Ode to an Emperor

Humayun’s Tomb was built by his Persian wife Hamida Banu Begum in 1562. After the untimely death of Humayun,he was laid to rest and buried in his own palace in Delhi. Emperor Akbar,however, once again buried him in Punjab.

The idea of the building was taken from Persian architecture. Mirak Mirza,a Persian architect,was brought from Persia to design the building. The tomb not only houses Humayun’s grave,but also the graves of his wife and relatives,including his three sisters. The tomb took around 15 years to build.

When we planned this heritage walk for the children,they were very excited and they started planning a week in advance. They took keen interest in the history of the tomb.

A variety of activities were organised at the tomb. The children participated in all these activities very enthusiastically and energetically. They made posters of the tomb on the spot. Some of them came up with slogans and beautiful articles on the tomb. The children became very enthusiastic when they solved a zigsaw puzzle based on the structure. On the whole it was very enjoyable visit for the children and teacher.
Himani Bhatia,PRT

When I heard we were going on a heritage walk,I was very excited. History always interested me. Seeing the impressive gate of Humayun’s Tomb excited me even further,I could not wait to enter the tomb. As I entered with my friends and teachers,I realised that the walls looked the same everywhere — then I came to know it was made of only red sandstones.

Built by Humayun’s wife Hamida Banu Begum after the death of Humayun,it depicts the blend of beautiful Mughal architecture. As the building was so old,we realised it needed to be protected.

How can we do that?

Renovation work on the tomb was already done and completed in 2003,so it becomes our duty to help preserve it and not letting it be destroyed.

India is a land of rich heritage and culture and our very own Delhi depicts this rich heritage in abundance This trip will remain unforgettable to me.
Dhruv Chotia,V C

Our school had organised a heritage walk to Humayun’s Tomb for the children of ClassV.

I had never seen Humayun’s Tomb before and so on my way I kept asking my teachers many questions about the tomb. But when I finally saw it the sight that met my eyes was way beyond my imagination.

I went backwards in time to the time when the tomb was built. The beautiful architecture,the intricate work by the artists made me speechless.

Then we saw how these monuments were destroyed by various invasions in the past. We all took a pledge to help in their preservation and respect them. We realised that these structures were very old,if we did not preserve them,what will our future generation come to see?
Angel Khurana,V C

February 8 was a very interesting day for me and my classmates. I along with my friends and teachers went to visit the Humayun’s Tomb. I was overwhelmed to see such an incredible structure made so many years ago.

As I learnt about its history from my teachers and the guide,I realised how important this monument was to us. I also learnt that UNESCO has declared it as a World Heritage Site in 1993. So,what is our duty towards it?

I realised we should preserve it and keep our monument safe as they are important to us. The government has taken steps to prevent it from being destroyed. We should help the government by conducting awareness programmes for these beautiful monuments — which is part of our proud heritage. I’m grateful to everyone for helping me understand the importance of our heritage.
Anirudh Singh,V B

We started from the school in our school bus and reached Humayun’s Tomb almost after an hour. Approaching through crowded areas we reached a very well-maintained heritage site.

A guide took us through a tour of the monument. The main entrance of the tomb is from the western gate. The tomb has 17 arches and eight chattris on the top.

Since I have been to Taj Mahal,the guides statement of similarities between Humayun’s tomb and Taj Mahal were very interesting. While one is built of sandstone and the other is built of marble,both are garden tombs,and both have an entrance archway that frames the majestic monument just as you enter.

We are indebted to see the beautiful work and the way it has been preserved and maintained.

It inspires us to showcase the heritage of our respective cities and become more responsible towards our historical treasures. We need to be proud of our heritage,diversity and culture; we only wished that we could spend more time there.
Naman Mangla,V A

A visit to Humayun’s Tomb,a world heritage site at Nizamuddin,was a brush with living history. Outside the tomb,we met our guide who gave us a brief introduction about the place.

Humayun Tomb stands majestic in the centre of a square garden. A lot of effort has been put to restore the monument and bring it back to its old glory. The tomb was built in 1562; its architect was Mirak Mirza Ghiyath; cost of construction was Rs 15 lakh,and it was influenced by Persian and Indian architecture. We were given an opportunity to try our skills on drawing this beautiful building. This was such a nice and practical way of learning about our history,much better than the way it is taught in schools.

The message I am taking home today is that we should conserve and preserve our monuments for future generations,”
Simarpreet Singh,V B

Humayun’s Tomb,one of the oldest monuments of Delhi,depicts the rich heritage and culture of the wonderful Mughal architecture created by one of the greatest Mughal emperors of India. Emperor Akbar build this majestic tomb for his late father Humayun after the latter’s death on the request of Humayun’s wife Hamida Banu Begum.

On February 8,I along with my colleague,set out with 95 students of Class V on a heritage walk of this great monument. The children were full of excitement and enthusiasm to take the walk,which took us around two hours. As we entered the fort,we were taken hundreds of years back to the Mughal era.

The children could not believe that the entire structure was built with red sandstone so many years ago.

It was as though all people of that era came alive as we heard their history. Then as we went from room to room and saw the state in which this beautiful monument is today,we could not help imagining how wonderful it must have been so many years ago.

This made everyone realise the need to protect and preserve this wonderful monument and so our children took a pledge to spread awareness about the preservation of this amazing structure,which is part of our rich heritage.
Sanchayita Kalita,Teacher