The spanking new museum launched in Delhi’s iconic Humayun’s Tomb complex, under the auspices of the Agha Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) in conjunction with the Archeological Survey of India (ASI), spins you back to the very heart of the Mughal era. This added attraction in Humayun’s Tomb-Sunder Nursery-Nizamuddin Basti conservation and development project, means you can confidently set aside more time to enjoy the many delights of the Indian subcontinent’s earliest Mughal garden-tomb.
The epitome of timeless grace and architectural beauty, Humayun's Tomb, served as an inspirational model for the stunning Taj Mahal at Agra.
The museum presents a fabulous showcase of the legacy of the amazing life and times of Humayun, the second Mughal emperor, through paintings, scrolls and artefacts; it also revives the deep connection with the heritage of the Nizamuddin neighbourhood, home to legendary 14th century Sufi Saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, and the Sundar Nursery area.
The Humayun's Tomb Museum is a product of 25 years of humongous conservation efforts carried out by AKTC and the ASI, across the 300-acre site, scattered with over 60 monuments including Humayun's Tomb, Sunder Nursery, and Nizamuddin Basti.
That this UNESCO World Heritage Site monument, located in Delhi’s neighbourhood of Nizamuddin, is the venue of India’s first sunken museum is itself a matter to marvel over.
The layout of the museum, fascinatingly, takes its inspiration from 'baolis'— the medieval tradition of conserving water in stepped wells. The main museum connects the Humayun’s Tomb complex with Sunder Nursery; it features five galleries, of which one can be used for exhibitions and events.
As you lose yourself amidst the excellent exhibits on display at the Humayun’s Tomb Museum you will discover an invisible thread which binds an embarrassment of riches of culture and craft, the history and the heritage of the Nizamuddin area and the Mughals over seven centuries.
The over 500 ‘first time in the public gaze’ artefacts on show include Mughal miniatures, manuscripts, significant architectural elements, coins, contemporary art, astrolabes, celestial spheres, stone inscriptions, glassware, and textiles.
Amongst these artefacts are items that mark the impact of Mughal rulers on the building and shaping of the Nizamuddin area, considered the first Mughal City, as posited by AKTC. Buried here are eight emperors as is the Sufi saint himself, his beloved disciple the Delhi poet Amir Khusrau Dehalavi and Princess Jahanara, daughter of Mughal Shahjehan. Khusrau is ascribed the creation of the Qawwali music genre. Visitors at the Nizamuddin Dargah can enjoy these traditional Sufi devotional qawwali sessions on Thursday evenings.
The ‘Icons of a Sacred Landscape’ gallery is a wonderful spot to reconnect to this amazing heritage. Awash with installations and artworks, come of it’s the unmissable items on display are the 12-ft model of Nizamuddin Dargah’s canopy overlaid with mother-of-pearl inlay in lacquer, calligraphy in Nastaliq script by Poet-Prince Dara Shukoh who translated the Hindu Upanishads into Persian, and a 14th-century copy of the Koran.
Numerous stories can be culled from the artefacts on display… just a fraction of the endless repertoire of anecdotes and stories that deserve a retelling.
The first principal Gallery, ‘Where the Emperor Rests’ puts the spotlight on the architecture of Humayun’s Mausoleum and the personality of Emperor Humayun – conveyed through stories of his travels, his deep interest in reading and astronomy.
One of the most exciting segments for the traveller to linger over is the display of Humayun’s deep-seated love for astronomy and astrology. Political circumstances also drove Humayun into becoming a frequent traveller and embedded a lifelong love of travel. He is said to have travelled 34,000km in his lifetime. Humayun’s travels also powered some of his greatest groundbreaking achievements in art and architecture. He commissioned the building of the Purana Qila (Old fort) as part of his fortified citadel of Dinpanah.
Did you know that the emperor was so obsessed with the study of the heavens he even invited a family of astrolabe makers who started calling themselves Humayunis. They are considered the Islamic world’s finest astrolabe makers, according to Ratish Nanda, conservation architect and CEO of Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) which has designed and built the museum. Look for the three such Humayuni instruments on exhibit, one of these has silver dots which mark the position of 1020 stars.
You may recall that the emperor, known for his mystical bent of mind, stumbled and fell to his death rushing down the steep steps of the Sher Mandal, his library, to attend the evening prayer. Apparently, just before that he had been busy in the rooftop library chatting with some nobles and astrologers and arranging to hold a meet at the time of the appearance of the planet Venus.
An avid reader, the emperor was known to rarely travel without his a shutur-i-kitabkhana, or camel-back library.
An immersive gallery marked by a 270-degree screen, takes you on virtual tours of the World Heritage Sites monuments and gardens. You will love the animated feature on the evolution of Humayun's Tomb over 500 years. Cutting-edge technology has helped recreate the timeline of the construction of the 14th-century monument through 3-D videos complemented with detailed wooden scale models.
Artefacts cull out stories of those frantic early days of the Mughal empire. Key features include old artefacts such as 'farmans', an astrolabe, a celestial sphere of the 1840s era and a helmet, said to have served as a cooking pot for the emperor while fleeing for his life to Persia for refuge. Knocked off in a 2014 storm, the 18ft high finial of the Humayun’s Tomb is its "centre-piece".
As rightly endorsed by Prince Rahim Aga Khan: “The museum serves as a link, not only reuniting Humayun's Tomb and Sunder Nursery, but also bridging the gap between history and the present day. Museums and historic landmarks preserve and reveal the story of humanity."