The Mausoleum of Sher Shh Sr

Author(s): Catherine B. Asher

Source: Artibus Asiae, Vol. 39, No. 3/4 (1977), pp. 273-298
Published by: Artibus Asiae Publishers
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3250169
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CATHERINE

THE MAUSOLEUM

B.ASHER

OF SHER SHAH SURI

Sher Shah Suri (ca. 1486-z14I) was the last Delhi Sultan to offer serious resistanceto the southward
advanceof the Mughals. In I $ 8, he was able to removeHumayunfrom the throneandforced him during
this interregnumto take refugein Persia; Sher's death in battle clearedthe wayfor Humayin's successful
return.

he famed octagonal mausoleum of Sher Shah (plate I),1 one of India's most able rulers,
is dated by inscription to the reign of his son, Islam Shah, 16 August, 1545, that is three
months after Sher Shah lost his life at the siege of Kalingar.2The location of this magnificent
in of Sasaram DistrictShahabad,3
lakein thesmall city
Bihar
tombat thecenterof anartificial
is seemingly incongruous with the greatness of Sher's accomplishments. However, there are
several reasons which explain Sher Shah's choice of Sasaram as the site for his hnal resting

place. Sasaramlies on the Grand Trunk Road, a modern road which connects the major cities
in North India, and essentially follows Sher's great highway which linked his empire from
Sonargaon, in Bengal, to the Indus.4 The town itself is approximately Ioo miles to the southeast
center of Islamic learning, and about 250 miles west of
Gaur, where Sher first proclaimed himself Sultan in I 538.5

of Jaunpur, at that time a renowned

As no standardnomenclature has yet been developed for the description of Indo-Islamic architecture,I have followed,
as closely as possible, the terminology utilized in R. Nath, TheImmortalTaj Mahal: TheEvolutionof the Tombin Mughal
Architecture (Bombay, I972), pp. 93-I05.

Maulvi MuhammadHamid Quraishi, "Inscriptions of Sher Shah and Islam Shah," EpigraphiaIndo-Moslemica,
(1923-24),
p. 28. In some of his publications, Quraishl's name is spelled "Kuraishi" which is the way it appears throughout this
paper.
3 Old ShahabadDistrict was recently subdivided, and Sasaramnow falls into new Rohtas District. However, for
purposes
of this paper, I am using the old name of Shahabad District as it was the name of the administrative unit in Sher's
time, and all chroniclers and travelers referred to it as such.
4 KalikaranjanQanungo, SherShah(Calcutta, 1921), pp. 388-9.
5 While the Tarikh-i-Sher-Shahi
and other contemporary accounts state that the coronation of Sher Shah occured in
I539 after the battle of Chausa, modern scholars now concur, largely on the basis of a number of coins which have
come to light, that Sher declared himself Sultan in 945 A.H. (1538), that is before the battle of Chausa. Iqtidar Husain
Siddiqui, History of SherShahSuri (Aligarh, I97I), p. 45. Recently Siddiqui on pp. 44-5 has argued, largely on the basis
of a unique silver coin in the Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh, dated to 942 A.H. (I 535/6), that Sher termed himself
Sultan as early as I 535. However, until a photograph of this coin is published or it can be examined first hand, the
reading of this date seems questionable. The fact that there are no extant coins which indisputablywere minted between
I 535 and I 538 makes the reading of I 538 for this coin seem uncertain. C. F. Rodgers in "Sixth Supplement to Thomas's
Chroniclesof the PathanKingsof Delhi," Journalof theAsiatic Societyof Bengal,I 886, Part I, p. 21I4, mentions a very small
copper coin which is dated 943 A.H. (I536/7) and bears the inscription, "Sher Shah Sultanl," but Wright in The
CoinageandMetrologyof theSultansof Delhi (Delhi, I936), p. 325, questions this attribution. Again, there is no published
plate of this coin.

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HermannGoetz feels that Sasaram,"... for SherShah... was the very symbolof his life
and glory," and thus he chose it for the site for his tomb.6 However, this does not seem an
adequateexplanationfor the choice of Sasaraminstead of Delhi, Sher's capitaland that of the
major Muslim rulers of India, for the monumentaloctagonal tomb. While Goetz's suggestion

it is indeedtruethatSasaram
for SherShahwas a symbolof gloryis exaggerated,
thatSasaram
did representmuch of Sher Shah's life. Early in Sher Shah's youth, Hasan Khan Sur, Sher's

father,was grantedSasaramas his iqtdby SikandarLodiin returnfor his faithfulandexcellent

services. For much of his life, Sher served as an administratorof the Sasarampargana, first in

the serviceof his father,andlateras an amirunderthe Mughals.And, justas he builta tomb

over the grave of his grandfatherwhose iqtawas in Narnaul (District Mahendragarh,Haryana),

in thatsamecity, Shererectedmausoleafor his fatherandhimselfin Sasaram.

Even after Sher becameSultanand consolidatedmost of Northern India,he still considered

EasternIndiato be the seatof muchof his power.This is indicatedby the fact thatout of 16
silver mint cities, which he had establishedby the time of his death in I545, eight were concentratedbetween Chunarin the west and Fathabad(Bengal) in the east.7The remainingeight
silver mint towns were spreadacross a vast areafrom Kalpi, now in Uttar Pradesh,on the east,
to Malot in the Punjab on the northwest, and Bakkarin Sind on the west.8 AlexanderCun-

ninghamhasnotedthatSherShah'scapitalin Delhiwasnot verylargein relationto the capital

cities of manyearlierDelhi Sultans.9This againbearswitnessto the fact that Sher Shah,at
the time of his death, was just beginning to consider Delhi as the center of his power. With
all this in mind, it is easier to understandwhy Sher, unlike earlier Sultans, including other
Afghan rulers,did not build his tomb in Delhi, but instead chose Sasaram,a provincial city in

South Biharandthe site of his familyiqtdfor his tomb.

Severalother tombs built during the Suri period are found in Sasaram.Two of the tombs,
like Sher Shah's tomb, are also octagonal, and one of them, the tomb of Hasan Khan Siiur
(plate 2), Sher's father, is an immediate forerunnerand model for Sher Shah's tomb. Hasan
Khan died in about I526.1oHis original grave was probablya simple stepped tomb whose type
is commonly seen around Muslim mahallas. Sher Shah later erected an elaborate three-storied
Until further evidence comes to light, Qanungo's suggestion that Sher Shah was much too clever to openly challenge the Mughals by assuming the title of Sultan before I 538, can probably be accepted as the most viable. Instead,

Sher preferredto remain a nominal vassal of the Mughals and in this safer guise make his bid for the throne of Delhi.
KalikaranjanQanungo, Sher Shahand His Times (Bombay ),
p. I43. It is also interesting to note an inscription
published by Qeyamuddin Ahmad in Corpus of Arabic and Persian Inscriptions of Bihar (Patna, I973), p. I25, which is
located in Amthua (Gaya District, Bihar) and is dated February I 5 36. It cites the erection of a mosque by the son-inlaw of Sher Shah. Sher, in this inscription, is simply described as "Sher Khan (son of) Hasan Sur," and not by any
royal titles. This evidence again tends to support Qanungo's theory that Sher Shah did not assume the title of Sultan
earlier than I 538.
6 Hermann Goetz, "Sher Shah's Mausoleum at Sasaram," Ars Islamica, Vol. V,
part I (1938), p. 97.
7 Wright, p. 3 8 5.
8 Ibid.
9 A. Cunningham, Archaeological Survey of India Report, Vol. I (reprint ed; Varanasi, 1972), p. 222.
Io Qanungo, Sher Shah and His Times, p. 22.

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octagonal structureover HasanKhan's grave in the middle of the old town. While the inscrip-

tion withinthe mausoleumdoesnot actuallydatethe tombto a specificyear,thepatronis stated

to be the SultanSherShah,,Ithus indicatingthatthe monumentcouldnot be any earlierthan
1538, when Sher declaredhimself Sultan.For reasonswhich will be discussedlater,Hasan
Khan's tomb should be consideredas having been firstcommencedin the beginning of I 542.

The third Surioctagonaltomb in Sasaramis that of SherShah'sson, SultanIslamShah,

who died in 1554, leaving his monumentaloctagonal ediface, which measures140 feet in dia-

This tomb,locatedabouthalf
meter,or 5 feet largerthanthe tomb of his father,unfinished.,2
a mile to the north of Sher'stomb, follows the earliermodel very closely, and like it, is situated
in an artificiallake. The Islam Shah tomb is significantprimarilyin that it marksthe end of the

monumentalthree-storiedoctagonaltomb type set in water.This monumentis especiallyimportant for art historiansfor its unfinishedwalls reveal the rubble-filledinteriorwhich is faced

with dressedstone,typicalof the Surimodeof construction.

