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Humayun's Tomb
In 1558, a grieving widow in Delhi made a promise that would alter the skyline of India forever. Empress Bega Begum, the first wife and chief consort of the second Mughal emperor Humayun, vowed to build the most magnificent mausoleum the empire had ever seen. Her husband had died on the 27th of January 1556, falling from the library of his palace in Purana Qila, and his body had been moved from place to place before she finally took charge of his memory. She had returned from the holy city of Mecca after performing the Hajj pilgrimage, and with the weight of her loss upon her, she dedicated the rest of her life to this single purpose. She commissioned the tomb, which would eventually cost 1.5 million rupees, a sum paid entirely from her own private funds. This was not merely a building project; it was a declaration of love and power that would set a precedent for all Mughal architecture to follow.
Architects From Herat
The vision for the tomb required a mind that could bridge the gap between Persian grandeur and Indian reality. Bega Begum selected Mirak Mirza Ghiyas, a Persian architect brought from Herat in northwest Afghanistan, to design the structure. He was a man who had previously designed buildings in Herat, Bukhara, and other parts of India, bringing with him a sophisticated understanding of Islamic geometry and engineering. Mirak died before the structure was completed, leaving the task to his son, Sayyid Muhammad, who finished the work between 1565 and 1572. The resulting design was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent, a radical departure from the modest mausoleum of Humayun's father, Babur, which was located in Kabul. The tomb was modeled on Gur-e Amir, the tomb of Timur in Samarkand, creating a lineage of architectural influence that would eventually reach its zenith with the Taj Mahal. It was the first structure to use red sandstone at such a scale, combined with white marble, establishing a visual language that defined the Mughal style.
The Garden of Paradise
The tomb was not an isolated monument but the centerpiece of a vast Charbagh, a Persian-style garden divided into four squares by paved walkways and two bisecting water channels. This design reflected the four rivers that flow in Jannat, the Islamic concept of paradise, and was the first of its kind in South Asia on such a scale. The garden spread over 13 hectares, with the central water channels appearing to disappear beneath the tomb structure and reappear on the other side, suggesting a Quranic verse about rivers flowing beneath the Garden of Paradise. The entire complex was enclosed within high rubble walls on three sides, with the fourth side originally meant to be the Yamuna River, which has since shifted its course away from the structure. The garden was a place of sovereignty and dynasty combined, where the mausoleum marked the place where the body of the deceased ruler rested, creating a teleological statement that the king was king as he always had been and always would be.
Who commissioned Humayun's Tomb and when was it built?
Empress Bega Begum commissioned Humayun's Tomb and the construction took place between 1565 and 1572. She paid the 1.5 million rupees cost from her own private funds after her husband died on the 27th of January 1556.
Where is Humayun's Tomb located and what is its architectural style?
Humayun's Tomb is located in Delhi, India and it is the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent. The structure uses red sandstone and white marble to create a design modeled on the Gur-e Amir tomb of Timur in Samarkand.
How many graves are inside Humayun's Tomb complex?
There are over 100 graves within the entire Humayun's Tomb complex including the central burial chamber and numerous graves on the first level terrace. The site houses Empress Bega Begum, Hajji Begum, Dara Shikoh, and many other subsequent Mughals.
When was Humayun's Tomb restored to its original garden design?
The original garden design of Humayun's Tomb was restored between 1903 and 1909 under the orders of Viceroy Lord Curzon. A major restoration project involving water circulation systems was completed in March 2003 after work began around 1999.
What other monuments are located within the Humayun's Tomb complex?
The complex contains the tomb of Isa Khan Niazi built in 1547, the Nila Gumbad or Blue Dome built in 1625, and the Nai-ka-Gumbad or Barber's Tomb dated to 1590-91 CE. These structures are positioned within the Charbagh garden area alongside the main mausoleum.
