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The noblest specimen
of Pathan architecture lies amidst the artificial lake
at Sasaram, the envy of many an emperor.
 The
tomb of Sher Shah Suri and his son here reflects the
life style of a 16th century Afghans who were dubbed in
history as usurpers of the Mughal throne. However, the
Pathan history discounts Babur and Humayun as
interlopers, for they have been important in India for
more than 300 years previously to Mughals. Sasaram,
although just a medieval basti (village) and a small
trading outpost today. It is bifurcated by Sher Shah’s
Grand Trunk Road, on which no less than 25,000 trucks
pass every day.
The Puranas tell a story about Sasaram. The enmity
between the Kartavirya Sahasrarjuna (literally thousand
hands) and Parasurma led to the death of Sahasranjuna by
Parasurma. The followers of Sahasrarjuna settled here
calling it Sahasrarjuna-pura or Sahsaram. The discovery
of Ashokan inscriptions on a small rock cut cave have
eight lines of Brahmi script inscribed on the rocky
boulder. This cave, overlooks the town, and is on the
summit of Chandan Shaheed hill, named after a saint
whose tomb is located close to the cave. Chandan is
believed to be one of the Sufi saints who accompanied
Muhmud of Ghazni.
Bahul Lodi who had encouraged the migration of his
countrymen to Hindustan was ultimately disappointed with
their disunity. Hasan Khan and his father Ibrahim Khan
Suri came to India and were granted jagirs (land
lordship) in Punjab. Their fortunes swayed with that of
their masters and later Hasan moved to Jaunpur and
finally to Sasaram. Sher Shah was born in Narnaul and
spent his childhood at Sasaram. Early in the 16th
century, Sasaram, under Hasan Khan Sur was a part of the
Sharqi kingdom of Jaunpur. Sher Shah developed Sasaram
into a successful administrative unit. It was an
important trading post and often people came here to buy
horses and later Sher Shah built a mint here. His
currency reform was followed by the Mughals and
maintained by the Britishers.
These tombs were built under the genius of Alawal Khan,
the master architect. He was first commissioned to erect
the tomb of Hasan Khan in 1535. A high compound wall
encloses Hasan’s mausoleum with gateways on its sides
and domed turrets at the corners. Attached to the tomb
is the flat roofed prayer hall and madarsa. There is no
plinth. The main tomb consists of a large octagonal tomb
chamber surrounded by a wide verandah on all the sides.
On each of the eight sides, the verandah is provided
with three arched openings and three corresponding domes
above it. The main tomb chamber rises higher than the
domed roofs of the verandah and supports the larger
central dome. Within the tomb chamber there are 25
graves, including that of Hasan Khan Suri in the center.
The middle story of the monument appears to have been
executed hurriedly with just bare walls instead of the
kiosks and jalis.
 Sher Shah’s tomb is larger than the
original model. The tank appears to have been excavated
solely for the purpose of providing a quaint view of the
tomb. The multi coloured glazed tiles and painted
decoration must have added to rich reflection.
Unfortunately few traces remain. This three-storied
mausoleum rises to a height of 45.7 m and was originally
planned to be a typical island tomb with no access to
the mainland. There are stairways on each side of the
tomb leading to the water, the landing platform on the
eastern side and finally a causeway between the tomb and
the guardroom. The guardroom or the entrance porch on
the edge of the northern side of the lake is flanked by
two mosques on either side, and was meant to provide
crew and rafts to the serious visitors willing to see
the tomb properly. A bridge of arches was provided to
link the entrance porch and the tomb. The bridge did not
last and the visitors used rafts made of earthen pots
until 1881, when the present causeway was constructed.
The mausoleum appears to be perfectly symmetrical but
its base is believed to have a slight deviation at the
cardinal points. However, they have been skillfully
adjusted to give the impression of perfect alignment.
The mausoleum is built on a large square terrace, the
corners of which support the octagonal pavilions with
small kiosks between them. The entrance gives way to a
wide verandah on all sides, shaded by a series of 24
small domes supported on arches and each corner of the
verandah is provided with a cupola. The tomb chamber is
plain with traces of faded inscriptions on the western
wall. The interior is well ventilated and the light
comes through the large windows on the top portion of
the walls fitted with jalis. The grave of Sher Shah is
surrounded by 24 of his compatriots. The dome surpasses
that of the Taj Mahal by 13 feet, and is based on the
beam and bracket principle, allowing eight sides to fuse
into a circle. The exterior was originally glazed and
painted with a definite colour combination of red, blue,
gold and white. Traces of colours can still be seen on
the parapets and battlements.
Sher Shah’s body was brought from Kalinjar after being
injured in an explosion during the final assault on the
fort. He managed to survive until the news of the final
victory. Salim Shah, his son lies in a tomb
half-a-kilometer NW of here. His tomb is grand but
incomplete. New architectural designs included are - a
larger lake, eleven small passages covered by stone
beams, minars and pillars at all angles of the outer
octagon. Alawal Khan’s tomb lies on the outskirts of the
town he was the superintendent of tombs constructed.
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