There is a fourth Suri tomb in Sasaram,I3located about half a mile to the south of Hasan

Sur'stomb,awayfromthe centerof town. Unlikethe othertombs,this one is not octagonal.

Rather,it consists of a simple tombstone completely surroundedby four high rectangularwalls
which originallyhad an entranceon the north, south, and east sides. The east or main entrance
is markedby an elaborategatewayand topped by two domed chhatrns.
The tomb is not inscribed,
but is reputedby local traditionto be the tomb of 'AlawalKhan.I4Local lore ascribesthe design
of Sher Shah's tomb to this 'Alawal Khan, who according to Kuraishi, was Superintendent
of Building under both Sher Shah and Islam Shah.1sHowever, the identificationof this tomb
is supported by neither textual nor inscriptionalevidence. Both 'Abbas and Ferishtaare silent
on crediting any particularperson with the responsibilityfor constructing the large number
of Suri mosques, tombs, forts, sarais,and roads, many of which are extant today. While local
tradition is not to be ignored, there is no way of knowing, unless further evidence comes to

light, if 'AlawalKhanwas trulythe architectof Sher'stomb.

In the town of Chainpur,about30 mileswest of Sasaramis anotherSAuri
octagonaltomb,
traditionally called the mausoleum of Bakhtyar Khan (plate 3). This tomb is modeled closely
after the iasan Khan tomb, but has certain features which are reminiscent of Sher's tomb.
Although this mausoleum is neither dated nor inscribed as the tomb of Bakhtyar Khan,16 on

stylistic grounds, it can be considered as having been built at approximatelythe same time as
Sher Shah'stomb. The specific stylistic reasonsfor this will be brought out in conjunctionwith
the discussion of Sher's mausoleum.
In 1813-14 Buchanan-Hamiltonspelled BakhtyarKhan's name as "Ahtiyar Khan,"I7and
II Quraishi, p. 27.
Surveyof India Report,Vol. XI (reprint ed.; Varanasi. 968), p. 137. P.C.Roy Chaudhury,
A.Cunningham, Archaeological
Bihar District Gazetteers:Shahabad(Patna, 966), pi. unnumbered. This plate, which illustrates the tomb of Islam Shah,
is erroneously called the tomb of 'Alawal Khan.
13 Maulv! Muhammad Hamid Kuraishi, List of Ancient MonumentsProtectedin Bihar and Orissa, Vol. LI: ASI, New

12

Imperial Series (Calcutta, I93I),

figures II6 and II7.

14 Francis Buchanan-Hamilton,Journalof FrancisBuchananKept DuringtbeSurveyof theDistrict of Shahabadin 1812-IS,

15
6

C. E. A. W. Oldham (Patna, 1926), p.

Kuraishi, p. I 92.

102.

Ibid., p. I42.

17 Buchanan-Hamilton,

p. 20.

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ed.

It was not until

Clnninghamin his I877-78 reportassignedthe tomb to one IkhtiyarKhan.18
Bloch'sI902 CircleReportthatthe tomb'schiefoccupantis calledBakhtyarKhIn.19.Kuraishi
assertsthat BakhtyarKhanis probablythe sameas IkhtiyarKhanPannimentionedin 'Abbas
Khan Sarwini's Tdrikh-i-Sher
Shdh.20
Ikhtiyar Khan Panni with a force of I2,000oooartillerymen was in charge of the fort of Rohtas

Ferishta,in his
(Bihar),which accordingto 'Abbascontained"an inestimabletreasure."2z
of
the
Sher
"...
author
states
Kasim
ShIh,
that,
(Mahomed
Ferishta)hasseen
history
although
many hill forts in India, he has seen none to compare with that of Rohtas," and that within this
stronghold was indescribable wealth.22 Sher's great fondness for Rohtas is well documented.
His fort in the Punjab (District Jhelum, Pakistan) which was built to subdue the Ghakkars and

guardKashmir,was modeledafter Rohtasin Biharand accordingto 'Abbas,called"little

Rohtas."23
Consideringthe treasurewithinthe BihariRohtasfort andits strategicimportance,
it followsthat only an unquestionably
loyalnoble of exceedinghigh rankwould be entrusted
with the responsibility for such a stronghold. Furthermore, the rank and personal wealth of

such a noble would enablehim to build a tomb of the type whichwas reservedfor the Sufri
royal family. According to local tradition, Bakhtyar Khan's eldest son, Fath Khan, is said to
have married one of Sher Shah's daughters,24which certainly would have given Bakhtyar Khan
close ties with Suri royality. On orthographic grounds, K.uraishi has shown that the Fath
Khan Batni, mentioned in the Ain-i-Akbar! as the commander of Rohtas under both Sher

Shahandhis son, IslamShah,is the son of IkhtiyarKhan,aliasBakhtyarKhan,of theChainpur

tomb.25If FathKhin took over the commandof Rohtaswhen SherShahwas still Sultan,it
would indicatethat BakhtyarKhan eitherdied or retiredbefore 1545.Thus, it seems quite
possible on the basis of historical evidence, aside from stylistic evidence, that Bakhtyar Khan's
mausoleum was either built concurrently with that of Sher's or shortly before the Sultan's was

completed.
iii1

SherShah'stomb is locatedapproximately
one-quartermile west of the modernbazaarin
Sasaram. The monumental octagonal mausoleum is situated in the middle of a lake, which is
connected to land by a causeway on the north side. In the middle of the lake is a square stepped
island, which serves as a basement for the high walled plinth and tomb. The tomb itself is a

domed three-storiedoctagonalstructure,of which the lower level is composedof a single

eight-sided chamber around which runs a covered arched veranda. The upper two levels follow
the octagonal format and are marked by a domed cbhatriat each angle of the octagon.
18Cunningham, ASIR, Vol. XI, p. I 38.
I9 T. Bloch, ASI, BengalCircleProgressReport,190/o02, p.2I.
20

Kuraishi, p. I 43
"Abbas Khan Sarwani, Tarikh-i-Sher Shahi, Vol. II. ed. and translated S.M.Imamuddin (Dacca, I964), p. I69.
Kasim Ferishta, The History of the Rise of Mahomedan Power in India, Vol II. translated John Briggs (reprint
22 Mahomed
ed; Calcutta, I966), p. 73.
23 'Abbas, p.
I72.
21

24 Buchanan-Hamilton,p. I26.
25 .Kuraishi, p. I43.

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The artificiallake in which the tomb rests originally measured approximatelyI,200 feet
east to west by 950 feet north to south, but it was reducedin size to I,I30 feet by 865 feet

whena new shallowretainingwall was constructedon its externalbanksin the I920'S.26While

the tank is now slightly smallerthan it was in its inception, much of the originalterracingis still
visible. A series of seven or eight continuous steps markedthe perimeterof the lake. Thus, an
environment was created in which the tomb is not cut off from the world by a walled moat-

like body of water,but is surroundedby a lakewhichis easilyaccessibleby stepsthatleadto

the water'sedge.
Peter Mundy's 1632 drawing (plate 4), the earliest known sketch of Sher Shah's tomb,27
shows not only this stepped terrace along the external border of the lake, but also a ramp
flankedon either side by chhatrisin the middle of each of the four sides. The existence of these
ghatsis reaffirmedby Kuraishiwho statesthat they were destroyedwhen the tank was decreased
in size.28Theserampsgave smallboats easyaccessto the lake, makingthe tomb complexas
much a pleasuregarden as a mausoleum.PerhapsFrancis Swain Ward'sromanticizedpainting
in oil of SherShah'sTomb(ca. I764; IndiaOffice Library),29
with an elegantsailingvessel in
front of the mausoleum,best capturesthe intendedspiritof the tomb complex.Mundy'sI632
drawing further stresses the concept of the mausoleum as an immense pleasure garden by
showing the external banks not only terraced,but landscapedwith trees and bushes as well.
Thus, Buchanan-Hamilton'scomplaint about the uncultivated earthenbank surroundingthe
lake, "the banks have always been ugly, but had they been planted they might have added
much to the grandeurof the place,"30was accuratefor its state when he was there in the early

Igth century,but correctlyenvisionedits originalsplendor.

While Sher's tomb is, in essence, an enormous pleasuregarden surroundedby water which
links it with the external environment, it was not unusual for Indo-Muslim mausolea of the
Sultanateperiod to be enclosed with a high wall, thus setting them in an environment quite
apartfrom that of the outside world. For example,the first extant monumentaltomb complex
in India, the Sultan Ghari mausoleum in Malikpur (1231/32; Delhi)31 follows this format.
During the Sayyid and Lodi periods this plan became increasinglypopular, but rather than
building the enclave wall as a miniaturefortress or total enclosure as was done at the Sultan
Ghari tomb and the tomb of Ghiyathu'd-dinTughluq in Tughluqabad(ca. I325; Delhi),32the
tombs of MubarakShahSayyidin Kotla Mubarakpur
(ca. 1434; Delhi),33and SikandarLodi

26

Ibid., pp. I89-90.

