Heritage tomb in Malviya Nagar dying a slow death

With its red walls and a dome that can be seen from afar, the Lal Gumbad in Malviya Nagar promises opulence and majesty. But just one look at its main door, which was burnt down a few months ago, shatters all such visions and brings one back to the harsh reality of apathy and neglect.

Built in the late 14th Century, the pre-Mughal era, the neglected Lal Gumbad is now a haunt for gamblers and addicts. A board in the premises proclaims the structure a ‘Protected Monument’ and a monument of national importance under the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act-1951.

But all that is meaningless for the solitary guard deployed at the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)-protected monument, who neither wants to know the history nor concern himself about the people playing cards in the vicinity.

“We have been seeing this charred door for a long time. Nobody ever came to repair it,” says Lallan, a local enjoying his late afternoon beedi in the premises of the heritage structure. “This is a place of worship. Sometimes, people light incense. May be that burnt down the door,” he adds.

Lal Gumbad, also known as the Rakabwala Gumbad, was a tomb …read more