The Foundation of Muslim Rule in India: A History of the Establishment and Progress of the Turkish Sultanate of Delhi, 1206–1290 A.D. c25.5

c25.5

The tendency betrayed by the *Qutb Minar* is more pronounced n the buildings erected by Iltutmish. It would however seem that the conscious fostering of this tendency to Islamise architecture must date from the end of his reign, for the tomb, known as Sultan Ghari, built over the remains of his eldest son who died in 1229, is still found to embody a great deal of native elements and patterns. As the earliest specimen of tomb-building in India, it has a marked difference in its plan from that of any of the subsequent structures. Most of the architectural details, including pillars, capitals and architraves, as well as the decorative motifs, are decidedly native in inspiration. Even the arches are built on the Indian corbelled principle. The outward shape of the building is graceless but it has a better harmony of proportion than the tomb of the monarch himself.