Tomb of Adham Khan is as old as the 16th century and belongs to the general of the Mughal emperor Akbar, named Adham Khan and is located in the northern part of the Qutub Minar, Mehrauli in Delhi. It was established in the year 1561 and is declared a protected monument by the Archaeological Survey of India or ASI. Adham Khan was the son of the wet nurse of Akbar, Maham Anga, and therefore was his foster brother. Adham Khan was executed at Agra Fort upon the royal orders of Akbar, after he had learnt that Adham Khan had assassinated Ataga Khan, the favourite general of Akbar.
History of Tomb of Adham Khan
Adham Khan was a general and official noble in the court of Akbar, and was the son of his wet nurse Maham Anga. During 1561, he entered into a conflict with Ataga Khan, the Prime Minister of Akbar who was the son of yet another wet nurse named Jiji Anga and eventually killed him. Akbar, seething with anger, ordered to have Adham Khan flung down from the fort ramparts of Agra Fort twice. Consequently, he died. During the 40th day of his mourning, his mother Maham Anga passed away out of intense grief and both were buried inside a tomb which were built by Akbar in an octagonal design which was quite contrary to the regular Mughal architectural styles. Such patterns have been observed in the tombs belonging to the rulers of Lodhi Dynasty and Sur Dynasty, who were considered traitors by the Mughals.
During the period around 1830`s, a British officer, Blake who served the Bengal Civil Service had made the tomb into his residential quarters in order to accommodate his dining hall. The officer dies soon afterwards. Thereafter, it was employed by the British as a rest house and once was even utilized as a post office and police station. The tomb was then vacated and much later, refurnished by the orders of Lord Curzon, lying below the central dome. However, the tomb of his mother Maham Anga was never restored to the site.
Architecture of Tomb of Adham Khan
The Tomb of Adham Khan exists close to the walls of Lal Kot, rising from a terrace which is surrounded by an octagonal wall armed with low towers at its corners. The tomb is home to a domed octagonal structured chamber boasting of the architectural patterns of Sayyid Dynasty and Lodhi Dynasty of the 14th century. A verandah is present on either side of the tomb and there are also three openings. Since visitors often lose their way, trapped in the numerable passages along its walls, it is also termed as `bul-bulaiyan` or labyrinth or maze.