New Delhi, July 12 - It is an imposing 15th century monument from the Lodhi dynasty that is being taken over by a slum, its illegal residents brazenly unconcerned about both law and heritage. Uncared for by authorities who are supposed to protect it, about 10-12 shacks have come up around the 'protected' sandstone structure in which Bijri Khan's Tomb is located in south Delhi.

The Mughal-era monument stands just 10 metres from a busy road in Sector 3 of R.K. Puram, with a slum on one side and a public toilet right next to it. The DLTA tennis courts that will host the Commonwealth Games next year and draw thousands of visitors is a few hundred metres from it.

The neglected structure that is supposedly protected by law projects none of its former glory. A south Indian temple is located close to its encroached compound wall, within which there is even a playground - with broken swings for children from the nearby slum of 1,000 residents. The outer walls are damaged and empty glass and plastic bottles are strewn around.

One can't even fathom that the monument, on a high mound, belongs to the glorious Lodhi dynasty that ruled much of India before the Mughals.

Having set up his cot just outside the majestic tomb, 70-year-old Shiv Shankar is content enjoying his free afternoon. He is enjoying the traffic on the roads and the slum children running around the eroded compound wall that serves as a common courtyard and playground.

Asked about the tomb, Shankar told an IANS correspondent: 'I don't know anything about this monument. I have been staying here 12-13 years and we have seen no official showing concern about the monument or asking us to move out.'

None of the other residents knew anything about the monument - except its name.

Pradeep Kumar, another resident, said: 'We have been here since 1993. We don't know about the tomb. No one has ever come to remove us from here. We have our own electricity meters and we get our water supply. No problem.'

With no signboard in sight and odd graffiti running across the thick walls of the structure, a passerby can just guess that the monument may be a tomb.

Through the iron bars that keep the inside of the tomb locked up, dark shadows reveal that it houses five graves - two of which appear badly damaged.

'The police used to frequently round up couples who used to go into the tomb. After that the tomb was locked up,' Kumar recalled.

Despite its pathetic state, Bijri Khan's tomb is a conserved monument under the State Department of Archaeology (SDA) and is covered under by the Delhi Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 2004.