Ahukhana

Ahukhana is a ruined Mughal-era enclosure located on the banks of the Tapti River on the eastern outskirts of Burhanpur, Madhya Pradesh. Built as a deer hunting retreat and pleasure pavilion during Shah Jahan's period, it is notable as the original burial site of Empress Mumtaz Mahal, who died in Burhanpur in 1631 and was interred here for about six months before her remains were moved to Agra to build the Taj Mahal.

Visitors can expect a ruined, walled enclosure with remnants of Mughal pavilions, platforms and boundary walls set in an open, semi-arid landscape near the Tapti River. The site is largely in ruins with no intact roofed structures, offering views of the riverbed and surrounding fields. There is no museum or developed visitor complex; the experience is primarily sightseeing, photography and exploring the historic enclosure and its quiet riverside setting.

Ahukhana was constructed as a walled deer park and hunting lodge for Mughal royalty during the reign of Shah Jahan when Burhanpur was an important Mughal outpost in the Deccan. It gained historical importance in 1631 when Empress Mumtaz Mahal died in Burhanpur during childbirth while accompanying Shah Jahan on a Deccan campaign. She was initially buried at Ahukhana and remained interred there for about six months before her remains were exhumed and taken to Agra, where the Taj Mahal was later built over her final grave.

The site is culturally significant as a tangible link to the story of the Taj Mahal and Mughal heritage of Burhanpur. It reflects Mughal traditions of hunting retreats and riverside pleasure pavilions and is remembered locally as Mumtaz Mahal's first grave, forming part of Burhanpur's Mughal-era heritage circuit.