Shish Gumbad

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2018}} {{Use Indian English|date=November 2018}} {{Infobox historic site | name = Shish Gumbad | native_name = | native_language = | image = Shish Gumbad, Lodhi Gardens, Delhi.JPG | caption = Shish Gumbad at Lodi Gardens | type = Tomb | locmapin = India New Delhi | coordinates = {{coord|28|35|37.3884|N|77|13|12.6192|E|display=inline,title}} | location = Lodi Gardens | area = | built = 1489-1517 CE | architect = | architecture = Islamic & Hindu architecture | governing_body = Archaeological Survey of India<br />& NDMC | owner = Government of Delhi | designation1 = Ancient monument | designation1_offname = Shish Gumbad | designation1_date = 9 Apr 1936 | designation1_number = N-DL-76 }} '''Shish Gumbad''' ("glazed dome"), also spelt '''Shisha Gumbad''', is a tomb from the Lodi dynasty and is thought to have possibly been constructed between 1489 and 1517 CE;<ref name="Unknown Tomb">{{cite news|title=Unknown Tomb|publisher=competentauthoritydelhi.co.in|access-date=15 October 2015|url=http://competentauthoritydelhi.co.in/MonumentViewer.aspx?ID=16}}</ref> the historian Simon Digby has argued on the basis of an inscription in the adjoining mosque that it was completed in 1494 CE.<ref name="Simon Digby 1975, pp. 550">Simon Digby, ''The Tomb of Buhlul Lodi'', The Bulletin of SOAS, Vol. 38, No. 3, 1975, pp. 550–61.</ref> The Shish Gumbad (glass dome) houses graves, whose occupants are not unequivocally identifiable. Historians have suggested, the structure might have been dedicated either to an unknown family, which was part of the Lodi family and of Sikandar Lodi's court,<ref name="Who rests under that dome">{{cite news|title=Who rests under that dome|publisher=The Hindu|access-date=15 October 2015|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/society/down-memory-lane-who-rests-under-that-dome/article7141334.ece}}</ref><ref name="Tombs within Lodi Gardens">{{cite news|title=Tombs within Lodi Gardens|publisher=Delhi information website|access-date=15 October 2015|url=http://www.delhiinformation.in/tourism/tombs/tombswithinlodigarden.html}}</ref><ref name="Lodi Garden attraction">{{cite news|title=Lodi Garden attraction|publisher=Expedia|access-date=15 October 2015|url=https://www.expedia.co.nz/Lodhi-Garden-New-Delhi.d6074796.Attraction}}</ref><ref name="Heritage of the Gumbads">{{cite news|title=Heritage of the Gumbads|date=30 May 2015|publisher=Delhi: Unknown Tales of a City (Chapter 32)|isbn=9789351941255|access-date=15 October 2015|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PPjSCQAAQBAJ&q=shish+gumbad&pg=PT99}}</ref> or to Bahlul Lodi (died 12 July 1489) himself, who was chief of the Afghan Lodi tribe, founder and Sultan of the Lodi dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate.<ref name="Simon Digby 1975, pp. 550">Simon Digby, ''The Tomb of Buhlul Lodi'', The Bulletin of SOAS, Vol. 38, No. 3, 1975, pp. 550–61.</ref>

Shish Gumbad is situated in the Lodi Gardens in Delhi and the area where the tomb is situated was formally called ''village Khairpur''.<ref name="Alphabetical List of Monuments in Delhi">{{cite news|title=Alphabetical List of Monuments in Delhi|publisher=Archaeological Survey of India|access-date=15 October 2015|url=http://asi.nic.in/asi_monu_alphalist_delhi.asp}}</ref><ref name="Important gardens">{{cite news|title=Important gardens|publisher=New Delhi Municipal Council|access-date=15 October 2015|url=https://www.ndmc.gov.in/Departments/Horticulture/Important%20Gardens%20of%20NDMC.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151210194715/https://www.ndmc.gov.in/Departments/Horticulture/Important%20Gardens%20of%20NDMC.pdf|archive-date=10 December 2015}}</ref>