Unless otherwise cited, all measurements are drawn from .Kuraishi.

This drawing was first discussed in conjunction with Sher's tomb by Oldham in "Appendix E," in Buchanan-HIamilton,
p. I82.
28 Kuraishi, p.
I90.
29
My thanks are due to Mildred Archer who showed me the painting and provided a photograph of it. Although no
illustration of the drawing has been published, it is listed in Mildred Archer, British Drawings in the India Office Library,

27

Vol. II: Officialand ProfessionalArtists (London, I 969), p. 64I.

Buchanan-Hamilton, p. 92.
31
S.A.A.Naqvi, "Sultan Ghari, Delhi," AncientIndia no. 3 (January, 1947), pl. VIII, figure A.
32 Percy Brown, IndianArchitecture:IslamicPeriod(sth ed. rev; Bombay, I968), pl.XII, figure 2.
33 Ibid., pl. XVI, figure 2. There is no published photograph showing the original octagonal surrounding wall mentioned

30

by A. Cunningham, Archaeological Survey of India Report, Vol. XX (reprint ed; Varanasi, I969), p. 154. Much of the
actual wall has now disappeared, but a mosque, a step-well, and several gateways still remain.

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in Lodi Gardens(ca. 5I7; Delhi)34weresurroundedwith lowerwallswhichallowedmoreof

the actual mausoleum to be seen from outside. The grounds within these enclosures were landscaped, thus creating pleasure gardens where the deceased's relations might seek peace away

fromthe outsideworld.
The only other tomb of the Sultanate period which was set in a lake is that of Ghiyathu'ddin Tughluq.35s However, the spirit of this tomb is quite different from that of Sher Shah. The
Tughluq tomb utilized water like a moat around the fortress-like tomb with its high sloping

pentagonalwalls. By contrast,waterat Sher'swall-lesstomb does not appearas a barrierbut

ratherservesas a transitionbetweenthe outsideworldandthe tombitself.
Both Cunningham and Kuraishi have stated that there are some Hindu temples situated in
water, from which Sher must have drawn the inspiration for his own tomb.36 Kuraishi cites
no examples, and Cunningham gives the majority of Kashmiri temples and the Golden Temple
in Amritsar as examples.37 In fact, hardly any Kashmiri temples are situated in water, and in

any case Sherneverwent beyondthe Kashmirfrontier.The GoldenTemplepostdatesSher's

timeandthereforecouldnot havebeena prototype.
thereis a Jaintemple
However,at Pawapuriwhichis about90 milesto the eastof Sasaram,
which is on a square island in the middle of a lake. Like Sher's mausoleum this temple, the JalMandir, is approached by a causeway on the north side.38While the current temple is an I8th

or early I9th centurystructure,39

it is fairlysafe to speculatethat beforethe constructionof
the current Jal-Mandir, an older structure stood in its place, since Pawapuri is the most sacred
Jain site in North India: it is here that Mahavira, the last of the Jain firthaykaras, is said to
have died and been cremated. According to local legend, there was originally no lake in Pawa-

puri. But when the Mahavira'sbody was crematedon the spot where the Jal-Mandirnow
stands, so many people attended the cremation that a depression was created. Subsequently this
hollow filled with water and became a lake.40 Considering the holiness of Pawapuri and in

now
particularthe venerationfor both the lakeand the site on whichthe currentJal-Mandir
stands,it is difficultto believethatan earliertempledid not existon this spot in the earlyi6th
century.
Pawapuri lies less than 20 miles south of Bihar Sharif, at that time the capital of Bihar. Sher
Shah, when Deputy Governor of Bihar (1529-33) under the Mughals, would have visited the

to visit eachvillagein conjunction

capitaloften; and as it was a policy of his administration
with the collection of land revenue, he had almost surely been to Pawapuri. Thus, it appears
that the lake setting for Sher Shah's tomb may have been inspired by the tomb of Ghiyathu'd-

din andprobablyalsoby the earlierJal-Mandir

as well, with whichhe wouldhavehadcontact
with Delhi in I540.41
long beforehis firstacquaintance
34

Friedrich Wetzel, Islamische Grabbautenin Indien: Aus Der Zeit Der Soldantenkaiser, 1320-I40
1970), pl. 47-

(reprint ed; Osnabriick,

35 Cunningham, ASIR, Vol. I, p. 2I5.

36 Cunningham, ASIR, Vol. XI, p. 134, and .Kuraishl,p. 13937

Ibid.

38

Cunningham, ASIR, Vol. XI, p. I70.

39 Francis Buchanan-Hamilton, Journal of Francis Buchanan (Afterwards Hamilton) Kept During the Survey of the Districts
ed. V.H. Jackson (Patna, 1925), p. 107.
of Patna and Gaya in I8II-12,
40 The above information is drawn from Cunningham ASIR, Vol. XI, p. 170.
41

Qanungo, SherShahand His Times,p.

25 I.

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In the middle of the north bank of the tank containing Sher's mausoleumis a small gatehouse which is connected to the tomb itself by a causeway 350 feet long.42The gatehouse is a

domedstructurewhichsits on a high plinthand measuresabout 35 feet square.The building

is enteredon the north by a flight of steep stairs,and once it is passedthrough, anotherflight of

stairsis encounteredon the southat the beginningof the causeway.

The presentbridgewhichleadsto the tombwas constructedby the Archaeological
Survey
in I9I4-15,43 replacing
an earthencausewaywhichwasbuiltin I882.44Priorto I882, the only
approachto the tombwasvia raft,as the originalbridgehadlong sincedisappeared.4s
Spooner,
in the I915 Reportof the EasternCircle,suspected that the original causeway must have been
rather high.46 Later Percy Brown speculated that the original must have been a low causeway

closelyresemblingthatat IslamShah'stomb,whichis composedof a seriesof pierssurmounted

by corbelled stone lintels.47However, drawings by early travelers testify that Spooner's original

observationwas correct,and that Sher'stomb was connectedto the gatehouseby meansof a

high, narrowarchedbridge.Mundy'sI632 sketchgives a good idea of how the initialbridge
shows
must have appeared.His drawing
showsa bridgeformedon ten archeswhosehigh wallsare
surmounted by a decorative battlement. Sometime after Mundy's I632 visit to Sasaram but
before the visit of Martidges
between 78-83, the bridge fell into disrepair.48 A waterHodgesbetween
color dated February, I790, by Thomas and William Daniell of Sher Shah's mausoleum,49 shows
the arches in ruins, but enough remains of the bridge at the north and south ends to further
corroborate the impression gained from Mundy's sketch. It might be noted that as the Daniells
made liberal use of the cameraobscura,their work often commanded a high degree of accuracy,
and certainly this applies to the depiction of the tomb itself. An 1813 pencil drawing of Sher
Shah's tomb, now in the India Office Library, by the engineer, amateur artist, and architectural
conservator, Robert Smith, also supports the legitimacy of both the Mundy and Daniell conceptions of the causeway as a high, narrow arched bridge.50
The tomb of Ghiyathu'd-din was originally connected to the fortified city of Tughluqabad

by a causeway 600oofeet long which, according to Cunningham, was composed of 27 arches.51

The bridge leading to Sher's tomb was possibly derived from Ghiyathu'd-din's causeway;
however, it is difficult to assess the extent of any influence since the bridge at Ghiyathu'd-din's
tomb differs today its
from its original appearance.

42 Cunningham, ASIR, Vol. XI

35., p.
p68, figure 300
43 D.B. Spooner, ASI, Eastern CircleProgressReport,IYi4-I1, p. 70.
44 Kuraishi, p. I 87.
45 Buchanan-Hamilton,
... Shahabad...,p. 93.
46 Spooner, p. 70.
47

Brown,p. 86.

48 Kuraishi, p. I87.
49

Mildred Archer, Artist Adventurersin EighteenthCenturyIndia; Thomasand William Daniell (London, 1974), pL.7.

thereis no published
so50
I wish to thankMildredArcherfor kindlyallowingme to examinethis drawing.Unfortunately,
illustrationof this work; however,it is listed in MildredArcher,BritishDrawingsin theIndiaOfficeLibrary,Vol. I:
AmateurArtists (London, I969), p. 320.
5I Cunningham, ASIR, Vol. I, p. 2I5.

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iv

As mentionedpreviously,the mausoleumitselfis supportedby a steppedbasementwhich

in December1974,a flightof eightconmeasures243feet square.Duringmy visit to Sasaram

tinuous steps was visible around the entire perimeterof the basement;however, there are possibly more steps which were under water. These terracedsteps, which allow for easy access to

the tomb, againrenderthe complexmorea pleasuregardenthana fortress.

