TUGLAQ DYNASTY (1320-1413)

The rulers of the Tughlaq Dynasty undertook considerable

construction activities, including building three of the seven ancient cities of Delhi.
Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq (1320-1325 AD) built Tughlaqabad, the third

city of Delhi, in 1321-23 AD.

Feroz Shah Tughlaq (1351-1388 AD) was undoubtedly the greatest

builder among all the rulers of the Tughlaq dynasty.

He built Ferozabad, Delhis fifth city, in 1354 AD. The famous Firoz

Shah Kotla ground is the only remnant of its past glory.

Feroz Shah Tughlaq is also credited with founding the fortified

cities of Jaunpur, Fathabad and Hissar.

Architectural style and innovations

Followed the militaristic style of Ghias-ud-din Vertical walls with tapering circular quoins - at the corners - in the rear wall of the maqsura - at the entrance points

Massive buttressed pylon like structure with arches in the middle of the maqsura faade

Tughlaqabad
Tughluqabad

is divided into three parts; 1) the wider city area with houses built along a rectangular grid between its gates 2) the citadel with a tower at its highest point known as Bijai-Mandal and the remains of several halls and a long underground passage 3) the adjacent palace area containing the royal residences.
Today

most of the city is inaccessible due to dense thorny vegetation. An ever increasing part of the former city area is occupied by modern settlement, especially in the vicinity of its lakes.
South

of Tughluqabad was a vast artificial water reservoir within the fortified outpost of Ghiyas ud-Din Tughluq's Tomb. This well preserved mausoleum remains connected to the fort by an elevated causeway that still stands today.

Tughlaqabad Fort

a ruined fort in Delhi, stretching across 6.5 km, built by Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq, the founder of Tughlaq dynasty, of the Delhi Sultanate of India in 1321, as he established the fifth historic city of Delhi, which was later abandoned in 1327

consists

of remarkable, massive stone fortifications that surround the irregular ground plan of the city.
The

sloping rubble-filled city walls, a typical feature of monuments of the Tughluq dynasty, are between 10 and 15 meters high, topped by battlemented parapets and strengthened by circular bastions of up to two stories height.
The

city is supposed to once have had as many as 52 gates of which only 13 remain today. The fortified city contained seven rainwater tanks.

Tomb of Giyas ud-din Tughlaq

The Tomb of Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq, built of red sandstone, is an irregular

pentagon in its exterior plan and its design is of the pointed or "Tartar" shape and is crowned by a finial resembling the kalasa of a Hindu temple. Walls made an angle of 75degree with ground (multan influence) Plan based on the contours of the site Tomb is connected to the fortress by a 250 yards (228.6m) bridge, built over what at one time would have been a sheet of water, today dry land Square tomb 61 ft side & Height 80 ft

Tomb of Giyas ud-din Tughlaq

Arch and lintel construction mixed attitude of the hindu builders to

arched and lintel and beam method

True arch + redundant stone lintel installed just below the springing of the

arch

This compromise became an elegant device thereafter.

Firoz Shah Tuglaq

Known as the prince of builders - 1200 gardens, 200 towns, 40 mosques, 30 villages, 30 reservoirs, 50 dams, 100 hospitals and 150 bridges. New capital city- Firuz Shah Kotla A prototype for the Mughal palace cities His construction works were of a unique simple style characterised by the use of inexpensive materials.
The medieval rulers, who were used to the convenience of choosing new

locations for starting new constructions, rarely adopted restoration of previous buildings. It was only Feroze Shah Tughlaq who took up largescale restoration works and repaired hundreds of monuments, including the Qutub Minar which was damaged by lightening in 1369 AD.
The Kali Masjid (c.1370 AD), the Khirki Masjid (c.1375 AD) and the Kalan

Masjid (c.1375 AD) also belong to this period, the last two being raised on a tahkhana or substructure of arches.

