Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq

Ghiyas -ud -din Tughluq ( Urdu: غیاث الدین تغلق; Hindi: ग़यासुद्दीन तुग़लक़ ) or Ghiyath -al- din Tughluq was the founder and first ruler of Turkish descent Tughluq dynasty in the Sultanate of Delhi. His real name was Ghazi Malik ( Urdu: غازی ملک, Hindi: ग़ाज़ी मलिक ). He reigned from 1320 to 1325 and founded the new capital Tughlaqabad, the third of seven historic towns in the area of present-day Delhi.

Biography

Ghiyas -ud -din was the son of a Turkish slave, who had served at the court of Balban (r. 1266-1286 ), and an Indian woman from the community of Jat. In 1320, he stood up against the last Khilji Sultan Khusrau Khan ( Nasir ud- din Chusrau ), who had just murdered the previous Sultan Qutb -ud -din Mubarak Shah before. After he came to power, he proved to be a capable ruler - he fought the corruption, cut taxes and promoted agriculture. In several campaigns, he had to deal with Mongolian army units. Wars against Bengal and Warangal strengthened the power of the Sultanate. Ghiyas -ud -din died in 1325 from the effects of heat stroke; as the successor he sat his son Muhammad bin Tughluq one.

Mausoleum

The Mausoleum of Ghiyas -ud -din is about 200 meters from the ruins of the fortress Tughlaqabad on a former small island fortress and was - before the draining of the lake - only about a 26- bogige bridge accessible. Due to the delicacy of his stone processing, it differs significantly from the other fortifications. Built on a square plan with about 18.75 meters on one side tomb tapers conspicuously upward; in the interior of the building measures only 11.75 meters. The approximately 24.40 -meter-high exterior is largely clad with slabs of red sandstone, in the strips, sheets or fields are inlaid in white marble, especially at the top. By geböschte decor and timeless architecture of the building looks almost like a fortress, to which the peripheral battlements contributes a certain portion. The paneled with slabs of white marble dome single-shell closes with an annular, borrowed from the Hindu architecture amalaka - stone on which rests a vase ( Kalasha ). The tomb is accessed through entrance gates on three sides; the inner west wall contains the other hand, instead of a portal, a portal-like embodied mihrab niche of white marble. Inside there are three cenotaphs - in addition to the for Ghiyas -ud -din in the middle one for his wife and a bin for his son and successor Muhammad Tughluq († 1351 ).

Former bridge

Mihrab in the western wall

Three cenotaphs