Sultan Ghari
Topic: Turkic Invasions and the Delhi Sultanate · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Sultan Ghari is a tomb in Delhi. Sultan Iltutmish built it in c. 1231 for his eldest son, Nasiruddin Mahmud. The prince had died while he was governor of Bengal. Sultan Ghari is usually called the first monumental Islamic tomb in India. "Monumental" here means a large, grand building made to honour the dead. Its importance is that it shows tomb-building, a new kind of royal building, arriving under the Delhi Sultanate.
Example
The tomb lies near Mahipalpur in south Delhi. The grave chamber is underground. It sits beneath a raised, fort-like platform with corner towers. Iltutmish had it built in c. 1231, soon after his son's death.
Don't confuse with
- Iltutmish's own tomb: this one is in the Qutub Minar complex, Mehrauli. Iltutmish built Sultan Ghari for his son, not for himself.
Related concepts
- Delhi Sultanate
- Mamluk dynasty
- Iltutmish
- Turkan-i-Chahalgani
- Raziya Sultan
- Ghiyasuddin Balban
- Theory of kingship of Balban
- Sijda and paibos
- Sayyid dynasty
- Lodi dynasty