==History== The exact date of construction of Shish Gumbad is not known. There are four monuments (tombs) in the Lodi Gardens including the Shish Gumbad. The oldest of the four tombs is the tomb of Muhammad Shah (who belonged to the Sayyid dynasty). Shah's tomb was constructed in 1444 CE by Ala-ud-din Alam Shah. During the rule of Sikander Lodi, the Bara Gumbad and adjacent mosque were constructed. Sikander Lodi's tomb was built by Ibrahim Lodi in 1517. The Shish Gumbad is said to have been constructed between 1489-1517 CE by Ibrahim Lodi.<ref name="Important gardens"/><ref name="Bara Gumbad">{{cite news|title=Bara Gumbad|publisher=orientalarchitecture.com|access-date=15 October 2015|url=http://www.orientalarchitecture.com/india/delhi/baragumbad.php}}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=October 2015}}

Among historians there is no agreement on who the occupants of the graves inside the structure are. The Shish Gumbad might have been dedicated either to an unknown family, which was part of the Lodi family and of Sikandar Lodi's court,<ref name="Who rests under that dome"/><ref name="Tombs within Lodi Gardens"/><ref name="Lodi Garden attraction"/><ref name="Heritage of the Gumbads"/> or to Bahlul Lodi (died 12 July 1489) himself, who was chief of the Afghan Lodi tribe, and founder and Sultan of the Lodi dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate.<ref name="Simon Digby 1975, pp. 550"/><ref>C.E. Bosworth, ''The New Islamic Dynasties'', (Columbia University Press, 1996), 304.</ref>

Initially, all the monuments were built independently and were not in one confine. In early 20th century, a park was developed which was inaugurated by Lady Willingdon on 9 Apr 1936 bringing the four monuments in one confine.<ref name="Important gardens"/>

==Construction== Constructed between 1489-1517 CE, the Shish Gumbad is constructed in a square shape. Using a combination of bracket and lintel beams, the architecture is a blend of Islamic and Indian architectures. Although the Gumbad has an external semblance of spanning two floors, the structure is in fact only one floor. The western wall of the Gumbad consists of mihrab which also served as a mosque. The main chamber of the monument measures {{Convert|10|m2|ft2|0}}.<ref name="Bystanders of the past">{{cite news|title=Bystanders of the past|publisher=The Hindu|access-date=15 October 2015|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/history-and-culture/bystanders-of-the-past/article3754244.ece}}</ref><ref name="Lodi Gardens, New Delhi">{{cite news|title=Lodi Gardens, New Delhi|publisher=fiftyplustravels.com|access-date=15 October 2015|url=http://www.fiftyplustravels.com/?p=1138}}</ref>

The ceiling is decorated with plaster work that contains Quranic inscriptions and floral designs. The monument was originally decorated with blue enamelled tiles that shined like glass. The Gumbad hence got its name "Shish Gumbad". The blue tile embellishment presently only remains on top of the main frontage in traces.

==Location== The Shish Gumbad is located in and is a part of the Lodi Gardens in Delhi, India. The village where the monument stands was previously called ''Khairpur''. The garden is bounded by Amrita Shergill Marg in the West, North-West and North, Max Mueller Marg on the East and Lodi Road on the South Side. Safdarjang Tomb is situated on the South-West corner of the Lodi Garden.

==Picture gallery== <gallery> File:Shisha Gumbad information board 01.JPG|Monument information board displayed in Lodi gardens. File:Shisha Gumbad at Lodhi Garden, New Delhi.jpg|Rear view of Shish Gumbad File:Shisha Gumbad blue tiles.JPG|Tiles on top of main entrance File:Sheesh Gumbad 3 Sep 2010-4.JPG|Dome interior ceiling File:Lodhi Garden - Graves at Shish Gumbad 2.jpg|Graves in main chamber File:Sheesh Gumbad 004.jpg|Carvings on South entrance File:Sheesh Gumbad evening.JPG|Shish Gumbad view from south (main entrance) side File:Sheesh Gumbad and Bara Gumbad.jpg |Bara Gumbad Shish Gumbad </gallery>

== References == {{reflist}}

{{Portal bar|India|History}} {{Delhi landmarks}} {{Delhi}} Category:Lodi dynasty Category:Burial sites of the Lodi dynasty Category:Architecture of the Lodi dynasty Category:Mausoleums in Delhi Category:Monuments of National Importance in Delhi