Sher Shah Suri Tomb

This tomb is situated in the middle of a huge pond spread over an area of ​​22 acres, whose length (east to west) is 1130 feet and width (north to south) is 865 feet. To reach the tomb, one has to pass through the small domed tomb of Sher Shah’s concierge located to the north of the pond. The turrets built on all three storeys with grandeur add to its grandeur and present the best specimen of Pathan architecture. For this reason, Kanindham has considered it even better than the Taj Mahal.

The tomb of Sher Shah Suri is in the Sasaram town of Bihar state, India. The tomb was built in memory of Emperor Sher Shah Suri, a Pathan from Bihar who defeated the Mughal Empire and founded the Suri Empire in northern India. He died in an accidental gunpowder explosion in the fort of Kalinjar on 13 May 1545 AD.

This tomb is an example of Indo-Islamic architecture, it was designed by the architect Mir Muhammad Aliwal Khan and built between 1540 and 1545, this red sandstone mausoleum (122 ft high), which stands in the middle of an artificial lake, which is nearly square, is known as the second Taj Mahal of India. The tomb stands at the centre of the lake on a square stone plinth with domed kiosks, chhatris at each of its corners, further there are stone banks and stepped moorings on all sides of the plinth, which is connected to the mainland through a wide stone bridge. The main tomb is built on octagonal plan, topped by a dome, 22-metre in span and surrounded ornamental domed kiosks which were once covered in coloured glazed tile work.

The tomb was built during the lifetime of Sher Shah as well as the reign of his son Islam Shah. An inscription dates its completion to August 16, 1545, three months after the death of Sher Shah.

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