Sheikh Chilli’s Tomb, Thanesar
The site of Kurukshetra is synonymous with the Mahabharata
war. It is situated south of the now dried-up bed of the river Saraswati, modern Sarsuti and north of the river Drshadvati, which ormed the
holy land of Brahmavarta. Thanesar (
ancient Sthanis/v/
ara) was the capital of the Vardhana or the Pushyabhuti Dynasty who ruled over a major part of North India. The great
Sanskrit poet Banabhatta, in his Harshcharita has
also described the
association of Harsha with Thanesar in detail. He mentions in his text, the defence wall, a moat and the palace with a two-storied dhvalagriha. The present town of Thanesar (760 49'; 290 30') is located on an
ancient mound, which is quite large both in terms of its height and area. It is about 163 kms, North-West of Delhi, between Ambala and Karnal.
To reach
Kamal one takes the Grand Trunk Road to Pip Ii from where it is approx. 8 kms further west. In the Historical period, the Grand Trunk road
must have passed through the town of Thanesar, as there still exists an old Bridge and Sarai adjacent to the Sheikh Chilli's Tomb which probably is datable to the reign of Sher
Shah Suri or slightly later. This
beautiful tomb and attached Madarsa are associated with the Sufi Saint
Abd-ur-
Rahim, alais
Abd-UI-Karim, alais
Abd-ur-Razak, popularly known by the name of Sheikh Chehli, believed to be the spiritual
Guru of the Mughal Prince,
Dara Sikoh (A.D. 1650). The architectural plan shows
considerable Persian influence. Due to its unique and higWy
sophisticated architectural value is ranked second only to the Taj
Mahal is Northern India. The monument was protected and declared as of National importance under section 4 of the
Ancient Monument and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1958; Vide No. 8516, dated 27-03-1919. Close to the western gate of the Madarsa, is the small
yet elegant Pathar Masjid of red sandstones. It is remarkable for its fluted minarets, which are attached to its back wall.
The ceiling of the
mosque, resting on pillars is decorated with floral designs carved in low relief. The pillars are
also profusely decorated with floral designs, while the bases over the mouldings show chaitya-window motifs. The qibla in the centre of the western wall is flanked on either side by two arched niches inscribed with verses from the Quran. The masonry terrace forming the front court was added at a later date. The masjid is assignable to the seventeenth Century A.D. Adjoining the southern flank of the
complex (i.e. north of the tomb of Sheikh Chilli) is a large sized
building which on account of both stratigraphic evidence and style of construction appears to be a garden
complex following the pattern of a typical Mughal Garden and is divided into four equal, symmetrical parts (the charbagh pattern) with a square hauz in the centre. Water to the hauz (tank) was supplied by terracotta pipes from the east, concealed within the wall.
On the eastern side of the central hauz there is a small rectangular tank connected with a raised open drain coming from further east. The tank had on the northern side a small cistern having cusped patterns on both longitudinal ends and a copper fountain in the centre. The water used to run through a concealed conduit pipe provided below the lime plastered surface, meant for the flow of water from the cascade. The Park now popular as the Harshvardhan Park is entered through an elaborate double-storeyed gateway, located in the centre of the eastern wall from which one of the paths leads to all its four sides, hosting on the exterior, a series of double- roomed chambers, on three sides i, e, the east, north and west respectively with provision of niches and alcoves on its walls. The western
wing of this sarai however had double storeyed chambers which could be reached through a flight of steps provided at the centre and towards the extreme south-western corner. Exactly opposite to the main
entrance gateway was another majestic
structure, constructed just
like the main
entrance gateway. However this
structure didn't carry any
entrance from the ground floor, but had an opening towards the west on the
upper storey. This opening on the
upper floor gave a direct accessibility from the Raja Harsha-ka- Tila located west of the sarai and the chamber is constructed in such a way that probably this was the place from where an authority used to address the gathering below within the sarai. West of the tomb are the ruins of Harsh-ka- Tila. Excavations conducted at this site revealed a continuous habitation at the site from about the first century A.D. to the late Mughal period. The findings of a few sherds of painted Grey
Ware along with associated plain grey, black-slipped and red wares in pre-Kushana levels
also suggest the inhabitation of the site in the first millennium B.C.
On the basis of various identifiable remains, the excavations revealed a sequence of six cultural periods. These are the Kushana period (1st-3rd century AD) Gupta period (4th-6th century AD) Post Gupta or Vardhana period (6th-7th cent AD) Rajput 8th-12th cent AD) and Mughal period (16th-19th cent AD). The monument is open on all 7 days of the
week. Visitors are charged Citizens of India and visitors of SAARC (Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Maldives and
Afghanistan) and BIMSTEC Countries (Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar) - Rs. 5 per head. Rs. 100/- or $ 2 for Foreigners. The monument is open to the public from 9.00 a.m to 5.00 p.m.