Historical Dynasty: Mirza Aziz Koka & The Foster Brotherhood
Tucked within the vibrant historic lanes of Basti Hazrat Nizamuddin, just a few hundred metres east of the great Sufi shrine, stands Chausath Khamba ('Sixty-Four Pillars'). Constructed in 1623–24 CE during the reign of Emperor Jahangir, this immaculate white marble monument is the private mausoleum of Mirza Aziz Koka, affectionately known in imperial histories as Khan-i-Azam ('The Great Khan'). Mirza Aziz Koka was the son of Shamsuddin Atgah Khan, Emperor Akbar's prime minister, and Jiji Anaga, Akbar's beloved chief wet-nurse. Because Akbar and Aziz Koka had shared breast milk in infancy, they were regarded as koka (foster brothers), establishing a lifelong bond of profound loyalty and imperial intimacy.
Akbar famously declared of his outspoken foster brother: 'Between Aziz and me there is a river of milk which cannot be crossed.' This bond allowed Aziz Koka to speak with unmatched frankness to both Akbar and his successor Jahangir, even openly critiquing imperial policies without fear of execution. He served as the governor of Gujarat, Malwa, and Bengal, accumulating immense personal wealth and cultivating a deep appreciation for the sophisticated marble architecture of Western India and Gujarat.
Upon his death in Ahmedabad in 1623 CE, Aziz Koka's body was transported back to Delhi and interred in this magnificent marble pavilion, which he had constructed near the sacred dargah of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. Ten members of his immediate household, including his wives and sons, were subsequently laid to rest beside him under the shade of the sixty-four monolithic pillars.
A Rare Marble Hypostyle Masterpiece
Unlike nearly all other major Mughal mausoleums in northern India, which feature vaulted stone arches beneath monumental soaring domes, Chausath Khamba is constructed entirely on an open hypostyle grid of sixty-four freestanding white marble pillars supporting sixty-four hidden shallow groined vaults—a design inspired by the royal pavilions of Gujarat.
Hypostyle Structural Geometry: 64 Pillars & 64 Vaults
Chausath Khamba represents an extraordinary departure from conventional Mughal funerary architecture. Instead of the typical walled enclosure crowned by a colossal central dome, the monument is designed as a square hypostyle pavilion measuring twenty metres on each side, resting on an elevated stone plinth. The entire structure is built of pure white Makrana marble sourced from the royal quarries of Rajasthan, creating an ethereal luminescence that contrasts sharply with the surrounding red sandstone monuments of the Nizamuddin quarter.
The name Chausath Khamba literally translates to 'Sixty-Four Pillars', deriving from the sixty-four monolithic square marble columns that support the expansive roof. The pillars are arranged in eight rows of eight, dividing the interior into twenty-five distinct bays. What is structurally remarkable—and virtually invisible from the exterior—is that the flat horizontal roof is supported by sixty-four small groined vaults and shallow hemispherical domes concealed within the roof thickness, an ingenious structural system that distributes load evenly across the hypostyle grid without requiring bulky internal masonry arches.
This open, airy pavilion design was directly inspired by the wooden and marble royal mandapas and chhatri pavilions of Gujarat and Rajasthan, which Aziz Koka had admired during his prolonged tenure as imperial viceroy of Gujarat. The resulting space possesses an unprecedented lightness, allowing refreshing breezes to circulate continuously through the mortuary hall.
Marble Jaali Craftsmanship & Floral Filigree
The exterior perimeter of Chausath Khamba is enclosed by twenty-five monumental arched bays filled with exquisite pierced marble jaali (lattice) screens. These screens are masterpieces of Jahangiri stonecutting, executed with mathematical precision from solid slabs of Makrana marble. The jaali patterns vary across the facades, transitioning from intricate Islamic geometric tessellations and octagonal starbursts to flowing naturalistic floral vines, stylized poppy blooms, and interlocking trellis filigree.
Throughout the day, as the sun traverses the Delhi sky, these pierced marble screens transform the interior of the mausoleum into a dynamic canvas of light and shadow. Beams of filtered daylight project shifting geometric lace patterns across the polished white marble floor and the unadorned stone cenotaphs, creating an atmosphere of contemplative stillness detached from the bustling urban clamor of the adjacent bazaar.
Above each arched bay, delicate marble eaves (chhajjas) supported by sculpted serpentine brackets provide sunshade, while the roofline is crowned by an ornamental marble parapet pierced with miniature trefoil balustrades. The monumental central doorway on the southern facade is framed by polished marble panels incised with fine floral borders and Persian calligraphic inscriptions recording the date of Aziz Koka's death.
Pedestrian Alleys & Footwear Removal
The alleys leading from the main road to Chausath Khamba are narrow medieval streets impassable by cars or auto-rickshaws; visitors must walk the final 300 metres through the bustling market lane. Footwear must be removed before ascending the marble plinth; during hot summer afternoons, the marble can absorb considerable heat.
Urs Mahal & The Adjacent Atgah Khan Necropolis
Chausath Khamba is situated within a tranquil walled courtyard that also contains the historic Urs Mahal, an open-sided Mughal audience hall supported by fluted red sandstone pillars. Historically, this courtyard served as the ceremonial assembly ground for the annual Urs (death anniversary) commemorations of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya and Amir Khusrau, where Sufi qawwals, poets, and Islamic scholars gathered to perform and deliver religious discourses before elite audiences.
Just fifty metres to the northwest, accessible through the narrow historic alleyways of the Basti, stands the magnificent Tomb of Shamsuddin Atgah Khan, the father of Mirza Aziz Koka, built in 1566–67 CE by imperial decree of Emperor Akbar. Atgah Khan had been tragically murdered inside Agra Fort by Adham Khan (son of Maham Anga) during a violent court dispute; Akbar personally threw the assassin over the palace ramparts and ordered this exquisite tomb erected in Delhi to honor his fallen prime minister.
Atgah Khan's tomb is celebrated for its dazzling polychrome exterior, which combines red sandstone with inlaid white marble, black slate, and incised plaster medallions painted in rich crimson and gold. Together, Chausath Khamba and Atgah Khan's tomb represent a multigenerational dynastic sanctuary of the Koka family within the sacred shadow of Nizamuddin Auliya.
AKTC Structural Restoration & Tile Revival
By the early 2000s, Chausath Khamba was facing catastrophic structural failure. Over four centuries of water infiltration through cracked roof terraces had corroded the hidden iron dowels connecting the marble blocks, causing massive expansion cracks, spalling, and displacement of several load-bearing pillars. The delicate marble jaali screens had fractured, and the interior vaults were encrusted with thick layers of dirt, biological lichen, and non-historic cement repairs.
Between 2009 and 2014, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), in collaboration with the Archaeological Survey of India and the German Embassy, undertook one of the most technologically advanced stone conservation projects ever attempted in India. Engineering teams painstakingly dismantled and numbered thousands of marble roof stones using 3D laser-scanning technology. Each fractured pillar and beam was stabilized, corroded iron dowels were replaced with corrosion-resistant stainless steel dowels, and missing marble sections were hand-carved by master stonecutters from Makrana using traditional techniques.
Simultaneously, the vast stone courtyard of Urs Mahal was repaved with hand-dressed sandstone slabs, underground storm-water drainage was installed, and the surrounding boundary walls were stabilized. The completed conservation was hailed internationally as a triumph of stone engineering, securing the future of this unique hypostyle masterpiece for centuries to come.
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