Safdarjung's Tomb - A Mughal Mini Taj Mahal in The Heart of New Delhi
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Delhi is full of surprises. From the unexpected amount of green spaces, amazing food and incredible architecture. It is a city brimming with colour, tradition and buildings from antiquity. You can literally walk down a street and stumble upon an ancient temple sharing the pavement with a modern coffee shop. History is everywhere in Delhi and Safdarjung's Tomb was just such a beautiful relic of the past!
Where is Safdarjung's Tomb?
Safdarjung's Tomb is located in the south of Delhi. In the midst of embassies, wide boulevards, and neighbours with the Lodhi Garden and Khan Market, Safdarjung's Tomb is ideally placed for a day out in Delhi. Although easily overlooked for more famous Delhi monuments, Safdarjung’s Tomb is well worth your time.
How to get to Safdarjung's Tomb?
Safdarjung's Tomb is located in southern Delhi (location).
It is easily accessible by car, auto rickshaw, or ride hailing app e.g. Uber / Ola.
For those travelling by public transport, the nearest metro station is Jorbagh on the yellow metro line.
There is also a bus stop right outside the entrance serving multiple routes throughout Delhi.
Ticket price for Safdarjung’s Tomb
Entrance tickets cost 300 rupees each for foreigners (£2.90 or $3.62).
There are many touts outside the front entrance trying to sell "tickets or tours". We can't speculate on the tours as we didn't take one but their offered ticket prices were higher than the official cost.
The ticket booth is to the right of the main archway.
What is Safdarjung's Tomb?
Safdarjung's Tomb is, surprise, surprise, a tomb! Built in the Mughal style, this red stone and marble mausoleum rises up the centre of a beautiful "paradise garden". Often known as the mini Taj Mahal, this tomb actually provided a blueprint for its more famous cousin in Agra.
Why should you visit?
Let's get this out the way, Safdarjung's Tomb is gorgeous.
An incredible building surrounded by beautiful gardens, set amongst peaceful water channels. Safdarjung's Tomb does not (or at least did not whilst we were there) suffer from the overcrowding, common in other ancient sites. We were far from the only ones there, but it never felt crowded and you never had to wait in an Instagram queue to take a nice photo. We can absolutely recommend Safdarjung's Tomb as a calm and beautiful place to walk around and take in incredible architecture.
Our experience of Safdarjung's Tomb
We hadn't known what to expect. We hadn't even heard about Safdarjung's or his tomb until we were recommended it by a fellow traveller whilst sat around a fire pit in Nong Khiaw, Laos!
From the entrance gate you could be forgiven for thinking this is a small site, just needing a quick stop before moving on, but don't judge a monument by its gateway! As you walk through the arched gatehouse and out into the sunshine, the sheer scale of the place is instantly and eye wideningly apparent.
In pleasingly geometric precise lines, water channels stretch from a fountain near the entrance, up a manicured, palm lined avenue to the steps of the great tomb. Set on top of its red sandstone terrace, the tomb sits like the gnomon of a sundial in the centre of the garden. Its white dome pointing skywards and contrasting with the green of the plants and red of the mausoleum.
On each of the square terrace’s four sides the water channel is mirrored, stretching out from the central tomb to the surrounding walls.
On the right hand side, a dramatic three domed mosque sits in the border wall, whilst all around formal gardens bloom.
Walking inside the tomb itself, the ornately carved dome towered high above us. All around the walls were intricately carved with stone latices, allowing the sunlight to glimmer through and cast beautiful geometric shadows across the marble.
The tombs themselves are, in typical Mughal fashion, understated small clean marble affairs that emphasise the grandeur of their surroundings. The tomb and terrace were gorgeous places, their elevated position giving great views across the garden. From up on the terrace Safdarjung's Tomb looks like an oasis, surrounded by modern New Delhi on all sides.
In the chaos of Delhi you've got to find your peaceful places, and the gardens of Safdarjung's Tomb were definitely that. With peacocks strolling around the gardens and eagles circling overhead. It was quite literally a breath of fresh air!
How long do you need to spend visiting Safdarjung's Tomb?
Despite the size of the grounds, you can see all that the tomb has to offer within an hour or so. If you've brought a picnic or if you just want to chill out in the beautiful gardens, you can of course stay longer.
We'd recommend pairing a visit to the tomb with a trip to the Lodhi Garden which is practically next door. After walking through the Lodhi Garden, you could treat yourself to an upmarket coffee or meal at the nearby Khan Market.
What facilities are at Safdarjung's Tomb?
Inside the grounds there are toilet facilities and outside the usual array of food carts, ice cream wagons and water sellers.
Thank you for reading,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
*Prices correct at time of writing - September 2023
If you’re looking for a great place to stay in south Delhi why not book a stay at JHouse Hostel? Located just a short tuk tuk ride away, this is an ideal place to base yourself to see Safdarjung’s Tomb as well as all of southern Delhi’s highlights. Read more about our stay here.
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