Humayun Tomb

Humayun Tomb in New Delhi : The Great Mughal Monument

Delhi is all about Mughal architecture and the remains of this very effervescent history shows the glory of Mughal Empire in India. Humayun's tomb

is one of the remarkable structures of the Mughal Empire in India. The monument is surrounded my many new buildings but still the structure has the importance of its own and sill can be seen upright and bright. Just close to the monument, there is the shrine of Nizamuddin which is very sacred among Muslims. Humayun's tomb was built in 1565 A.D by Hamida Banu Begum (Humayun's widow).

Visiting Humayun's tomb is a wonderful experience where you get to see the Mughal architecture and the history of Mughal India. Humayun's tomb is preceded by a tomb with blue dome. The dome has been made with Persian tiles which became very popular since Mughals came to India.

Near the Humayun's tomb, you will find an enclosure and a mosque, which belongs to Isa Khan. Isa Khan was one of the nobles of Sher Shah who passed away some years prior to Humayun's arrival to Delhi. This particular tom has the beauty of its own but the structure is very different to that of Humayun's tomb.

Humayun's tomb is the main attraction for every visitor. It is very difficult to symbolize the great architecture but we will take you through the course of the whole structure, its architecture and the beauty.

At the first instance to the Humayun's tomb, you will come across an archway, which is a part of a garden that belonged to a Mughal noble. The garden is no more in existence but this archway forms an enclosure to the Humayun's tomb. As you move further, you will come across another doorway on the right. This place was used as a resting bay where people used to take some time off the tedious journey. This is called "Arab Serai". The structure was built by Hamida Banu Begum to accommodate more than 200 Arabs she brought with her from Mecca.

The main gateway of Humayun's tomb consists of a large square enclosure and Humayun's tomb can be seen at the center. The tomb stands on a stone platform with beautiful stone channels on each side of the platform. These channels were filled with water to keep the garden green and natural all the time. The main idea was to have water canals which kept the flowers, plants and the grass in good shape.

The garden has been maintained very well by the authorities and it does give us a glimpse of what the structure would have looked in past. It had flowers, plants and trees for all seasons, which meant that the place always looked beautiful and visitors were greeted by the fragrance of beautiful seasonal flowers.

Mughals always loved flowers and their fond for gardens can be seen in the architecture of Mughals. As you reach the roof, you will find little porches that are believed to have been used by the students of Madarsa or college where Arabic was taught. The roof itself is a sight seeing place where prominent monuments of Delhi can be seen through naked eyes.

You would find clear view of Jama Masjid and Qutab Minar. A bird's eye view from the roof would show you many ruined tombs and ancient structures belonging to various nobles.

A very special anecdote with reference to Humayun's Tomb is the plight of Bahadur Shah who took refuge in this very tomb in 1857 and later surrendered to the British.