The tomb of Sher Shah Suri is in the Sasaram town of Bihar state. Sher Shah Suri, a Pathan who defeated the Mughal Empire and founded the Suri Empire in northern India. He died in an accidental gunpowder explosion in the fort of Kalinjar on the 10th day of Rabi' al-awwal, A.H. 952 or 13 May 1545 AD. His tomb is an example of Indo-Islamic architecture. Mir Muhammad Aliwal Khan designed the architect and built it between 1540 and 1545. The red sandstone mausoleum (122 ft high) stands in the middle of an artificial lake, nearly square, known as the second Taj Mahal of India. The tomb stands at the center of the lake on a square stone plinth with domed kiosks, chhatris at each of its corners; further, there are stone banks and stepped moorings on all sides of the plinth, connected to the mainland through a wide stone bridge. The main tomb is built on an octagonal plan, topped by a dome, 22-metre in span, and surrounded by ornamental domed kiosks, once covered in colored glazed tile work. The tomb was built during the lifetime of Sher Shah and the reign of his son Islam Shah. An inscription dates its completion to 16 August 1545, three months after the death of Sher Shah.
