Located in Nizamuddin East, Delhi, Humanyun’s tomb is the tomb of the Mughal Emperor Humayun. He passed away in 1556 and his wife Hamida Banu Begam supervised the construction of his tomb from the year 1562. This spectacular piece of architecture took almost 9 years to complete. Humayun was the second Mughal Emperor to rule India, after his father, Babur being the first.
The architect of the project, Mirak Mirza Ghiyuath, was Persian and hence the architecture of the tomb has a Persian influence. It is not only the first garden-tomb of its kind in India but is also the first classic example of Mughal architecture.
The tomb was constructed at a cost of 1.5 million rupees (15 lakh). The tomb is situated at the banks of Yamuna River. It was chosen because of its proximity to Nizamuddin Dargah which is the mausoleum of the famous Sufi saint of Delhi. Humayun’s tomb is also the first structure to use red sandstone at such a scale.
Along with the tomb of Humayum the compound also has the tomb of his wife, Hamida Begum and also of Dara Shikoh, son of the late emperor Shah Jahan. It is also the burial ground for many other Mughals. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. It also boasts the Charbagh gardens, a typical Persian garden which was never seen before in India.
The mausoleum is a 140 feet high structure with a central dome. The tomb itself stands on a platform and in the centre of a square garden which is divided into four main parterres by ramps, in the center of which ran shallow water-channels. They were filled with water to keep the gardens green and natural at all time. The main gateway of Humayun’s tomb consists of a large square enclosure and Humayun’s tomb can be seen at the center.
