Nizamuddin Urban Renewal Initiative

What did we do

The understanding of the significance of the 16th century Humayun’s Tomb finial as well as the damages that its copper-gold vessels suffered in the 2014 collapse, led to the agreement that following repairs to the vessels the finial should be preserved and displayed in the secure environment of the under-construction Humayun’s Tomb Interpretation Centre.

The finial will thus be a centrepiece of the Interpretation Centre. Access to the finial in a museum environment for scholars and scientists will, it is hoped, lead to further research that sheds light on both the pluralistic architectural traditions of the Mughals as well as scientific achievement in 16th century India.

On 30 May 2014, during a sandstorm of unprecedented wind velocity exceeding 150 km/ hour the wooden core of the finial snapped - causing the 300 kilos of copper vessels to come crashing on the roof – 70 feet below.

In 2009, during inspections the final seemed to have been in a stable condition and as such it was considered un-necessary to dismantle the finial and scientifically assess the condition of the wooden core.

Inspections carried out in the aftermath of the May 2014 collapse revealed that the section of wood, almost 1 foot tall, had virtually turned to dust as a result of decades of rainwater percolation and retention, leading to its snapping.

Continuity of craft traditions over centuries in India has meant that craftsmen still use tools, techniques used by their forefathers in the 16th century to create copper vessels, kalash or finials for Temples and other similar products.

The installation of the Gold Finial on the dome was itself a herculean, risky and challenging process. Led by Aga Khan Trust for Culture engineers, a team of experienced craftsmen first erected the 22 feet tree-log, weighing 1450 kilos to be erected precisely vertical within the dome masonry and fitted with lime mortar. Each copper-gold vessel was then set on the wooden core with care taken not to scratch the gilding.

For the restoration of the finial, authenticity was ensured, as the finial had to match the original exactly in weight and profile for each of the 11vessels; is built of material of exactly matching composition (Copper, brass, wood and gold) used by the Mughals in the 16th century; continues to crown the white marble dome - representing the pluralistic architectural traditions employed by the Mughals by their adopting architectural elements from monuments pre-dating their arrival in India; is a product of living craft traditions that have passed-on for generations and centuries in craftsmen families.

A traditional workshop in the Shahjahanabad, Delhi area crafted the 11 copper vessels required – matching exactly in profile and weight as the original.

The Process

The Collapse

Inspections carried out in the aftermath of the May 2014 collapse by the Archaeological Survey of India’s senior officers, as well as officers of the ASI Science branch and team of AKTC, revealed the friable condition of the octagonal wooden core of the finial as a cause of collapse.

Documentation

The access to the finial vessels allowed analysis and documentation that revealed the remarkable scientific achievement of the Mughal builders and the immense art-history value. Several inscriptions were found inscribed on the finial mentioning past repairs as well as artwork depicting a praying bearded man in a kneeling position.

Scientific analysis revealed the 99.42% purity of the copper sheets used here by the Mughals – in 8 inch strips – embedded into one another using toothed joinery. Copper of such purity is not even commercially available today – 450 years since it was used at Humayun’s Tomb.

Crafting in Copper

In early 2015 a temporary finial was installed on the dome of Humayun’s Tomb to ensure the integrity of the structure is not compromised for the time the authentic reproduction would take to complete.

Titan Company commissioned manufacturing of copper sheets of required 99.4% purity, as impurities in the copper would result in the deterioration or peeling away of the final gold layers. On the availability of copper in required purity and thickness a traditional workshop in the Shahjahanabad, Delhi area was employed by Aga Khan Trust for Culture team to prepare the 11 copper vessels required – matching exactly in profile and weight as the original.

Finding the Gold

Without the gold being made available by Titan, the authenticity would have been severely compromised and the protection the gold layers provide to the more malleable copper missing. While restoring gilding as part of conservation effort is standard practice in Europe, this is the first ever instance in India.

Carving the Wood

The weakest link in the finial was its wooden core on account of it being susceptible to deterioration caused by rainwater.

Since a significant portion of the wooden shaft was embeded in the dome masonry a tree log of 22 feet height was procured and carved to the original octagonal profile. In order to prevent a repeated snapping, the base of the tree-log was encased in a thin sheet of copper up till the top of the dome.

Once erected absolutely vertically, the coper vessels were dropped down on the shaft from its top end, almost 160 feet (equal to a 16 floor building) above ground level.

The Bronze Crown

"There is none worthy of worship except Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah."

