Nasir ud-din Muhammad Humayun (full title: Al-Sultan al-'Azam wal Khaqan al-Mukarram, Jam-i-Sultanat-i-haqiqi wa Majazi, Sayyid al-Salatin, Abu'l Muzaffar Nasir ud-din Muhammad Humayun Padshah Ghazi, Zillu'llah ) (Persian: نصيرالدين همايون) (17 March 1508– 4 March 1556) (OS 7 March 1508-OS 22 February 1556) was the second Mughal Emperor who ruled present day Afghanistan, Pakistan, and parts of northern India from 1530–1540 and again from 1555–1556. Like his father, Babur, he lost his kingdom early, but with Persian aid, he eventually regained an even larger one. On the eve of his death in 1556, the Mughal empire spanned almost one million square kilometers.
He succeeded his father in India in 1530, while his half-brother Kamran Mirza, who was to become a rather bitter rival, obtained the sovereignty of Kabul and Lahore, the more northern parts of their father's empire. He originally ascended the throne at the age of 22 and was somewhat inexperienced when he came to power.
Humayun lost his Indian territories to the Pashtun noble, Sher Shah Suri, and, with Persian aid, regained them fifteen years later. Humayun's return from Persia, accompanied by a large retinue of Persian noblemen, signaled an important change in Mughal court culture, as the Central Asian origins of the dynasty were largely overshadowed by the influences of Persian art, architecture, language and literature.
Subsequently, in a very short time, Humayun was able to expand the Empire further, leaving a substantial legacy for his son, Akbar.
Legacy
Babar's legacy was a mixed one. He is considered a national hero in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan,[33] and is held in high esteem in Turkey and Afghanistan where he is buried. In October 2005 the Pakistan military developed the Babur (cruise missile) named in honour of Babur.
[edit] Impact on Architecture
Babar travelled the country, taking in much of the land and its scenery, and began building a series of structures which mixed the pre-existing Hindu intricacies of carved detail with the traditional Muslim designs used by Persians and Turks. He described with awe the buildings in Chanderi, a village carved from rock, and the palace of Raja Man Singh in Gwalior. He, was, however, disgusted by the Jain "idols" carved into the rock face below the fortress at Gwalior. Fortunately, the statues were not destroyed entirely, rather the faces and genitalia of the offending pieces were removed. (Modern sculptors have restored the faces).
To remind himself of the lands he had left behind, Babur began a process of creating exquisite gardens in every palace and province, where he would often sit shaded from the fierce Indian sun. He tried to recreate the gardens of Kabul, which he believed were the most beautiful in the world, and in one of which he would eventually be buried. Almost thirty pages of Babur's memoirs are taken up describing the fauna and flora of his Hindustan.
[edit] Babri Masjid
Babur is popularly believed to have built Babri Masjid in Ayodhya.However from the three inscriptions which once adorned the surface of the mosque it becomes apparent that the mosque was constructed during his reign on the orders of Mir Baqi, who was one of the generals of Babur's forces snet towards this region. The existence of a temple at the same location is the center of dispute between Hindus and Muslims. While there are reports that Hindus & Muslims used to pray together,[citation needed] the mosque was locked down since mid-1850s (Hindu prayers continue to date) due to the communal dispute. The mosque of Ayodhya was demolished on 6th Dec 1992 by a frenzied mob of Kar Sevaks led by a number of prominent political leaders of the time. The demolition led to widespread communal riots throughout the country in which many lives were lost. Till date the litigation continues in the Allahabad High Court.
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