Article by M Somasekhar
Photos by N Shiva Kumar
The Mughal emperor, Humayun died in February 1556 in a freak accident. He reportedly slipped and fell from the staircase of his library, with books in his hands. This episode is what I remember from the history textbook I read long time ago.
The story came dashing/flashing into my memory as I walked close to get a panoramic view of the imposing tomb of Humayun in New Delhi recently. One of the finest and well preserved monuments in the country, the tomb is considered to be the model for the Taj Mahal, in Agra. The, white marble Taj, one of the seven modern wonders was built during 1631-48, by emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.
In contrast, the Humayun’s mausoleum was built by his wife, Hamida Banu Begum during 1562-72. It stands on a platform of 1200 m and is 47 m tall. It’s the earliest example of the Persian influence on Indian architecture. The tomb houses within its precincts over 100 graves, earning it the name ‘Dormitory of the Mughals’.
According to a stone plaque at the entrance of the garden, the tomb is built of rubble masonry. The structure is the first to use red sandstone and white marble in huge quantities. The small canopies on the terrace were originally covered in glazed blue tiles and the brass finial over the white marble dome is 6 m high.
Born, Mirza Nasir-Ud-Din, in Kabul in Afghanistan in 1508, history records him as Humayun, meaning fortune. But, the life of Humayun, the second ruler in the Mughal dynasty, founded by Babur in 1526, is far from fortune or fortunate. After being installed as his successor by Babur, who returned to Samarkand, at a young age of 22, Humayun struggled with troubles galore. His own brother Kamran clashed while the strong attacks by Sher Shah Suri took a toll. He lost power after a turbulent rule of 10 years and regained briefly to end up in the tragic accident at the age of 48 years. Incidentally, the library, where he fell to his death is in the Purana Qila in Old Delhi.
Unlike Babur, Akbar, Jehangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb, who are all well known for their impactful rule, Humayun somehow did not make much impression on me. But, during my Journalism stint in Delhi during 1993-2001, I became very familiar with the geographical location of his mausoleum in Nizamuddin East. Had visited it a few times and virtually drove past it for many years as it was enroute to my office.
Visit after decades
The recent visit on a hot June afternoon was a welcome return to the monument for me after a couple of decades. A striking feature I observed was the beautiful landscaping; the well manicured and maintained Mughal Garden, with at least a dozen, huge and imposing trees of over 100 years old.
The monument had foreign visitors too. At the ticket counter, I found that the price for an Indian was Rs 40 while it was Rs 600 for a foreign tourist. From the entrance it was a good walk along the well laid out paths leading up to the main tomb. The Aga Khan Trust has indeed done a great job in the conservation and renovation of the monument.
The Garden Tomb
Spread over 20 acres, it is recognised as one of the first garden-tombs in the world, which also influenced many later day tombs. The Mughal gardens and the opposite Sunder Park are favourite places for morning walkers from the surrounding, upmarket areas. It has also been a favourite location for film shootings and documentaries.
According to experts, the Gor-e Amir in Samarkand provided the model for Humayun’s tomb. It’s striking features are the liberal use of local materials and the composition of the dome and aiwan. The architects came from Herat in Persia and the entire construction in the beautiful garden format took about 8 years.
Restoration and renewal
Interestingly, the restoration and conservation project of the Tomb, considered the jewel of Mughal architecture took six years to be completed by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in September of 2013. The monumental effort to restore the original finery was spread over 200,000 work days undertaken by master craftsmen.
The completion of restoration builds on the pledge made by the Aga Khan in 1997, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of India’s independence, to restore the Tomb’s gardens. Since 2007, the Urban Renewal Initiative, implemented by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) in partnership with the Archaeological Survey of India, several government agencies and co-funding partners, included: conservation of over 30 monuments; the creation, by an extensive programme of landscaping, of a 36 hectare (90-acre) city park in the Sunder Nursery Batashewala Complex; and significant improvements to the quality of life for the residents of Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti, a repository of seven centuries of living culture, says the Trust.
The AKTC also restored a number of adjoining monuments including: Nila Gumbad, Isa Khan’s garden tomb, Bu Halima’s garden tomb, Arab Serai gateways, Sundarawala Mahal and Burj, Batashewala group of Monuments, Chausath Khambha, and Hazrat Nizamuddin Baoli.
In his own way, Humayun contributed immensely in bringing Persian influence to India through his connections and travels. His exposure to the Safavid art and bringing artists and painters paved the way for the development of the Mughal School of painting. His greatest architectural creation, the Din-Panah (Refuge of Religion) citadel in Delhi was destroyed by Sher Shah.
| 
