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| Trip to India::Monuments::Humayun Tomb |
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Built in the mid 16th century by Haji Begum, senior wife of Humayun, the second Mughal emperor, Humayun's Tomb is an early example of Mughal architecture built in Delhi. A rose petal sandstone mausoleum built in proper Mughal style is a beautiful memorial to the poet king. Octagonal in shape, raised on a plinth, with double domes, high arches, laid in the centre of a large walled enclosure, the monument is an imposing structure. A baradari (pavilion) occupies the centre of the eastern wall and a hamam (bath chamber) the centre of northern wall. Approached from four sides by paved stone paths which divide the garden into four squares, the mausoleum also has the distinction of having several of the Mughal rulers buried here. Besides Bega Begum herself, Hamida Begum (Akbar's mother), Dara Shikoh (Shah Jahan's son), Bahadur Shah II (the last Mughal Emperor) and many others. Humayun's wife is also buried in the red and white sandstone, black and yellow marble tomb. The garden at this tomb has been laid out in the Persian style of a Chahr Bagh, with paved stone avenues and narrow water channels. It is still maintained in its original grandeur |
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The lofty mausoleum is located in the centre of the enclosure and rises from a podium faced with series of cells with arched openings. The central octagonal chamber containing the cenotaph is encompassed by octagonal chambers at the diagonals and arched lobbies on the sides, their openings closed with perforated screens. Three emphatic arches dominate each side, the central one being the highest. This plan is repeated on the second storey, and a 42.5m high double dome of marble surmounts the roof with pillared kiosks ('chhatris') placed around it. The structure is built with red sandstone, but white and black marble has been used to relieve the monotony, the latter largely in the borders.
The tomb was built by Humayun's senior widow Bega Begam, popularly known as Haji Begam, nine years after his death in 1565 according to some, but fourteen years according to the manuscript of an 18th century text. It is the first substantial example of the Mughal architecture, with high arches and double dome, which occurs here for the first time in India. Although some tombs had already been sited within gardens, it is also the first mature example of the idea of garden-tomb, which culminated in the Taj-Mahal at Agra. The enclosure is entered through two lofty double-storeyed gateways, one on the west and the other on the south, the latter now remaining closed. A 'baradari' (pavilion) occupies the centre of the eastern wall of the enclosure and a bath-chamber that of the northern wall. |
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