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  • Mawlana Hazar Imam, accompanied by Prince Hussain and officials from the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, walks down the central axis of the Sunder Nursery — once known as Azim Bagh (great garden) — after visiting the Sunder Burj, a 16th century tomb restored
    The Ismaili | 17 September 2013 | India

    Mawlana Hazar Imam arrives in India; visits Sundar Nursery

    Mawlana Hazar Imam, accompanied by Prince Hussain and officials from the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, walks down the central axis of the Sunder Nursery — once known as Azim Bagh (great garden) — after visiting the Sunder Burj, a 16th century tomb restored AKDN / Gary Otte
  • Mawlana Hazar Imam receives a private tour of the Sunder Nursery with officials from the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.
    The Ismaili | 17 September 2013 | India

    Mawlana Hazar Imam arrives in India; visits Sundar Nursery

    Mawlana Hazar Imam receives a private tour of the Sunder Nursery with officials from the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. AKDN / Gary Otte
  • Mawlana Hazar Imam arrives in New Delhi and is received by Jamati and AKDN leaders.
    The Ismaili | 17 September 2013 | India

    Mawlana Hazar Imam arrives in India; visits Sundar Nursery

    Mawlana Hazar Imam arrives in New Delhi and is received by Jamati and AKDN leaders. AKDN / Gary Otte

Delhi, 17 September 2013 – Mawlana Hazar Imam arrived in India today, starting a 10-day visit during which he will join Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in marking the completion of the restoration of Humayun's Tomb. He will also inaugurate a new Aga Khan Academy in Hyderabad.

 

Upon his arrival in Delhi, Mawlana Hazar Imam was received by Ruchira Kamboj, Chief of Protocol; Sujatha Singh, Foreign Secretary; and Rudrendra Tandon, Joint Secretary for Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran at the Ministry of External Affairs. Aitmadi Gulam Rahimtoola, President of the Ismaili Council for India, together with senior Jamati and AKDN leaders, welcomed Hazar Imam on behalf of the Jamat and Imamat institutions.

Immediately following his arrival, Mawlana Hazar Imam – accompanied by Prince Hussain – visited the Sundar Nursery, a key component of the creation of a wider city park encompassing the restoration of the 16th century garden tomb of the Mughal emperor Humayun. The conservation – whose completion will be marked Wednesday – was a joint effort undertaken by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in partnership with the Archaeological Survey of India, as well as several government agencies and co-funding partners. Situated in the heart of Delhi, the massive project spans the Sundar Nursery-Batashewala complex, and includes the conservation of over 30 monuments. It also provides significant quality of life improvements for the residents of Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti.

Following his visit to Delhi, Mawlana Hazar Imam will travel to Hyderabad to inaugurate the Aga Khan Academy, the second school in a network of 18 academies spanning 14 countries that offer world class International Baccalaureate education at the primary, middle and secondary diploma levels. Thereafter, Hazar Imam is expected to travel to Mumbai, where he will hold meetings with various AKDN institutions in India and meet with the Jamat of Western India.