The top inscription was made in brass – not as malleable as copper and much more sturdy. This original brass inscription was found to have evidence of several past repairs with several broken fragments riveted to one another and thus included many joints or ‘weak spots’. Though the original inscription was cast in brass, the inscription for the replica finial - though matching in every other respect – was laser cut from a single brass sheet - thus ensuring accuracy in exactly matching the original.

The brass inscription, as with the copper vessels was gilded.

Installation

Each copper-gold vessel was then set on the wooden core with care taken not to scratch the gilding. The entire process was simultaneously monitored from several points within the complex including from atop the scaffolding.

People Involved

Architects

Engineers

Copper Smiths

Gold Smiths

Titan

Carpenters

Managers

Draughtsmen

Electricians

Skilled labour or Bhandanis

Architects

A study of archival records was made which revealed that extensive works on the finial, including the replacement of the wooden core was undertaken in 1912 AD. A team of architects undertook the detailed Physical documentation of vessels including measuring weight of each vessel, calculating surface area and density of the finial. 3D Laser Scanning, Architectural documentation of the finial listing out all the vessels and and Assessing the extent of damage on the finial due to the collapse

Engineers

Copper Smiths

On the availability of copper in required purity and thickness a traditional workshop in Shahjahanabad, Old Delhi, was identified by the AKTC team to prepare the 11 copper vessels required – matching exactly in profile and weight as the original. Continuity of craft traditions over centuries in India has meant that craftsmen still use tools, techniques used by their forefathers in the 16th century to create copper vessels, kalash or finials for Temples and other similar products. However making the largest vessels of the Humayun’s Tomb finial posed significant challenges on account of the size and dimensions. Six months of continuous effort using traditional tools to beat and mould the copper sheets resulted in the assembly of all eleven vessels that comprise the finial.

Gold Smiths

Master craftsmen skilled in the traditional process of gilding gold onto copper were identified and several rounds of experimental gilding carried out and subsequently tested for various factors, including durability, to plan for the actual gilding. The traditional gilding process required mercury to be first applied to the clean copper vessels following which gold foil - manually beaten down from gold strips - was applied. Heating the vessels would then lead to the evaporation of mercury - leaving the gold layer bonded to the copper. Systematic and scientific cleaning of the vessels as well as applying heat in advance of the mercury were introduced to the traditional craft process. A first application of two layers of gold leaf simultaneously was followed by the application of a third layer and a finishing with two to three additional layers - the final polished with glass beads. Regular testing of the gold layers during the application process was carried out to ensure a consistent and high quality of the gilding.

Titan

Carpenters

The weakest link in the finial was its wooden core on account of it being susceptible to deterioration caused by rainwater. This deteiroration was obviously accelerated when, in the late 20th century, the water outlest from below the bottom vessel were sealed with cement. The Sal wood log was found to be of 20 cm diameter at its base and carved into an octagonal shaft, in continuity of the geometry employed at Humayun’s Tomb by the Mughal builders.

Since a significant portion of the wooden shaft was embeded in the dome masonry a tree log of 22 feet height was procured and carved to the riginal octagonal profile. In order to prevent a repeated snapping, the base of the tree-log was encased in a thin sheet of copper up till the top of the dome. Once erected absolutely vertically, the coper vessels were dropped down on the shaft from its top end, almost 160 feet (equal to a 16 floor building) above ground level.

Managers

Draughtsmen

All the available pieces of finial were studied carefully for any shrinkage due to the collapse, inscriptions, past repairs and joinery as part of the visual analysis. The available vessels were compared with the original profiles, through the photographs and the drawings which were prepared with the help of 3D laser scanning data done in 2009. 3D Laser Scanning, Architectural documentation of the finial listing out all the vessels and and Assessing the extent of damage on the finial due to the collapse Physical documentation of vessels including measuring weight of each vessel, calculating surface area and density of the finial

Electricians

New lightening conductors has been fixed with the finial of the dome. This is not visible from ground level and does not in any way disfigure the character. A state-of-art lightening conductor with a 100 m range and only 20 cm high and thus not visible from ground level has now replaced the thirteen lightening conductors that were installed at Humayun’s Tomb The lightening conductor was installed on the oculus of the dome within a few days of the collapse of the finial in 2014.

Skilled labour or Bhandanis

A team comprising of 10-15 Bhandanis or skilled labour undertook the gargantuan task of installing the finial atop the 70 feet high dome and transporting each vessel in a safe and secure manner.