Bara Gumbad () is a medieval
monument
A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, his ...
located in
Lodhi Gardens
Lodi Gardens is a city park situated in New Delhi, India. Spread over , it contains Mohammed Shah's Tomb, the Tomb of Sikandar Lodi, the Shisha Gumbad and the Bara Gumbad, architectural works of the 15th century by Lodis - who ruled parts o ...
in
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
, India. It is part of a group of monuments that include a
Friday mosque
A congregational mosque or Friday mosque (, ''masjid jāmi‘'', or simply: , ''jāmi‘''; ), or sometimes great mosque or grand mosque (, ''jāmi‘ kabir''; ), is a mosque for hosting the Friday noon prayers known as ''jumu'ah''.*
*
*
*
*
*
*
...
(Jama Masjid) and the "''mehman khana''" (guest house) of
Sikandar Lodhi
Sikandar Khan Lodi (died 21 November 1517), born Nizam Khan, was a Pashtun Sultan of the Delhi Sultanate between 1489 and 1517. He became ruler of the Lodi dynasty after the death of his father Bahlul Khan Lodi in July 1489. The second and most s ...
, the ruler of the
Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526). . The Bara Gumbad was constructed in 1490 CE, during the reign of the
Lodhi dynasty
The Lodi dynasty ( ps, لودي سلسله; fa, سلسله لودی) was an Afghan dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1451 to 1526. It was the fifth and final dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, and was founded by Bahlul Khan Lodi when h ...
. Its construction is generally attributed to Sikandar Lodhi, and it is believed to have the earliest constructed full dome of any building in Delhi.
The monument is situated near the
Tomb of Sikandar Lodhi
The Tomb of Sikandar Lodi is the tomb of the second ruler of the Lodi Dynasty, Sikandar Lodi (reign: 1489–1517 CE) situated in New Delhi, India. The tomb is situated in Lodhi Gardens in Delhi and was built in 1517–1518 CE by his son Ibrahi ...
and
Shisha Gumbad
Shish Gumbad ("glazed dome"), also spelt Shisha Gumbad, is a tomb from the Lodhi Dynasty and is thought to have possibly been constructed between 1489 and 1517 CE. The Shish Gumbad (glass dome) houses graves, whose occupants are not unequivocall ...
. Although the three structures, which share a common raised platform, were all built during the Lodhi reign, they were not constructed at the same time. The intended purpose of the builders of Bara Gumbad is unclear: it may have been intended as a free-standing
tomb
A tomb ( grc-gre, τύμβος ''tumbos'') is a :wikt:repository, repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be ...
, but no tombstone has been identified, or as a gateway. The area in which Bara Gumbad is situated was formally called Khairpur village.
History
Bada Gumbad was constructed in 1490 CE, and is believed to have the earliest constructed full dome of any building in Delhi.
Its construction is generally attributed to
Sikandar Lodhi
Sikandar Khan Lodi (died 21 November 1517), born Nizam Khan, was a Pashtun Sultan of the Delhi Sultanate between 1489 and 1517. He became ruler of the Lodi dynasty after the death of his father Bahlul Khan Lodi in July 1489. The second and most s ...
.
A
mihrab
Mihrab ( ar, محراب, ', pl. ') is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the ''qibla'', the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a ''mihrab'' appears is thus the "qibla w ...
(prayer niche) in the
Friday mosque
A congregational mosque or Friday mosque (, ''masjid jāmi‘'', or simply: , ''jāmi‘''; ), or sometimes great mosque or grand mosque (, ''jāmi‘ kabir''; ), is a mosque for hosting the Friday noon prayers known as ''jumu'ah''.*
*
*
*
*
*
*
...
(Jama Masjid) of the Bara Gumbad gives the date of construction as 900
AH (Anno Hegirae) of the
Islamic lunar calendar
The Hijri calendar ( ar, ٱلتَّقْوِيم ٱلْهِجْرِيّ, translit=al-taqwīm al-hijrī), also known in English as the Muslim calendar and Islamic calendar, is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or ...
.