It appearsas if therewere an errorin the initialconstructionof the basement.It is not
directlyalignedwith the Ka'bain Meccawhichis a vital prerequisitefor the correctorientation of the qiblawall.As a result,the plinth,whichalso servesas a low wallaroundthe tomb,
is placedat an obliqueangleon the basementin orderto placethe mausoleumdirectlyin line
with the Ka'ba.s2
The plinthmeasures2I6 feet long, 2I2 feet wide and 22 feet high. In the middleof each
side of the plinthis a doubleflightof stairswhichmeetat a platformat the top. At the center
of thisplatformon allsidesexceptthewestis a portal,whichgivesaccessto theinteriorgrounds
of the tomb complex.Withinthe projectingstairwellon the southand eastsidesis an arched
niche,which mayhave providedshelterfor boatmenor waitingpassengers.In the west wall
of the plinthis the doublestaircase,but boththe nichebetweenthe two flightsof stairsandthe
portalat the summitare eliminated.Instead,the wall betweenthe two stairsprojectsslightly,
and Kuraishihas suggestedthatthis areaprobablyservedas a qanatimosqueor prayerarea.s3
On the northexteriorwall,thereis a flightof stairson eitherside of the bridgeconnectingthe
mausoleumto the gatehouse.The entranceportalon the northside is largerthanthe others.
This is, in part,becauseit is the mainentrance,but it also masksthe fact that the tomb and
bridge are not exactly aligned.
The north, east, and south walls of the plinth feature a four-pillaredchhatri(plate 5) near
both ends of each wall. It is significantthat there are no chhatrison the west side, for this area
is not intendedfor pleasure,but for prayer.From the north these chhatristake on the appearance
of oriel windows, which are supportedby carved corbelledbrackets;however, from the south
they appearto be proper chhatris.These chhatris,unlike the others at this monumentwhich are
domed, have steppedsuperstructures.The use of orielwindows, probablyderivedultimatelyfrom
Hindu sources, becameincreasinglypopularduringthe Lodi period. For example,they are seen
on the mosqueattachedto the BaraGumbadin Lodi Gardens(I494; Delhi).54Suriarchitec-

tureshowsan evengreaterinclinationtowardsthe use of the orielwindowas seenfor example,

on the Qala-i-Kuhna
mosquein Sher'sPuranaQala(after1541;Delhi).ss
In each of the four cornersof the plinthis an octagonalarchedpavilionsurmountedby a
Thesepavilionsat Sher'stombareopenandspacious.Thoseat the
domeandsmallpadmakosa.
cornersof the surroundingwall of HasanKhan'stomb, on the otherhand,are octagonalin
shape,andverytall but lightedonly by extremelynarrowarchedopenings.Thesepavilionsat
HasanKhan'stomb give the feelingof an enclosedsentrybox, whichis contraryto the open
52 Kuraishi, p. I87.
53

Ibid., p. I88.
(New Delhi, I 964), pl. XIII.
Sharma,Delhi andits Neighbourhood
Architecture
Indo-Islamic
A.
(New Delhi, 1970), pl. facing pg. 45.
Desai,
Ziyaud-din

54 Y. D.
55

280

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Plate I Tomb of Sher Shah Sur. Sasaram. View from north

Plate 2 Tomb of Hasan Khan Sur. Sasaram.View from east

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Plate 3. Tomb of Bakhtyar Khan. Chainpur. View from west

Plate 4 I632 Drawing of Sher Shah's Tomb by Peter Mundy. Bodleian Library.
Photograph from The Travelsof Peter Mundyin EuropeandAsia, 60o8-I667,
Vol. II. edited R.C. Temple (The Hakluyt Society, Second Series, No. XXXV; London, 1914), pl. io

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Plate 5 Tomb of Sher Shah. ChhatrZand domed pavalion on plinth.

View from southeast

Plate 6 Tomb of 'Alam Khan Mewati. Tejara.

from
Thomas
Holbein Hendley, Ulwar andits Art Treasures(London, I888), pl. XIX
Photograph
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Plate 7 Tomb of Sher Shah. Detail of arched veranda; first story

Plate 8 Tomb of Sher Shah. Mihrdb

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Plate 9 Tomb of Hasan Khan. Mihrgb

Plate io Jami' Mosque. Jaunpur. Central mihrab

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Plate 11 Tomb of Sher Shah. Chhatri;second story

Plate 12 Jamali Mosque. Delhi. Central mihrab

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atmosphereset by the Sher Shah pavilions. The pavilions in the enclave wall around the tomb
of Bakhtyar Khan in Chainpurserve as the stylistic transition between the pavilions at the

Sasaramtombs.At the Chainpurtombin eachof the four cornersof the surroundingwall are
square,not octagonal,buildings.However,in size they arecloserto the spaciouspavilionsat
Sher's tomb than to the narrow turret-like buildings at Hasan Khan's tomb. The Chainpur
domes are also high, rounded domes which are seen at Sher's tomb and again are surmounted

by a padmakosa.
v
The mausoleumitself is a three-storiedoctagonal structureof monumentaldimensions.It is

consideredto be boththe epitomeandthe stylisticend of the octagonaltombtype.

traditionally
Brown and others cite the tombs of Mubarak Shah Sayyid, Muhammad Shah Sayyid, and
SikandarLodi, all located in Delhi, as the immediateprototypes for the Chainpurand Sasaram

tombs.56However,thereareotherSultanatetombsand buildingswhichshouldbe considered

when discussingthe sourcesfor Surioctagonaltombs.
The tomb of Khan-i-JahanTilangani,57Firuz Shah Tughluq's prime minister, which is
located within the mahallaof Nizamuddin in Delhi, is the first octagonal tomb of the type

whichwas laterpopularizedby the Sayyidsand Lodisandsubsequently

adoptedby the Suris.
This tomb consists of a simple octagonal chamber around which is a veranda whose outer
walls consist of three archedopenings in each of the eight sides. The centralchamberis covered

with a largedome which is surroundedby eight smallerdomes.This use of smalldomes,in

lieu of chhatrs which predominatein later periods, is seen on the second story of both the Hasan
Khan and BakhtyarKhan tombs, which are the immediateprototypesfor Sher'sown tomb.
Marshallhas favorablycomparedthe tomb of Sher Shahto the mausoleumof ShaikhRukn-

i-Alam(ca. 320)58in Multan,but with no suggestionthatthe Shaikh'stomb mighthavehad

some actualinfluenceupon Sher'smausoleum.SherShahwas firstin Multanin I 54, that is
justbeforehe hurriedlyleft the Punjabto quelldissidentfactionsin Bengal.As will be discussed
later, it was probably during Sher's return from Bengal that he began to plan the Sasaram
tombs. The memory of the Shaikh's octagonal mausoleum, which stands almost I50 feet in

would have been still freshin Sher'smind.Asidefrom the basicoctagonalplanand

heights59
low wall whichsurrounds
the sheerscaleof the Rukn-i-Alammonument,the proportionately
the tomb,thus allowingthe actualbuildingto be seenfroma distance,appearsto be a definite
influenceon the designof Sher'sown mausoleum.60
In Tejara,situated only some 40 miles to the east of Narnaul,which was an importantSuri
copper mint town in the Punjaband the site of the mausoleumwhich Sher Shah built over his

octagonaltomb (plate6) datingto the Lodiperiod.While

grave,is a three-storied
grandfather's
56 Brown, p. 84. Nath, pp. I8-I9.
57 Brown, pl.CIII, figure i.

Cunningham, ASIR, Vol. XI, p. 33. Goetz, p. 99.

s8 John Marshall, "The Monuments of Muslim India," TurksandAfghans,Vol. III of CambridgeHistoryof India, ed. Wolseley Haig (2nd Ind. reprint ed; Delhi, I965), XXIII, p. 599; pl. XV, figure 29.
59 A.Cunningham, Archaeological
Surveyof India Report, Vol. V (reprint ed; Varanasi, I966), p. 132. The correlation is
tomb is approximately the same height.
Sher's
since
especially significant
60 For another incident of Multan-Bihar interaction in Suirihistory see Ahmad, pp. I 35-6.

287

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this mausoleumhas no inscriptiongiving the deceased'snameor a date, AlexanderClunningham,

on the basis of local tradition, identifies it as the tomb of 'Alam Khan who later adopted the

title of 'Ala-ud-din'ilam Shah.6IHe statesthatthis 'AlamKhanwas the brotherof Sikandar

Lodi and the Governor of Tejaraduring Sikandar'sreign; however, Cunninghamappearsto
have confusedtwo differentnobles, eachbearingthe name of'Alam Khan, who were prominent
figures during Sikandar'sreign. 'Alam Khan Lodi was a brother of SikandarLodi, but as he
never had any connections with Tejara,it would seem highly unlikely that his tomb would be
located there.62The second 'Alam Khan was a Mewati who under SikandarLodi served as the
muqta or Governor of Mewat of which Tejarawas the capital.63 Little more is known of this
'Alam Khan, and he does not figure in the chronicles which relate to Sikandar'ssuccessor,
Ibrahim Lodi. Instead the muqtaof Mewat under Ibrahim Lodi is Hasan Khan Mewati who
later was killed in 1527 while opposing Babur in the battle of Kanwa.64Thus, it is probably
safe to assume that the monumentaloctagonal tomb in Tejarais the tomb of 'Alam Khan Mewati ratherthan the tomb of 'Alam Khan Lodi. And as 'Alam Khan Mewati was a prominent
noble during the reign of SikandarLodi and afterwardsis not mentionedin any contemporary

text, his tomb probablywas constructedsometimeduringthe reign of SikandarLodi (1489

to 5I7).

