Delhi: Humayun's Tomb

Built in the mid 16th century by Haji Begum, the Persian-born wife of the second Mughal emperor Humayun, Humayun's Tomb is "a wonderful example of Mughal architecture" (Lonely Planet) Elements in the design, such as the squat building, high arched entrances, and a bulbous dome were were used time and time again, and inspired the masterpiece: The Taj Mahal. In the surrounding gardens is the octagonal tomb of Isa Khan (Humayun's barber evidently).

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Journal Continued:
Next stop was the tomb of Humayun which was evidently an inspiration for the Taj Mahal. It was red and white with beautifully ornate marble lace windows and fantastic gardens. It was a very peaceful place. From the top of the tomb you could also see many other nameless structures that were not on the tour but gave me a sense that I could be here for years and still not see everything. I don't know if I could deal with the pollution that long though.

Journal Continued:
When I arrived at the airport last night, I was first greeted with the near fatal smell of floor glue chemicals. I think that they were renovating a few of the rooms in the airport. I almost instantly had a headache. Then I was greeted by alka sharma who helped organize my trip and the driver and we drove down the delhi highway... smog so thick you could cut it with a knife I think. They are doing a great deal to address this problem, switching everything in central delhi to compressed natural gas... by law.

Journal Continued:
We sped along the highway and then our car stopped abruptly ... for the big cow that had decided to cross the street at that moment. I knew about the sacred cows, but it was still a bit of a shock. After about twenty minutes I determined that I am pretty sure that our driver's car is emitting some sort of exhaust fumes internally... so if we have the same car in the future, Ill be keeping my head out the window a bit like a dog ;-)

Journal Continued:
Last night Alka took me out to grab a bite to eat. She introduced me to southern indian food... which I found is very different from what we are all used to having in the typical Indian restaurant. That is evidently mostly food from the punjab region ... central north India. Southern Indian food is light and filling at the same time. We had a semolina crepe thin pancake with a potato filling and a side of a tasty lentil soup. I was avoiding the super spicy... but a feisty green chile found the bacl of my throat all the same. I downed my fresh sweet lime juice and recovered without too much embarassment (I hope).

Left: Inside the tomb. Man pauses to reflect on... perhaps his life, or just to stay out of the sun. :

Right: A closeup of the marble screens. Evidently each screen was carefully carved by hand from giant chunks of marble. If there was a crack in the marble, the entire thing would break... sometimes as the artisan neared the completion of is screen. They believe that for each completed screen, four or five were started. YIKES!

Left: The entrance to the octagonal tomb of Isa Khan. I guess they liked their barbers back in the day.

Right: Another view of the tomb for Isa Khan. Definately not as ornate as Humayun's tomb... but not bad!

Below: More views of Humayun's tomb.

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