Hoshang Shah’s Tomb
Mandu, Madhya Pradesh, 15th Century
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Feel free to contribute!
Mandu, Madhya Pradesh, 15th Century
You must be logged in to post a comment.
The construction of Hoshang Shah’s tomb was started by Hoshang Shah himself but it was finished by Mahmud Khilji. The tomb is next to the Jami Masjid and is in the centre of an enclosed garden. The central dome of the building is surrounded by cupolas on four sides. The finial on top of the dome is adorned by a crescent. This feature was perhaps adopted from Persian architecture. The right door jamb of the tomb contains an inscription that four architects employed in the service of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan visited the tomb to pay homage to the ruler and the architecture of the tomb building in 1659 C.E. One of the four architects was Ustad Hamid who was actively involved in the construction of the Taj Mahal.
– Surabhi Sharman
A striking feature of the dome is the four small chhatris at the four corners. Their placement is unusual, i.e. close to and actually attached to the main dome. Again, this was probably the inspiration for Edwin Lutyens’ arrangement of chhatris on the dome of Rashtrapati Bhavan.
– Swapna Liddle
Hoshang Shah’s tomb though very Central Asian in form was the fits marble mausoleum to be built and inspired the Mughals who later constantly transited through Mandu on their Deccan campaigns. Hoshang Shah also built an extraordinary Jami Masjid, said to be inspired by the great mosque of Damascus as this dynasty traced their lineage to Damascus.
– Amita Baig