G5FM+HR3, Set Sarai, Mehrauli, New Delhi, Delhi 110030, India
The Madrasa of Alauddin Khalji is an Islamic school located within the Qutb Minar complex, Mehrauli, Delhi, India. It was built by Alauddin Khalji in 1315, and the tomb attributed to him is situated inside the madrasa. This is the first instance of such a combination of a tomb and madrasa in India. The madrasa was constructed by Alauddin Khalji (who ruled from 1296–1316) in 1315. The tomb attributed to Alauddin Khalji is located in the central chamber of the southern wing of the L-shaped madrasa within the Qutb Minar complex, Delhi. It is situated southwest of the Qutb Minar and the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque.
According to many malfuzat (sayings of Sufi saints), the tomb was a place of pilgrimage, and people tied threads there to fulfill their wishes. After the release of the film "Padmaavat" in 2018, a historical drama that mentions Alauddin Khalji, the number of visitors to the tomb increased.
The madrasa is one of four surviving pre-Mughal madrasas in India. It is built in an L-shape around a square courtyard, with the entrance through gates located on the north side. Only the remains of the gates have survived.
In the western wing of the madrasa, there are seven small chambers and two high-domed rooms. The domes have "high drums," and beneath them are arched gateways. The domes of these rooms are supported by arcuate pendentives—this is the first instance of their use in India. The chambers were likely used as dormitory quarters. Three rooms make up the southern wing of the madrasa. The tomb attributed to Alauddin Khalji is located in the central room. The central room measures 4.9 meters × 3.7 meters. The walls of the room are thick and made of stone and limestone. However, they are currently ruined, except for the sharp edges of the stones beneath them. The dome of the room has collapsed over time. Galleries or narrow passages on both sides of the central room separate it from other rooms of the madrasa.
The tomb measures 2.1 meters × 1.2 meters. There is no gravestone or inscription on the tomb. Tombs in the central and western rooms were discovered during excavations conducted in the early 1900s. The tomb is the first example of a tomb inside a madrasa built in India. This is a feature of Seljuk architecture.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrasa_and_tomb_of_Alauddin_Khalji
