2 years on, gilded finial back in Humayun Tomb’s crown

New Delhi, May 8

In a first-of-its-kind restoration, a team of experts brought traditional craftsmanship with industrial precision to return the gilded finial to 16th century Humayun Tomb here after the iconic mausoleum’s crown was knocked down in a storm two years ago.

The 18-ft ornamental ensemble, consisting of Sal wood core and 11 copper vessels topped with a brass piece, was given a coating of 22-carat gold to match its original crowning splendour, but it took more than a year to restore the World Heritage Site to its pristine glory.

The celebrated monument, which served as an architectural inspiration for Taj Mahal, was hit by a massive storm in May 2014 dislodging and damaging its old finial.

The Archaeological Survey of India then commissioned Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) to begin work on the new finial on December 31, 2014.

“By March last year we installed a makeshift finial, as we did not want the dome to be left bald. The challenge before us was to restore the finial to its original splendour with original composition,” said AKTC India CEO Ratish Nanda.

Nanda, a conservation architect, says “a motley team of artists, craftsmen, architects, engineers and scientists worked on this project to return the famed mausoleum its crown jewel”.

“In the finial, the 11 copper vessels, covered with a gold finish, were in a friable state. Each of the vessels was weighed and studied separately,” he said. The gold restoration was the “first-of-its-kind” work in India, as far as monuments were concerned and over “3-kg pure gold was used” in the project, he claimed. — PTI