Restoring heritage: Monument by monument
The grand 90-acre Sunder Nursery features nursery beds, a flower showcase, arboretum and a microhabitat zone, and is a refreshing relief from the pollution and traffic of Delhi. The park has about 280 native tree species, 80 bird species and 36 butterfly species. The Nursery, which hosts rich biodiversity in terms of flora and fauna, is also a learning centre, with children coming to see live specimens of crops and vegetation in one area
A dense ensemble of garden tombs dot a 170-acre area around the historic reds-and-stone Humayun’s Tomb built by emperor Akbar in the 16th century. The latest under renovation is the green-domed Subz Burj, among the several monuments under conservation in the tomb in addition to the over 50 already conserved and open to the public.
Sights of master craftspeople and conservation architects at work is not uncommon to find in the massive complex dating back several centuries.
A stroll in the beautiful Sunder Nursery city park adjacent to the Humayun’s Tomb, known as Azim Bagh, with the head of key conservator Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), Ratish Nanda, revealed future plans the global non-profit has for the heritage zone.
Saying that the idea for the park is to develop into a high-quality space in the significant cultural landscape where citizens can mingle without the social barriers of religion, caste and class, Nanda said it has proven to be a beautiful example of ecological conservation as well.
The grand 90-acre Sunder Nursery features nursery beds, a flower showcase, arboretum and a microhabitat zone, and is a refreshing relief from the pollution and traffic of Delhi. The park has about 280 native tree species, 80 bird species and 36 butterfly species. The Nursery, which hosts rich biodiversity in terms of flora and fauna, is also a learning centre, with children coming to see live specimens of crops and vegetation in one area.
Nanda said work is currently ongoing at important sites like the Rahim’s Tomb (mausoleum of one of Akbar’s navratna courtiers), Nila Gumbad (a medieval structure with a blue top, pre-dating the Humayun’s Tomb), Jamat Khana Masjid (or Khilji Mosque, an early mosque in Delhi’s Nizamuddin basti), and Azimganj Serai (an earliest Mughal period Serai), among others.
Last month, the latest addition to the list was a partially-collapsed baoli (water stepwell) in the Arab Ki Serai complex. Funded by the German Embassy, it is expected to be restored and made functional soon. An underground museum on the cultural significance of the entire restored area is in the pipeline as well.
Nanda called this elaborate 10-year project a demonstration of heritage asset management in the Indian context and said the next 10 years would be about showing how to manage the painstakingly conserved heritage.
He also added that the complex, which enjoys close to two million visitors annually, will triple its visitors over the next 10 years. “The ticket fee is poured back into the conservation effort.”
The Nursery is part of the Humayun’s Tomb complex, built in the 1560s and woven intricately into the Indian historical fabric. The grand structure stood tall as a specimen of the Mughal architectural style and a precursor to the Taj Mahal, until it fell into neglect and finally, ruins as Delhi - the seat of Indian power - came to accommodate British rulers.
The decade-long Humayun’s Tomb conservation effort, which took about 60 big and small adjacent monuments into its ambit - 13 of them now recognised by UNESCO as world heritage sites - has a fascinating backstory.
The Trust began work on the site when the 49th Aga Khan -- the Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims - gifted the restoration of the Humayun’s Tomb garden to India when it marked 50 years of independence in 1997.
The partnership to develop three key areas - Humayun’s Tomb complex, Sunder Nursery-Batashewala complex and Nizamuddin Basti, which houses a community closely linked to Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya dargah - was forged in 2007. The collaborators include the Archeological Survey of India, the primary body responsible for heritage sites in India.