Sultan Ghari
| Sultan e Ghari | |
|---|---|
Tomb of Prince Nasiru'd-Din Mahmud
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| Basic information | |
| Location |
 New Delhi, India
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| Geographic coordinates | 28°35′28.7″N 77°14′30.5″E / 28.591306°N 77.241806°ECoordinates: 28°35′28.7″N 77°14′30.5″E / 28.591306°N 77.241806°E |
| Affiliation | Hindu-Islamic |
| Rite | Actively in daily service with separate Hindu and Muslim worship rites |
| District | South West Delhi |
| Territory | National Capital Region (India) |
| Province | Delhi |
| Year consecrated | Gurjara-Pratihara era (700-1100 CE) temple desecrated and remodeled as Islamic tomb in 1231 A.D |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Temple remodeled as Tomb, currently worshiped by both Hindus and Muslims |
| Leadership | Originally Gurjara-Pratihara, later Iltumish of the Slave Dynasty |
| Website | The official Archaeological Survey of India website - Sultan Ghari’s Tomb page |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Vastu shastra |
| Architectural type | Fortress |
| Architectural style | Corbel arch Jain-Hindu temple architecture with later era Islamic remodeling and additions |
| Completed | converted to Islamic tomb in 1231 A.D, likely an earlier Hindu temple |
| Materials | Grey Granite, Red Sandstone & Marble with Hindu-Jain motif and later-era Islamic inscription additions |
Sultan e Garhi (Hindi: सुल्तान ग़ारी, Urdu: سلطان غاری) was the first Islamic Mausoleum (tomb) built in 1231 AD for Prince Nasiru'd-Din Mahmud, eldest son of Iltumish, in the “funerary landscape of Delhi” in the Nangal Dewat Forest, Near Nangal Dewat Vasant Kunj).
Iltumish was the third Sultan of the Slave Dynasty who ruled in Delhi from 1210 to 1236 AD. The area where the Ghari (meaning: cave) tomb is situated, was part of medieval Delhi known as the Slave Dynasty that ruled during the period 1206 CE to 1290 CE, which possibly pre-existed from Gurjara-Pratihara era 700 to 1100 CE. This area is now part of the Qutb complex. The Slave Dynasty was the forerunner under the early Delhi Sultanate that ruled from 1216 CE to 1516 CE. This dynastic city was followed by creation of other five cities of Delhi ruled by different dynastic rulers of the Delhi Sultanate, namely, the Khilji dynasty (1290–1320), the Tughlaq dynasty (1320–1413 CE), the Sayyid dynasty (1414–51 CE), and the Lodi dynasty (1451–1526 CE). The rule of the Mughal Empire then followed and lasted from 1526 CE to 1857 CE.
The crypt or the tomb is implanted in a Ghari (cave), approached by winding steep stairs made of stone, and supported by pillars and flooring. The cave is covered by an unusual octagonal roof stone slab. The exterior of the tomb structure built in Delhi sandstone with marble adornment exhibits a walled area with bastions (towers) on corners, which impart it the look of a fortress in aesthetic Persian and Oriental architecture. The other tombs inside the Ghari have not been identified.
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