In general appearance,the Tejaratomb follows the Mubarakand MuhammadShah tomb

types. The major differencesare that the Tejaratomb has a third floor and is much larger in
scale. For example, the diameterof MubarakShah's tomb measures71 feet 2 % inches, while
the tomb of 'Alam Khan is 128 feet in diameter.65This is obviously much closer to the dimen-

sions of Sher'stombwhose diametermeasuresI35 feet.

It wouldbe temptingbut fatuousto cite a non-Islamicmonumentas havinginfluencedthe
of ShahabadDistrict.Onlyaboutfour milesto the southof Chainpur,
Suritomb architecture
on the top of MundesvariHill, standsa Sivatemple(7th centuryA.D.), one of the few extant
octagonal temples in India. However, in spite of the short distance between Sasaramand
MundesvariHill, it is unlikely that Sher ever saw this building. A lithographby the Daniells,

who visitedthe Hill in 1790, showsthe templecompletelycoveredwith earthandgrownover

with enormoustrees.66If the Danielldepictionis accurate,the size of thesetreesindicatesthat
they were alreadyover two hundred years old by the late I8th century. No inscriptionslater

thanthe seventhcenturyhavebeenfoundat the site,67andso thereis no evidencefor its continued use and patronage.Therefore,regardlessof geographicalproximity,it appearsunlikely
that the Suri Shahabadtombs were in any way influencedby the only octagonaltemple known

in EasternIndia.
61 Cunningham, ASIR, Vol. XX, p. I I 5.
62
During the reign of Sikandar Lodi, 'Alam Khan Lodi served as the Governor of Etawah. Later, due to his rebellious
behavior he sought refuge in Gujarat where he was finally murdered in I 543. Sikandar bin Muhammad, Mirat-i-Sikan-

dari, translated E.C. Bayley (London, I886), p. 267, 277, 42I.

63

Al-Badaoni, Muntakhabu-t-Tawarikh, Vol. I. translated George S.A. Ranking (reprint ed; Patna, 1973), p.4I9.

And

Khwajah Nizamuddin Ahmad, Tabaqat-i-Akbari,Vol. I. translated B. De (Calcutta, I927), p. 370.

64 Zahiru'd-din Muhammad Babur, Bbur-Nama,

65 Cunningham, ASIR, Vol. XX, p. I 59.
66

Vol. II, translated A. S. Beveridge (reprint ed; New Delhi, 1970), p. 573.

Thomas and William Daniell, Antiquitiesof India, Part 5 of OrientalScenery(London, I8I 5), pi. XIII.

67 Kuraishi, p. 146.

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Influencesfrom other non-sepulchralstructuresalso must be consideredin a discussionof the

SurlSasaramtombs.Goetz and Smithwereamongthe firstto recognizethe ties betweenthe

of JaunpurandSherShah'stomb.68Suriarchitecture
drawsuponthe monuSharqiarchitecture
as
it
of
well
as
motifs.
has
some
mentality Sharqlstructures,
alreadybeenmentioned,
Jaunpur,
is only some Ioo00
miles to the northwest of Sasaram.During the I5th century, Jaunpur,rather
than Delhi, was the intellectualcenter of North India until it was destroyedby SikandarLodi
in about I496. While much of the beauty of this famed city had been ravagedby its conqueror
and destroyer,Jaunpurstill retainedits reputationas a centerfor Muslimlearning,and in about
150I the young Sher Shah came and remainedhere for about fifteen yearsto be schooled in the
Persian and Arabic classics.69Thus, it was in Jaunpurwhere Sher first establishedcontact with
monumentalarchitecture,and it seems that the impressionit made in his mind was lasting.

vi
Having discussed the sources which lent inspirationto the octagonal tomb which actually

housesSherShah'sbody, we maynow turnattentionto this structure.The mausoleumitself

sits on a shallow octagonal plinth, common to all tombs of the Sayyid-Loditype, which is 135

feet in diameter.The firststory (plate7) consistsessentiallyof the archedverandasurrounding

the massive central chamber,and a shallow chhajjawhich is supersededby a decorativebattlement. This battlementalso serves as a low parapetfor the second story. The walls of the first

storyareabout32 feet high excludingthe battlements,whichmeasureanother5 feet in height.

Each side of the octagonally shaped verandais 56 feet wide and is punctuatedby three arches
each 9 feet wide. The actual verandais a continuous passagewaymeasuring I0 feet 2 / inches
wide. The innermost wall of the veranda, that is the outer wall of the central chamber,again

follows the octagonalformat,eachside of which,exceptingthe west side, has a singlecentral

door leading into the enormous domed room. In keeping with Indo-Islamictradition,the west

wall containsa mihrdb.

The first story as describedabove follows, except for minor details,the octagonaltomb type
as first presentedin the Khan-i-JahanTilanganitomb, and later popularizedby the Sayyidsand

Lodis. Its majorcomponent,the continuousarchedverandaencirclinga centralchamberis

commonto all tombswhichfollow the Sayyid-Lodioctagonaltype. However,in somedetails
the architectof Sher's tomb improved upon the earlierexamples. For example, the Tilangani
tomb, the tombs of Mubarakand MuhammadSayyid, SikandarLodi, and the great octagonal

tomb at Tejaraall utilizea slopingbuttressat eachanglewhichtendsto minimizeany feeling

of height. These buttresseswere first dispensed with in the tomb of Hasan Khan and also in

the tomb of BakhtyarKhan. Sher'stomb, followingthese two earlierSuriexamples,has no

buttresses. The first floor is seen as a tall elegant structurein its own right, which has no need
of outside support. The imposts and arches at Sher's tomb, following the examples set at the
'Alam Khan and BakhtyarKhan tombs, appearas a continuous flowing line, while the arches

and their supportingpilastersat most earlierSayyidand Lodi octagonaltombs appearto be

68
69

Goetz, p. 99. Vincent A. Smith, A History of Fine Art in India and Ceylon(Oxford, I9II), p. 406.
Qanungo, SherShahand His Times,p. 29.

289

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two separateentities.The archesand impostsat HasanKhan'stomb seem more an integral

part of the wall than the earliermodels, but they still lack the sense of a unified composition

whichis achievedat Sher'stomb. The archedverandaat Sher'stomb is moresuccessful,for

the archesappearas if they were an organicpartof the facade,insteadof heavy squatappendages

as at HasanKhan'stomb. The heavinessof the archesat HasanKhan'stombis in partdue to

the use of a wide recessedarchivolt.This closely follows the type of archivoltused at the mosque
of the Bara Gumbad in Lodi Gardens (1494; Delhi) where both the arch and archivolt are

heavilydecoratedwith Quranicverses,and foliateand geometricmotifscarvedin stucco.At

both the tombs of BakhtyarKhan and Sher Shah, the width of the recessed archivolt is minimized and the stucco decoration eliminated,thus giving the entire wall a more uniform and

sleekerappearance.
In the spandrelof each arch is a carved boss representinga lotus. Suri architecture,which
frequently sports this device, was not the first to utilize the carved lotus medallion.Few Lodi

structuresappearto carryit, but it is commonlyfoundas a decorativemotifin the architecture

of both Gaur and Jaunpur.While the time Sher spent in Gaurwas highly significant,for it was

therethathe crownedhimselfSultan,it is probablysaferto speculatethatthismotiffirstcaught

his attentionduringhis earlierandmorelengthyperiodas a studentin Jaunpur.
The innermost wall of the veranda, which also serves as the external wall of the actual

mortuarychamber,againfollows the octagonalformat.Eachof the eight sidesis punctuated

by three arches; however, the outer two are merely blind arches, while the middle one, with

the exceptionof thaton the west side,servesas an entranceinto the chamberitself.The actual
doors, within the centralarch,following the patternset by earlieroctagonaltombs, aretrabeated,
ratherthan arcuated.The walls leading into the tomb itself are I6 feet deep. The austerityof
the enormous blocks of dressed stone is broken only by a slightly recessed and simply carved

archwhose spandrelsaremarkedby a singlelotus medallion.As mightbe imaginedfromthe

above description, the individual parts of the mausoleumare austereand sparselycarved. On
the whole it is the size of the monument and the almost-perfectbalanceof the various stories,
chhatris,and domes alongwith its lake settingwhichgive this tomb its stellarpositionin the

historyof Indo-Islamicarchitecture.
vii

The ground layout of the interior chamber,like the rest of the tomb, is octagonal in shape.
Each side, except the west, contains the door which leads from the outer veranda; a small,
recessed, archedniche is located at about eye-level on either side of the door. In the center of

this nicheis a smallmedallion.Of the total of i6 medallions,Io containthe nameof Allah,

while the remaining6 are carved as lotus blossoms. At 28 feet 6 inches above floor level, the
walls, by simple corbelling, are transformedinto a sextadecagon.70The austerityof the walls

here is brokenby ajali or latticedwindowat eachof the sixteensides.Accordingto .Kuraishi,

there are eight differentdesigns which are repeatedtwice.7, However, according to my observations, there are only seven differentpatterns, five of which are repeated twice and two of
70 Cunningham, ASIR, Vol. XI, p. 136.
7 I Kuraishi, p. 189.

