Shish Gumbad ("glazed dome"), also spelt Shisha Gumbad, is a

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 ...

from 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 ...

and is thought to have possibly been constructed between 1489 and 1517 CE. The Shish Gumbad (glass dome) houses graves, whose occupants are not unequivocally identifiable. Historians have suggested, the structure might have been dedicated either to an unknown family, which was part of the Lodhi family and of

Sikandar Lodi 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 court, or to Bahlul Lodi (died 12 July 1489) himself, who was chief of the

Afghan Afghan may refer to: *Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia *Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity ** Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pas ...

Lodi tribe, founder and

Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...

of the

Lodi 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 he ...

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).

. Simon Digby, ''The Tomb of Buhlul Lodi'', The Bulletin of SOAS, Vol. 38, No. 3, 1975, pp. 550–61. Shish Gumbad is situated 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 ...

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 ...

and the area where the tomb is situated was formally called ''village Khairpur''.

History

Exact date of construction of Shish Gumbad is not known. There are four monuments (tombs) in the

including the Shish Gumbad. The oldest of the four tombs is 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 ...

). Shah's tomb was constructed in 1444 CE by Ala-ud-din Alam Shah. During the rule of

Sikander 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 Bara Gumbad and adjacent mosque were constructed.

's tomb was built by

Ibrahim Lodhi Ibrahim Khan Lodi (or Lodhi) (Pashto: ابراهیم خان لودي), (1480 – 21 April 1526) was the last Sultan of the Delhi Sultanate, who became Sultan in 1517 after the death of his father Sikandar Khan Lodi. He was the last ruler of th ...

in 1517. The Shish Gumbad is said to have been constructed between 1489-1517 CE by

. Among historians there is no agreement, who are the occupants of the graves inside the structure. The Shish Gumbad might have been dedicated either to an unknown family, which was part of the Lodhi family and of

's court, or to Bahlul Lodi (died 12 July 1489) himself, who was chief of the

Lodi tribe, and founder and

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).

.C.E. Bosworth, ''The New Islamic Dynasties'', (Columbia University Press, 1996), 304. Initially, all the monuments were built independently and were not in one confine. In early 20th century, a park was developed which was inaugurated by Lady Willingdon on 9 Apr 1936 bringing the four monuments in one confine.

Construction

Constructed between 1489-1517 CE, the Shish Gumbad is constructed in square shape. Combination of

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, 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 ...

is a blend of

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 Indian architectures. Although the Gumbad has an external semblance of spanning in two floors, the structure made only in one floor. The western wall of the Gumbad consists of

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 ...

which also served as a

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

. The main chamber of the monument measures . The ceiling is decorated with plaster work that contains Quranic inscriptions and floral designs. The monument was originally decorated with blue enamelled tiles that shined like glass. The Gumbad hence got its name "Shish Gumbad". The blue tile embellishment presently only remains on top of the main frontage in traces.

Location

The Shish Gumbad is located in and is a part of the Lodhi Gardens in

, 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, North-West 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 South-West corner of the Lodhi Garden.

Picture gallery

File:Shisha Gumbad information board 01.JPG, Monument information board displayed in Lodhi gardens. File:Shisha Gumbad at Lodhi Garden, New Delhi.jpg, Rear view of Shish Gumbad File:Shisha Gumbad blue tiles.JPG, Tiles on top of main entrance File:Sheesh Gumbad 3 Sep 2010-4.JPG, Dome interior ceiling File:Lodhi Garden - Graves at Shish Gumbad 2.jpg, Graves in main chamber File:Sheesh Gumbad 004.jpg, Carvings on South entrance File:Sheesh Gumbad evening.JPG, Shish Gumbad view from south (main entrance) side File:Sheesh Gumbad and Bara Gumbad.jpg , Bara Gumbad Shish Gumbad

References

{{Delhi Burial sites of the Lodi dynasty Architecture of the Lodi dynasty Mausoleums in Delhi Monuments of National Importance in Delhi

History

Construction

Location

Picture gallery

See also

References