Tughlaq Tombs in the Indian subcontinent are mostly simple, monotonous and heavy structures in

Indo-Islamic architecture Indo-Islamic architecture is the architecture of the Indian subcontinent produced by and for Islamic patrons and purposes. Despite an initial Arab presence in Sindh, the development of Indo-Islamic architecture began in earnest with the establi ...

built during the

Tughlaq dynasty The Tughlaq dynasty ( fa, ), also referred to as Tughluq or Tughluk dynasty, was a Muslim dynasty of Indo- Turkic origin which ruled over the Delhi sultanate in medieval India. Its reign started in 1320 in Delhi when Ghazi Malik assumed the ...

(1320–1413). They look more like fortresses with walls surrounding them and have restrained decoration and embellishment compared to both earlier and later Indian Islamic tombs. Their architecture lacks the influence from Hindu temple architecture and craftsmanship which was later found in Lodi and Mughal architecture. But Hindu influence on Tughlaq buildings was not totally absent. Features of Hindu influences on Tughlaq architecture include the flat lintel instead of pointed arch, pillars, windows with balconies and eaves and railings. Tughlaqs built three main types of tombs: square, octagonal and pavilion. The last type was the simplest, consisting of a pavilion or a

chhatri ''Chhatri'' are elevated, dome-shaped pavilions used as an element in Indo-Islamic architecture and Indian architecture. Originating as a canopy above tombs, they serve as decorative elements. The earliest example of chhatri being used in the ...

. The simple tombs are most likely to be those of nobles and family members of the sultans. It was constructed by Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq.

Ghiyas ud-Din Tughluq

Ghiyas ud-Din Tughluq was the founder of the Tughluq dynasty built by Tughlaqs (

Tughluq dynasty The Tughlaq dynasty ( fa, ), also referred to as Tughluq or Tughluk dynasty, was a Muslim dynasty of Indo- Turkic origin which ruled over the Delhi sultanate in medieval India. Its reign started in 1320 in Delhi when Ghazi Malik assumed t ...

) of the Delhi Sultanate in India. Within a year of his reign he decided to build the new fortified capital of Tughluqabad very close to the previous capital 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 ...

, where he moved three years later. It is believed that Ghiyas built a tomb for himself in

Multan Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab. Multan is one of the old ...

when he was the governor there. However, on becoming Sultan he decided to build another one for himself in Tughluqabad. After his death, his successor

Muhammad bin Tughlaq Muhammad bin Tughluq (1290 – 20 March 1351) was the eighteenth Sultan of Delhi. He reigned from February 1325 until his death in 1351. The sultan was the eldest son of Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq, founder of the Tughlaq dynasty. In 1321, the youn ...

, moved back to Delhi and left Tughluqabad to gradually crumble and decay, although the tomb of Ghiyas remains there in a very well preserved condition.

Architecture

The tomb was constructed in 1325 and is built of red sandstone and white marble, materials commonly used in Islamic structures at that time. It has a dome of white marble. It is considered to be one of the earliest masterpieces built of red sandstone and white marble. The square tomb is in the center of a pentagonal enclosure with high walls. There are entrances on the north, east and south sides. There are no Minarets surrounding the tomb. The architectural style of the tomb is inspired by the

Khalji The Khalji or Khilji (Pashto: ; Persian: ) dynasty was a Turco-Afghan dynasty which ruled the Delhi sultanate, covering large parts of the Indian subcontinent for nearly three decades between 1290 and 1320.Alai Darwaza- in the

Qutb Minar The Qutb Minar, also spelled Qutub Minar and Qutab Minar, is a minaret and "victory tower" that forms part of the Qutb complex, which lies at the site of Delhi’s oldest fortified city, Lal Kot, founded by the Tomar Rajputs. It is a UNESCO Worl ...

complex. This is hardly surprising as Ghiyas was originally a Khalji slave who later became one of the governors. Tomb of Ghiasuddin Khan 2

A notable feature of the tomb are the sloping walls, at a 75 degree angle with the ground instead of vertical walls. This architectural style is similar to the sloping walls of the Hindola Mahal (Swing palace) in

Mandu, Madhya Pradesh Mandu or Mandavgad is an ancient city in the present-day Mandav area of the Dhar district. It is located in the Malwa and Nimar region of western Madhya Pradesh, India, at 35 km from Dhar city. In the 11th century, Mandu was the sub divis ...

. It is so called because of the distinctive sloping walls which give an impression that the palace is swaying from side to side. Perhaps the wall design was intended to

buttress A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral ( ...

the heavy stone arches that support the ceiling. The inside walls are vertical and plain.

Hindu Influences

The Ghiyas tomb exhibits peculiar Hindu influences in the form of a ''kalassa ''(pinnacle) on top of the white marble dome and a redundant stone lintel installed just below the arch. The ''kalassa'' adorns tops of most ''shikharas'' of ancient and modern Hindu temples in India. The pinnacle was planted at the apex of the Tughluq dome. The stone lintel was installed either to ensure stability, to fit a rectangular timber door in the arched opening, or purely for aesthetic reasons, to continue the white marble band along the facade. Whatever the reason for it, this 'architectural compromise' became an elegant and effective device in the building style of the Tughluqs as well as their successors.

