is built measures 50 metres (160 ft) on each side.[13] The high walls have been built in rubble stone masonry and have recessed arches in the interior. The towers orchatris are octagonal in shape. Its overall layout consists of four pavilions which have multiple chambers and the entrance gateway to the east is impressive. On the eastern side adjoining the gate are many apartments and a mosque, and a courtyard. The pavilions are laid out in the western, northern and southern directions and are named Jangli Mahal (palace in the forest),Moti Mahal (pearl palace) andBadshah Pasand (King's favorite) respectively. Nawab's family used to reside in these pavilions. Now the entire monument is under the control ofArchaeological Survey of India (ASI) who have their offices in the pavilions and also a library over the main gate.[14]
On 21 August 2012, the then Health Minister of India,Ghulam Nabi Azad offered Eid prayers in a mosque in the complex. However under the law ofArchaeological Survey of India (ASI), "prayers at centrally protected monuments are not allowed unless the practice was prevalent at the time when it was notified as protected" and it is one of the 174 protected monument of ASI in Delhi. Earlier also, Indian vice presidentHamid Ansari "planned to offer Eid prayers" at the tomb but was cancelled at the "eleventh hour".[15]
The tomb has four fountains on each of the four sides. In December 2013, it was reported that a plan was going on for "activating the fountains" as officials believed that they "were in working condition". But "in recent excavation", ASI unearthed a drainage system adjacent to the fountain. The system would "help them restart these". Though there are four fountains, but according to ASI, only one, which is opposite to the main entrance would be made "functional".[16]
In June 2014, theASI shifted their office from the tomb to General Pool Offices near the Indian National Army Colony.[17] In November of the same year new visitor boards were installed in the tomb to "promote the lesser known but striking monuments in the city [referring toDelhi]".[18]
The 2013 Hollywood film,Jobs, was shot in the tomb.[19]
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Media related toTomb of Safdarjung at Wikimedia Commons