Including the bada gumbad there are four monuments in the
Lodhi Gardens
Lodi Gardens is a city park situated in New Delhi, India. Spread over , it contains Mohammed Shah's Tomb, the Tomb of Sikandar Lodi, the Shisha Gumbad and the Bara Gumbad, architectural works of the 15th century by Lodis - who ruled parts o ...
; the other three being
Tomb of Sikandar Lodhi
The Tomb of Sikandar Lodi is the tomb of the second ruler of the Lodi Dynasty, Sikandar Lodi (reign: 1489–1517 CE) situated in New Delhi, India. The tomb is situated in Lodhi Gardens in Delhi and was built in 1517–1518 CE by his son Ibrahi ...
,
Shisha Gumbad
Shish Gumbad ("glazed dome"), also spelt Shisha Gumbad, is a tomb from the Lodhi Dynasty and is thought to have possibly been constructed between 1489 and 1517 CE. The Shish Gumbad (glass dome) houses graves, whose occupants are not unequivocall ...
and the tomb of Muhammad Shah (who belonged to the
Sayyid dynasty
The Sayyid dynasty was the fourth dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, with four rulers ruling from 1414 to 1451. Founded by Khizr Khan, a former governor of Multan, they succeeded the Tughlaq dynasty and ruled the sultanate as a vassal of the Timu ...
).
The Bada Gumbad is situated approximately southwest of the tomb and south of Shisha Gumbad.
During the rule of Sikander Lodhi, the Bara Gumbad, the adjacent mosque and the "''mehman khana''" (guest house) were constructed. The Bara Gumbad is speculated to serve as a gateway to the Friday mosque. However owing to the constitutions date, placement and stylistic differences the theory of gateway is not supported. The purpose and significance of the Bara Gumbad is unknown and to date remains a mystery.
The Friday mosque was constructed in 1494 CE. It was the first mosque to be built in a style that first appeared during the
Lodhi Dynasty
The Lodi dynasty ( ps, لودي سلسله; fa, سلسله لودی) was an Afghan dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1451 to 1526. It was the fifth and final dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, and was founded by Bahlul Khan Lodi when h ...
.
Some historians suggest that the Bara Gumbad was built by an unidentified noble in 1490 CE, before being appropriated by Sikander Lodhi in 1494 CE, to provide an entryway to his mosque.
Simon Digby argued, that the Bara Gumbad served as a gateway to a large walled enclosure, which included the
Shisha Gumbad
Shish Gumbad ("glazed dome"), also spelt Shisha Gumbad, is a tomb from the Lodhi Dynasty and is thought to have possibly been constructed between 1489 and 1517 CE. The Shish Gumbad (glass dome) houses graves, whose occupants are not unequivocall ...
, identified by the same scholar as the tomb of
Bahlul Lodi
Bahlul Khan Lodi (12 July 1489) was the chief of the Pashtun Lodi tribe. Founder of the Lodi dynasty from the Delhi Sultanate upon the abdication of the last claimant from the previous Sayyid rule. Bahlul became sultan of the dynasty on 19 A ...
.
Initially, all the monuments were built independently, and were not in one confine. In the early twentieth century, a park was developed, bringing the four monuments in one confine. The park was inaugurated on 9 April 1936 by Lady Willingdon, the wife of
Viceroy
A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning "k ...
Lord Willingdon
Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon (12 September 1866 – 12 August 1941), was a British Liberal politician and administrator who served as Governor General of Canada, the 13th since Canadian Confederation, and as Viceroy and Go ...
.
The park was originally called the Lady Willingdon Park after her, but was renamed to Lodhi Gardens after independence of India in 1947.
Construction and architecture
![Bara Gumbad Tomb, Lodi Gardens - 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Bara_Gumbad_Tomb%2C_Lodi_Gardens_-_1.jpg)
It is speculated that the Bara Gumbad was constructed to provide a gateway to the nearby mosque or a large walled enclosure. Although the structure does not house any tomb, there is a platform in the central courtyard that suggests the structure to be a burial place. The purpose Bara Gumbad is unknown.