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which are repeatedthrice. All seven of the designs are composed of simple geometric patterns,
lacking any of the complexity or elegance found in later Mughaljalz work. Theja'ldsat Sher
Shah's tomb, while simple, do allow for adequateilluminationin what could otherwise be a
rather dark and gloomy chamber. This is a definite improvement over the placement of the

windowsat the tombsof HasanKhanand BakhtyarKhanwheresufficientlight is impededby

the smalldomeswhichsurroundthe exteriorof the secondstory.
Above thejalz windows, that is 43 feet above the floor, the walls change from I6 to 32
sides,eachof whichis markedby a smallrecessedarch.Supersedingthis 32 sideddrumis the
largest dome in North India, measuring 7I feet in diameter,which when it was constructed

was the largestdomein all India.Fromthe top of the dometo the floorthe totalheightof the
interiorchamberis IoI feet 9 I2 inches.
PercyBrownhas remarkedthat the interiorof Sher'stomb, due to its extremeausterity,
has an unfinished appearance.72However, it was surely finished, for the interior of Sher's
mausoleum appearsno more or less completed than that of Hasan Khan's tomb. While it is

true that the interiorspringingof the domein HasanKhan'stomb, whichadherescloselyto

prototypes such as the tomb of Muhammad Shah,73retains traces of what was originally
a band of elaboratelycarved Quranic verses in stucco, and Sher Shah's tomb bears no traces
of similarwork, this does not mean that the interior chamberof Sher'stomb was not finished.

It is quiteclearfromthe fragmentsof carvedstuccowhicharestill visibleon both the exterior

andinteriorwallsof the archedverandaat HasanKhan'stombthatthe decorativenatureof this
monumentwas quite differentfrom the decorativenatureof Sher'stomb, since on the latterno
carved stucco was used. The characterof Sher'stomb, which manyhistoriansand art historians,

includingQanungo,Brown,Goetz,and otherssee as a reflectionof Sher'sown personality,74

is one of absolute solidity and grandeur. On the other hand, the Hasan Khan tomb, with its

liberaluse of delicate,paintedstucco,has a very fragileand gracefulquality.Fragilitywas the

last quality Sher's tomb was meant to convey, and therefore, it is erroneous to assume that,
because the central chamber of Sher's tomb lacks the decorative nature of his father's tomb, it is

unfinished.
The mihrdb (plate 8), as might be expected, is the focal point of the interior chamber. In
comparison with the rest of the tomb, it is quite ornate. Almost every inch is covered with
intricate carving and glazed tile work. Some of the carving consists of floral and geometric

motifs,but the greatestpercentageis of Quranicverses.However,threenon-Quranicverses

do figure on the mihrab. The first, in Naskh characters, is contained within the small niche of

the largestand most dominantarch.It has been translatedby Kuraishias follows: "Theholy
tomb of the reveredSultanSherShah.MayGod illuminatehis grave."7sThe secondinscription is located on the inner band of the rectangle which encompasses the smallest arch. It too

is in Naskhandhas been translatedby Ahmadas follows:

72 Percy Brown, "The Influence of Sher Shah on the Islamic Architecture of India," Bengal Past and Present 58 (1940),
p. 60.
73 Wetzel, pl.45.

74 Qanungo, SherShah,pp. 40I-2. Goetz, p. 99. Brown, "The Influence of Sher ...," p. 59.
75

Kuraishi, p. I90.

291

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In the name of Allah, the Compassionate,the Merciful. There is no God but Allah. Muhammad
is His Prophet. During the reign of the helper of the Community and Muslims, the uprooter of
heresies and reviver of Faith, who helped from Heavens, the victorious over enemies, Islim (Islam)
Shah Sultan, may Allah perpetuatehis kingdom and sovereignty, and may He increasehis state and
dignity. In the year nine hundred fifty-two on the 7th [of the month of JumadaII].76

and readsas follows. "Mayyou live 0, King,

The third inscriptionis in the centerof the mihradb
for a thousand years. May each year be of a thousand months, and each month as long as a
thousand years."77

at Sher's mausoleumis derived in part from the principal

The actual format of the mihradb
mihrdbsat the Jami' mosque (begun I478; plate Io) and the Atala mosque (I38o-I4o8)78 in
Jaunpur, as well as from the mihrdbat Hasan Khan's tomb (plate 9). The mihrabitself consists
simply of an arch and archivolt each supported on pilasters and encompassed by a rectangle.

This againis supersededby a largerarchand archivoltsupportedon imposts and finallyenclosed

by a rectangle. A large lotus medallion is placed within each spandrel of the exterior arch.
While the medallions in the spandrels of both the Atala and Jami' mosques in Jaunpur stand
devoid of extraneous decoration, those at the Sasaram tombs bear traces of rich foliate carving,
which in the case of Sher's tomb, is accented by borders of glazed tile work. The exterior
arch and impost at Sher's tomb are carved with Quranic verses, and the archivolt with its
impost is set with delicate floral tilework. While much of the decoration in the soffit of the arch

has been effaced,it appearsto have been largely Quranicverses carvedin stone. In the middle
of this arch is a small recessed arch-shaped niche.
The rectangle which encloses the smallest arch contains a band of Quranic verses, and on
the inner band the second inscription which previously was translated. The smaller but most
intricate arch is flanked, as is the larger arch, by lotus medallions in the spandrels. However,
here, in lieu of foliate motifs surrounding the medallions, are Quranic verses carved in stone.
The arch and archivolt themselves are supported by ornately carved pilasters which adhere
of Hasan Khan's tomb and
closely to the pilaster-supported arch and archivolt in the mihradb

those at the two previously mentioned Sharqimosques. While these elaboratelyturnedpilasters

at the earlier Sasaram tomb, and the Atala and Jami' mosques feature floral medallions, the

turned pilasters at Sher's tomb utilize only geometric patterns. The multi-foiled cusped arch
again carries Quranic inscriptions, while the slightly recessed archivolt is carved with abstract
floral motifs. This use of the foliate cusped arch is a common feature of the central mihrabin
many Sultanate period mosques and tombs and is found, for example, in all Sharqi mosques.
The soffit, unlike its counterpart at Hasan Khan's tomb, which is simply a recessed flat area,
is concave and divided into three distinct lateral sections. This feature is also seen at the earlier
Jami' mosque in Jaunpur and in the central mihradbat Sher's Qala-i-Kuhna mosque in the

PuranaQala.79 In the mihrdbat Sher's tomb the rectangulararea between the two imposts is
again divided into three concave lateral sections. However, this feature is found at neither of
76 Ahmad, p. 142.
77 Kuraishi,

p.

I 9

I.

A. Fuiihrer
andEd. W.Smith,TheSharqiArchitecture
Vol. XI, ASI, New Series(reprinted; Varanasi,1971),
ofJaunpur,
pl. XII.
79 Brown,IndianArchitecture,
pl. LXIII, figure2.

