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ARCHITECTURE
Eternal India
encyclopedia
PRINCIPLES OF ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE
Qutb-ud-din and the Slave Dynasty
Qutb-ud-din, true to Prophet Mohammed's dictates of immedi-
ately installing a place of worship for the faithful on conquered
territory, decided to build a mosque in 1195 A.D. This was the
Quwat-ul-Islam mosque within the fortified city of the Qila Rai
Pithora. Unlike the Hindu temple the planning of the mosque was
not governed by complex geometric theories of architecture. One of
the logical essentials of this otherwise austere and elementary re-
quirement was that the worshippers be directed compulsively to
pray in the direction of Mecca, the birth place of Prophet Moham-
med. This was achieved by orienting the courtyard generally in the
direction of Mecca. The wall towards Mecca also had built into it,
the holy arch or mehrab and the mimbas, a sort of pulpit from which
the priest would deliver the sermon. In India, thus it was the
western wall that was critical to Islamic requirements.
Vocabulary of Islamic Architecture
The two dominant elements of this language were the use of the
pointed arch for spanning open corbelled domes planted over
square pillared bays. Here too a screen of archways was at a
subsequent period strung along the front of the 'tiwan'. This screen
though more ornately built including trefoil, arches for the opening
and minarets over the central arch, is not half as stately and
majestic as the one at Delhi. It was built at Ajmer under the rule of
Sultan Iltutmish, another able Turkish slave, perhaps a son-in-law
of Qutb-ud-din.
The Cave of the Sultan
The significant part of Iltutmish's building activities was that of
erecting the earliest Muslim tombs on Indian soil. The first of these
built in 1231 A.D. is popularly known as Sultan Ghari or "Cave of
the Sultan". It is a rather quaint non-traditional edifice for the tomb
of his son Nasur-ud-din Shah, which is set in the middle of the
courtyard of a small mosque.
Firuz Shah Tughlaq, the Prince of Builders
The Firuz Shah Kotla, as the palace city of Firuz Shah Tughlaq
came to be known, is planned as a slightly irregular rectangle, half
a mile (800 m) long and a quarter (400 m) wide defined by moder-
ately defensive walls. The eastern and longer side of the rectangle
was parallel and abutted the banks of the river. In the middle of the
side opposite to the river was the main entrance gate planned in the
usual manner of a protective barbican. Directly opposite this was a
large rectangular court defined by cloisters, meant to be the
Diwani-i-Am (hall of public audience) where the King, when in
residence, would daily give audience to the common public. Just
behind this was the Diwan-i-Khas (hall of private audience) where
the king held his (Cabinet meetings) and met the VIPs of his
administration.
Right along the river banks, where they were not only compara-
tively safe against military attacks but also afforded the finest
view were located all the private palaces, mosques and the harems
of the royal court. The areas north and south of the central axis
were divided into various square and rectangular courtyards in
which were a great variety of structures such as pavilions for
different purposes, grape and water gardens, baths, tanks, bar-
racks, armoury and servant quarters all conveniently located and
communicating with one another.
Hauz Khas
Firuz Shah with an uncanny eye for situation rather than mere
self exaltation, decided to be buried in the unostentatious but beau-
tiful environment of the Hauz Khas built by Allaudin Khilji some 75
years earlier. Firuz Shah, comprehending the innate peace and
beauty of the surroundings and to fulfill his pious ambitions, decided
to build a mosque at the northern end of the existing tank and to
instal a "Madrassa" or "college of theology" in the buildings along
the northern and western banks. The college buildings are two-
storeyed, domed and pillared halls. The two storeys were an ideal
combination to combat the varying extreme climates of Delhi.
At the corners where the two wings of the college buildings met,
Firuz Shah decided to erect his own tomb. The tomb is a beautifully
proportioned 45 ft. (13.7 m) square structure built in the character-
istic ascetic style of the Tughlaqs. The familiar rubber masonry
walls are finished with a thick layer of lime plaster punctured with
arch and lintel openings, the whole crowned with a parapet of
merlons. The handsomely contoured dome appears to rise over a
base of trilobed merlons. The interior of the tomb is finely decorated
with geometrical designs cut into thick layers of plaster rather than
in stone.
Haft Manzil and Ashrafi Mahal
Built by Sultan Mahmud Khalji commemorating his victory over
the Rajputs under Rana Kumbha of Mewar. It is a seven-storey
victory tower of which only the base survives. Constructed of the
typical Mandu sandstone it was said to have risen to a height of 150
ft with each of its 7 storeys demarcated with bands of marble.
Jahaz Mahal built by Mahmud Khalji is one of the most popular
structures of Mandu. It is located between two beautiful water
bodies, the Kaphur or "Camphor" Talao and the Munja Talao, jusi
half a km north of the Jami Masjid and close to the Hindola Mahal
built 40 years earlier. This 360 ft long and 50 ft. wide structure
consisted essentially of a series of compartments and corridors
partly built over the Munja Talao and a number of airy and fanciful
open kiosks on the broad upper terrace. At the southern end of the
Jahaz Mahal are the remains of a complex system of waterworks.
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