The Humayun’s Tomb

The splendid mausoleum built in the memory of Emperor Humayun, the second Mughal ruler to ascend the throne, stands as a magnificent testament to the style of Mughal royal mausoleums. It is the first of the grand dynastic garden-tombs commissioned in. The tomb was commissioned by Bega Begum, Humayun’s Persian wife and chief consort in 1565 AD, nine years after the Emperor’s death. It was completed in 1572 AD under the patronage of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, the third Mughal ruler and Humayun’s son. Located in Nizamuddin, East Delhi, Humayun’s tomb or Makbara-e -Humayun is one of the best-preserved Mughal monuments and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993.

The Humayun’s tomb is the starting point of the Mughal architecture in India. This style is a delightful amalgamation of the Persian, Turkish and Indian architectural influences. This genre was introduced during the reign of Akbar the Great and reached its peak during the reign of Shah Jahan, Akbar’s grandson and the fifth Mughal Emperor. Humayun’s tomb heralded the beginning of this new style in India, in both size and grandeur. The grand structure is situated in the centre of a 216000 meter square garden complex on a raised 7 m high stone platform. The garden is a typical Persian Char Bagh layout, with four causeways radiating from the central building dividing the garden into four smaller segments. The causeways may also be adorned with water features. This Persian Timurid architectural landscaping style symbolizes the Garden of Paradise, which according to Quranic beliefs, consists of four rivers: one of water, one of milk, one of honey, and one of wine. The garden also houses trees serving a host of purposes like providing shade, producing fruits, flowers, and nurturing birds.
Built primarily in red sandstone, the monument is a perfectly symmetrical structure, with white marble double domes capped with 6 m long brass finial ending in a crescent. The domes are 42.5 m high. Marble was also used in the lattice work, pietradura floors and eaves. The height of Humayun's Tomb is 47 m, and its breadth is 91 m. Two double storeyed arched gateways provide the entry to the tomb complex. A baradari and hammam are located in the centre of the eastern and northern walls respectively.
In the central burial chamber, a single cenotaph aligned on the north-south axis, as per Islamic tradition demarcates the grave of Humayun. The main chamber has eight smaller chambers branching out from them. All in all, the structure contains 124 vaulted chambers. Many of the smaller chambers contain cenotaphs of other Mughal royal family members and nobility.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Decorative Elements Of Indo Islamic Architecture Part 1

Image
Calligraphy Calligraphy in inlay work as well as low relief has been inscribed on the monuments and during Mughal period it got grate attention. The inscriptions are written in Arabic and Persian language by using different script. It is created on the monuments by this way that the size of the word of the lowest band and the highest band look alike because the size is increasing upward. Geometrical Patterns The monuments especially of Mughal period have been decorated with geometrical designs (square, circle, star, etc.) on the drum of the dome, façade, spandrels as well as on the flooring of the main chamber. Finials  The domes of the building have been crowned with beautiful finials either in rubble masonry, marble or metal showing purana-kalasha, lotus, etc. one on the other. Purina-kalasha is a symbol of plenty and creativity.
Read more

Decorative Elements Of Indo Islamic Architecture Part 4

Image
Stalactite or Muqarnas Design In Arabic and Persian, stalactite is known as muqarnas a honey comb motif constituting a group of small arch cells one on the other reducing its position downward and in Greek stalactite means ‘a deposit of calcium carbonate’. This design is adopted to fill up the space at squinches to give more support to the upper portion. Stucco It is a lime-plaster which contains lime-stone power and the used very thickly on the wall or soffits (ceilings) for making incised, low relief of paintings work. The main purpose of stucco work is to make the surface smooth for good results.
Read more

Types Of Architecture - Part 1

Image
Indus Valley Architecture/ Harappan Architecture Harappans are the ancient people who lived in The Indus Valley from about 3300 BC to 1600 BC. The Harappans were advanced for their time, especially in architecture. Each city in the Indus Valley was surrounded by massive walls and gateways. The walls were built to control trade and also to stop the city from being flooded. Each part of the city was made up of walled sections. Each section included different buildings such as: Public buildings, houses, markets, craft workshops, etc Rock Cut Architecture Rock-cut architecture made up of solid rock where it naturally occurs. Rock-cut architecture is designed and made by man from the start to finish. The Rock-cut structures present the most spectacular piece of ancient Indian art specimen. Most of the rock-cut structures were closely associated with various religions and religious activities. In the beginning, remarkable Buddhist and Ja...
Read more