Revitalisation of the Humayun’s Tomb Gardens

The first privately funded restoration of a World Heritage Site in India was completed in March 2003, thanks to the joint efforts of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), under the aegis of the National Culture Fund. 

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Photos from Visit by His Highness the Aga Khan to New Delhi, including meetings with the President and Prime Minister of India and images of the inauguration ceremony of Humayun's Tomb Gardens

Speech By His Highness the Aga Khan at the Ceremony to Inaugurate the Restored Humayun's Tomb Gardens, New Delhi, 15 April 2003

Aga Khan Speaks of Tolerance and Shared Heritage at the Inauguration of Humayun's Tomb Gardens, 15 April 2003

Objectives and Implementation

The objective of the project was to revitalise the gardens, pathways, fountains and water channels of the chahar-bagh, or four-part paradise garden surrounding Humayun’s tomb in Delhi, according to the original plans of the builders.  Site works encompassed a variety of disciplines, including archaeology, conservation science and hydraulic engineering. 

The US$ 650,000 restoration project has featured the removal of 3000 truckloads of earth (12,000 cubic meters), the planting of 12 hectares of lawn, the re-setting and alignment of over 3,000 km of path edging, the preparation by some 60 stonecutters of 2,000 meters of hand-dressed red sandstone slabs (to edge the channels), the creation of 128 ground water recharge pits, the creation of a site exhibition, and the planning and installation of a new water circulation system for the walkway channels.  To ensure that water flows naturally through the channels and pools on the 12-hectare (30 acre) site without the aid of hydraulic systems, the water channels had to be re-laid to an exacting grade of one centimetre every 40 metres (1:4000 scale).  Over 2500 trees and plants, including mango, lemon, neem, hibiscus and jasmine cuttings, were planted in the gardens. Long-dormant fountains have come to life.

Main Elements of Revitalisation

The rehabilitation project undertaken by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture included the following main elements: 

• Reinstating the walkways and conserving the edging stones;

• Repair, extension and reactivation of the irrigation system;

• Establishing water sources for the water channels and irrigation system, including a pump station for a water recycling system;

• Conserving, repairing and rebuilding, where necessary, the water channel system;

• Re-levelling the planted zones and revitalising them with species and arrangements that conform to the customs and patterns of Mughal sources; and,

• Supporting research that informs the conservation and restoration process, contributes to the development of educational materials for use in schools of architecture, conservation, and heritage management, as well as visitors to the Tomb.

Private-Public Collaboration

Conceived on the 50^th anniversary of Indian Independence in 1997, the Trust began work on the gardens in 2001.  Work was completed in March 2003. The revitalisation project has operated under the aegis of the National Culture Fund of the Department of Culture, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.  In addition to the implementing organisations - ASI and the Trust - three other parties also played a role: the National Culture Fund, the Indo-British Fiftieth Anniversary Trust, and the Oberoi Group of Hotels.

History

Emperor Humayun was the son of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire.  His tomb was built over nearly a decade beginning around 1565 (AH 973).  It was the first Mughal tomb with a chahar-bagh, or four-part paradise garden, on the Indian subcontinent.  Its construction was probably overseen by the Emperor’s widow, Haji Begum, during the reign of Emperor Akbar, at an estimated cost of 15 lakhs (1.5 million rupees). It is thought to have inspired the construction of the Taj Mahal, among other buildings.

For more information

Brief: The Revitalisation of the Gardens of Emperor Humayun's Tomb, Delhi, India (200K, PDF)

Background Information:

Humayun's Tomb: Form, Function, and Meaning in Early Mughal Architecture, Lowry, Glenn D. 1987. In Muqarnas IV: An Annual on Islamic Art and Architecture (on the Archnet site)

Humayun's Tomb and Garden: Typologies and Visual Order. In Gardens in the Time of the Great Muslim Empires: Theory and Design. Ruggles, D. Fairchild. 1997Attilio Petruccioli (ed). Leiden; New York: E.J. Brill (on Archnet site)