Delhiwale: Monuments to the blue

In this season of pollution, to look for any blue in the sky is a wasted pastime. Fret not. You may find blue, or nila, in two little-known Delhi monuments, starting with their names.
The Nili Masjid in Hauz Khas Enclave presumably takes its name from a row of blue tiles inlaid atop its arched gateway. Most tiles are sadly gone, the empty squares marking the loss. Nevertheless, the small mosque has richly detailed interiors. The stone surface of the central dome is sculpted with dozens of niche taak, a disappearing element in traditional architecture. As a token to the name, a handful of modern-day inscriptions painted on the whitewashed walls within are in blue, including a directive to keep the mobile phone off.
The edifice came up centuries ago, during the Lodhi era, and is said to have been commissioned by royal wet-nurse Kasum Bhil. If true, then it is one of the few monuments in Delhi authorised by a woman.
Now to the other blue landmark. Nila Gumbad lies within the Humayun tomb complex. The UNESCO World Heritage site should rightly be known as the Nilla Gumbad complex. For, in the beginning, there was no Humayun Tomb, but only the Nila Gumbad. The domed tomb was raised in an island in Yamuna by Emperor Humayun to commemorate… nobody knows. The grave inside is missing.
When Humayun passed away in 1556, his royal mausoleum, commissioned by son Akbar, permanently moved the focus away from Nila Gumbad. Over the centuries, the Yamuna also drifted away from the monument. Rail tracks came up where the river used to originally flow, followed by a bustling railway station.
Additionally, over a long passage of time, the Nila Gumbad’s blue dome lost thousands of its blue Timurid brick tiles. A few years ago, the gaps were at long last replaced by similar blue tiles, newly made, as part of a conservation project by Aga Khan Trust for Culture in partnership with the Archaeological Survey of India.
Ironically, while the most exquisite part of Nila Gumbad is its nila gumbad, no clear view of the blue dome is available from within the immediate vicinity of the monument. Better go to a foot overbridge that spans over the adjacent railway station. You’ll then discover ragged clumps of grass growing on the dome.