[jyotirmoy]

Babur's eldest son and successor, Humayun, was 22 years old when his father passed away. Humayun lacked the experience and the tough fiber necessary to consolidate a new dynasty. Thus, the first decade of his rule brought a steady erosion of Mughal authority in northern India. In particular, Humayun had to deal with the determined hostility of the Afghans who were still allied with the dispossessed Lodi regime.

Humayun was defeated and dislodged by insurrections of nobles from the old Lodi regime. In 1540, the Mughal domain came under the control of one of those nobles, Farid Khan Sur, who assumed the regional name of Shir Shah Sur. Humayun would spend the next 15 years in exile in Sind, Iran, and then Afghanistan. During this exile, Humayun's Persian wife, Hamida Begum, a native of Turbat-I Shaykh Jam in Khurasan, gave birth to the future emperor Akbar.

Shir Shah Sur was one of the finest rulers India had ever known. He introduced important fiscal and monetary reforms which were incorporated into the Mughal system of administration.
After Shir Shah's death, the kingdom survived for about nine years in the hands of his son, Islam Shah. But Islam Shah's unconciliatory nature alienated many Afghan chieftains. Eventually, the squabbling for succession among Shir Shah's followers allowed Humayun and the Mughals to return to power in 1555. Unlike Shah Humayun whiled away his time with opium, wine & women. He did sponsor painters & it was during his time a new style og painting emerged.
Humayun died unexpectedly at the age of 48 when he fell down the steps of his library in his haste to obey the muezzin's call to prayer. He was a keen astronomer. He was watching the stars from the top floor when he heard the call for prayer. The staircase is still in tact in Purana Killa(Old fort)
Humayun’s tomb is a must visit place in Delhi. The big garden surrounding it is wonderful and in the spring it is ablaze with roses of many colours & varieties. Humayun's tomb marked the beginnings of a major development in the history of Indo-Islamic architecture. The tomb is set to the east of the shrine of Nizam al-Din Awliya (one of India's most revered Sufi saints) and in the center of a large garden that is 348 meters square. The garden is divided into 36 squares by cross-axially arranged water channels and pathways. The flat surfaces, the restrained combination of red stone and white marble in the flat panels, and the massive size of the tomb create an impression of sobriety. Humayun's tomb fits into the Iranian tradition of imperial mausoleums

[iwanttogoback]

hyderabadi has uploaded a really good photo of humayan's tomb in his gallery, here's the link

http://www.gourmetin...p...=si&img=590

[jyotirmoy]

Thanks iwanttogoback. I am trying to post a pic of Humayun.

Attached Files

•  humayun1.jpg   19.8K   12 downloads