Bara Gumbad is grouped together with a mosque and "mehman khana" which is a smaller structure with five bays. All the structures are constructed on a high platform, with a total area of . The platform measures (east-west) and (north-south).
![Bara Gumbad Mosque](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Bara_Gumbad_Mosque.JPG)
Three out of five bays in the mosque have domes whereas the remaining two have
vaulted
In architecture, a vault (French ''voûte'', from Italian ''volta'') is a self-supporting arched form, usually of stone or brick, serving to cover a space with a ceiling or roof. As in building an arch, a temporary support is needed while ring ...
roofs (on mosque and "mehman khana"). The central bays feature low domes, while the end-bays feature flat roofs.
There are
oriel windows
An oriel window is a form of bay window which protrudes from the main wall of a building but does not reach to the ground. Supported by corbels, brackets, or similar cantilevers, an oriel window is most commonly found projecting from an upper f ...
to the north and south. Both the oriel windows and the tapering
minarets
A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گلدسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally ...
appear to anticipate later architectural styles.
The Bara Gumbad is square type construction which sits on a
plinth
A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In c ...
. The mosque measures on each side. At the rear, the corners and sides of the mosque feature tall tapering semi-circular
minars.
The east, south, and west are decorated, and feature ogee arch openings, which are set into rectangular frames. The
architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...
combines
bracket
A bracket is either of two tall fore- or back-facing punctuation marks commonly used to isolate a segment of text or data from its surroundings. Typically deployed in symmetric pairs, an individual bracket may be identified as a 'left' or 'r ...
and
lintel
A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented structural item. In the case of w ...
beams, blending
Islamic
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the mai ...
and
Hindu architecture
Hindu architecture is the traditional system of Indian architecture for structures such as temples, monasteries, statues, homes, market places, gardens and town planning as described in Hindu texts. The architectural guidelines survive in Sansk ...
s.
Bara Gumbad is high, long and wide. The walls are tall. Like the Shisha Gumbad, the Bara Gumbad is also a single story structure but has an external semblance of spanning in two floors when viewed from outside. Total floor area of Bara Gumbad (excluding the mosque and the guest house) is .
The dome, the mosque and the "mehman khana" are constructed of red, grey and black stone, including grey
quartzite
Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock which was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tect ...
and red
sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
. The interior is elaborately
ornamented with painted
stucco
Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...
. Colored tiles,
incised
Incision may refer to:
* Cutting, the separation of an object, into two or more portions, through the application of an acutely directed force
* A type of open wound caused by a clean, sharp-edged object such as a knife, razor, or glass splinter
...
carvings, and painted plaster on the mosque are decorated with
foliage
A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...
, flowers, geometric patterns, and
Quranic
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sing.: ...
inscriptions.
Location
The Bara Gumbad is located in and is a part of the Lodhi Gardens in
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
, India. The village where the monument stands was earlier called Khairpur.
The garden is bounded by
Amrita Shergill Marg
Amrita Sher-Gil (30 January 1913 – 5 December 1941) was a Hungarian-Indian painter. She has been called "one of the greatest avant-garde women artists of the early 20th century" and a pioneer in modern Indian art. Drawn to painting from an ear ...
in the west, northwest and north, Max MuellerMarg on the east and
Lodhi Road
Lodhi Road (Hindi: लोधी रोड, Urdu: لودھی مارگ) in New Delhi, India, is named after the Lodi Gardens, Lodhi Gardens located on it. Two Mughal (tribe), Mughal mausoleums, Humayun's Tomb and Safdarjung's Tomb, lie at the ea ...
on the south side. Safdarjang Tomb is situated on southwest corner of the Lodhi Garden.
Gallery
See also
*
List of Monuments of National Importance in Delhi
This is a list of Monuments of National Importance (ASI) as officially recognized by and available through the website of the Archaeological Survey of India in the Indian union territory Delhi. The monument identifier is a combination of the abbr ...
References
External links
*
{{Delhi
Architecture of the Lodi dynasty
Monuments of National Importance in Delhi
Mosque architecture
Mosques in Delhi
Sandstone buildings in India
Buildings and structures completed in 1490