Delhi : Humayun Tomb in Humayun Tomb Complex

Monday, July 6, 2015

Humayun Tomb is situated in the Humayun Tomb Complex, which is located near Sunder Nursery and Sabz Burj on the Mathura Road, the closest railway station being Hazrat Nizammuddin.

Humayun Tomb

What you see is the restored version of the monument. Just imagine how beautiful the monument might have looked in its glory days.

Humayun Tomb

Emperor Humayun died in the year 1556, His wife Hamida Banu Begam aka Haji Begam, started teh construction of the tomb in 1569. The total cost involved to built the tomb was around 15 lakh rupees. It is called Dormitory of the Mughals as it has more than 100 graves in its premises. 

Graves in the Humayun Tomb premises

Mirak Mirza Ghiyath, a Persian national, was the architect. He planned the tomb in the centre, surrounded by gardens. The grass in it was green in color and neatly trimmed.  There were a couple of trees too, not sure what their names are. 

From the tomb, there are four pathways leading to four monuments in a distance. One of which is the entrance to the tomb. The pathways have small fountains in them. 

Humayun Tomb

The tomb is made of red sandstone and marble. Tiles adore the top of the monument, six cornered stars are placed near the top of the arch doors to the monument. Not sure about its significance.

Interior of Humayun Tomb

It has got four chatri's atop it and has a huge white colored dome with a bronze finial atop it, and two white colored chatri next to the dome. 

Humayun Tomb

The interior of the dome is beautifully carved, tehe pattern is amazing. Below the Tomb are located a series of rooms, which are under lock and key, access ot it is restricted.

Humayun Tomb

Though it was a hot and sunny day, it felt nice to stand here and watch the view around us. 

Delhi : Tomb and Mosque of Isa Khan in Humayun Tomb Complex

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Tomb and Mosque of Isa Khan is situated in the Humayun Tomb Complex, which is located near Sunder Nursery and Sabz Burj on the Mathura Road, the closest railway station being Hazrat Nizammuddin.

Isa Khan Tomb

These monuments were not open to public, when I visited it due to restoration work. But is now open to the public, if you would like to pay it a visit.

The tomb is made of sandstone. The octagonal tomb is surrounded by a octagonal garden around it. Each octagonal side has three carved entrances to it. Above which is placed a chatri. Eight chatri surrounded the dome, in the center.

Isa Khan Mosque

The mosque lies very near to the tomb. Built of grey quartzite, it has red sandstone on the face of it. Colored tile are placed within the red sandstone. Not sure as to when it was built. It has a dome in the center with a chatri on either side. The mosque has a single prayer chamber surrounded by three bays.

Delhi : Nai ka Gumbad aka Barber’s Tomb in Humayun Tomb Complex

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Barbers Tomb aka Nai ka Gumbad is situated in the Humayun Tomb Complex, which is located near Sunder Nursery and Sabz Burj on the Mathura Road, the closest railway station being Hazrat Nizammuddin.

Nai ka Gumbad aka Barber’s Tomb

By know we had seen a few Gumbad in Delhi, but this one was structured differently in comparison to the ones we had seen.

The tomb was built in 1590 to 1591. THis was denoted by an inscription found inside the tomb. 

Not sure as to who is buried here. Nai means Barber in English. Maybe the Barber to the king. A tomb built just for him, ha. Interesting. 

But when we visited it, it was closed for restoration purposes, hence we couldn't see it from the inside. 

Nai ka Gumbad aka Barber’s Tomb

The tomb built on  a podium, was built of red sandstone with a dome in the center which is currently painted white, not sure what the original color was. It as four chatri's next to it, which still has some blue, green and yellow colored tiles on them. Fitted together to form a beautiful pattern. The borders of the dome and the chatri are beautifully carved. Not sure as to which style it belongs too. 

Hoping once the restoration is over, it will add to the beauty of it. 

Delhi : Nila Gumbad in Humayun Tomb Complex

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

The  Nila Gumbad is located in the Humayun Tomb Complex, which is located near Sunder Nursery and Sabj Burj on the Mathura Road, the closest railway station being Hazrat Nizammuddin.

Nila Gumbad

Nila Gumbad means blue dome and is located behind Humayun Tomb and very close to the Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway station.

Rohan tole me that a long time the river Yamuna used to flow next to it. I did find that a bit difficult to believe. Centuries ago, it changed its course due to geographic reasons. Now it is replaced by the railway line. 

It was built in  1625 by Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khana, a noblesman in Akbar's court.

Not sure as to whose grave lies in its premises.

Nila Gumbad

The dome still has some blue tiles on them. The walls of it are made of stone, blue colored ties in various patterns still adore the walls. Entry inside the dome is restricted and there is a watchman standing outside, but his knowledge in history is zero. 

We then headed off to see Khan-I-Khanan's Tomb which is located on the Mathura Road.

Delhi : Chillah Nizamuddin Aulia in Humayun Tomb Complex

Monday, June 22, 2015

Chillah Nizamuddin Aulia is situated in the Humayun Tomb Complex, which is located near Sunder Nursery and Sabz Burj on the Mathura Road, the closest railway station being Hazrat Nizammuddin.

