Analyzing and Tracing Progression of Tomb Architecturein India During Imperial Period Under Delhi Sultanate

Abstract

The journey of Islamic architecture in Indian subcontinent began almost 350 years after the
death of Prophet Mohammad and the first military trail under the leadership of Mohammad
Qasim was initiated in the same region where Indus valley civilization flourished 4000 years
ago. After a long span of thirty-five decades, Turks and Afghans raided India and followed
the unnoticed earlier military campaign which resulted in establishment of Islamic
supremacy in India lasting for more than 500 years. During this period in India, an era of
unparalleled and inspired architectural expedition commenced wherein the integration of two
different ideologies “Hindu and Islamic” can be vicariously observed and this derivative
style is called as Indo Islamic Architecture. It was long practice in Islamic world to build
mausoleum for the deceased which was continued in India also. The tomb architecture in
Indian Subcontinent during Islamic era was elevated to a height unmatched aesthetically by
any other architectural style resulting in advent of marvelous edifices. In this article, only
progression of tomb architecture during Sultanate period is discussed.