78

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the two forementioned mosques. The mihradb

at Sher's mausoleum is rather unusual, for it
does not portray the stylized mosque lamp inscribed with the name of Allah which is often
depicted in the bay below the soffit. This bay which bears this motif must be flat to allow
adequate space for the pendant-likelamp. However, in Sher's tomb only calligraphyappears
in this bay on the mihrdb,and thus it is feasible to continue the tripartiteconvex form from

thetop of the soffitto thebottomof thebay.

viii

The second story or veranda on the mausoleum's exterior is reached by a flight of stairs
beginning their ascentin the south wall of the southeastdoorway. The second tier totals 22 feet

forthesecond
whichextendsabovethefirstfloor,actsas a parapet
in height.Thebattlement,
wallmeasures
about
betweenthisparapetandthe innermost
storyveranda.Thepassageway
I6 feet, thus creatinga spacious ambulatoryfor the pleasureof visitors. Each of the eight sides
of the innermost wall is relieved by the jali windows which provide light for the interior
chamber. Above each window is a narrow chbajja.However, the dominant feature of this
second tier remainsthe domed chbatrzs(plate I I), which rise to about three-quartersof the full

is composed
heightof the22 footwallandareplacedat eachangleof theoctagon.Eachchhatri
dome.Eachdome
of sixpillarswhichsupporta broadchhajja,
highdrum,anda hemispherical
At
the
lotus
finial
of
a
bud.
is
small
the
which
is toppedby a padmakosa,
octagonaltombsof
'Alam Khan, MuhammadShah, MubarakShah, and SikandarLodi, pillaredchhatrisare found

on the verandaof the secondstory; however,in each of these casesthe chbatriis locatedin

tombs
notattheangle.At thetwoearlierSurioctagonal
themiddleof eachof theeightfacades,
there are no chhatrison the second floor; instead there are three small domes on each of the
eight sides. But this use of domes on the second story is not an innovation, for at the tomb

a singledomewasplacedin thecenterof eachside.Theenormous

of Khan-i-Jahan
Tilangani
whichstandoutso effectively
scaleof Sher'stombmakestheuseof chhatris,
againsttheskyline,
thanthelow domesat theotherSurltombs,whichmusthavebeenconmuchmoresuccessful
sideredas unhappyexperiments.
ix

of the same
is againreachedby a continuation
Thethirdandtop floorof the mausoleum
which are slightly smaller
flight of stairswhich is located in the interior walls. Domed cbhhatrls,
than those on the second story, are again located at each of the angles of the octagon. As both
the parapetof the third story and its innermostwall (11 feet high) are quite low, the domes of
rise above the drum wall into the sphere of the great central dome. The third
these chhatrzis
floor cbhatrisat HasanKhan's tomnbalso rise directly into the domed area, but have no walled

of themonument.
This
Thistendsto stressthe squatness
areato serveas aninitialbackdrop.
tombsbyraisingthedome
in theearlierLodioctagonal
beenrectified
hadalready
shortcoming
on a higher drum, and in the Shahabadmonumentsfirst was resolved in the tomb of Bakhtyar
Khan. Here the top section of the drum serves as the innermostwall of the third story veranda,
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and as a backdropfor the chhatrts.This improved format served as the basis for the design of

Sher'sown tomb.
As previously mentioned, Suri tombs were not the first octagonal tombs to have a third
floor. The tomb of 'Alam Khan Mewati first featureda third story and also bearschhatrisat the
angles of the octagon on this uppermost floor. However, in addition to the eight chhatrtsat
each angle, one more is placed in the center of each side. This createsa top-heavy appearance
which at Sher'stomb was avoided by simply eliminatingthe eight middle chhatrsbut retaining

those locatedon the angles.

While the great dome at Sher's tomb, whose exterior measures80 feet in diameter,is now
surmounted by a massive amalaka, it was originally crowned by a four-pillaredchhatriabout

Therearenumerousreportsby travelers,drawingssuchas thoseby Smith,

I6 feet in height.80
Mundy, and the Daniells, paintings, as well as ArchaeologicalSurveyreports which verify that
the currentfinialin no way resemblesthe original.In I882 the chhatr,of whichonly the plinth
was still intact, was replacedwith an dmalakawhich closely resembledthe one at HasanKhan's
tomb.8, Small dwalaka-likefinials crown the tombs of Khan-i-JahanTilangani, SikandarLodi,
and numerous other Lodi monuments. However, Sher's tomb is not at all unique in the use
of the chatrz for the finialembellishment.This sameform is used at the tombs of Mubarak

Shah,BakhtyarKhan,and 'AlamKhanMewati.

The twentieth century visitor to Sasaramis struck by the very dignified but somber appearanceto Sher's great mausoleum. However, this feeling of sobriety is probably a far cry
from the original intention. Originally, much of the entire tomb must have been painted in

brightcolorsanddecoratedwith glazedtiles,for tracesstillremain.Even Buchanan-Hamilton,

as late as 1812-13, complainedthat, "... the entablatures,balustrades,and parapetsof the
whole have been painted with the most gaudy and glaring colors laid on plasterlike a kind of
enamel."82The battlement which rises above the first story and serves as a parapet for the
second story, still retainsenough paintto give an impressionof how it must have once appeared.
A continuous panel and medallion relief of Persian origin appearsin red and white pigment
along the horizontal coursing of the battlement. The merlons above this coursing still retain

muchof theirwhitepaint,as do smallportionsof the centraldome.83The domesof the chhatris,

on the second and third storieswere paintedto resembleenormousopen lotuses. Severaldomes
still carry the entire image, although time has badly faded the colors. Even the small chbatris
on the plinth still bear traces of white and red paint applied in geometric patterns on their
80 Cunningham, ASIR, Vol. XI, p. I36.
8 .Kuraishi, p. I 87. Theodor Bloch of the Bengal Circle showed his indignation at this
change. He states, "Why this was
done I am not able to understand. It can hardly be called a restoration, and such an example should never be followed in

carrying out work of this kind." Bloch, p. 2I.

82 Buchanan-Hamilton, ... Shahabad..., p. 97.
83 The dome has been recemented by the Archaeological Survey of India as a
protective measure; however, small areas
which were not conserved still retain the original white paint. A great deal of the dome at Hasan Khan's tomb still
bears white pigment.

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stepped roofs. Cunningham states that below the corbelled supports for the chhajja,which
supersedesthe initial archedfacade,"runsa continuous band of glazed tiles of differentcolorsdark-blue, light-blue, yellow and white."84While very few of these small tiles remain today,
between these corbelled bracketsthere are large blue and white tiles with floral designs. Tiles
were long a feature of Sayyid and Lodi architecture;the monuments of Gaur, the majorityof

whichwere destroyedin 1538by SherShah'sson, the futureIslamShah,also used tiles as a

source for color and decoration.Nor is the use of pigment unique to Sher'stomb. For example,

thereis minimaluse of tiles at HasanKhan'stomb,but incisedstuccowork with liberalapplications of paint abounds. Even at Sher'sPuranaQala, on the south gate or HumayunDarwaza,
which in spite of its name, is dated by inscription to I543/44, that is during Sher's reign, are
two chhatris,on the top of the enormous portal, whose domes are painted to resemble open
lotus blossoms.85
xi
Sher Shah'stomb, as previously mentioned, is dated to the 7th day of JumadaII, 952 A.H.
(August 16, 1545), that is the third regnal month of Sultan Islam Shah. It is clear that this inscription simply records the completion date of the mausoleum,and that the vast majorityof
the actual construction occurred during Sher's lifetime. Brown dated Hasan Sur's tomb to

about I 535 andstatedthatthe plansfor Sher'stombweremost likelydrawnup in the decade

before he assumed the throne in I538.86 Burton-Page in a 1967 publication concurs with

Brown's dating.87Other writers have dated Sher's mausoleumin an equallyarbitrarymanner,88

the inscriptions,whichwerefirst publishedby .Kuraishiin 1924 andgive impordisregarding

tantcluesas to the properdatingof thesetombs.
An inscription over the mihrabin HasanKhan's tomb states that the tomb was constructed

wa'dDunyaAb'ulMuaffarSherShahSultan."89
As Sherdidnot assume
by, "... Faridu'd-Din
the titleof SultanuntilI 538, it wouldbe impossibleto datethe tombbeforethisyear.However,
as will be shown subsequently,it is unlikely that constructionwas even begun on either tomb
until earlyin I 542.
While Sher Shah declaredhimself Sultan in I 538 at Gaur, he did not actually reach Delhi
until I540. It is equally important to note that Sher's I540 entranceinto the imperial capital
was his very first acquaintancewith Delhi.90This means that there was no way prior to I540
for Sher to have seen the octagonal tombs of Delhi and those further to the northwest which

arethe sourcesandprototypesfor the Sasaramtombs.

In 1540-41 Sher, constantly moving with his camp, proceeded through Rajasthanand the

Punjabin his successfulcampaignto consolidatethe restof NorthernIndia.Wrighthaspointed

84 Cunningham, ASIR, Vol. XI, p. 136.
85 Maulvi Zafar Hasan, Delhi Province: List of Muhammadan and Hindu Monuments, Vol. II (Calcutta, I9I9),

86 Brown, IndianArchitecture,p. 84.

87 John Burton-Page, "Architecture," Hind in Encyclopaedia
of Islam, III (I967), 449.

p. 97.

88Desai, p.45 and Y. D.Sharma,"IslamicMonuments,"Archaeological

andMuseums.
PartII (New
Remains,Monuments

Delhi, I964), p. 300.

