The restoration of Humayun’s Tomb in New Delhi is a brilliant example of its kind, finds Lakshmi Krupa
Parrots, parakeets, eagles and sparrows in dozens head home into the bushes at the newly restored Humayun’s Tomb’s gardens, singing all at once, as if in a sweet, chaotic symphony orchestra. A golden sunset is in the offing, as I take in the breathtaking details that have been recreated at the Isa Khan Tomb, also on the same grounds. A restored section of the tomb’s roof sits gloriously next to one that hasn’t been worked on, offering us a peek at the kind of labour that has gone into the project.
The Aga Khan Trust for Culture, in a first-of-its-kind collaboration with the Archaeological Survey of India, has set a new benchmark in restoration in the country with this project. The preservation process has been meticulously recorded and the entire story is told with pictures and words on the walkway that leads to the tomb. “A million kilos of cement concrete was removed and lime plaster applied” a board at the venue explains. The dome was carefully repaired with lime mortar as was the six metre finial with its golden finish. The tiles on the canopies of the tomb’s roof have also been repaired. The result of this monumental effort: an awe-inspiring sight, one that befits the status of Humayun’s Tomb as the first Mughal structure of its grandeur to have been built in the sub-continent.
Ismailimail 