|
|
The Garden Tomb
Humayun's tomb lies on the Mathura road near its crossing with the Lodi
Road. High rubble-built walls enclose here a square garden
divided initially into four large squares separated by causeways and
channels, each square divided again into smaller squares by pathways
('Chaharbagh') as in a typical Mughal
Garden.
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.
Haveli Of Hakeem Ashanullah Khan
The
haveli of Hakeem Ashanullah Khan, personal physician of the emperor Bahdur
Shah Zafar, was a fortress for those who were able to hide themselves here
in the 'ghadar'- the Sepoy Mutiny time. The mansion almost covers
2,000-square-yards and appears to be a mohalla itself. It was because of
the orders of the Hakeem that Ghalib was given the scholarship to write
the history of the Mughal dynasty. Immediately after the Mutiny, British
confiscated the house of the Hakeem. It was soon returned too, but not
before it was stripped of the old chandeliers and lamps.
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.
A Homage To The Royal Dynasty
Several rulers of the Mughal dynasty lie buried in the mausoleum,
although it is not possible to identify their graves. Among those lying
buried here are Bega Begam, Hamida Banu Begam - Humayun's junior wife,
Dara Shikoh - Shah Jahan's son, and the later Mughals, Jalandar Shah,
Farrukhsiyar, Rafi'u'd-Darajat, Rafi'u'd-Daula and 'Alamgir II, Bahadur
Shah II, the last Mughal emperor of Delhi had taken shelter in this tomb
with the three princes during the mutiny and was captured here in 1857 by
Lieutenant Hodson.