Barakhamba
Encyclopedia
Barakhamba, also known as Barakhamba Monument, is a 14th century tomb building from the Lodi period that is located in New Delhi
, India
. Barakhamba means twelve pillars in the Urdu
and Hindi
languages. The name has also been used for an upscale modern metro road named the "Barakhamba road" in Connaught Place
at the heart of the city.
Barakhamba monument is a tomb of an unknown individual, a high nobleman. It is located in the Nizamuddin heritage area at the entrance road to the Nizamuddin Auliya
and is under restoration.
s and has three arched openings on each face. The verandah
(passage), laid around the central chamber, has four dome
d apartments at each corner. The structure is located in an open park and is easily visible and accessible to public. It lies on the opposite side of 7th Hole of the Delhi Golf course and on the main road from Neel Gumbad (Blue Dome) circle or Nizamuddin circle to the World Heritage Monument – the Humayun tomb.
(betel leaf) and graffiti
on the walls by vandals. The squatters have been removed and the area has been made more secure. Efforts are being made to restore the monument to its original glory. There are also plans for the park and the garden around the tomb to be redone. As a first step, the Archeological Survey of India (ASI
) has started removing the stains and scars on the defaced faces of the monument using chemical treatment using an application of a special paste called multani mitti pack on the monument several times to erase marks and to restore the original appearance. The next stage of restoration involves structural conservation work on the monument.
Barakhamba is one of the 46 monuments under restoration in Delhi. The restoration work is expected to be completed before the Commonwealth Games
, which will be held in New Delhi in 2010.
(Arabic: محراب pl. محاريب), are not part of the monument. Mihrab is a niche
that is always provided in the wall of a mosque and the wall is called qibla
wall. It indicates the direction of the Kaaba
in Mecca
. This is mandatory requirement for Muslims to pray facing west
.
It has also been inferred that the twelve pillared square monument may have been a tomb chamber with arcades around it, originally intended as Chausath Khamba
. The Lalmahal, now in ruins and partially demolished, is a red sandstone monument behind Barakhamba.
Lalmahal
This heritage monument also called Kushak Lal was built by Balban the Slave Dynasty
ruler, between 1266–1286 during the rule of Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah. This red sandstone
structure had prominent chhatri
s which have been demolished.
This impressive tomb made of blue tiles and stone is located at a circle opposite to the entrance gate to the Barakhamba, on the eastern enclosure wall of the Nizamuddin complex. It is known as Nila Gumbad because of its blue coloured dome. The tomb is believed to be for Fahim Khan who died in 1626 A.D. He was an attendant to Abdur Rahim Khan during Jahangir’s reign.
s. The city received the title of a 'World heritage city'. To achieve that status, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage
(INTACH), a nationwide non–profit organization founded (by former Prime Minister
Rajiv Gandhi
) in 1984 to protect the common national heritage, Delhi Chapter, signed a MoU with the Delhi government with the objective of ensuring urban development in congruence with the architectural monuments of the city. In this context, William Dalrymple, an Indophile, states that "only Rome
, Istanbul
and Cairo
can even begin to rival Delhi for the sheer volume and density of historic remains". To achieve this goal, 46 historical monuments have been selected by the ASI for renovation work and the Barakhamba monument is one of them, and INTACH Delhi Chapter has categorised it under Grade “A” in terms of heritage value. The restoration works of this heritage structure in the strategic Nizamuddin heritage complex is slated for completion before the commencement of the Commonwealth Games in 2010.
figures on their buildings as evidenced in Delhi
, Agra
, Lahore
and elsewhere. Figure seven (7) and figure 12, in particular, seem to have mystical significance to real time events such as 12 hours in the day and 12 in the night, 12 months, 12 apostles, 12 signs of the zodiac
, 12 tribes, 12 branched candlesticks and 12 kinds of men and women and so forth. Similarly, the twelve–pillared buildings are stated to be a common feature during the ancient and medieval periods. As an example, it is mentioned that the Mausoleum of Mausolus, (since then the word Mausol has become an eponym in the word Mausoleum
for all stately tombs), regarded as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
in Turkey
had 36 (thirty–six) slim columns (pillars), which is three times 12. In North India many cities have Barakhambas, like the one in Delhi. The Hazrat Nasiruddin tomb in Delhi is also said to be a 12 pillared square chamber.
, Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Vijaya Building, New Delhi House, Gopal towers, Sapru House, the prestigious Modern School (New Delhi)
and many more. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has operationalized the Delhi metro
link, the rapid transit system called the Blue Line of 32.1 km (19.9 mi) length from Indraprastha via Barakhamba Road to Dwarka Sub City
, Asia's largest residential colony in South West Delhi District. A ‘Control Centre’ of the Metro is located at the Metro Bhavan on Barakhamba Road.
The name tag Barakhamba of this famous road is credited to a twelve pillared (Bara Khamba) house of a noble man, stated to have been built during the rule of Sultan Mohammad Tuglaq
, originally erected on this road, now demolished (with hardly any traces). An artist’s reconstruction of the house (see external link) shows it as a three storied house with a high tower
and terrace with a chabootara (a sit out) to get a scenic view of the city. A high wall surrounds the open courtyard of the house.
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Barakhamba means twelve pillars in the Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
and Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
languages. The name has also been used for an upscale modern metro road named the "Barakhamba road" in Connaught Place
Connaught Place, New Delhi
Connaught Place Connaught Place Connaught Place (Hindi: कनॉट प्लेस, (officially Rajiv Chowk) is one of the largest financial, commercial and business centers in Delhi. It is often abbreviated as CP and houses the headquarters of several Indian firms. Its surroundings occupy a place of pride...
at the heart of the city.
Barakhamba monument is a tomb of an unknown individual, a high nobleman. It is located in the Nizamuddin heritage area at the entrance road to the Nizamuddin Auliya
Nizamuddin Auliya
Sultan-ul-Mashaikh, Mehboob-e-Ilahi, Hazrat Shaikh Khwaja Syed Muhammad Nizamuddin Auliya , also known as Hazrat Nizamuddin, was a famous Sufi saint of the Chishti Order in the Indian Subcontinent, an order that believed in drawing close to God through renunciation of the world and service to...
and is under restoration.
Monument structure
The tomb has twelve pillarColumn
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
s and has three arched openings on each face. The verandah
Verandah
A veranda or verandah is a roofed opened gallery or porch. It is also described as an open pillared gallery, generally roofed, built around a central structure...
(passage), laid around the central chamber, has four dome
Dome
A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
d apartments at each corner. The structure is located in an open park and is easily visible and accessible to public. It lies on the opposite side of 7th Hole of the Delhi Golf course and on the main road from Neel Gumbad (Blue Dome) circle or Nizamuddin circle to the World Heritage Monument – the Humayun tomb.
Restoration
The monument was neglected and subject to occupation by squatters until recently. It was also defaced by spit of paanPaan
Paan, from the word pān is an Indian, Pakistani, Uttarvarshi and Southeast Asian tradition of chewing betel leaf with areca nut and slaked lime paste, and katha brown powder paste, with many regional and local variations...
(betel leaf) and graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
on the walls by vandals. The squatters have been removed and the area has been made more secure. Efforts are being made to restore the monument to its original glory. There are also plans for the park and the garden around the tomb to be redone. As a first step, the Archeological Survey of India (ASI
ASI
-Names:* ASI Solutions, an Australian IT company* Asi, a Russian name for the Ossetians* Asi, another name for the Orontes River* Asi language, a language spoken by Bantoanons from the island of Banton, Philippines...
) has started removing the stains and scars on the defaced faces of the monument using chemical treatment using an application of a special paste called multani mitti pack on the monument several times to erase marks and to restore the original appearance. The next stage of restoration involves structural conservation work on the monument.
Barakhamba is one of the 46 monuments under restoration in Delhi. The restoration work is expected to be completed before the Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
, which will be held in New Delhi in 2010.
