Tomb of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq

Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq was the founder of Tughlaq dynasty in Delhi. His real name was Ghazi Malik and he ruled from 1320-1325 AD. During this period he built a new fortified city of Tughlaqabad on southern borders of Delhi which is in ruins at present. Ghiyas-ud-din had built a tomb for himself at Multan, in Pakistan, when he was its Governor under Alaud-din-Khilaji. However, after he built the city of Tughlaqabad, he decided to build tomb for himself here as well. He is buried in this tomb here. The one at Multan in Pakistan was given by his son to the followers of Sufi Saint Shah Rukn-e-Alam.
The Architecture of Tomb
The Tomb is made of red sandstone and white marble. The dome of the tomb is made of white marble whereas the walls are made from the red sandstone. It is square in shape and is enclosed by pentagonal walls surrounding it. There are three entrances to the tomb- from north, east and south.
What is striking about the structure of the tomb is that its walls are sloping at an angle of 75 degrees and are not perpendicular in shape. While the inspiration of the tomb layout comes from the Alai Darwaza present in Qutub Minar Complex, the inspiration for the sloping walls comes from the Hindola Mahal of Mandu in Madhya Pradesh. One of the advantages of these sloping walls is that these support the heavy masonry work done on the dome of the tomb. It shall be noted that while the outer walls are sloping, the ones in the interior are vertical.
Another remarkable feature of the Tomb is that there is a ‘kalash’ at the top of the dome. This is reflective of the influence of Hindu style of architecture because ‘kalash’ used to be places on top of Hindu temples in ancient and medieval period.
The Three Tombs
There are three tombs at the Mausoleum. Besides Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq, there are tombs of his son Muhammed-bin-Tughlaq and his wife, Makhdum-i-Jahan.
Location and Connectivity

There is an elevated pathway that connects the Tughlaqabad Fort with the Tomb. The nearest Metro Station is of Tughlakabad Metro Station on Violet Line.