Hazrat Shaikh Khwaja Syed Muhammad Nizamuddin Auliya also known as Hazrat Nizammuddin was a Sufi saint of the Chishti Order. 

Chillah Nizamuddin Aulia photo taken from en.wikipedia.org

It is believed that he lived, mediated and died here in 1325 AD, He used to perform his chilla-kashi at this place. the Humanyun Tomb Complex came into existence after his death. 

Somehow we missed it, while on our trip, but hoping that you do pay it a visit. 

Delhi : Afsarwala Mosque and Tomb in Humayun Tomb Complex

Friday, June 19, 2015

The  Afsarwala Mosque and Tomb is in the Humayun Tomb Complex, which is located near Sunder Nursery and Sabz Burj on the Mathura Road, the closest railway station being Hazrat Nizammuddin.

Afsarwala Mosque and Tomb

The Afsarwala Mosque and Tomb are located near Humayun Tomb. 

Not sure as to when these were made, but archaeological evidence states that they were made between 1560 and 1567.

The mosque structure is made of red sandstone. It consists of a prayer hall in the middle. It has a dome atop it, entry to the top of the dome via a staircase is restricted. 

Afsarwala Mosque and Tomb

Next to the mosque are located the graves. 

Both the mosque and tomb are built in honour of an afsar or officer, whose identity is not known. Very little is known about the history of this place. 

Delhi : South Gate in Humayan Tomb Complex

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

South Gate is situated in the Humayun Tomb Complex, which is located near Sunder Nursery and Sabz Burj on the Mathura Road, the closest railway station being Hazrat Nizammuddin.

South Gate

Information on South Gate

Main Door to South Gate

It is the royal entrance to the tomb complex. The gateway has walls. The ground floor comprises of series of rooms and the upper floor features a central court. To the west of the gateway is the serai

Delhi : Arab-Sarai in Humayun Tomb Complex

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Arab-Sarai is in the Humayun Tomb Complex, which is located near Sunder Nursery and Sabz Burj on the Mathura Road, the closest railway station being Hazrat Nizammuddin.

Arab-Sarai 

 The Arab Sarai Gate was built in 1560-61 AD.

Historical facts of Arab-Sarai

The 14 metre high gateway led to the walled enclosure which housed the Persian craftsmen who came here to build Humayun's Tomb. The Red Sandstone and White Marble inlay work add a striking touch to the gateway, though it was built by Delhi quartzite stone.

Wooden door at Arab-Sarai

The wooden darwaza at the entrance is huge and worth seeing. Seen plenty of them on forts in Maharashtra. It houses a small chor darwaza, for individual persons to pass by, main darwaza only be be opened during ceremonies. The iron on the door is rusted. 

Rooms for the craftsmen

All that remains are just ruins of rooms where the craftsmen used to stay,  they worked on making of Humayun's Tomb. 

Delhi : Humayun Tomb Complex

Thursday, June 11, 2015

The  Humayun Tomb Complex, is located near Sunder Nursery and Sabz Burj on the Mathura Road, the closest railway station being Hazrat Nizammuddin.

Like Sunder Nursery it is a huge piece of land the houses many beautiful monuments.

Nai ka Gumbad aka Barber’s Tomb 
Humayun's Tomb
Nila Gumbad
Chillah Nizamuddin Aulia
Afsarwala Mosque and Tomb
Tomb and Mosque of Isa Khan
Arab-Sarai
Garden of Bu Halima
South Gate

Humayun Tomb Complex is open from Sunrise to Sunset on all days of the week and charges an entry fee of Rs.10 for Indians and Rs.250 for foreigners. 

Humayun Tomb is also a famous tourist attraction like the Qutub Complex and hence draws alot of tourists to it. 

Other historic sites in and around Delhi are Sunder Nursery, Humayun Tomb Complex, Mehrauli Archaeological Park and Qutub Complex. A must for history lovers.

Delhi : Garden and Tomb of Bu Halima in Humayun Tomb Complex

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Garden and Tomb of Bu Halima is situated in the Humayun Tomb Complex, which is located near Sunder Nursery and Sabz Burj on the Mathura Road, the closest railway station being Hazrat Nizammuddin.

Garden and Tomb of Bu Halima

Once you enter the Humayun Tomb premises and start walking toward Arab Sarai Gate, you will locate this monument with a stone wall behind it, surrounded by greenery. 

Not much information is known about Bu Halima and the garden, but history states that it was built before Arab Sarai. 

Delhi : Arched Platform in Sunder Nursery

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Arched Platform in Sunder Nursery is a 16th century Mosque. 

When I first saw it, I was under the impression that it was a watchtower. But a watchtower is always atop a hill not on ground level.

The square shaped structure is on a podium, a few steps lead to the top. It has three arched windows on the front of it, the middle one being the biggest and the other two twin windows on the side.

Pillars of equal height which are placed equidistant from each other survive around the structure.

The Central Public Works Department (CPWD)is working on the reconstruction of this Mosque based on the structural information and photographs provided by INTACH publication, Delhi. 

