Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 2.djvu/263

 CHAP. III. LATER PATHAN STYLE. 219 by bold octagonal pavilions in the angles, which support appro- priately the central dome, and the little bracketed kiosks between them break pleasingly the outline. In the same manner the octagonal kiosks that cluster round the drum of the dome, and the dome itself, relieve the monotony of the composition without detracting from its solidity or apparent solemnity. Altogether, as a royal tomb of the second class, there are few that surpass it in India, either for beauty of outline or appropriateness of detail. Originally it was con- nected with the mainland by a bridge, which fortunately was broken down before the grand trunk road passed near. But for this, it would probably have been utilised long ago. 1 The mosques of these Sultans bore the same aspect as their tombs. The so-called Kala or Kalan Masjid in the present city of Delhi, and finished, according to an inscription on its walls, in A.D. 1387, is in a style not unlike the tomb (Woodcut No. 379), but more massive, and even less ornamented. This severe simplicity seems to have been the characteristic of the latter part of the I4th century, and may have been a protest of the more puritanical Moslim spirit against the Hindu exuberance which characterised both the I3th and the I5th centuries. A reaction, however, took place, and the later style of Delhi was hardly less rich, and certainly far more appropriate for the purposes to which it was devoted than the first style, as exhibited in the buildings at the Qutb. This, however, was principally owing to the exceptional splendour of the reign of Sher Shah, who, however, is so mixed up both in date and in association with the earlier Mughals, that it is difficult to discriminate between them. Though Babar conquered India in A.D. 1526, his successor, Humayun, was defeated and driven from the throne by Sher Shah in A.D. 1540, and it was only in A.D. 1555 that the Mughal dynasty was finally and securely established at Delhi. The style conse- quently of the first half of the i6th century may be considered as the last expiring effort of the Pathans, or the first dawn of that of the great Mughals, and it was well worthy of either. At this age the fagades of these mosques became far more ornamental, and more frequently encrusted with marbles, and always adorned with sculpture of a rich and beautiful character ; the angles of the buildings were also relieved by little kiosks, supported by four richly bracketed pillars, but never with 1 In the 'Journal of Indian Art and Industry,' vol. v. pp. 49, 50, and plates 58-64, the late Mr E. W. Smith has given a carefully illustrated account of a ruined tomb at Kalpi, known as the Chaurasi Gumbaz. It is 115 ft. sq., the central apartment being 40 ft. sq., surrounded by a double corridor of forty groined areas, the roofs supported on massive piers.