Ghalib was the last great poet of the Mughal era. Born Mirza Asadullah Beg Khan in Agra to a family of Turkic stock, being descended from Aybak Turks from Samarkand. His mother was ethnic Kashmiri. Educated in Persian and Arabic from an early age, he was also conversant in Urdu and Turkish. He first started composing poetry at the age of 11, and was known to be a gifted writer of letters. He used the pen names Ghalib (“dominant”) and Asad (“lion”).
In accordance to tradition, he had an arranged marriage at the age of 13, and moved to Delhi shortly after. He would later become tutor to the Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, and also taught the Crown Prince, Mirza Fakhru. In addition to his teaching duties, he was also an imperial court historian. He was ennobled in 1850, receiving the title ‘Mirza Nosha’.
As a member of the aristocracy, Ghalib never worked for a salary, and depended upon the Mughal court for patronage. After the Mughal Empire came to an end in 1857, he lived in poverty, and died in 1869. The Nizam of Hyderabad would commission a tomb to house Ghalib’s grave almost a century after his death.
The tomb is situated at the northern end of the Chausath Khamba enclosure, in the vicinity of the shrine of Nazrat Nizamuddin. Relatively small compared to other Mughal tombs in Delhi, it lies within a small courtyard with an iron gate guarding its entrance. A few graves, thought to belong his family, also lie in the courtyard. Though small and simple in its construction, the tomb attracts hundreds of visitors every year. People can often be seen praying quietly at the tomb, or offering rose petals.
The tomb was restored in 2010, which saw the courtyard paved over with red sandstone and white marble inlays. A hand-carved stone lattice screen was erected, walling off the tomb from the noisy street opposite. A couplet composed by the poet was inscribed on a marble slab. Benches, trees, and fragrant shrubbery were also added, giving the place a Mughal appearance.
