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.