Graves

The Ghiyas tomb has three graves. The central grave is known to be that of Ghiyas-ud-Din Tughluq, other two belong to his son, Muhammad bin Tughluq and his wife, Makhdum-i-Jahan. The grave of Makhdum-i-Jahan must have been added later. There are no epigraphs of any sort. Graves of Ghiyas Ud Din, Muhammad Bin Tughlaq

Tomb in Multan, Pakistan (Tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam)

Tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam5 by chiltanflats

The present day tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam is said to have been built by Ghiyas-ud-din Tughluq for himself during the days of his governorship under Ala-ud-din Khalji. It was later given by his son Muhammad, to the followers of Shah Rukn-e-Alam, a renowned Sufi saint of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

. The mausoleum, built entirely of red brick, has the thick, sloping walls that characterise Tughluq architecture. The lower walls form a high octagon whose corners are marked by round and tapering buttresses. The second layer has smaller octagonal structure with a narrow, uncovered walkway on the second level. Surmounting this structure is a massive, hemispherical dome, that can be seen from miles away. In the 1970s the mausoleum was renovated.

Firoz Shah Tughluq

Firuz Shah Tughluq Sultan Firuz Shah Tughlaq (1309 – 20 September 1388) was a Muslim ruler from the Tughlaq dynasty, who reigned over the Sultanate of Delhi from 1351 to 1388.

has contributed to architecture in a similar manner as Shah Jahan did years later. However, Firoz's buildings were of simpler designs than those built earlier by the Khaljis. The coffers of the Treasury were almost empty when Firoz Shah took over. This meant he had to use simple design and cheap materials such as rubble and whitewashed plaster instead of the stone and marble combination. A few tombs built by Firoz shah are rarely ever mentioned as his name is more associated with townlike Yet the remains of the three tombs built by him in Delhi are still visible. These are: Fateh Khan's tomb, Firoz Shah's tomb, and the tomb of Khan-i-Jahan Tilangani

Tomb of Khan-i-Jahan Tilangani

Khan-i-Jahan Tilangani was the Prime minister of Firoz Shah. His tomb is the first octagonal tomb to be built in Delhi. Thus, it is of much historical and architectural significance, even though it is not a royal tomb. It is similar(but not identical) to the Dome of the Rock in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

and Qubbat-i-Sulaibiya in Samarra. But the Tilangani tomb is built of different materials, grey granite and red sandstone, white marble and plaster instead of the enamelled tiles of the tomb in Samarra. It also suffers from design defects such as very low central and subsidiary domes, very low

veranda A veranda or verandah is a roofed, open-air gallery or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front and sides of the structure. Although the form ''vera ...

h arches and a lack of symmetry. These defects were gradually removed and this tomb became an inspiration for the later

Sayyid ''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, sons of Muhamma ...

and Lodi tombs.

Firoz Shah's Tomb

Feroze Sha's tomb with adjoining Madrasa

Location

Firoz Shah's tomb is located in Hauz Khas (

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Ho ...

), close to the tank built by

Alauddin Khalji Alaud-Dīn Khaljī, also called Alauddin Khilji or Alauddin Ghilji (), born Ali Gurshasp, was an emperor of the Khalji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate in the Indian subcontinent. Alauddin instituted a number of significant administrativ ...

. Attached to the tomb is a

madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...

built by Firoz Shah in 1352-53. The entrance to the tomb is through a courtyard. The archway of the entrance gate has a date engraved on it- 1507-08, the reign 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 ...

, which suggests that he may have had the tomb repaired.

Architecture

The tomb is square in plan, heavy and massive in appearance with plain cemented walls unlike the marble on the facade of the Ghiyas tomb, and a slightly pointed dome supported by an octagonal drum. The lower curves of the dome arches are decorated with intersecting coloured bands. The arched pendentives contain Koranic inscriptions and the walls are decorated with floral designs. Firoz Shah's tomb differs from that of Ghiyas in the use of construction materials. Unlike the latter, it is not built of stone; instead a thick layer of durable stucco is used which was probably painted. It has a paved verandah, enclosed by Buddhist stone railings of the type found in

Sanchi Sanchi is a Buddhist complex, famous for its Great Stupa, on a hilltop at Sanchi Town in Raisen District of the State of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is located, about 23 kilometres from Raisen town, district headquarter and north-east of Bh ...

. It is not clear why these stone railings were used. One view is that Firoz Shah used these pre-Muslim Indian forms as a means of associating himself with earlier greatness.

Graves

There are no inscriptions on the four graves inside the tomb. It is believed that the central grave is that of Firoz Shah, and the two similar ones are probably those of his son, Nasir ud din Mahmud, and grandson, Ala-ud-din Sikandar Shah.

References

{{reflist Buildings and structures completed in the 14th century Buildings and structures completed in the 15th century Architecture of the Tughlaq dynasty