Architecture of India    
The Mughal Empire
Mosques and Tombs – I

The first of the Mughal emperors, Babur, in spite of his keen aesthetic sense, did not have the time to embark upon a concerted program of building. The mosque built by him at Ayodhya - the Babri Masjid – is now history, in an incident that must surely rank as one of the most shameful points of the history of independent India, when the rule of law and justice for all was subjugated to the will of a few gangsters acting in the name of religion. An act supposedly demonstrating Hindu pride did nothing but lower the image of India in the whole world.

Humayun’s Tomb

Luckily the first great Mughal construction, Humayun’s tomb near Nizam-ud-din in Delhi, has come down to us mostly intact, though this too suffers from neglect due to the pitiful funds allocated to the Archaeological Survey of India, and the callous way in which we treat our built heritage.

This was the first mosque built on the lines of the Charbagh, gardens with fountains built on the Islamic concept of paradise being ‘gardens in which flow torrents of water’. Its construction was undertaken by the late emperor’s widow, the Hamida Bano Begum, in the reign of Akbar.

The tomb is entered by a long axial processional path, which has on its way great gateways offering teasing views to the superstructure. The tomb itself is raised on an arcaded platform, under which can be found numerous lesser graves, which are ascribed to various nobles and workers who served Humayun. A great central chamber has four offshoots, double storeyed in height and arcaded on their facades. The central room contains the epitaphs of the emperor Humayun and his queen, and is crowned by great double dome.

On the exterior, the tomb is clad in red sandstone with marble being used for detail work and inscriptions. Also continued here is the jali work along the facades, rich in detail, which keeps the interiors cool and breezy.

The terrace of the tomb, accessed by staircases, offers a panoramic view of the city, and although the nearby railway line succeeds in disturbing the peace, the nearby Yamuna flowing slowly, as well as the remnants of forest which still exist, continue to offer the sleeping Emperor solace as one of the founders of the great Mughal empire.

Badshahi Masjid, Fatehpur Sikri

The Badshahi Masjid is the largest and most impressive mosque built during Akbar’s reign, and its central court is dominated to the south by the Buland Darwaza, already discussed in a previous article.

The materials used are the same which dominated much of Akbar’s reign, a preponderance of sandstone with marble filigree and detailing. The prayer hall to the west is a departure from the free-standing Afghan mosque halls like Jamali-Kamali near the Qutb, or the Qila-i-Kuhna at the Purana Qila, and is instead integrated into the pillared cloisters.

Added later during Jahangir’s reign, the dargah of the Sufi saint Salim Chisti was designed in sandstone during Akbar’s reign, but was eventually executed wholly in marble.

 Continued Next Page

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