SHER SHAH SURI: A GREAT PATRON OF ART AND ARCHITECTURE

While there have been various rulers in the history of India who were patrons of art and architecture, the name of Sher Shah Suri as a builder deserves special recognition. His reign lasted only five years but witnessed the construction of several architectural marvels and laid the groundwork for the Mughal architectural style. He is not only known for grand structures like the three tombs at Sasaram but also utilitarian buildings like sarais and dakchaukis.

Figure 1 Qila-i-Kuhna Mosque; Image Source – Wikipedia

With their roots in modern-day Afghanistan, the family of Surs migrated to India during the reign of Lodis in search of better livelihood opportunities. Sher Shah Suri was a proud Pathan and had immense respect and love for other Afghans who had migrated to India. However, since he was born and brought up in India, he had an intense regard for the indigenous population as well despite their religion, caste, or creed. His love and respect were reflected in the various reforms that he introduced during his reign of five short years.

While it was his mission to ease the life of his citizens through reforms in revenue system, judicial system, trade and commerce etc., his reputation as a builder was for the same purpose. One of his greatest achievements was strengthening the old imperial highway from Sonargaon in Bengal to the Indus River in the west, which was later renamed as Sadak-e-Sher Shah or Badshahi Sadak. Along with this route, he is known for strengthening several other routes such as the road from Lahore to Multan or Agra to Burhanpur etc. However, it was not only the routes that he paid attention to but the facilities that should be located along the road. He is known to have built 1700 sarais and several dak chauki to ensure the safety and comfort of travellers. Kos minars were an important entity to these roads as they were markers of a kos (a distance of 4 miles).

Sher Shah also established a large number of townships and important cities in favourable locations, not only to strengthen his empire but to facilitate a better quality of life for his citizens. Most of these towns were built in a location where nothing had existed before while some were built in replacement of old cities. These townships were predominantly known by his name, some of the examples being Sher Garh, Sher Kot, Sher Pur, or Sher Ghati. Kannauj, Shamshabad, Patna, Rohtas etc are some of the locations where Sher Shah established the cities. Destroying the old city of Kannauj which was located on the western bank of Ganga, he built in its place a new city called Sher Garh urf Kannauj which was located on the eastern bank. At the site of the old city, he built a new fortress.

Similarly, when under his rule the boundaries of the province of Bihar extended considerably, and he built a new capital and named it Patna. The new city was located at the confluence of River Gandak and River Ganga and was in effect, a revival of the famed ancient city of Pataliputra. Although the new city was never able to match up with the name of Pataliputra, the city flourished considerably and went on to become an important urban and trading centre. It is said that the city has a stronghold in the form of a fortress which also consisted of a mosque known as Shershahi Masjid. Today, however, there are no remnants of the famed fortress, but Shershahi Masjid still stands tall.

It would be an injustice if one does not mention Purana Quila while discussing the cities and townships established by Sher Shah. Siri or the city established by Alauddin Khilji was at some distance away from the river Yamuna. Although the city had access to a water reservoir known as Hauz Khas, the residents were still facing difficulties in procuring water for their daily needs. To solve this problem, Sher Shah shifted the capital to a new location, considerably closer to Yamuna and built a fort there. Purana Quila or the Old Fort was an immensely strong and imposing structure, and the tales of its grandeur have been penned down by many historians, poets, and authors. The fort consisted of a residence of the governor, a beautiful mosque known as Qila-i-Kuhna, an astronomical tower, and structures of utility. While most of the construction was done during the time of Sher Shah, the fort was completed by his son Islam Shah due to his untimely death and several additions were done by Humayun. Outside the inner fort was the general city, enclosed by an outer rampart.

Apart from Purana Quila, Sher Shah is synonymous with the fort of Rohtas or Rohtasgarh. The fort is an example of a site that has previous associations with various local clans. In 1539, the fort passed on from the hands of a Hindu king to Sher Shah Suri. It was during this year that Sher Shah lost a fight with Humayun at Chunar and was looking for a stronghold. Sher Shah captured the fort and throughout his reign, it remained a permanent garrison with 10000-12000 men guarding the fort continuously. Built on a low hill, the fort was irregular in plan and had a circumference of two and a half miles with 66 towers and 12 gateways. Several additions were made during the reign of Sher Shah which includes a Jamia Masjid.

Lastly, the greatest of his architectural achievements was his final resting place, the mausoleum located at Sasaram. Before planning out his mausoleum, Sher Shah had built the tomb of his grandfather at Narnaul and his father’s tomb in Sasaram. Built in the centre of a large, excavated lake, the tomb has a large entrance gate and is approached by a causeway. Known as the Taj Mahal of Sasaram, the structure does not give the impression of being light and airy, but in turn conveys majesty, grandeur, and solidarity along with beauty and grace. A lot of praise has been given to the monument by several authors, V.A. Smith says in ‘A History of Fine Art in India and Ceylon’ –

‘One of the best-designed and most beautiful buildings in India, unequalled among the earlier buildings in the northern provinces for grandeur and dignity. The architecture is wholly Muhammadan, but Hindu corbelling and horizontal architraves are used in all the inner doorways, as at Jaunpur. The style may be described as an intermediate between the austerity of the Tughlaq buildings and the feminine grace of Shah Jahan’s masterpiece’.

While it is true that the Mughal Architectural style represents the best that India has to offer and is a perfect amalgamation of Indian and Persian architectural styles, it should always be remembered that the foundation of this style was laid during Sher Shah’s reign. The period witnessed amalgamation of indigenous elements into Lodi architectural style and gave it a new form in terms of the architectural gems constructed.

One can only wonder that if this was the extent of Sher Shah’s dedication to architecture in the meagre period of five years, what could he have achieved if his time on the earth was not cut short.

Figure 2 Tomb of Sher Shah as Sasaram; Image Source - Wikipedia