Beneath the central dome lies the burial chamber of Humayun, but the tomb was designed to be a dynastic mausoleum for generations to come. The central octagonal sepulcher contains a single cenotaph aligned on the north-south axis, with the head placed to the north and the face turned sideways towards Mecca. The real burial chamber lies in an underground chamber, exactly beneath the upper cenotaph, accessible through a separate passage outside the main structure. The tomb houses the graves of Empress Bega Begum, Hajji Begum, and Dara Shikoh, the great-great-grandson of Humayun and son of the later Emperor Shah Jahan, as well as numerous other subsequent Mughals. In all, there are over 100 graves within the entire complex, including many on the first level terrace, earning it the name "Dormitory of the Mughals." The symmetrical ground plan reveals itself to contain 124 vaulted chambers in all, each offering passage for circumambulation of the main cenotaph, a practice common in Sufism and also visible in many Mughal imperial mausoleums.
The Shadow of Rebellion
The fortunes of the once famous Charbagh changed repeatedly over the years after its construction. The capital had already shifted to Agra in 1556, and the decline of the Mughals accelerated the decay of the monument and its features, as the expensive upkeep of the garden proved impossible. By the early 18th century, the once lush gardens were replaced by vegetable gardens of people who had settled within the walled area. The capture of the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, together with the premises, and his subsequent sentencing to exile, meant that the monument's worst days lay ahead. In 1860, the Mughal design of the garden was replanted to a more English garden-style, with circular beds replacing the four central water pools on the axial pathways. This fault was corrected in the early 20th century, when on Viceroy Lord Curzon's orders the original gardens were restored in a major restoration project between 1903 and 1909.
The Partition's Scars
During the Partition of India in August 1947, the Purana Qila together with Humayun's Tomb became major refugee camps for Muslims migrating to the newly founded Pakistan. These camps stayed open for about five years and caused considerable damage not only to the extensive gardens but also to the water channels and the principal structures. The camps were raided many times by jathas which caused vandalism to occur during the early partition days in 1947. Eventually, to avoid vandalism, the cenotaphs within the mausoleum were encased in brick. In the coming years, the Archaeological Survey of India took on responsibility for the preservation of heritage monuments in India, and gradually the building and its gardens were restored. Until 1985, four unsuccessful attempts were made to reinstate the original water features, as the site suffered from neglect and the encroachment of modern life.
The Restoration of Water
An important phase in the restoration of the complex began around 1993, when the monument was declared a World Heritage Site. This brought new interest to its restoration, and a detailed research and excavation process began under the aegis of the Aga Khan Trust and the Archaeological Survey of India. The restoration work, which began around 1999 and was completed in March 2003, involved removing 3000 truckloads of earth and installing a new water circulation system for the walkway channels. To ensure that water flowed naturally through the channels and pools on the 12-hectare site without the aid of hydraulic systems, the water channels were re-laid to an exacting grade of one centimetre every 40 metres. This eventually enabled water to flow through the watercourses in the gardens, and dormant fountains to start functioning once again. Other tasks in this mammoth restoration project included setting up a rainwater harvesting system using 128 ground water recharge pits, and desilting and revitalising old wells that were discovered during the restoration work.
The Blue Dome and The Barber
Beyond the main tomb, the complex is dotted with other monuments that tell their own stories of the Mughal era. The tomb of Isa Khan Niazi, an Afghan noble in Sher Shah Suri's court, was constructed in 1547, twenty years before the main tomb itself. The octagonal tomb is positioned within an octagonal garden and later served as a burial place for the entire family of Isa Khan. Further away lies the Nila Gumbad, or Blue Dome, built by Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana for his servant Miyan Fahim, who died alongside one of Rahim's own sons while fighting against the rebellion of Mughal general Mahabat Khan in 1625. The structure is known for its unique architecture, as it is octagonal on the outside while square within, and its ceiling is decorated with painted and incised plaster. Towards the south-east corner lies the Nai-ka-Gumbad, or Barber's Tomb, belonging to a royal barber, datable to 1590-91 CE, though the identity of the person remains unknown.