Life and Conditions of the People of Hindustan (1200–1550 A.D.) c6.s2.t1.34

c6.s2.t1.34

3. *Stone and brick work.*—A still larger number of workers, perhaps, was engaged in stone, brick and other work in connection with house construction and buildings. It is not only the buildings of Hindustan, but even those of Kabul, Ghazni, and Samarqand which bear testimony to the skill of the Indian mason.¹ Amir Khusrau proudly claimed that the masons and stone-cutters of Delhi were superior to their fellow craftsmen of the whole Muslim world.² One primary cause of these excellent results was the patronage of the state. We have noted before that Sultan Ala-ud-din Khalji employed 70,000 workers for the construction of state buildings. We have similarly noted that in spite of the existing number of skilled masons, Firuz Tughluq assigned 4,000 of his slaves to be trained in these crafts. Similarly Babur was very proud of the skill of Indian workmen and observes that he employed 680 stone-cutters in the construction of his buildings at Agra and 1,491 in various other places.³ It is unnecessary to add that Hindu chiefs patronised the masons and other workers even more than the Muslims. The Dilwara temples at Mount Abu, the buildings of Gwalior and Chitor all bear testimony to the fact that the ancient building traditions were scrupulously maintained and perhaps also improved in certain directions. It may be mentioned in this connection that enamelled tiles and bricks were also introduced into Hindustan and were worked with success in various parts, not excluding Bengal.⁴