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Humayun
Tomb 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.
  
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.
True
Mughal Architecture
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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