Post #1003999

Final update from my study trip to India… Last Saturday, after flying from Dharamsala back to Delhi, I spent some time at Mughal Emperor Humayun’s tomb. Built in 1558-1570AD by his widow Empress Bega Begum, it was inspired by Persian tombs (in present-day Iran) and constructed in red sandstone and white marble. It included buildings to house up to 300 Persian visitors at a time, spring-fed water channels dividing the 30 acre site into 16 squares that water the gardens and cool the air. The tomb itself is 47 metres high with a 6m brass finial on top of the dome. The site also includes Isa Khan’s tomb, built in 1547AD. Humayun’s Tomb was the inspiration for the Taj Mahal, which I would have gone to see except that it was a four hour train trip away and closed on the only days when I had capacity for eight hours of travel from Delhi. Like the Taj Mahal, Humayan’s tomb is essentially a monument built on love. In a world that seems to be very quick to break into war, the more we can think with kindness about others, the better we’ll all be. This was part of a self-funded study trip organised by Australia Tibet Council hashtag#FreeTibet hashtag#peace hashtag#NVDA hashtag#Dharamsala