If you have ever been to Qutub Minar, you must have noticed this lonely structure across the road. Shrouded in the mystery of its own past, this is the tomb of ‘Akbar’ Azim Khan.

Although, there is not much written about him, but what we know, tells us that he was a general in the army of Mughal emperor Jalaaluddin Muhammed Akbar (the Great). After serving Akbar for many years with his valour and loyalty, Azim was awarded the title ‘Akbar’ (the magnificent) by the emperor himself.

But after the emperor died of dysentery in 1605, Azim gave up his rank in the royal court (after serving Jehangir for a few years), and arrived in Delhi to follow Hazrat Nizamuddin’s teachings of ‘Chishtiya’ Sufism. From then he began on his path of spiritual enlightenment and gave up his rich and luxurious lifestyle. And after several years of following the path of Hazrat Nizamuddin, Azim became a sage for the people. The locals came to him looking for guidance. Soon, he garnered a flock of his own devotees who would look upto him as a Sufi Saint. But Azim never wanted this popularity, and so he decided to go and live at a place where seldom anyone would come and find him. This was the tomb that we see today. Constructed on a steep hill, Azim wanted his home/tomb to be less accessible, so that he could live in peace (alone). Surrounded by pointy and smooth rocks and shrubbery, sharp enough to give you hundreds of paper cuts, this structure served Azim just as well how he hoped.

After his death, the structure remained empty and after the British colonisation, the Sahebs (Englishmen) used this place as a hang out spot, where they would trek to the tomb, party and spend the night, looking over the magnificent view.

After independence, the tomb fell under the jurisdiction of ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) and was restored moderately. The graves were repaired and the sharp rocks were cut into wide steps that now lead to a safe and convenient passage to this tomb from the road. The tomb is now easily accessible to anyone and has no guard or supervisor, but you still wont find many visitors here. As if Azim is still watching his beloved abode and wants it to stay just how he liked it — isolated from the world.

So next time, you see this structure from the road, just think of this powerful general who turned his back on the world and became a hermit.

 

Image: The Glass

Once a troubled farmer went to a sage and complained, "Please help me, I have a really small hut that hardly accommodates me and my family, and now my in laws want to come and live with us. What can I do ?"

Sage asked, "How many cattle do you have?"

"5 Goats, 1 Cow and 2 Oxen.", the farmer replied.
"Bring the Goats and Cow inside your hut with your family and come back after a week." the Sage replied and the farmer left, baffled.
 
The farmer came back the following week and now he looked even more tensed than before.

"How is it going?", the Sage asked him.
Upset, the farmer replied, "Its not good at all. Its so crowded and noisy inside now. I cant even hear myself thinking, let alone my wife's complaints."

"Bring your Oxen inside the hut too and come back after a week." said the Sage. The farmer was dumbstruck, but he knew about the sage's reputation and so left without saying anything.
Week later, the farmer came with dark circles under his eyes."What are you doing to me?" he yelled at the Sage. "My in laws are coming tomorrow and my wife is going crazy everyday. My life is a hell now. Its like living in a zoo."

The sage calmly answered, "Go back, send the animals out and come back after a week."

The farmer left with a raging temper, and came back after a week. But this time, he looked calm and serene. The Sage looked at him, smiled and asked, "How are the things at home now?"

The farmer oozed with joy, "Wonderful! I never knew my hut was so big. After I sent all the animals out, my house looked enormous. My in laws are living with me now but I hardly notice them. Me and my wife are really happy now."


The Sage smiled and said, "As long as you see the challenges of your life as a problem, you will suffer. The only thing that makes you suffer is not the event itself, but your perception about the event. Nothing on the outside can make you suffer; suffering comes from within and so does inner peace."