Delhi : Lakkarwala Burj in Sunder Nursery

Monday, June 1, 2015

From a distance the Lakkarwala Burj, looked very similar to the Sundar Burj. But as we grew closer we the differences made them stand apart.

Lakkarwala Burj

 Again we walked on the stone paves with gardens all around from Sunder Mahal to reach the monument.  Felt like we were back in time. These monuments put you  in a different era all together.

Lakkarwala Burj

This monument stands on a high platform. The high platform was made of stone.  There was restoration done on the stone work, it looked that good over the years.  It had cutouts made in the stone, all around.  

Lakkarwala Burj

The design and art work done on the walls and dome of it looked similar to Sundar Burj. Minute changes on it, made a big difference.

Lakkarwala Burj

For a change the doors of this monument were open, and we stepped in to see it from the inside. The walls were beautifully painted. The art work displayed on the dome was mind blowing. It makes me ponder, how they might have done it in that era with no a mistake. Symmetry…

Ceiling of Lakkarwala Burj

There were carving are wonderful 

and inscriptions are in Arabic or maybe Persian on the walls. As I don’t know the language couldn’t interpret it. 

We then went ahead to see the Arched Platform.

Delhi : Sunder Mahal

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Next we headed out to see the Sunder Mahal located on the right hand side of Sunder Burj in Sunder Nursery.  

Sunder Mahal

Intial thoughts were that this might be a storage site. Rohan corrected me, stating that it is a Mahal a.k.a Palace.

Sunder Mahal from the inside

To my knowledge it didn't look like one. It was made of stone. Even the arches were made of stone arranged in different order, which gave it a unique look.

Sunder Mahal

The monument was under restoration as the inside was filled with building material. The so called Mahal had various entrances to it , which were all interconnected from within. The design pattern on the inside was common all over the Mahal i.e. the work on the walls and ceiling was the same.

Sunder Mahal

Delhi : Sunder Burj in Sunder Nursery

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

As we entered the premises of Sunder Nursery, this first structure we noticed was the Sunder Burj. Standing far away in a distance with light blue skies as its ceiling and green grass for the ground. The structure shown in the hot sun.

Sunder Burj

 As we grew closer to it, we noticed that the structure had recently been done up. On this Rohan replied. That all monuments in Delhi received a makeover, thanks to the Commonwealth Games.

The cropped green grass with stones paved in it leads to Sunder Burj. As we walked on the stone paves, it gave me the feeling as if I had moved back in time and was talking in that era.

The Sundar Burj was built in the 16^th century by the Moghuls. What you see right now, in the photos is the restored version of the monument. The walls and the dome were nicely decorated.  It had four arches which housed four wooden doors and had cutouts in the wall, 6 inches deep which added to the décor of the monument.  We couldn’t go inside the monument as it was closed.

Sunder Burj

If the restoration team did such a good job on the outside. Then they would have surely done a fantastic job on the inside. 

We then headed off to Sunder Mahal. 

Delhi : Sunder Nursery

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Sunder Nursery, is a 70 acre land on which stand many monuments. It houses the Sundar Burj, Sundar Mahal , Lakkarwala Burj, Garden Pavillion, Arched Platform and Graves.

The Nursery is maintained by Central Public Works Department (CPWD)

The Sunder Nursery was formerly known as Azim Baug, These 16^th century monuments are located very close to Humayun’s Tomb and Nizamuddin Basti.

After visiting Gol Gumbad, Sabz Burj and Barakhamba Monument we came here. 

The CPWD is doing a good job of restoring the monuments in the premises. It is also creating gardens in the premises, which adds to the feel good factor  for it.

Once the conservation and restoration work is done, the Nursery will portray a completely different picture about the place. Flashback…

Other historic sites in and around Delhi are Sunder Nursery, Humayun Tomb Complex, Mehrauli Archaeological Park and 
Qutub Complex. A must for history lovers.  

Delhi : Barakhamba Monument on Barakhamba Road in Connaught Place

Thursday, May 21, 2015

After visiting Sabz Burj, we started walking around the streets and we noticed Barakhamba Monument enclosed in a park. Rohan was skeptical on entering the park. But I had other views on it. I somehow influenced his decision to enter the park. The park was inhabited by people. They were staying in the park premises. 

These people stay here, bathed themselves and even washed clothes in its premises.

Barakhamba or Barakhamba Monument is located in the Mirza Ghalib Baug premises on the Barakhamba road in Connaught Place.

It is a 14th century tomb building from the Lodhi Period. Barakhamba means twelve pillars in both Urdu and Hindi language. Not sure who the tomb belonged too, though. 

The tomb has got 12 pillars with 3 arched openings on each side. It is made of red stone, it has got four small domes atop surrounding the big dome. 

The monument  is still in good shape. But what I could see in it, is that it was infested with people engaged in drugs, smoking.  As we walked through the park, people kept staring at us.

On Rohan’s suggestion we took an early exit from the park. 

Just spoke to Rohan and he informed me that all the people who had taken refuge in the monument premises have been driven out and the monument is being restored back to original glory. This is done by Nizamuddin Basti Urban Renewal Initiative

We then headed off to Sunder Nursery.