New Delhi: A portion of the roof of the Dargah Sharif Patte Shah, within the 455-year-old Humayun’s Tomb complex in the Nizamuddin area of Delhi collapsed on Friday afternoon, killing five people.
Dargah Sharif Patte Shah is the shrine of Sufi saint Hazrat Shamsuddin Utawala Rahmatullah who is known to have lived during the times of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya (1238-1325).
According to fire department officials, there were 15-20 people inside the Dargah, including the Imam, when the accident happened. The roof of the Dargah was built 25-30 years ago, officials said. It is not known whether people have been injured. The area has been cordoned off.
Officials said that incessant rain in the capital could have caused the disaster. It being a national holiday due to Independence Day, the tourist attraction had a large number of visitors. The identities of those killed are still not known.
The tomb of Humayun, second Mughal Emperor of India, was built by his widow, Biga Begum (Hajji Begum), in 1569-70, 14 years after his death, at a cost of 1.5 million rupees. The architect was Mirak Mirza Ghiyath. It was later used for the burial of various members of the ruling family and contains some 150 graves. It has aptly been described as the necropolis of the Mughal dynasty.
According to the Union Ministry of Culture, Humayun’s Tomb stands as a landmark in the development of Mughal architecture, and also represents the earliest extant specimen of the Mughal scheme of the garden tomb, with causeways and channels. It is a well-developed specimen of the double-domed elevation with kiosks on a grand scale. This building tradition culminated in the Taj Mahal, constructed a century later. Despite being the first standardized example of this style, Humayun’s Tomb is an architectural achievement of the highest order.
The tomb itself is in the centre of a large garden, laid out in char baah (four-fold) style, with pools joined by channels. The main entrance is on the south side, and there is another entrance on the west side. A pavilion and a bath are located in the centre of the eastern and northern walls respectively. The mausoleum itself is on a high, wide, terraced platform with small arched cells along the sides.
