Revisiting Akbar’s Disloyal Noble’s Tomb

Commissioned by Emperor Akbar himself, this is the tomb of Adham Khan, son of one of the most powerful players of the early years of his reign, Maham Anga.

The tomb is constructed on the walls of today’s oldest citadel in the Mehrauli region–Lal Kot–built by the Tomar rulers much before the Islamic rulers set up their empire in Delhi.

History
Adham Khan was the elder son of Akbar’s wet nurse Maham Anga. He grew up as the emperor’s foster brother and eventually became a part of his nobility.

Adham was a greedy man. He was obsessed with ruling the nation and was deeply jealous of his foster brother and constantly sought to create difficulties for him.

His last act of defiance towards the emperor was the murder of Atgah Khan, trusted Prime Minister and father-like figure, and the husband of another wet nurse, Jija Bai.
 
This act earned Adham the emperor’s absolute ire and was ordered to be thrown off the parapet of the fort. He was thrown twice, first to be killed and the second time to be sure that he was dead.

Adham Khan’s death caused deep grief to his mother, which later became the cause of her death. After his death, Akbar commissioned the construction of the present tomb where his mother was also buried later.

About the place
The Adham Khan tomb is octagonal in shape, something rarely seen in the architecture of the Mughal period. Octagonal tombs were in vogue during the Suri period and because of the relationship the Suris shared with the Mughal’s, octagonal tombs became synonymous with traitors.

Therefore, it was only natural for Akbar to have commissioned an octagonal tomb for Adham Khan, seen no less a traitor than Sher Shah Suri.

Nevertheless, the tomb has certain interesting characteristic contrasts of this style in the form of the double dome and circular engaged columns that replace the corner buttresses.

The architecture of the tomb has an intricate setting of passages because of which it is often referred to as Bhul Bhulaiya – maze.

It has sadly seen a lot of vandalism and alterations over the years. Apart from its original use as the resting space for Adham Khan and Maham Anga, it has been used as a residence, police station and even as a dispensary during the British period.

As a result the tomb has been in constant use and a number of alterations have been made to the original structure, only Adham Khan’s cenotaph can be found in the monument.

Maham Anga’s gravestone is lost in the many changes that the tomb has seen.

How to get there
Adham Khan’s tomb is situated opposite the Mehrauli Bus Terminal and most city buses to Mehrauli would take you to the site comfortably.

However, the metro network in the area is not functional as of now. If you are taking an auto rickshaw, ask the drivers to take you to the Mehrauli bus terminal as most of them won’t recognize the tomb by name. India has a rich heritage and a well known tourist destination because of its rich heritage. India is very famous for hosting royal weddings in royal cities of rajasthan. Rajasthan fair festivals, Rajasthan folk music and Rajasthan safaris are also very famous.