Humayun's Tomb Delhi India

Monument. By cruisingindia.com on Apr 22, 2006.

Humayun’s History

The story of Humayun as Mughal emperor is filled with crests and troughs. Humayun inherited the Mughal throne when his father Babur died in 1530. He began well but his addiction to luxuries at the palaces of Agra left the door open for more ambitious men to plot behind his back. Ten years into his reign, he was overthrown by the opportunist Sher Shah an Afghan leader who forced Humayun to go into exile to Iran. Sher Shah died in 1545, and none of his successors could control the Afghan tribes. Seizing the opportunity Humayun immediately organized an attact and took back the Mughal throne in 1555. Sadly, barely six months later, he fell to his death in his library.

Building Humayun’s Tomb

Humayun’s tomb is believed to have been built under the direction of his Persian widow Haji Begum. It is mentioned in historical texts that it took Mirak Miyaz Ghiyaz, the chief architect, nine years to complete the mausoleum from 1569 to 1570. The architect had previously built buildings in Herat in Afghanistan and Bukhara in Uzbekistan. The location chosen for Humayun’s tomb on the banks of the River Yamuna was adjoining the shrine of Sufi saint Nizam al-Din Awliya. The Mughals were tremendously fervent in their devotion to the Sufi saints. Even Akbar, Humayun’s successor was to build his capital in Fatehpur Sikri, in honor of them. Meanwhile Humayun was temporarily buried in his favorite library Sher Mandal where he met his end.

Humayun’s Tomb Architecture

Humayun’s tomb established the norms for future Mughal architecture in India. The Mughals brought with them a love of gardens, fountains and water. Built at a cost of a half million of rupees it started the trend of garden mausoleums of India. The tomb is set in the middle of geometrically arranged garden. In Islamic tradition, Janna or paradise would be at the center of geometrically shaped garden. Humayun’s tomb has gardens divided into four squares, and is therefore called Char Bagh. It is the first garden tomb made in India. It is divided into 36 squares by a grid of water channels and paths. The square garden is surrounded by a high rubble wall divided initially into four squares separated by causeways and channels. This Persian style of garden-laying was first brought to India by Babur and this style of construction continued till Shah Jahan.The architectural form of the building is Persian and especially its main chamber shows resemblance to the tomb of Mongol ruler Illkhanid of Persia. It is first of long line of Mughal buildings inspired by Timurid architecture like Timur’s tomb in Samarkand. Babur was especially proud of his Timurid heritage.The entry to Humayun’s tomb is through along processional track. On the way there are gateways that offer views of the tomb. The tomb is octagonal in shape and placed on a platform with colonnades under which there are numerous tombs of ordianary people. It’s the first tomb to be kept on a raised platform to be copied later like in the Taj Mahal.There is a great central chamber with arcades on their facades and are closed with perforated screens. The central one dominates three arches and the central room contains the cenotaph of Emperor Humayun and his queen. A colossal 42 m double dome also crowns the room. It is in fact the first tomb in India to use a double dome pattern of Persians.As a whole it is an architectural wonder made of large red sandstone and octagonal in shape decorated by black and white marble. It is characterized by geometric patterns, high arches and chatris or kiosks. The chatris are the most “Indian” of features of the tomb. The dome is made of white marble and rises up to 42 m. The mausoleum rises from two platforms one above the other connected by a flight of stairs. The building is also notable for its inlaid tile work infusing Persian and Indian decorative elements in its styles.The enclosure is entered through two double storied gateways, one on the West and other on the South. The Southern gateway remains closed nowadays. The center of the Eastern Wall houses a pavilion while the bathing chamber is near the center of the Northern wall.The mausoleum also houses the tombs of many Mughal personalities. These include Hamida Begum, Akbar’s mother, Dara shikoh, Shah Jahan’s son, and Bahadur Shah II the last Mughal emperor. It had an important role to play in the 1857 revolt.

Humayun’s Tomb Complex

The Humayan’s Tomb complex contains many small monuments. Chief among them are the black and yellow marble tomb of Humayun’s wife and the tomb of Humayun’s barber. The latter referred to as Nai-ka Gumbad sports a double dome. Another building is Nila-Gumbad on the south eastern side, an impressive tomb made of blue tiles and stone, it is believed to have been built by Abdur Rahim Khan-I- khanan in 1625. Near the Eastern gateway is an enclosure called as Mandi, added by Mir Banu Agha, chief eunuch of Jahangir.The tomb of Isa khan located outside the main grounds of Hiumayun’s tomb was built in 1547. He was a noble loyal to Sher Shah. It is an example of the octagonal form of building, which was the popular form of Islamic art in that era. . It resembles the tomb of Sikander Lodi but has additional embellishments like chatris and pinnacles around the dome. Humayun’s tomb stands witness to the dawn of a new era of architecture in India. It is the inspiration that led to the grand Taj Mahal. It is the first garden tomb construction of the Mughals; the idea whose seed was brought to India by the Great Babur and was the first expression of the grandeur of the Mughal Empire in India.

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