Indo Islamic Heritage

Gumbaz-e-Shahi - Srirangapattana

The Gumbaz at Ganjam Srirangapatna is a historically significant Islamic mausoleum, located within a beautifully landscaped garden. It holds the graves of prominent figures from the era of Tipu Sultan: his father, Hyder Ali, is buried in the center, his mother, Fakhr-Un-Nisa, is laid to rest on the eastern side, and Tipu Sultan himself rests on the western side. This mausoleum was constructed by Tipu Sultan himself to house the graves of his parents. After his death in 1799 during the Siege of Srirangapatna, Tipu Sultan was buried here, marking it as a key site in the history of the region and the legacy of the Sultan's reign.

The Gumbaz, constructed by Tipu Sultan between 1782 and 1784 at Srirangapattana, serves as a mausoleum for his father, Hyder Ali, and his mother, Fakr-Un-Nisa. Surrounded by a lush cypress garden, the mausoleum is adorned with a variety of flowering trees and plants collected by Tipu Sultan from regions such as Persia, Ottoman Turkey, Kabul, and French Mauritius. The original carved doors of the mausoleum have been moved to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the current ebony doors, inlaid with ivory, were gifted by Lord Dalhousie. Architecturally, the Gumbaz reflects the Islamic style, featuring a large rectangular garden with a path leading to the mausoleum, which sits on an elevated platform. The dome is supported by 36 sharply cut black granite pillars, with latticework carved into the doors and windows. Inside, the walls are painted with tiger stripes, symbolizing Tipu Sultan's iconic colors. The graves of Tipu Sultan, his father Hyder Ali, and his mother are located within the mausoleum, while many of Tipu's relatives are buried outside in the surrounding garden. Most of the grave inscriptions are in Persian. The Gumbaz?s architectural design follows the Bijapur style, characterized by a dome resting on a cubical structure with ornamental railings, turrets, and spherical finals. Adjacent to the Gumbaz is the Masjid-E-Aksa, also built by Tipu Sultan. In terms of burials, the mausoleum houses the central grave of Hyder Ali, with Tipu Sultan's mother to the east and Tipu Sultan himself to the west. Outside the mausoleum, there are numerous graves, including those of Tipu?s sister Sultan Begum, his daughter Fatima Begum, and other relatives such as his son-in-law, Syed Shahbaz. The southern veranda features multiple rows of graves, including that of Malika Sultan e Shaheed, and there are additional graves on the northern side, many unmarked, contributing to the site?s significance as a family burial ground.

Year of Built: 18th Century

Address: Gumbaz Rd, Ganjam, Karnataka

Country: India

State: Karnataka

District: Mandya

Pincode: 571477

Longitude: 76.7139

Latitude: 12.41