Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khanan | |
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.jpg) Portrait of Abdul Rahim by Hashim,c. 1627 | |
| Born | (1556-12-17)17 December 1556 |
| Died | 1 October 1627(1627-10-01) (aged 70) |
| Resting place | Tomb of Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khanan,Delhi |
| Title | iuybi-Khanan |
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KhanzadaMirzaKhanAbdul Rahim (17 December 1556 – 1 October 1627), popularly known as simplyRahim and titledKhan-i-Khanan, was a poet who lived in India during the rule ofMughal emperorAkbar, who was Rahim's mentor. He was one of the nine important ministers (dewan) in Akbar's court, known as theNavaratnas. Rahim was known for hisHindustani dohe (couplets)[2] and his books onastrology.[3]
Abdul Rahim was born inLahore,[4] the son ofBairam Khan, Akbar's trusted guardian and mentor, who was ofKara KoyunluTurkic extraction. WhenHumayun returned to India from his exile, he asked his nobles to forge matrimonial alliances with variouszamindars and feudal lords across the nation. Humayun married the elder daughter of Khanzada Jamal Khan ofMewat (now theNuh district ofHaryana) and he askedBairam Khan to marry the younger daughter.
TheGazetteer of Ulwur (Alwar) states:
The Khanzadas,[6] the royal family of Muslim Jadon (also spelt asJadaun)Rajputs, converted to Islam after Islamic conquest of northern India.[7] Khanzada is the Persian form of the Indic word 'Rajput'. They were the Mewati chiefs of the Persian historians, who were the representatives of the lords ofMewat State.[8]
Khanzada, or "the son of a Khan" is precisely the Musalman equivalent to the Hindu Rajput or "son of a Raja " ...
After Bairam Khan was murdered inPatan, Gujarat, his first wife and young Rahim were brought safely from Ahmedabad to Delhi and presented at the royal court of Akbar, who gave him the title of 'Mirza Khan', and subsequently married him to Mah Banu (Moon Lady), sister of Mirza Aziz Kokah, son ofAtaga Khan, a noted Mughal noble.[4]
Later, Bairam Khan's second wife,Salima Sultan Begum (Rahim's stepmother) married her cousin, Akbar, which made Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khan also his stepson, and later he became one of his nine prominent ministers, theNavaratnas, or nine gems. Aside from being a poet, Rahim Khan was also a general and was sent to deal with the rebellions inGujarat and later served as the overall commander in the campaigns in Maharashtra.
He received the position and title ofKhan-i-Khanan (Generalissimus, Persian خان خانان, DMG khān-i khānān, meaning "Khan of Khans").
Abdul Rahim was known for his peculiarly humble manner when giving alms to the poor. He never looked at the person he was giving alms to, keeping his gaze downwards in all humility. WhenTulsidas heard about Rahim's behaviour when giving alms, he promptly wrote a couplet and sent it to Rahim:-
"ऐसी देनी देंन ज्यूँ, कित सीखे हो सैन
ज्यों ज्यों कर ऊंच्यो करो, त्यों त्यों निचे नैन"
"Why give alms like this? Where did you learn that? Your hands are as high as your eyes are low"
Realising that Tulsidas was well aware of the reasons behind his actions, and was merely giving him an opportunity to say a few lines in reply, he wrote to Tulsidas saying:-
"देनहार कोई और है, भेजत जो दिन रैन
लोग भरम हम पर करे, तासो निचे नैन"
"The Giver is someone else, giving day and night. But the world gives me the credit, so I lower my eyes."
He was considered aPersophile.[10]
In 1580, Rahim was appointed as the chief ofAjmer byAkbar. Around the same time, Akbar appointed him to lead another campaign againstMaharana Pratap in order to capture or kill him. Rahim placed his family in Sherpura and advanced against Mewar. Pratap took up a position on the hilly pass of Dholan to check the Mughal advance. Meanwhile, his sonPrince Amar Singh invaded Sherpura and succeeded in capturing the women of Rahim's family and brought them to Mewar. However, Pratap rebuked his son for capturing the women and ordered him to return them back with honor to Rahim.[11]
Apart from writing variousdohas, Rahim translatedBabar's memoirs,Baburnama, from theChagatai language to thePersian language, which was completed in 1589–90. He had an excellent command of theSanskrit language.[12]
In Sanskrit, he wrote two books on astrology,Khetakautukam (Devanagari: खेटकौतुकम्) andDwatrimshadyogavali (Devanagari: द्वात्रिंशद्योगावली).
His tomb is situated inNizamuddin East on theMathura road, nearHumayun's Tomb, in New Delhi. He built it for his wife in 1598, and his body was placed in it in 1627.[13] In 1753–54, marble and sandstone from this tomb was used in the construction ofSafdarjung's Tomb, also in New Delhi.[13][14][15][16]
In 2014, the InterGlobe Foundation and theAga Khan Trust for Culture announced a project to conserve and restore Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khanan's tomb.[17]
The tomb sits prominently along the Mathura Road, formerly the Mughal Grand Trunk Road, and lies close to the Dargah of Nizamuddin Auliya and Humayun's Tomb. In 2020, after six years of restoration work by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, Rahim Khan's tomb was opened to the public.[18] It is one of the largest conservation projects ever undertaken on any monument of national importance in India. For its architecture and purpose, it has often been compared withTaj Mahal.[19]
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