Abdur Rahim Khan I Khanan:
Cultural Revival
Besides being a strong administrator and military commander, Rahim was a great scholar and poet, and it is said that he was the only man during the reign of Akbar and Jahangir who had the power to wield the sword and the pen in equal measure. He is best remembered for his 700 Hindi couplets or dohas, for translating Baburnama into Persian, and, he also wrote verses in Turkish, Arabic, Sanskrit and Persian and several prose works, including two books on astrology.
In AH 988 (1580 AD), Akbar appointed Rahim as Mir Ard, a role that put him in charge of the thousands of petitions addressed to the emperor. Two years later, after proving himself not only as an able administrator and military commander but also a scholar with a deep understanding of the arts, sciences and court etiquette, he was appointed as the crown prince Salim’s ataliq, or tutor.
In due course Rahim not only acquired proficiency in Persian, Arabic and Turki but also developed a refined taste and sensibility for poetry in different languages. He was also interested in mathematics, astronomy, scholasticism. He eventually turned out to be a versatile poet, prolific writer, consummate scholar and an able administrator. Impressed by his learning, sophisticated manners and humanism, Akbar conferred upon him the title Mirza Khan.
Rahim’s close association with scholars of eminence like Hakim Abd Fath Gilani, Shaikh Muhammad Fazl Ullah, Khwaja Diwana amongst others shows how considerate he was to men of learning. Of the works translated by him into Persian, only the translation of Baburnama is extant. It was translated from Turki and shows how lucid and graceful was his style.
The significance of Rahim’s Mausoleum lies not only in its architectural and archaeological value but primarily on account of its association with an eminent cultural personality and thus immense historical significance. Aimed at disseminating Rahim’s literary works, including his dohe, and enhancing our understanding of both Rahim and culture of the early Mughal era, AKTC in partnership with InterGlobe Foundation undertook an intense cultural revival programme. It is hoped that both the conservation effort and the associated academic and cultural programmes will enhance the city of Delhi and become a model for our shared tangible heritage to be conserved and presented in context and together with our remarkable pluralistic intangible heritage.