Humayun's
Tomb, the mausoleum of Mughal emperor Humayun, is situated on the
Mathura Road, near it's crossing with Lodi Road. The first significant
model of Mughal architecture in India, the tomb was built by Humayun's
wife Haji Begum in the year 1565. High arches and a double dome adorn
the tomb that is entered through two towering double-storied gateways,
on the south and on the west. The center of the eastern wall of the
enclosure houses a baradari (pavilion), while that of the northern wall
houses a bath-chamber.One of the most remarkable features of the Delhi Humayun's Tomb is a square garden inside its complex. The garden stands divided into four large squares, separated by causeways and channels. These four squares are then further divided into smaller squares by typical pathways ('Chaharbagh') of a Mughal Garden. In the center of the entire complex stands the mausoleum. The cenotaph is kept in the central octagonal chamber with arched lobbies on the sides having perforated screens at the openings.
The Garden Tomb Of Humayun in Delhi is constructed mainly of red sandstone, with white and black marble adorning its borders. The second story of the tomb, with 42.5m high double dome and pillared kiosks (chhatris), is built in the same way as the first. Further beautifying the Humayun's Tomb are the carvings, the inlaid work on the marble of the walls and the trelliswork in red sandstone. Built as per the hasht bihisht (Eight Paradise) architectural design, it is a sort of pioneering landmark of the Indo-Islamic architecture.
The vaults below the podium in the mausoleum house the graves of a number of Mughal dynasty rulers. These include the graves of Haji Begam, Hamida Banu Begam, Dara Shikoh - Shah Jahan's son, and the later Mughals, Jalandar Shah, Farrukhsiyar, Rafi'u'd-Darajat, Rafi'u'd-Daula, 'Alamgir II, Shah Jahan's son and Bahadur Shah II, the last Mughal emperor of Delhi. Infact, Delhi Humayun Tomb served as the refuge of Bahadur Shah II, who was later captured here by Lieutenant Hodson during the Revolt of 1857. The sheer number of graves here led to the tomb being called as "The Dormitory of the House of Timur".