Features
An unusual feature of the Barakhamba is that mihrabMihrab
A mihrab is semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the qibla; that is, the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca and hence the direction that Muslims should face when praying...
(Arabic: محراب pl. محاريب), are not part of the monument. Mihrab is a niche
Niche (architecture)
A niche in classical architecture is an exedra or an apse that has been reduced in size, retaining the half-dome heading usual for an apse. Nero's Domus Aurea was the first semi-private dwelling that possessed rooms that were given richly varied floor plans, shaped with niches and exedras;...
that is always provided in the wall of a mosque and the wall is called qibla
Qibla
The Qiblah , also transliterated as Qibla, Kiblah or Kibla, is the direction that should be faced when a Muslim prays during salah...
wall. It indicates the direction of the Kaaba
Kaaba
The Kaaba is a cuboid-shaped building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is the most sacred site in Islam. The Qur'an states that the Kaaba was constructed by Abraham, or Ibraheem, in Arabic, and his son Ishmael, or Ismaeel, as said in Arabic, after he had settled in Arabia. The building has a mosque...
in Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
. This is mandatory requirement for Muslims to pray facing west
West
West is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.West is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of east and is perpendicular to north and south.By convention, the left side of a map is west....
.
It has also been inferred that the twelve pillared square monument may have been a tomb chamber with arcades around it, originally intended as Chausath Khamba
Chausath Khamba
Chausath Khamba, also spelt Chaunsath Khamba , is a tomb built during 1623–24. It is located in Nizamuddin precincts of Sufi Muslim shrines and tombs in New Delhi, India. The name means "64 pillars" in Urdu and Hindi. It was built by Mirza Aziz Koka, son of Ataga Khan, as a mausoleum for...
. The Lalmahal, now in ruins and partially demolished, is a red sandstone monument behind Barakhamba.
Lalmahal
This heritage monument also called Kushak Lal was built by Balban the Slave Dynasty
Slave dynasty
The Slave Dynasty or Mamluk Dynasty or Ghulam Dynasty , was directed into India by Qutb-ud-din Aybak, a Turkic general of Central Asian birth. It was the first of five unrelated dynasties to rule India's Delhi Sultanate from 1206 to 1290...
ruler, between 1266–1286 during the rule of Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah. This red sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
structure had prominent chhatri
Chhatri
Chhatris are elevated, dome-shaped pavilions used as an element in Indian architecture. Chhatris are commonly used to depict the elements of of pride and honor in the Rajput architecture of Rajasthan. They are widely used, in palaces, in forts, or to demarcate funerary sites...
s which have been demolished.
Nila Gumbad
Heritage status
Delhi’s heritage has 2,000 years of history and includes more than 1,000 tombs, forts, havelis, baolis, and darwazaDarwaza
Darwaza is a 1978 Bollywood horror film directed by Shyam Ramsay and Tulsi Ramsay. The film stars Anil Dhawan.T-Cast:*Anil Dhawan ... Suraj Singh*Imtiaz Khan ... Shakaal *Anju Mahendru ... Reshma*Shakti Kapoor ... Goga...
s. The city received the title of a 'World heritage city'. To achieve that status, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage
Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage
The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage is an autonomous non-governmental Indian NGO that seeks to preserve Indian Art and Cultural heritage...
(INTACH), a nationwide non–profit organization founded (by former Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Ratna Gandhi was the sixth Prime Minister of India . He took office after his mother's assassination on 31 October 1984; he himself was assassinated on 21 May 1991. He became the youngest Prime Minister of India when he took office at the age of 40.Rajiv Gandhi was the elder son of Indira...
) in 1984 to protect the common national heritage, Delhi Chapter, signed a MoU with the Delhi government with the objective of ensuring urban development in congruence with the architectural monuments of the city. In this context, William Dalrymple, an Indophile, states that "only Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
and Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
can even begin to rival Delhi for the sheer volume and density of historic remains". To achieve this goal, 46 historical monuments have been selected by the ASI for renovation work and the Barakhamba monument is one of them, and INTACH Delhi Chapter has categorised it under Grade “A” in terms of heritage value. The restoration works of this heritage structure in the strategic Nizamuddin heritage complex is slated for completion before the commencement of the Commonwealth Games in 2010.
