The restoration work at the jewel of Mughal architecture Humayun’s Tomb is finally complete. After six years of conservation work by nearly 1,500 conservationists, Humayun’s Tomb is once again set to receive visitors. Each stone on the façade was inspected to renew the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) protected monument which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday.
The task of revamping the monument, taken up by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) in partnership with ASI, required 2,00,000 man-days to meet the final outcome of restoring the Tomb’s Mughal finery. The restoration work of the tomb is a part of the Urban Renewal Initiative, implemented by AKTC in 2007 in collaboration with ASI and Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, which was proposed for the conservation of over 30 monuments, including creation of a 170 acre city park in Sunder Nursery Batashe Wala Complex and significant improvements to the quality of life for residents of Hazrat Nizamuddin basti, a repository of seven centuries of living culture.
“Currently the gates of Humayun’s Tomb, among the first monuments in Delhi to be declared a World Heritage Site in 1993 by UNESCO, are shut to visitors due to security breach as the monument will be host to its inaugural function will be attended by PM Manmohan Singh along with Union Minister of Culture Chandresh Kumari Katoch on September 18,” said an official of ASI.
According to AKTC, the organisation behind the restoration work, a million kilos of concrete from the roof and thousands of square metres of cement from the walls, ceilings and floors of all structures within the garden enclosure had to be removed to restore the original designs of the Mughal Era. In order to gives its gateways, pavilions and enclosure a facelift, craftsmen also had to restore stone joints in the dome with lime infill to make the dome watertight. The collapsed arcade of the garden enclosure wall had to be reconstructed and roof canopies redone.
Along with the conservation work on Humayun’s Tomb, adjoining monuments have been restored, including Nila Gumbad, Isa Khan’s garden tomb, Bu Halima’s garden tomb, Arab Serai Gate, Sunderwala Mahal and Burj, Batashe Wala Group of Monuments, Chausath Khamba, and Hazrat Nizamuddin Baoli.