Which monument is regarded as the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent?

Humayun's Tomb in Delhi, built between about 1565 and 1572, is regarded as the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent; UNESCO describes it in these words in its World Heritage listing.

What is a garden-tomb?

A garden-tomb is a mausoleum placed in the middle of a large, formal garden.

In the Mughal tradition, the garden was laid out in the "char bagh" style: a square garden divided into four equal parts by raised walkways and water channels.

The garden symbolised paradise, as described in the Quran, with its four rivers.

Features of Humayun's Tomb:

• The tomb stands on a high, broad platform with many arched cells.
• It is built of red sandstone, with white and black marble inlay.
• It has a large white marble double dome, raised on a high drum, with small domed kiosks (chhatris) on the roof.
• The garden around it covers about 30 acres, and is divided into 36 squares by channels and walkways.
• Its architect was the Persian Mirak Mirza Ghiyas.
• It was built during the reign of Akbar.

Influence:

• It inspired several major architectural innovations, culminating in the Taj Mahal.
• Its plan, with a central dome, octagonal chambers and a char bagh garden, was developed further in later Mughal tombs.

Later garden-tombs:

• Tomb of Akbar at Sikandra.
• Taj Mahal at Agra.
• Bibi ka Maqbara at Aurangabad.

UNESCO status:

Humayun's Tomb was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.

Recent restoration:

It was restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, together with the Archaeological Survey of India, in the early 21st century.

Why not the other options?

• ✗The Taj Mahal and the Bibi ka Maqbara were built later; Sher Shah's tomb stands in a lake, not a char bagh garden.