Staying near Nizamuddin for 15 years has its advantages. Even if you are not a strong believer, you cannot but get attracted by the sights and sounds of the famous Sufi dargah and its surroundings. The chaos, colour and character of the area urge the curious visitor to look for more, and over the years, with the help of a few friends, I not only explored the shrine and nearby places but also discovered well-decorated restaurants tucked inside shabby lanes and quaint tea shops serving “chai” with extra “malai”.
But I never went to the tomb of Mirza Ghalib.
Now, that’s a bit odd for a poetry enthusiast (I don’t claim to be proficient in Urdu but Ghalib is beyond any language barrier). The problem is that Mazar-e-Mirza Ghalib is very easy to miss. There’s this pharmacy in the corner of Karim’s lane, the shop selling newspapers and books, the flower and ‘chadar’ sellers screaming “juta yahan rakhiye, juta yahan rakhiye” and then the Ghalib Academy gate. In between, there is a small slice of a path leading to the gate of Urs Mahal, cultural events are held there during the Urs of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya and other such special days. This also serves as the entry point to the tomb of the man who wrote “hazaron ḳhwahishen aisi...”
On one Sunday, after taking part in a heritage walk in Humayun’s Tomb just across the Mathura Road, I and a friend decided to visit Ghalib’s grave. I actually missed the entry again and had to ask a shopkeeper. The Urs Mahal compound was empty, barring a few children who were playing cricket. We noticed a large white marbled structure on the right side, but it did not look like Ghalib’s tomb as I had seen in internet. “I don’t think this one is Ghalib’s,” I said.
At that moment, a security guard, wearing a fluorescent green jacket, walked up to us. “Yeh Chausanth Khamba hai. Aapko mazar-e-Ghalib dekhna hai? Aiye main dono dikha deta hoon”.
The guard-turned-guide then took us to Chausanth Khamba, a tomb built for himself by Mughal nobleman Mirza Aziz Koka/Kokaltash. The guard described him as Akbar ka “satela bhai” though Google search shows that he was actually the foster brother of the emperor and son of his minister Atgah Khan. Chausanth Khamba is called thus because 64 pillars are said to be supporting its roof (though Mayank Austen Soofi of famous “Delhi Walla” blog says one can count only up to 36).
Chausanth Khamba is the larger building in the complex and Ghalib’s tomb, a beautiful but small structure also made of white marble, is kind of hidden behind it. As one enters the courtyard (renovated in 2009 by Agha Khan Trust), the first thing anyone will notice is how quiet it is. The hustle and bustle of Nizamuddin Basti suddenly seems to be a mile away. As if the poet wanted a peaceful abode and it has been granted to him. Or maybe I imagined all that, I don’t know. Maybe reading a Ghalib couplet inscribed on a plaque in the soft glow of twilight makes one’s imagination run too far.
“na tha kuchh to ḳhuda tha kuchh na hota to ḳhuda hota
Duboya mujh ko hone ne na hota main to kya hota”.
“Aapne time mein sirf India nahi, Asia ka best poet the.” said Mr Singh, our guide, while sharing snippets of information on Ghalib’s life and work. I was busy taking pictures of the tombstone, where a few lines were written in Urdu. (Later found out that it is the same couplet as cited above). As we crossed the gate of the Urs Mahal and returned to the busy crowd of devotees, shopkeepers, beggars and tramps, it felt like we had just been to another world.
P.S.: From poetic to the mundane: While returning, discovered a bakery selling excellent “dilwala feni” (French Palmier cookie) and “nan khatai”.
Trivia: (Not on Ghalib). Atgah Khan was murdered by Adham Khan, son of Akbar’s chief nurse and advisor Maham Anga. Adham Khan is the same guy whom we have seen in “Jodha Akbar”, being thrown off Agra Fort twice as punishment for the same crime.
(February 2018)
But I never went to the tomb of Mirza Ghalib.
Now, that’s a bit odd for a poetry enthusiast (I don’t claim to be proficient in Urdu but Ghalib is beyond any language barrier). The problem is that Mazar-e-Mirza Ghalib is very easy to miss. There’s this pharmacy in the corner of Karim’s lane, the shop selling newspapers and books, the flower and ‘chadar’ sellers screaming “juta yahan rakhiye, juta yahan rakhiye” and then the Ghalib Academy gate. In between, there is a small slice of a path leading to the gate of Urs Mahal, cultural events are held there during the Urs of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya and other such special days. This also serves as the entry point to the tomb of the man who wrote “hazaron ḳhwahishen aisi...”
On one Sunday, after taking part in a heritage walk in Humayun’s Tomb just across the Mathura Road, I and a friend decided to visit Ghalib’s grave. I actually missed the entry again and had to ask a shopkeeper. The Urs Mahal compound was empty, barring a few children who were playing cricket. We noticed a large white marbled structure on the right side, but it did not look like Ghalib’s tomb as I had seen in internet. “I don’t think this one is Ghalib’s,” I said.
At that moment, a security guard, wearing a fluorescent green jacket, walked up to us. “Yeh Chausanth Khamba hai. Aapko mazar-e-Ghalib dekhna hai? Aiye main dono dikha deta hoon”.
The guard-turned-guide then took us to Chausanth Khamba, a tomb built for himself by Mughal nobleman Mirza Aziz Koka/Kokaltash. The guard described him as Akbar ka “satela bhai” though Google search shows that he was actually the foster brother of the emperor and son of his minister Atgah Khan. Chausanth Khamba is called thus because 64 pillars are said to be supporting its roof (though Mayank Austen Soofi of famous “Delhi Walla” blog says one can count only up to 36).
Chausanth Khamba is the larger building in the complex and Ghalib’s tomb, a beautiful but small structure also made of white marble, is kind of hidden behind it. As one enters the courtyard (renovated in 2009 by Agha Khan Trust), the first thing anyone will notice is how quiet it is. The hustle and bustle of Nizamuddin Basti suddenly seems to be a mile away. As if the poet wanted a peaceful abode and it has been granted to him. Or maybe I imagined all that, I don’t know. Maybe reading a Ghalib couplet inscribed on a plaque in the soft glow of twilight makes one’s imagination run too far.
“na tha kuchh to ḳhuda tha kuchh na hota to ḳhuda hota
Duboya mujh ko hone ne na hota main to kya hota”.
“Aapne time mein sirf India nahi, Asia ka best poet the.” said Mr Singh, our guide, while sharing snippets of information on Ghalib’s life and work. I was busy taking pictures of the tombstone, where a few lines were written in Urdu. (Later found out that it is the same couplet as cited above). As we crossed the gate of the Urs Mahal and returned to the busy crowd of devotees, shopkeepers, beggars and tramps, it felt like we had just been to another world.
P.S.: From poetic to the mundane: While returning, discovered a bakery selling excellent “dilwala feni” (French Palmier cookie) and “nan khatai”.
Trivia: (Not on Ghalib). Atgah Khan was murdered by Adham Khan, son of Akbar’s chief nurse and advisor Maham Anga. Adham Khan is the same guy whom we have seen in “Jodha Akbar”, being thrown off Agra Fort twice as punishment for the same crime.
(February 2018)
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