The Cambridge History of India, Vol. IV: The Mughul Period v4.c23.s4.101

Language: English

v4.c23.s4.101.1

Apart from the simple comprehensiveness of the total conception, proclaiming it a building of exceptional merit, the principal architectural feature which distinguishes it from anything previously attempted is the design and construction of the dome. In shape the dome, with its finial rising straight from the apex without any intervening *āmalaka*, was clearly derived from a type not uncommon at Bukhārā and Samarqand in the fifteenth century, of which the tombs of Tīmūr and Bībī Khānum are examples. It is not, however, a copy of either of these, but there is a fairly strong family likeness. The slightly constricted neck with its decorated cavetto is from the same source, but the Timurid domes usually finish at the base in a stalactite moulding, which the Indian mason converted into a course of small brackets. Further, the white marble casing, with which the whole of the latter is covered, is in marked contrast to the brilliantly coloured tiles which invariably supplied the finish to the Persian type. But it is in the constructive principle adopted in the dome of Humāyūn's tomb that the main concession is made to the ingenuity of the Timurid builders and their predecessors. Here we see for the first time in India the use of the double dome, a method of building these structures which had been practised in western Asia over a considerable period.

v4.c23.s4.101.2

One or two of the low-pitched domes of the previous style, notably that of the tomb of Sikandar Lodī, show attempts at this system of construction, but their flattened shape did not encourage its use, and it apparently found no favour. In Humāyūn's tomb the principle was correctly applied, the dome being composed of two separate shells, an outer and an inner, with a vacant compartment between; the outer shell supports the white marble exterior casing, while the inner forms the vaulted ceiling of the mortuary chamber below. In addition to the character and technical details of the dome, other features of the building show a similar influence. Among these is the large recessed archway with its surrounding rectangular fronton, the central element on most Mughul façades, and one which in an immature form had appeared during the previous period. In Humāyūn's tomb this effective conception was fully developed, showing, together with other motifs, its designer's further obligations to the architectural traditions of Persia. While adapting, however, the Timurid type of building to suit the materials and methods of the Indian workman, one factor was overlooked. In the Persian style almost all mouldings were purposely omitted, in order that the surfaces of the buildings should be kept clear for the application of coloured tiles, to the brilliancy of which they owed their principal effect.

v4.c23.s4.101.3

The bare, almost frigid, appearance of Humāyūn's tomb, in its decorative aspect, may be traced to its designer's inability to replace successfully this colour scheme by a suitable one in stone and marble. That the effort was made is shown by the borders and panels of white marble inlay applied with such good results, but in outlining the archways with the same material the severity of the façade is emphasised. As to the disposal of the rooms in the interior, this appears to be an elaboration of the plan generally adopted in Muslim tombs in India, but the diagonal connecting passages may have been suggested by a similar arrangement in Persia, as seen in the tomb of Sāfī-ud-Dīn at Ārdabīl. The fact that the design of Humāyūn’s tomb did not immediately commend itself to the Mughuls and thus revolutionise the building art of India seems to indicate that it was in advance of its time. A small tomb, however, near by, enshrining the remains of Atga Khān, is of somewhat the same type in miniature, and was produced at this time probably by those employed on the royal mausoleum. But although the superior style of the latter could not fail to influence the later work of Akbar’s reign, it was not until more than sixty years had elapsed before the Mughul builders were sufficiently inspired to attempt another tomb of the same type.