Visit to Humayun's Tomb by Sameera Khurana Grade 11

One would think that we were unwise enough to visit Humayun’s

Tomb in the scorching Delhi heat, but our short trip to this five hundred years old monument was worth every second! The most perfectly proportioned and captivating of Delhi's mausoleums, Humayun’s Tomb seems to float above the gardens that surround it. Our travel guide Ms. Nupur Khanna, a conservation architect, gave us a deep insight into this monument and its significance.

 This trip wasn’t to educate us about when the monument was built or how long it took to get built. Instead, we discussed the nitty-gritties such as why is the monument on a raised platform, or how does the dome become circular when the floor is octagonal. We discussed in great depth the conservation project taken by the ASI and the Aga Khan Foundation, and why monuments need to be preserved and conserved.

 Only a few years ago, its gardens were worn; it’s masonry cracked,

and the stonework broken or incomplete. The ruinous appearance was resulting in fewer visitors to the site. And hence, the monument underwent years of conservation as it is of particular cultural significance as it was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent. It inspired several major architectural innovations, culminating in the construction of the Taj Mahal.

Overall, this trip made me marvel at the architectural elements of the monument and also made me question a lot of things about how we interact with the monuments around us and how we can learn so much from them as they’re ‘living history’. It made me question, how we as people in this time are supposed to engage with these monuments and focus on certain aspects. It made me appreciate the importance of historic conservation but also how complex and tedious the whole process can be: the question of what to leave as it is and what to conserve.