Remains of a reign

A V S Rao visits the finest monuments built by Sher Shah Suri at Sasaram, located in Bhojpur district of Bihar. The mausoleum built for Shah during his lifetime itself is worth a visit.

Sasaram is a small town in Bhojpur district of Bihar and is well-known for its group of beautiful mausoleums built during the time of Sher Shah Suri, who ruled Delhi from 1540 to 1545 AD. There are three magnificent structures of the Sur dynasty and one, a memorial to the architect who built them.Sher Shah was a historic personality who succeeded in building a powerful empire. Farid, as Sher Shah was named by his father Hassan, was the grandson of Ibrahim, belonging to the Afghan Sur Tribe, which traded in horses.

Behind the name

Sher Shah succeeded his father as Jagirdar in 1520 AD. It is said that in a hunting excursion, Farid killed a tiger single-handed and thus earned the title Sher Shah. With the experience he gained in military strategy, he organised the Afghan soldiers and defeated Humayun in 1546 and occupied the throne in Delhi.Sher Shah was a brilliant organiser both in military and civil affairs. Many historians have recognised him as the greatest administrator and military genius.He showed outstanding ability in the development of Indo-Islamic style of architecture, which had far reaching implications in the field of archaeology later on. After establishing himself on the throne at Delhi, Sher Shah started building a project known as Purana Quila or Old Fort, a walled structure of enormous size, and forming the citadel around which he planned his capital at Delhi. The fine mosque called Quilla Kulna Masjid, built by Sher Shah at Purana Quila, has been regarded as a fine example of Indo-Islamic architecture. He constructed many palaces and forts in Patna and Kanouj.

A class apart

However, it is strange that the finest monuments built by Sher Shah are at Sasaram, a place he loved most, though it was far away from his capital. He desired to ensure that the mausoleums of the Sur family should be the finest in style.He procured the services of Ali Wal Khan, an experienced master builder and a trained architect in Imperial tradition. The fine mausoleum built for Sher Shah at Sasaram, during his lifetime itself, is considered a class apart. It is one of the grandest and most imaginable architectural conceptions in the whole of India.This mausoleum is about 76 metres wide, producing immense pyramidal layers of orderly laid masonry in five different stages, rising to a height of about 46 metres.The monument is constructed out of the best red sand stone procured from the historic quarries of Chunar situated very near Sasaram. Finely dressed large blocks are laid with good joints.Although the structure was built for the solemn purpose, it was intended to convey the grand impression of its massiveness and beautiful ornamentation. Even to this day, one can see the remains of glazed and painted decorations on the exterior walls. The composition of this mausoleum is unique and unrivalled in setting as the entire structure has been built in the centre of a vast lake. Seen from a distance, the magnificent mausoleum, though solid and stable in itself, appears as though it is floating on a vast sheet of water, its reflections creating an illusion of movement, making an unforgettable spectacle.

Salim’s mausoleum

Having three side entrances, except on the west, the structure rises to a height surpassing the Taj Mahal at Agra by for metres. The mausoleum of Salim Shah, son of Sher Shah, is also located nearby, in the midst of a large artificial lake. This monument was intended to be even larger than that of Sher Shah’s mausoleum, but the great work was never completed as Salim died much earlier. Outside Sasaram town is the ruined tomb of Ali Wal Khan, the architect of these monuments. All these structures are situated very close to the famous highway constructed by Sher Shah, now known as the Grand Trunk Road.The never-ending traffic through this highway might have spread the splendour of these monuments far and wide. Sasaram rail station is situated 103 km northwest of Gaya on the main line to Varanasi. It is on the Trunk Road and many buses and taxis operate in the route from Gaya, Varanasi and Patna. Moderate class lodging facilities are available in the town. Cycle and autorickshaws are available for local travel.