Pixelated Memories: World Heritage Site

This post is part of the larger series about Humayun’s Tomb complex, Delhi. The composite article can be accessed from here – Pixelated Memories - Humayun’s Tomb complex.

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“Delhi was once a paradise, such peace had abided here;

But they have ravished its name and pride, remain now only ruins and care!”

– Emperor Bahadur Shah “Zafar” II
(reign AD 1837-57)

One of the finest examples of Mughal-era craftsmanship and an excellent testimony to the dexterity of those extremely talented architects and artists, the 14-meters high imposing gateway of Arab Serai is but a miniscule fraction of the World Heritage Site of Humayun’s Tomb complex that was envisioned by Hamida Banu Begum, the grief-struck wife of deceased Emperor Nasiruddin Humayun (reign AD 1530-40 and 1555-56). It was built to serve as the outstanding entrance to the enclosed garden which was to house the “serai” (inn/guesthouse) where would live the 200 craftsmen which the Empress had brought with her from Persia to lend physical form to the conception of the ethereally magnificent mausoleum of her late husband. Amply doing symbolic justice to the nature and dimensions of its exemplar gateway, the Serai itself was originally colossal enough to house the hundreds of craftsmen and their families, sadly however only the considerably massive gateway and the miserable ruins and outlines of a few of the chambers envisaged alongside its substantial peripheries have survived the relentless ravages of time and nature.

The gate that witnessed history

The impressive gateway to the Serai complex can be reached by taking a short detour towards the right past the ticket counter at the entrance of the larger Humayun's Tomb complex. Keep walking straight instead of taking this detour and one reaches Bi Halima’s moderately-proportioned mausoleum-garden complex (refer Pixelated Memories - Bi Halima's Enclosure) and further on Humayun’s enthralling mausoleum proper. The Arab Serai, an enormous grass-carpeted, tree-lined rectangular enclosure, itself further leads on to the Afsarwala tomb and mosque complex (refer Pixelated Memories - Afsarwala Mosque and Tomb complex) where are interred the mortal remains of a valiant officer, identity unknown, in the service of Emperor Jalaluddin Akbar (reign AD 1556-1605).

The huge strikingly beautiful gateway, constructed from random rubble masonry layered with slabs of grey Delhi quartzite and red sandstone inlaid with minute traces of flawless white marble, has been restored and maintained excellently by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC). Come monsoons, the water-soaked glistening vibrancy of the brilliant red sandstone literally bleeds into the atmosphere around it to render it more visually mesmerizing than ever. Its numerous ornamental features – the projecting overhanging windows (“jharokha”) adorned with a striking array of tessellation artwork composed of radiant blue, yellow, pink and purple glazed tiles, the white marble highlights culminating into exquisite rosette medallions and the slender ornate brackets that support the protruding windows and the balconies – have withstood the elements remarkably well and even now, with their formidable structure and mesmerizing composition, lend evidence to the vision and skills of the craftsmen involved in sculpting the handsome gateway out of stone.

A sprinkling of color

Forlornly inclined against the gateway’s walls lies its gigantic weather-shattered wooden door – large enough to even allow elephants to pass through its enormity, the door makes one wonder how could it possibly be moved about by mere humans? The hinges most certainly must have been considerably smooth and well-oiled to allow the huge door to rotate! Embedded within it is another smaller door that allowed humans to pass through one at a time.

Step through the immense gateway and one comes face to face with the drastic destruction brought about by the inexorable ravages of relentless time, unyielding nature and cruel human ignorance and abandonment. Little is left of the Serai within and only vestiges of a few of the chambers adjoining the gateway have survived. A near-ruined staircase flanking one of the equally decrepit sides of the gateway leads upstairs to limbo from where one can observe close up the numerous decorative features of the jharokhas and get an uninhibited view of the Afsarwala complex. Much later in its existential history, the inn was also put to use to accommodate travelers and caravans enroute from the easternmost frontiers (Bangladesh, Bengal and Orissa) to the north-western frontiers of the empire (Lahore, Sindh and Afghanistan) via Delhi along the Grand Trunk road (more details here – Pixelated Memories - Kos Minar, Faridabad).

A monument lost to the vagaries of time

It is said that till the year 1925, the vast swathe of area enclosed between Arab Serai, Afsarwala complex and Khwajasara Mihr Banu’s market beyond was occupied by a populous community so large that it merited its own post office! For undocumented reasons, the residents were ordered to vacate the area by a certain Colonel Young of the British Indian army and the settlement they thereafter established was christened after him as “Youngpura” – the origins of present-day upscale Jangpura located near the renowned Lajpat Nagar market!

It is a travesty that today most of the visitors to Humayun's Tomb complex ignore this beautiful gate that, unlike most other monuments within the complex, is not an exemplar of ornamental sepulchral or religious architecture but is a visually spellbinding functional edifice instead. Even those making the detour simply give it an uncourteous passing glance before proceeding towards the relatively simplistic Bi Halima’s complex and Humayun’s magnificent mausoleum proper. ASI has done an excellent job looking after these structures of historic importance within the World Heritage Site.

