<div>Death calls out to each person in a different way. To Humayun, it was, literally, a call from the Almighty himself. <br /><br />Hearing the call of the muezzin for the evening namaaz, emanating from the nearby Qila-i-Kuhna Mosque, Humayun rushed down his library-cum-astronomical observatory Sher Mandal. <br /><div> </div><div>He slipped, fell headlong down the steep stairs and died within three days of receiving the fatal wounds. <br /><br />That is how the second emperor in the line of the illustrious Mughal empire - Nasir ud-din Muhammad Humayun – met his end.<br /><br /></div><div>Sher Mandal – the garden pavilion located south of Purana Qila (home to Humayun those days) – however, stands in all its glorious beauty and historical significance till date.<br /></div><div><br />If you have seen a good number of Mughal monuments before – with their typical red sandstone structure and pointed arches – you’ll easily be able to tell that Sher Mandal is different. <br /></div><div> </div><div>Visibly, it was built with a measure of taste and elegance. <br /><br />The double-storeyed octagonal structure, though made of sandstone, is punctuated with strips of marble. <br /><br />The pointed arches on the upper floor are enhanced by an outline of marble inlay work and Islamic star symbols on both sides. <br /></div><div><br />The ‘stellar’ marble work on the foot of the pillars, inside of the arches and ceiling of </div><div>the domes also commands attention.<br /><br /></div><div>Lending a Rajput feel to the Mughal piece of architecture are the ornamental eaves (chhajja) running along the edge of the roof and the beautiful canopy (chhattri) – the crowning glory of Sher Mandal. <br /><br />While the niches on the lower floor are closed, except for one, those on the upper floor are connected around a central chamber to form a breezy verandah.<br /><br />Historians dispute over who could have commissioned Sher Mandal originally. <br /><br />Some accounts say Humayun ordered it on the highest point of the fort complex as an observatory-cum-library, and that construction was stopped for 15 years following his defeat and ouster at the hands of Afghan king Sher Shah Suri. <br /><br />Some other references attribute it to Suri himself, who had a good sense of architecture and administration, and built the garden pavilion as the fort’s new owner in 1541 AD. <br /><br />The latter seems to be a more credible explanation as the structure still carries the Afghan king’s name – Sher Mandal. <br /><br /></div><div>What is certain is that Humayun, after he regained the throne, became so fond of ‘Sher Mandal’ that he would spend a major part of his day here. <br /><br />Only the second astronomical observatory in Delhi (the first being Firoz Shah Tughlaq’s 14th century facility in Pir Ghaib), Humayun spent many nights here gazing at the stars. <br /><br />His valuable manuscripts were stocked here, evidence of which can still be seen in traces of stone-shelving inside. <br /><br />Poetic seminars with participation from the most learned men were held here, and this is where Mir Sayyid Ali taught drawing to both son and father - Akbar and Humayun.<br /><br /></div><div>On January 24, 1556, Humayun fell from its stairs to his death, Akbar eventually moved his Capital to Agra and Sher Mandal of Purana Qila lost its royal sheen. <br /><br />For all the times and tragedy it has seen, though, Sher Mandal stands as a testimony to history.</div><div><br /></div></div>
<div>Death calls out to each person in a different way. To Humayun, it was, literally, a call from the Almighty himself. <br /><br />Hearing the call of the muezzin for the evening namaaz, emanating from the nearby Qila-i-Kuhna Mosque, Humayun rushed down his library-cum-astronomical observatory Sher Mandal. <br /><div> </div><div>He slipped, fell headlong down the steep stairs and died within three days of receiving the fatal wounds. <br /><br />That is how the second emperor in the line of the illustrious Mughal empire - Nasir ud-din Muhammad Humayun – met his end.<br /><br /></div><div>Sher Mandal – the garden pavilion located south of Purana Qila (home to Humayun those days) – however, stands in all its glorious beauty and historical significance till date.<br /></div><div><br />If you have seen a good number of Mughal monuments before – with their typical red sandstone structure and pointed arches – you’ll easily be able to tell that Sher Mandal is different. <br /></div><div> </div><div>Visibly, it was built with a measure of taste and elegance. <br /><br />The double-storeyed octagonal structure, though made of sandstone, is punctuated with strips of marble. <br /><br />The pointed arches on the upper floor are enhanced by an outline of marble inlay work and Islamic star symbols on both sides. <br /></div><div><br />The ‘stellar’ marble work on the foot of the pillars, inside of the arches and ceiling of </div><div>the domes also commands attention.<br /><br /></div><div>Lending a Rajput feel to the Mughal piece of architecture are the ornamental eaves (chhajja) running along the edge of the roof and the beautiful canopy (chhattri) – the crowning glory of Sher Mandal. <br /><br />While the niches on the lower floor are closed, except for one, those on the upper floor are connected around a central chamber to form a breezy verandah.<br /><br />Historians dispute over who could have commissioned Sher Mandal originally. <br /><br />Some accounts say Humayun ordered it on the highest point of the fort complex as an observatory-cum-library, and that construction was stopped for 15 years following his defeat and ouster at the hands of Afghan king Sher Shah Suri. <br /><br />Some other references attribute it to Suri himself, who had a good sense of architecture and administration, and built the garden pavilion as the fort’s new owner in 1541 AD. <br /><br />The latter seems to be a more credible explanation as the structure still carries the Afghan king’s name – Sher Mandal. <br /><br /></div><div>What is certain is that Humayun, after he regained the throne, became so fond of ‘Sher Mandal’ that he would spend a major part of his day here. <br /><br />Only the second astronomical observatory in Delhi (the first being Firoz Shah Tughlaq’s 14th century facility in Pir Ghaib), Humayun spent many nights here gazing at the stars. <br /><br />His valuable manuscripts were stocked here, evidence of which can still be seen in traces of stone-shelving inside. <br /><br />Poetic seminars with participation from the most learned men were held here, and this is where Mir Sayyid Ali taught drawing to both son and father - Akbar and Humayun.<br /><br /></div><div>On January 24, 1556, Humayun fell from its stairs to his death, Akbar eventually moved his Capital to Agra and Sher Mandal of Purana Qila lost its royal sheen. <br /><br />For all the times and tragedy it has seen, though, Sher Mandal stands as a testimony to history.</div><div><br /></div></div>
