BALBANS

TOMB
SULTAN GHIYASUDDIN BALBAN WAS THE
NINTH AND THE LAST REMARKABLE AND
STRONG MONARCH OF THE SLAVE
DYNASTY. He was born in 1200 AD.
THE MONGOLS CAPTURED BALBAN AT AN
EARLY AGE AND SOLD HIM AS A SLAVE.
LATER ON, ILTUTMISH BOUGHT HIM.
BALBAN WAS THE SON-IN-LAW OF
NASIRUDDIN MAHMUD. AFTER THE DEATH
OF NADIRUDDIN MAHMUD, BALBAN
BECAME THE SULTAN OF DELHI.
THE TOMB OF GHIYAS UD DIN BALBAN
(1287 AD), SITUATED WITHIN THE
MEHRAULI ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK.

IT IS AN IMPOSING STONE AND

MASONRY BUILDING, THOUGH
LACKING THE SPLENDID
ORNAMENTATION IT OCCUPIES A
POSITION OF IMMENSE IMPORTANCE IN
THE EVOLUTION OF ARCHITECTURE IN
INDIA.
IT WAS IN THIS STRUCTURE, THAT FOR THE
FIRST TIME, TRUE ARCHES WERE EMPLOYED
IN THE SPANNING OF OPENINGS. ALL
ISLAMIC BUILDINGS BUILT BEFORE THIS
TOMB CONTAIN FALSE CORBELED ARCHES.
 THE TOMB ITSELF IS SQUARE IN PLAN,
WITH THE WALLS TRANSLATED INTO AN
OCTAGON THROUGH SQUINCHES AT A
HIGHER LEVEL.
THERE MAY HAVE BEEN A TRUE DOME,
THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN THE
SUBCONTINENT, CAPPING THE TOMB,
BUT ONLY RUINED VESTIGES REMAIN
TODAY.
THE GRAVE SITS AT THE GEOMETRIC
CENTRE OF THE STRUCTURE.
THE GRAVE OF BALBAN OCCUPIES THE
THE INTERIOR OF THE TOMB. GEOMETRIC CENTRE OF THE STRUCTURE,
NOTICE THE VESTIGES OF THE AS IS THE CASE WITH MOST ISLAMIC
SQUINCHES TRANSLATING THE TOMBS.
SQUARE PLAN TO AN OCTAGON

ONE OF THE TRUE ARCHES OF THE TOMB.

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN INDIA, ARCHES
BEGAN TO BE CONSTRUCTED BY RADIAL
ARRANGEMENTS OF THE VOUSSOIRS, AS
OPPOSED TO FALSE CORBELED ARCHES USED
EARLIER.
 TOMB OF NASIR-UD-DIN MUHAMMAD (SULTAN GARHI)

. THE OCTAGONAL SHAPE OF THE TOMB

IS ALSO UNIQUE AS IT HAS BEEN BUILT
WITHIN THE FORTRESS LIKE OUTER
BUILT BY SHAMS-UD-DIN ILTUTMISH AS
STRUCTURE WITH FOUR CORNER TOWERS,
A TOMB FOR HIS SON IN A.D. 1231
NEAR DELHI. OVER A GHARI (CAVE) IN FRONT OF THE
FIRST EXAMPLE OF A TOMB BUILDING IN WESTERN QIBLA WALL OF THE MOSQUE.
INDIA.
THE STRUCTURE IS RAISED ON A HIGH
PLINTH WITH A MASSIVE PORTAL ON
THE EAST.
THE STRUCTURE IS BUILT IN THE
MANNER OF A WALLED ENCLOSURE.
THE ENCLOSURE IS CONTAINED WITHIN
A MASSIVE MASONRY ARCADE.
THE EXTERIOR IS BUILT OF GREY
GRANITE WITH CIRCULAR BASTIONS
PROJECTING FROM EACH CORNER OF
THE SQUARE.
THE PLAN OF THE TOMB IS IN THE
FORM OF A FORTRESS WITH A
COURTYARD LIKE LAYOUT
.
 WITHIN THE ENCLOSURE IS A THE OCTAGONAL GRAVECHAMBER IN AN
COURTYARD 66' SQUARE. UNDERGROUND OPENING IS SUPPORTED ON
IN THE CENTRE OF THE COURTYARD IS FOUR COLUMNS. THE ROOF OF THE
AN OCTAGONAL PLATFORM WHICH CHAMBER IS BUILT IN THICK LIME
FORMS THE ROOF OF THE TOMB CONCRETE. THE WESTERN QIBLA (PRAYER
CHAMBER. WALL) WHICH HAS THE MIHRAB, IS MADE OF
TWO PILLARED ARCADES IN WHITE MARBLE IN EXQUISITE TURKISH AND AFGHAN
MARBLE ARE BUILT ON THE EASTERN DESIGN. THE MARBLE MIHRAB ALSO HAS
AND WESTERN SIDES. THE WESTERN INSCRIPTIONS FROM THE QURAN. THE
ARCADE RESOLVES INTO A MOSQUE
CHAMBER FOR PRIVATE PRAYERS. FRONT ELEVATION OF THIS WEST WALL HAS
A MARBLE FACADE.
THE MOSQUE SANCTUARY HAS A
CENTRAL DOMED NAVE WITH A
FOLIATED ARCH AS MIHRAB AND
AISLES ON EITHER SIDE. THE WHOLE IS
FRONTED BY A COLONNADE OF
MARBLE PILLARS WITH BRACKET
CAPITALS. APART FROM THE MIHRABS,
THE ENTIRE COMPOSITION IS OF
HINDU EXTRACTION.