Grandeur obliterated

It behooves those who are interested in Delhi’s history and architectural heritage to visit and witness the grand gateway and marvel at the fact that the widowed Empress of India was so eminently well-off financially that besides commissioning her husband’s gargantuan mausoleum, she could even have constructed a colossal, exquisitely ornamented inn just for the artists and craftsmen to live in. Those not interested in history or architecture should certainly visit the gateway and the monuments it leads to, just for the sake of witnessing its sublime beauty, and honoring the hundreds of craftsmen who gifted the city its most outstanding monument.

Location: Humayun's Tomb Complex, Nizamuddin, New Delhi
Nearest Metro Station: JLN Stadium
Nearest Bus stop/Railway station: Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah
How to reach: The mausoleum complex is located immediately across Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah bus stop. Buses are available from different parts of the city. The metro station and railway station are both approximately 2 kilometers away on either side of the complex and one can walk or avail a bus/auto from either.
Open: All days, sunrise to sunset
Entrance Fees: Citizens of India and SAARC countries: Rs 10/person; Others: Rs 250/person; Free entry for children up to 15 years of age
Photography charges: Nil
Time required for sightseeing: 20 min
Relevant Links –
Articles pertaining to other monuments that compose Humayun’s Tomb complex -

Other monuments/landmarks located in the vicinity -

Suggested reading -

Thehindu.com - Article "Arab Serai to regain its glory" (dated May 7, 2014) by Madhur Tankha

This post is part of the larger series about Humayun’s Tomb complex, Delhi. The composite article can be accessed from here – Pixelated Memories - Humayun’s Tomb complex.

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“All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.”

– J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Lord of the Rings"

With their dilapidated, weather-scarred structure and exceedingly simplistic yet elegantly beautiful artworks, Bi Halima’s mausoleum and gateway welcome enthralled visitors to the World Heritage Site of Humayun's Tomb complex. The exact identity of Bi Halima is lost in the pages of contemporaneous historical records, but it is contended that she was a part of the Mughal Emperor Zahiruddin Babur's entourage to India and occupied an important place in his harem. Probably a Mughal noble woman, she is also said to have been a wet nurse of Babur’s son and successor Nasiruddin Humayun (reign AD 1530-40 and 1555-56).

A gateway withered and decayed

Her tomb, a straightforward, rubble-built diminutive rectangular structure housing the grave in the central chamber surrounded by passages, is not symmetrically aligned with the cream-white gateway but is significantly offset from it towards one of the sides of the rectangular garden. The moderately-proportioned garden surrounding it comprises one of the numerous components of the larger irregularly-shaped garden complex that exists as an appendage to the beautifully landscaped, painstakingly manicured enormity that is Humayun’s Tomb complex. It is said that her handsome pleasure garden, which is sadly no more in existence, had been envisioned and constructed long before she was interred here. Later, the ethereally magnificent Humayun’s Tomb complex was fashioned on the established axis of this existing garden complex and thus the latter came to be incorporated in the larger scheme of things and became a subsidiary entrance to the colossal complex. That of course explains why visitors presently have to traverse her tomb enclosure’s imposing gateway in reverse order while entering the spectacular gardens surrounding Humayun's mausoleum – accessing its less ornamented side first and later reaching the more gorgeously decorated facade adorned with regally vibrant, bewilderingly striking floral medallions crafted from brilliant colorful blue, yellow and green tiles.

Flamboyance!

The impressive gateway displays some of the most recurring Mughal artistic motifs such as perfectly aligned arched entrances and windows, exquisitely carved red sandstone lattice screens, protruding windows (“jharokha”) and plasterwork geometric patterns framing the arched outlines of the numerous recesses. Though dishearteningly little of the original decoration has survived the relentless ravages of time and nature, whatever does remain is so very intricate that one cannot help being fascinated by their sophistication and wonder how did those dexterous craftsmen conceive and execute such elaborate patterns. One begins to rue the fact that most of the ornamentation, like her identity, has disappeared.

Simplicity

The Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI) website as well as the red sandstone signage affixed by them throughout the enormous complex refer to the garden-mausoleum complex as “Bu Halima’s Gate”, however, as has been pointed out to me, the word "Bu" does not exist in Persian and Arabic languages and it should instead be "Bi" which translates to “Elder sister” – hence, I have preferred to use the same here.

The intended first impressions

Location: Humayun's Tomb Complex, Nizamuddin, New Delhi
Nearest Metro Station: JLN Stadium
Nearest Bus stop/Railway station: Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah
How to reach: The mausoleum complex is located immediately across Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah bus stop. Buses are available from different parts of the city. The metro station and railway station are both approximately 2 kilometers away on either side of the complex and one can walk or avail a bus/auto from either.
Open: All days, 8 am - 6 pm
Entrance Fees: Citizens of India and SAARC countries: Rs 10/person; Others: Rs 250/person; Free entry for children up to 15 years of age
Photography charges: Nil
Time required for sightseeing: 20 min
Relevant Links –
Articles pertaining to other monuments that compose Humayun’s Tomb complex –

Other monuments/landmarks located in the vicinity –

June 09, 2012

Arab Serai, Humayun’s Tomb complex, Delhi

Bi Halima's Enclosure, Delhi

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