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Historic Complex in Ruins

By A Staff Writer

The sprawling Sarkhej Monument complex has turned into a monument of neglect by the Archaeological Survey of India and the Muslims of Ahmedabad, the inheritors of the rich cultural repository.

The complex comprises a few mausoleums and mosques and a huge water tank of almost demi-lake proportions. The Principal mosque is known as Jama Masjid of Sarkhej which is a pillared structure with a huge pulpit. The mosque courtyard is surrounded on four sides with pillared verandahs. On the eastern side is located the water tank which measures 253 x 213 metres. The squarish tank has stepped stone embankments and some fine buildings on the South-Western corner. It is said to be sluice gates which fed the water tank during days of scarcity or took out surplus water during monsoons. The mosque is without arches, an index that several elements of Islamic architecture had not yet found entry into India till 14th century. The rough hewn stones of the pillars indicate that refinement had not yet arrived in Muslim architecture.

The complex is located in Sarkhej, 20 kms from Ahmedabad and was built by Mohammad Shah II (1443-51) and completed by Sultan Qutubuddin Shah (1451-1458). A mausoleum complex has the graves of Sultan Ahmed Shah and Sultan Mahmood Begada.

The tank water is green and moss-ridden. Eateries and stalls go deep inside the monument complex. The entrance to the complex is narrow and has been rendered unimpressive by encroachers and shops. Several washermen have taken up positions on the northern embankment. The surroundings of the tank are unkept and in a state of disrepair. The mausoleum has acquired lots of photo frames and other accessories which mar its original beauty.

The mausoleums, courtyards, tank and embankment all make this 15th century complex a highly aesthetically laid out monument which could serve as a centre of spiritual solace as well as attract tourists.

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