Search This Blog

Showing posts with label Slave Dynasty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Slave Dynasty. Show all posts

Delhi : Balban's Tomb in Mehrauli Archaeological Park

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Balban's Tomb is located in the Mehrauli Archaeological Park which is near the Qutub Complex, it is located on the Sri Aurobindo Marg and the closest Metro station being Qutub Minar.
Entrance to Balban's Tomb

History of Balban's Tomb

Ghiyas-ud-din Balban was the Sultan of the Delhi Sultanate. He was a reigned during the Mamluk Dynasty aka Slave Dynasty between 1266 AD and 1287 AD. He was born in the year 1206 AD.


Balban's Tomb premises


Balban's Tomb
Ghiyas-ud-din Balban was a fierce and strict administrator. He would not spare people who committed crimes, disobeyed laws. 
History of Balban's Tomb
After the demise of Ghiyas-ud-din Balban in 1287 AD, he was buried with royal honour at Mehrauli. The tomb and its premises are in ruins now. The tomb is open to the sky. 

Delhi : Sultan Ghari Tomb

Friday, July 31, 2015

Sultan Ghari Tomb is located at Malakapur Village near Vasant Kunj in Delhi which is near the Qutub Minar Complex.
Signboard on the road leading to Masjid Sultan Ghari


Sultan Ghari Tomb was the first Islamic Tomb built by Iitumish in 1231 AD for his son Prince Nasiru'd-Din-Mahmud. Iitumish was the third sultan of the Slave Dynasty who ruled Delhi between 1210 AD to 1236 AD. 

A muddy road leads one to the Sultan Ghari Tomb.
Sultan Ghari entrance and fortification
First thoughts: Looking at the structure, I thought it was  a fort, with the tomb situated within it. I saw a couple of vendors sitting outside it selling flowers and articles of worship. The tomb is visited by both Hindu and Muslim devotees from around Delhi. Rohan told me that on Thursday it , is full house here.
Chhatri outside Sultan Ghari Tomb
A series of steps leads to the entrance of the premises, it had four bastion like structure around it with large windows in the walls. The walls were made of sandstone, common material used for building most of the historical structures around Delhi. 
Sultan Ghari Tomb
We entered the fortification via the door and walked inside barefeet. A octagonal structure lied in the middle of the walls. There were people sitting next to the fortification walls.Maybe they had come to offer prayers. But where is the tomb? was the question I had in my mind. 
Ruins outside Sultan Ghari
Rohan and I walked all around the octagonal structure and finally I located  a small door, from the door a series of winding steps leads one to the tomb. The steps are so narrow that only one person can travel at a time. Reminded me of the steps at Sindhudurg Fort in Malvan. The steps narrow steps had made it impossible for me to get down from the fort walls. 
Stairs leading to the tomb
There are a couple of tombs here. The one covered in white sheet is the tomb of Nasiru'd-Din-Mahmud. There are candles lit all around it and people praying near it. We stood still for a moment here and then decided to see around. A couple of pillars hold the tomb top from the inside. Taking photos is a bit difficult here due to low lightning. But I still managed to get a couple of shots without turning on the flash and gathering attention. 
Sultan Ghari Tomb
I couldn't stand there for much longer , as I was finding it difficult to breathe and hence rushed to  the surface. Rohan joined me up in a couple of minutes.
People queuing up to go in the Tomb premises
We then decided to walk on the walls surrounding the tomb to get a better view of the place. There are a couple of ruins located outside the Tomb premises. There is also the Chhatri of Iitumish son located outside the tomb premises. 
Islamic verses in Sultan Ghari
The dome placed on the four bastion like structure had a unique and different shape, something which I had never on the other historical structures around Delhi. 
More Ruins outside Sultan Ghari
We then headed out of the tomb premises as it was almost sunset. 

Delhi : Tomb of Sultan Iltutmish in the Qutub Complex

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

The Tomb aka mausoleum of Shams-ud-din Iltutmish is located in the Qutub Complex, which is located near the Mehrauli Archaeological Park on the Sri Aurobindo Marg, the closest Metro station being Qutub Minar


Shams-ud-din Iltutmish was the third ruler of the Mamluk Dynasty aka Slave Dynasty or Ghulam Dynasty of Turkic origin. Mamluk means a soldier of slave origin who has converted to Islam. Shams-ud-din Iltutmish was the son-in- law of Qutb-ud-din Aybak.

He had himself built the tomb in 1235 AD. The tomb is a landmark in Indo-Islamic Architecture. 

The tomb is currently open to the sky as its roof collapsed a long time ago. It was later redone by Firoz Shah Tughluq. But that didn't survive either.

The tomb is built of red stone. from the outside it looks like any other structure. The entrance to the tomb, have got inscription in Kufi and Nashk characters and geometric and arabesque patterns in Saracenic tradition.

Tomb made of white stone is placed in the middle. It is surrounded by beautifully decorated tall arches on all sides. 

Popular Posts

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...