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Eklakhi TombPandua, India
The Eklakhi Tomb is believed to be the burial place of Sultan Jalal al-Din (d. 1431/834 AH), dating it to the early 15th century. It is the earliest known brick structure in Bengal and has characteristics such as heavy walls, octagonal corner towers, terracotta relief decoration and multiple lines of moldings that would become a model for subsequent buildings in Bengal. Glazed tile is also used here for the first time in Bengal.
The tomb is approximately 8 meters high and sits on a nearly-square base of 25 x 23 meters, with octagonal towers at each corner. A hemispherical dome, with no drum, sits directly on the walls. Due to heavy rains, the structure is entirely covered. Each of the four sides has a small arched door in the center, of Hindu derivation. A stringcourse divides each wall, with blind niches in the shape of windows above and ornamental relief brickwork panels below.
The tomb chamber inside is an octagonal room, more than 15 meters wide, with no windows. The only light enters through the four doors. The three graves in the chamber supposedly belong to Jalal al-Din and his family.
Sources:
Alfieri, Bianca Maria, and F. Borromeo. Islamic architecture of the Indian subcontinent, 84-85. London, WC: Laurence King Pub., 2000.
Merklinger, Elizabeth Schotten. Sultanate architecture of pre-Mughal India, 60. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers, 2005.
Location
Pandua, India
Events
early 15th century
Style Periods
1200-1526
Variant Names
Eklakhi Mausoleum
Variant
Tomb of Sultan Jalal al-Din
Alternate
Building Usages
funerary
Materials/Techniques
Eklakhi Tomb
Pandua, India
The Eklakhi Tomb is believed to be the burial place of Sultan Jalal al-Din (d. 1431/834 AH), dating it to the early 15th century. It is the earliest known brick structure in Bengal and has characteristics such as heavy walls, octagonal corner towers, terracotta relief decoration and multiple lines of moldings that would become a model for subsequent buildings in Bengal. Glazed tile is also used here for the first time in Bengal.
The tomb is approximately 8 meters high and sits on a nearly-square base of 25 x 23 meters, with octagonal towers at each corner. A hemispherical dome, with no drum, sits directly on the walls. Due to heavy rains, the structure is entirely covered. Each of the four sides has a small arched door in the center, of Hindu derivation. A stringcourse divides each wall, with blind niches in the shape of windows above and ornamental relief brickwork panels below.
The tomb chamber inside is an octagonal room, more than 15 meters wide, with no windows. The only light enters through the four doors. The three graves in the chamber supposedly belong to Jalal al-Din and his family.
Sources:
Alfieri, Bianca Maria, and F. Borromeo. Islamic architecture of the Indian subcontinent, 84-85. London, WC: Laurence King Pub., 2000.
Merklinger, Elizabeth Schotten. Sultanate architecture of pre-Mughal India, 60. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers, 2005.
Location
Pandua, India
Images & Videos
Events
early 15th century
Style Periods
1200-1526
Variant Names
Eklakhi Mausoleum
Variant
Tomb of Sultan Jalal al-Din
Alternate
Building Usages
funerary
Materials/Techniques