Feroz Shah Kotla

A fortress built by Sultan Feroz Shah Tughlaq to house his version of Delhi city called Ferozabad, which was established in 1354 on the banks of Yamuna river. A pristine polished sandstone pillar, 13.1 metres high, from the 3rd century B.C. rises from the palace's crumbling remains, one of many pillars left by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka; it was moved from Ambala, Punjab (currently in Haryana) and re-erected in its current location in 1356. It stands on the uppermost section of a three-tiered arcaded palace pavilion located near the main royal residences and congregational mosque at the heart of the fortified area.

Ashoka pillar West gateway to the ancient city of Firozabad (now on the outskirts of New Delhi)

Citadel of Firoz shah kotla is 800 m X 400m Consists of private palaces, mosques, harems of royal court, gardens,

baths, tanks, barracks, armory, servant quarters E River Yamuna Diwani khas Diwan-i-am Main entrance is in the western side Three tiered structure Every platform is set back from the preceding one to create terraces in front of a series of compartments Inspiration - terraced Buddhist viharas Inhabited by the concubines of the King -pseudo militaristicstyle of Ghiyas-ud-din

Khirki Masjid

Approached from the Khirki village in South Delhi and close to the Satpula or the seven arched bridge on the edge of southern wall of Jahapanah (the fourth city of Medieval Delhi)

Built by Khan-i-Jahan Junan Shah, the Prime Minister of Feroz Shah Tughlaq (13511388)
The word 'Khirki' prefixed to masjid is an Urdu word that means "window" and hence is also called "The Masjid of Windows

West gateway to the ancient city of Firozabad (now on the outskirts of New Delhi)

Khirki Masjid belongs to the Indo-Islamic style of architecture - a

distinctive blend of Islamic as well as traditional Hindu style of architecture

The presence of a number of domes on the roof covering the mosque

and the latticework (jali) on the windows are suggestive of the Islamic style of architecture.
The pillars and brackets within this structure show local Hindu influence. It is said to be the only mosque in North India, which is mostly covered;

the totally covered mosque of the Sultanate period is, however, in South India at Gulbarga in North Karnataka
The mosque, which is built with rubble masonry covered externally with

plaster, has majestic steps leading up to it.

The Mosque has a 52 m (170.6 ft)x52 m (170.6 ft) square plan in an area

of 87 m2 (936.5 sq ft). It is raised on a plinth of 3 m (9.8 ft). There are four open courtyards (square in size of 9.14 m (30.0 ft) on each side) encircled by arcades built with 180 square structural columns and 60 pilasters, which run in northsouth direction and divides into aisles. The open courtyards are the source of light and ventilation to the internal prayer spaces. The roof is partitioned into 25 squares of equal size with 9 small domes in each square (totaling to 81 domes) and alternated by 12 flat roofs to cover the roof. There are four open courts. This internal layout gives a spectacular view. Sunlight streams in through these square openings.

Roof of the mosque

The four corners of the mosque are adorned

with towers with three protruding gateways, one in the middle of each face, with tapering turrets flanking each gate.
The southern gate, with imposing steps at the

main entrance, exhibits a combination of arch and trabeated construction. It has an ornamental rectilinear frame.

The

turrets flanking the southern and northern gates are circular in shape; the articulation on these gives them a three storied appearance.
Southern entrance

The main gate, which leads to the qibla on the

western wall, has a projecting mihrab. Above the vaulted first floor cells, arch windows (carved out of stone guard) with perforated screens or jalis or tracery, known as "Khirkis"", are seen on the second floor.
Khirkis on the second floor

However,the foyer in front of the mihrab is not

well lighted since light from the latticed windows on the second floor do not penetrate this space.

The approach to the roof of the

mosque is from the east gate, and the view from the roof leaves a lasting impression of the geometrical design of the Mosque.

The symmetrically designed admirable mosque is considered as one

of the finest architectural compositions of the Sultanate history.

Style

as a response to Indian climatic conditions-seen in Khirki Masjid A part of the courtyard was covered using domed and flat roof. 4 symmetrical open to sky courtyard for light and ventilation Comfortable praying conditions were created Compartmentalization created psychological difficulties

Rubble masonry construction

End of Tughlaqs rule was marked with the invasion of Mongols

Other provinces like Bengal, Jaunpur, Gujarat and Malwa declared themselves as independent

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