Delhi is full of architectural structures, many of which have disappeared over time. The few which remain have witnessed so many events that each of them has acquired a unique story of its own.
"Delhi was once a paradise,
Where love held sway and reigned,
But its charm has ravished now.
And only ruins remain"
-Bahadur Shah Zafar
However, only a few strive to invest time and effort to understand their relevance. For most visitors and residents, these structures serve as a ‘tourist’ spot.
Few chosen structures were built and rebuilt for aesthetic appeal. Certainly, lack of information about their significance is lamented by a few people. Most of the information about their past is available in tourist pamphlets or provided by tour guides, but more often than not, it’s misinformation. Significantly, the history of how a space acquires importance as an attraction is not discussed. Perhaps, in case of India, heritage places might prove to be exceptions, but these narratives are not part of public discussion.
In an era of digitally capsuled information, investing effort to learn more is an art. Observing a site for beyond its visual appeal is a skill. While online websites such as Sahapedia try to share snippets of information, the whole history of a place is often hidden from public knowledge. Perhaps, I can explain this better with an example of a popular site, namely, Humayun's Tomb.
Humayun's Tomb
It is common knowledge that the famous necropolis was commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Humayun’s Persian wife Bega Begum as his burial ground. Its origin story is an interesting fact in itself. If looked at from a personality-centric view, it is an example of a woman achieving material success in a patriarchal-patrimonial society. She belongs to an age that came before royal females institutionalized into a harem (Mukhoty). Her life gave insight into the nomadic lifestyle of early Mughal royals.
The Mughals were aware of architecture’s potential as means of self-representation and as an instrument of power (Koch). Therefore, the Tomb ensured that the life of Humayun would be remembered and the personality of Bega Begum would be celebrated. Over centuries many members of the royal family found their resting place within the complex, including the ill-fated Mughal prince Dara Shikoh.
Beyond the scope of personalities, from an architectural view point, it serves as a precedent for Indo-Islamic school of architecture in India. Inspired from Gur-e-Amir, it inspired monuments such as the Taj Mahal.
Humayun’s Tomb’s legacy did not end at its origin tale. Over the years, it has acquired new meanings due to different events.
For instance, it became a site that witnessed the moment when Mughal Empire died. Humayun’s Tomb is the spot where the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was captured before being exiled to Rangoon (Rumi). It also became a site for refugee camps in the aftermath of 1947 Partition. Muslim refugees used It as a place for respite before being relocated to new destinations (Kidwai).
Faced with so many facts, the question remains, how are we supposed to negotiate such spaces in the present while trying to find meaning from the past?
"Unfold your own myth"-Rumi
Humayun’s Tomb has been reduced to a beautification project, with most visitors using it as a photo-op. For instance, wedding photography companies often advertise it as a backdrop for shoots. Whether through state patronage (such as A.S.I. and Aga Khan Trust) or by lifestyle portals (like Lonely Planet), it has been reduced to a commercial site.
However, we can respond to such a reductionist strategy with a better approach. The story of monuments like the Humayun's Tomb is just as rich as its calligraphed walls. The events it witnessed give insight to the construction of socio-cultural identities in Delhi. It’s reconstruction gives insight into the new forms of hierarchy that are being formed around heritage sites. The question we need to ask ourselves is, 'Won't it be a more pleasurable experience to be more informed about a site that we are visiting?'
As Carlo Ginzburg once said, "history is like a truffle. It's delicious, but truffles should be eaten by everyone, not just a select few." We should actively participate in making history accessible.
Beyond using it as a instagram post, being more aware about historical sites, can simply enhance the pleasure of experiencing the past coming to life. Just allowing our imagination to think of the predicament of refugees or the grit of Bega Begum while sitting in the gardens of Humayun's Tomb can allow us to experience the site in a whole new light. Perhaps, we can try to do the same with lesser known sites such as Ghalib's Haveli and muse about them by placing them on a larger canvas.