Details
In the context of the Barakhamba, the number 12 (twelve) in the monument, an observation recorded is that the Moghuls were fond of motifs of mysticalMysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
figures on their buildings as evidenced in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, Agra
Agra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
, Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
and elsewhere. Figure seven (7) and figure 12, in particular, seem to have mystical significance to real time events such as 12 hours in the day and 12 in the night, 12 months, 12 apostles, 12 signs of the zodiac
Zodiac
In astronomy, the zodiac is a circle of twelve 30° divisions of celestial longitude which are centred upon the ecliptic: the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year...
, 12 tribes, 12 branched candlesticks and 12 kinds of men and women and so forth. Similarly, the twelve–pillared buildings are stated to be a common feature during the ancient and medieval periods. As an example, it is mentioned that the Mausoleum of Mausolus, (since then the word Mausol has become an eponym in the word Mausoleum
Mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
for all stately tombs), regarded as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
The Seven Wonders of the World refers to remarkable constructions of classical antiquity listed by various authors in guidebooks popular among the ancient Hellenic tourists, particularly in the 1st and 2nd centuries BC...
in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
had 36 (thirty–six) slim columns (pillars), which is three times 12. In North India many cities have Barakhambas, like the one in Delhi. The Hazrat Nasiruddin tomb in Delhi is also said to be a 12 pillared square chamber.
Barakhamba Road
Barakhamba Road is one of the premier roads of Delhi that connects Mandi House circle, near Sahitya Akademi and Doordarshan Kendra (Television Centre), with Connaught Place, (New Delhi) also called Rajeev Gandhi Chowk. On both sides of the road many commercial complexes and several other land marks are located. Some of the notable landmark buildings are the National Museum of Natural History, New DelhiNational Museum of Natural History, New Delhi
The National Museum of Natural History in New Delhi is one of two museums focusing on nature in India. Established in 1972 , the museum functions under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India and is situated on Barakhamba Road in Central New Delhi.-External links:*...
, Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Vijaya Building, New Delhi House, Gopal towers, Sapru House, the prestigious Modern School (New Delhi)
Modern School (New Delhi)
Modern School, commonly known as Modern, is a co-educational private school in New Delhi, India. It was founded in 1920 by Lala Raghubir Singh and Sir Sobha Singh. Considered to be one of the elite schools, Modern is also referred to as the Eton of India. It is the first private school established...
and many more. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has operationalized the Delhi metro
Delhi Metro
Delhi Metro is a rapid transit system serving Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad in the National Capital Region of India. It is one of the largest metro networks in the world. The network consists of six lines with a total length of with 142 stations of which 35 are underground...
link, the rapid transit system called the Blue Line of 32.1 km (19.9 mi) length from Indraprastha via Barakhamba Road to Dwarka Sub City
Dwarka Sub City
Dwarka is a sub city, located in the South West Delhi district of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. It is named after the legendary Dwaraka Kingdom. It is a short distance away from Gurgaon which is a major hub for large corporations in the country and about 10 Kms away from Indira Gandhi...
, Asia's largest residential colony in South West Delhi District. A ‘Control Centre’ of the Metro is located at the Metro Bhavan on Barakhamba Road.
The name tag Barakhamba of this famous road is credited to a twelve pillared (Bara Khamba) house of a noble man, stated to have been built during the rule of Sultan Mohammad Tuglaq
Muhammad bin Tughluq
Muhammad bin Tughluq was the Turkic Sultan of Delhi from 1325 to 1351. He was the eldest son of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq.He was born in Kotla Tolay Khan in Multan. His wife was daughter of the raja of Dipalpur...
, originally erected on this road, now demolished (with hardly any traces). An artist’s reconstruction of the house (see external link) shows it as a three storied house with a high tower
Tower
A tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
and terrace with a chabootara (a sit out) to get a scenic view of the city. A high wall surrounds the open courtyard of the house.