89 Quraishi, p. 28.
90 Qanungo, SherShahand His Times,p. 25 I.

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out that during the I 540-41 period, Sher was so preoccupiedwith the establishmentand unifi-

cation of his empirethat he did not even establishmint towns outside of EasternIndia.sI
Rather,coins datingto the year947 A.H. (I540/4I) are of the mintlessvariety,thatis, coins
struck in the royal camp and not in any particularcity. It was not until 948 (I 541/42) that mint

citiesoutsideof EasternIndiawere established.

It would appear unlikely for Sher to concern himself with non-vital matters such as the
constructionof a tomb when he was so involved with the unification of his empire that even
the organirationof mints went unheeded. Indeed, when 'Abbas tells of Sher'simmediatecon-

cernsas Sult.an,he statesthat Sherfirstconstructed"littleRohtas"in the Punjab,next rebuilt

the capitalcity of Delhi, now called the PuranaQala, and then followed this with the construction of severalother forts.92'Abbas also sings praisesof Sher'shighways and sarais;93 however,
neither he nor any other chronicler of the period mentions the tombs he built for himself,
his father, or grandfather.'Abbas' silence on this mattercan be interpretedto mean that Sher's
imminent concerns were with practicalmatters, which gives further weight to the argument

that Sherdid not concernhimselfwith non-essentialssuchas tomb buildinguntilthe foundations for the stabilityof his empirehadbeenlaid.
In September154I, Sher, upon hearingreports regardingthe rebelliousbehavior of Khisar
Khan, his Governor in Bengal, left the Punjab and hastily went to Bengal.94After a short
stay in his easternmostprovince, Sher departedin December 154I for Malwa,which he reached

in aboutFebruaryI542.95 That markedthe Sultan'snext to last visit to EasternIndiabefore

his demise in I545. It seems only logical to assumethat upon his departurefrom Bengal, Sher
traveled along his great highway which linked Bengal to the Punjab via Sasaram.And while
Sher did returnto EasternIndia in Januaryand FebruaryI543,96 it seems more likely, considering both the time needed to build such monumentalstructuresand the influenceswhich were
so poignant in his life at that time, that it was in the end of I 54I or the beginning of I 542 that

Sherstoppedin Sasaramand gave the initialordersfor the constructionof the tomb for his
fatherand himself.
We know from inscriptionalevidence that Sher Shah'stomb was completed in 1545. It can
be assumedthat HasanKhan's tomb was completed no earlierthan 1543/44 for the following

reasons.One is simplya matterof time. It would be almostimpossiblefor a tomb of such a

scaleto be builtin less thana yearanda half.The otheris evidencebasedon Sher'stitle in the

inscription at his father's tomb. In inscriptionsfound in Shahabaddating to Sher's reign, but

prior to 1543/44, Sher Shah is simply described as Sultan Sher Shah.97Beginning with an

inscriptiondatedto I543/44 within the Jami'mosqueat RohtasFort in ShahabadDistrict,

Sheris describedas "Sul.tanof Sul.tans,chosenandfavoredby God, Lordof the Universe."98
This comparesfavorablywith the grandiloquenttitles used to eulogize Sher in the inscriptions
91 This and the following information in this paragraphare drawn from Wright, p. 386.
92 'Abbas, pp. i72-4.
93.Ibid., pp. I69-72.
94 Qanungo, Sher Shah and His Times, p. 287.
95 Ibid., p. 325.
96 Ibid., p. 382.
97 Ahmad, pp. I 27-9;
98 Ibid.,
p. I35.

I3I-4.

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at HasanKhan'stomb, which readsas follows, "Faridu'd-Dinwa'd DunyaAb'ulMu affar

SherShahSultan."Therefore,it appearsthatHasanKhan'stombwasnot completeduntil I 543
at the earliest.However, becauseit is smallerthan Sher Shah'stomb, it was probablycompleted
before I 545.
xll

It is often argued that the Siiurimonuments of ShahabadDistrict precede those of Delhi.99

that the Shahabadtombswere constructedduringthe

However,this paperhas demonstrated
last three years of Sher Shah's life. Most recently, Burton-Page,while apparentlymaintaining
an early date for the Shahabadtombs, has suggested that none of the Delhi monumentstraditionally ascribedto Sher Shah was actuallymade during his reign.1ooIn spite of Burton-Page's

arguments,it can be provenon the groundsof stylisticand epigraphicalevidence,that both

the Qala-i-Kuhnamosque,Io0as well as the HumayunDarwaza of the PuranaQala, belong to
the Suri period and not to Humayun'sor Akbar's reign as he suggests. Briefly,the Humayun

Darwazais actuallyinscribedto I 543/44duringthe reignof SherShah.Io02

Whileit is truethat
this inscription is written in ink, it is not to be discounted as unauthentic.Furthermore,the
motifs are wholly Surl. This gate, unlike the others which contain a six-pointedstarand a lotus,
contains only lotus medallionsin the spandrelsof the arch. The domes of the chhatrzs on top of
the Darwaza are painted to resemble lotuses exactly as are the domes of the chhatrisat Sher

Shah'stomb. Since both 'Abbasand 'Abdullastate that the walls aroundthe PuranaQala
werenot completedat the time of Sher'sdeath,I03it is likelythatonly the so-calledHumayuin
Darwaza was completed during Sher's time and that the other gates were built or completed

underthe Mughals.
One of Burton-Page'sarguments against assigning the Qala-i-Kuhnamosque to Suri pa-

tronageis that the decorationis not reconcilablewith the descriptionsin the near-contemHe musthavereliedon the Englishtranslationby ElliotandDowson of the
poraryhistories.o14
passagefrom 'Abbaswhichreads,"He [SherShah]built ajama'masjidof stone,in the ornamentingof whichmuchgold, lapislaTuli,andotherpreciousarticleswereexpended."IosBased
on this translation, Burton-Page'sobservation is correct for the Qala-i-Khunamosque lacks

lapisla~uli,the metalgold, andotherpreciousitems.However,the problemlies in the English

translationof the text, not in the Persianoriginal.ProfessorIrajBashiriat the Universityof
Minnesotahas kindlyexaminedthis samepassagefor me and explainedthatthe Persianword
He furtherexplained
as "painting"ratherthan"ornamenting."
-*Ili;
1o06 shouldbe translated
99 Brown, IndianArchitecture,p. 84.

100 John Burton-Page,

1OI

"Indo-Islamic Architecture:

A Commentary on Some False Assumptions,"

Art and Archaeology

ResearchPapers, 6 (December 1974), p. I8.

Brown, IndianArchitecture,pl. XVIII, figure 2.

I02 Hasan, p. 97.

103

'Abbas, p. 173, and 'Abdulla, "Tarikh-i-Daudi,"

in Vol. IV The History of India as Told by its Own Historians, ed. H.M.

Elliot, John Dowson (London, i872), p. 477.

104Burton-Page, "Indo-Islamic Architecture:...," p. I8.
'Abbas Khan Sarwani, "Tarikh-i-Sher Shahi," in Vol. IV The History of India as Told by its Own Historians (London,
I872), p. 419.
zo6 'Abbas Khan Sarwani, Tarikh-i-SherShahi, Vol. I (Dacca, I964), p. 2I9.
Is05

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that the words u3i

CJ- ;.I107which are translatedas "gold, lapislaZuli,
) Jj~J
and otherpreciousarticles,"here arethe colorsgold, azure,and red ratherthan preciousor
semi-precious metals or stones. Hence, Professor Bashiri's reading properly fits the actual
appearanceof the mosque. Not only is the exteriordecoratedwith a yellow-grayquartzite,red

sandstoneand blackand white marbles,but its interioris richlyembellishedwith sandstone,

tiles, marbles,andred,blue andgold paintas well.
While Burton-Pagefeels that the mibrabsat the Qala-i-Kuhnamosque have more in common
with early Mughal mihradbs
such as those in Akbar's Jami mosque (I571) at Fathpur Sikri1o8
and the Khairu'l-Manazilmosque (I56I)
09 in Delhi, they appearto me to simply be a further
such as those found in the Jamali mosque (ca. I53o; Delhi)
development of earlier mihradbs
and
(plate12)nearMehrauliandthe Sharqimibhrbsof Jaunpur.This argumentis abbreviated

of Sasaram,but it is veryimportantto
bearsseeminglylittle relevanceto the Suriarchitecture
understand that two differentstyles were being patronizedby Sher Shah simultaneouslyand
that the architectswere simply different.The Delhi architectwas a designerwho looked ahead
to the Mughal style, while the Sasaramarchitectlooked back to the past, to the old Lodi style.

Butit is especiallysignificantthatin this retrospective

view he creatednot only one of the very
last monumentsof this stylebut certainlythe most magnificent.
Universityof Minnesota

Io7 Ibid.
I08 Brown, IndianArchitecture,pl. LXXII, figure i.
o09 John Marshall (ed.), ASI, Annual Report1o90-04, pl. XI.

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