Chini ka Rauza, Agra

The term Rauza means funerary monument. This monument holds the tomb of Mughal scholar and poet, Allama Afzal Khan Mullah. He was the Prime Minister of Mughal court, during the reign of Shah Jahan. This tomb was built in 17th century and holds many dissimilar features of Mughal architecture.

Location of Chini Ka Rauza

This tomb is located on the eastern bank of the River Yamuna, in Agra. This monument is just one kilometer to the north of Baby Taj, Tomb of Itimad-Ud-Daulah.

History of Chini Ka Rauza

Chini ka Rauza is also called as the China Tomb of Agra. This mausoleum belong to a Persian born poet, who rose to the position of Wazir (Prime Minister) during the reign of Shah Jahan. Mullah died in 1639 in Lahore. His remains were brought back to Agra, to be buried in this spot. Just like every other mausoleum of Mughals, the tomb is built to face the holy city of Mecca.

Architecture of Chini Ka Rauza

This Mughal structure has many exotic and unusual styles of architecture. The main dissimilarity is the un-proportional dome built in Sultanate style. However, the beauty of the tomb has heavily disintegrated with passage of time. The walls of the monument have worn out, but you can still see the striking enamel colors on the tiles and remains of what used to be a grand ceiling painting. The builders of the tomb used earthen pots to reduce the weight of concrete filling in the facades. This method is widely used in Egypt and Rome.

This Indo-Persian structure is the first Mughal monument to be built with glazed tiles. The glazed tiles are called as ‘Chini’ in local language and thus, the monument is called as Chinni Ka Rauza. The structure is rectangular and is in dirt-brown color. You can find ruins of inscriptions from Quran and a few paintings on the walls of this monument.The dome is divided into seven honeycombed rings. You can spot drawings of flowers and wreaths along the walls. The walls are painted in dirt-brown and you can find inscriptions in light blue and decorations in deep green and gold.

How to Reach Chini Ka Rauza?

Once you reach Agra via railways, roadway or airways, you can find cabs, buses and other road transportation from any part of the city to the monument. The monument is just 20 minutes away from Taj Mahal. You can find auto-rickshaws or other transportation from Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Itimad-ud-Daulah to this monument.

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Best Time to Visit Chini Ka Rauza

The monument is best visited between 9 am and 6 pm. This is the right time to get a good glimpse of the paintings and glazed tiles. Visit during the sunset to get a grand view of River Yamuna. You can watch the day turn into night along the banks of the river. Among the seasons of Agra, winter is the mild and moderately pleasing one. Thus, choose to visit the monument during winter season, which starts in October and ends in March.

Entry Fee and Timing of Chini Ka Rauza

The monument is open from sunrise to sunset and there is no entry fee for this monument.