Humayun’s tomb

Why in news?

• ASI opened Humayun’s tomb  for visitors recently.

About the tomb:

• Humayun's tomb is the tomb of the Mughal Emperor Humayun and is located in Delhi.
• It was commissioned by Humayun's first wife and chief consort, Empress Bega Begum (also known as Haji Begum) and designed by Persian architects chosen by her.
•  It was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent, and is located in Purana Qila (Old Fort), that Humayun found in 1533.
• It was also the first structure to use red sandstone at such a scale.
• The tomb was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, and since then has undergone extensive restoration work, which is complete.
• Besides the main tomb enclosure of Humayun, several smaller monuments dot the pathway leading up to it, from the main entrance in the West.
• The site also has the tomb complex of Isa Khan Niyazi, an Afghan noble in Sher Shah Suri's court of the Suri dynasty, who fought against the Mughals, constructed in 1547 CE.
• Among Mughals the tomb houses the graves of Empress Bega Begum, Hamida Begum, and also Dara Shikoh, great-great-grandson of Humayun and son of the later Emperor Shah Jahan, as well as numerous other subsequent Mughals, including Emperor Jahandar Shah, Farrukhsiyar, Rafi Ul-Darjat, Rafi Ud-Daulat, Muhammad Kam Bakhsh and Alamgir II.
• It represented a leap in Mughal architecture, and together with its accomplished Charbagh garden, typical of Persian gardens, but never seen before in India, it set a precedent for subsequent Mughal architecture.
• It is seen as a clear departure from the fairly modest mausoleum of his father, the first Mughal Emperor, Babur, called Bagh-e Babur (Gardens of Babur) in Kabul (Afghanistan).
• The site was chosen on the banks of Yamuna River, due to its proximity to Nizamuddin Dargah.
• In later Mughal history, the last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar took refuge here, during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, along with three princes, and was captured by Captain Hodson before being exiled to Rangoon.

Prelims Question

Consider the following statements regarding Humayun’s tomb:
1.It is the first garden tomb of the subcontinent.
2.It was commissioned by Akbar.
3.It has used red sandstone as the main building material.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a)1 only
(b)2 and 3 only
(c)1 and 3 only
(d)1,2 and 3

Answer to the Prelims Question