Sher Shah Suri, "The Lion King", founder of the Suri Dynasty, was born in 1472 in Punjab. His original name was Farid. He was the son of a petty Afghan Jagirdar. Ill-treated by his stepmother, he left home at an early age. He went to Jaunpur where he set himself to serious study and there he acquired good command over the Arabic and Persian languages. Because of his abilities, he was soon appointed by his father to manage the family Jagir. But again because of his stepmother, he left his father's Jagir and went to Bihar where he later joined the service of Babur.
Seeing the weaknesses in the Mughal rule and military organization, Sher Shah took advantage of the problems faced by Humayun. Eventually he managed to overthrow the Mughal rulers. His reign barely spanned five years, but is a landmark in the history of the Sub-continent. With his deep knowledge and practical experience, he made many brilliant additions and improvements to the existent system. Sher Shah was a capable military and civilian administrator. He set up reforms in various areas. Akbar later built on these reforms and extended them further. Many of these reforms pertained to the army, but the principal reforms for which he is remembered are those connected with revenue administration. Numerous civil works were carried out during his short reign.
Sher Shah ruled for a short period of five years in which he not only consolidated his power but also brought about important reforms. He died in 1545 from a gunpowder explosion. He was a practical and farsighted ruler who was way ahead of his contemporaries. He is remembered in history for the numerous reforms that he undertook to strengthen the government. He was in truth the greatest ruler that sat upon the throne of Delhi.
A brave warrior and a successful conqueror, Sher Shah was the architect of a brilliant administrative system. In fact, his qualities as a ruler were more remarkable than his victories on the battlefields. His brief reign of five years was marked by the introduction of wise and salutary changes in every conceivable branch of administration. Some of these were by way of revival and reformation of the traditional features of the old administrative systems of
Sher Shah’s land revenue reforms, based on wise and humane principles, have unique importance in the administrative history ofIndia 
ARCHITECTURE OF SHER SHAH SURI MILITARY ARCHITECTURE
The Purana Quila is a good example of medieval military architecture. Like its predecessor, the Tughlaqabad fort, it is a massive fort. Purana Quila is a monument of bold design, which is strong, straightforward and every inch a fortress. It is different from the well-planned, carefully decorated, and palatial forts of the later Mughal rulers. Purana Quila is also different from the later forts of the Mughals, as it does not have a complex of palaces, administrative and recreational buildings, as is generally found in the forts built later on. The main purpose of this now-dilapidated fort was its utility, with less emphasis on decoration.
PURANA QUILA
The Lodhi dynasty was the last dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate. The kingdom of Delhi finally ended in 1526 when the armies from a small Central Asian kingdom, led by Zahir-ud-din Babur defeated the last Lodhi ruler, Ibrahim Lodhi in the First battle of Panipat. After extinguishing the rule of the Delhi Sultanate, Babur did not return to Central Asia, but established the Mughal Empire, in India. Babur chose Agra as the capital of the Mughals, but his son Humayun decided in favor of Delhi.
The political life of the Mughal emperor Humayun was not stable. Humayun became the Mughal Emperor after the death of his father Babur in 1530 and established the capital at Dinpanah, which was the sixth fort city of Delhi. Within five years, massive gateways and lofty ramparts of this fort city were completed. However, Humayun could not rule there for long as Sher Shah Suri, an Afghan chieftain, drove him out from Delhi and India. Sher Shah destroyed much of Humayun's buildings in the fort. He called his city Shergarh. Two gateways of his city, Lal Darwaza and Khooni Darwaza, can still be seen in their original grandeur. Within the fort, Sher Shah Suri built a grand mosque (Qal'a-I-Kunha Masjid) and an octagonal tower called Sher Mandal. Meanwhile, Humayun spent a life of exile in the court of the Persian ruler of Iran. He returned to Delhi, after the death of Sher Shah Suri and regained his former capital. He hardly built any new structures within the fortifications of Dinpanah. However, Humayun did not live long and died unexpectedly when he fell from the Sher Mandal, which he used as a library, on January 24, 1556. Thus ended the story of a king who loved the city of Delhi and who could never rule from it in the true sense of the word. The city of Dinpanah or the Purana Quila (as it is now known) is thus the reflection of the tragic life of emperor Humayun. Humayun was succeeded by his son, Akbar, who went on to become the greatest Mughal ruler. However, the city of Dinpanah lost its importance as Akbar soon shifted the Mughal capital from Delhi to Agra.
At present, the Purana Quila is in a bad state due to neglect. However, one can still see the grandeur of this massive fort, which sprawls over an area of 3 km. It has three grand gateways. One can appreciate this simple and rugged edifice, which dominates its surroundings from far.
IMPORTANT MONUMENTS WITHIN THE FORT
Though not many buildings within the crumbling walls of the Purana Quila have survived, there are two monuments of architectural importance within it that have survived the ravages of time: the Qal'a-I-Kunha Masjid and the Sher Mandal. Both these monuments were built by Sher Shah Suri.
Qal'a-I-Kunha Masjid
The Qal'a-I-Kunha Masjid is a superb but austere building, with sparse, sophisticated ornamentation in sandstone and a little marble. This mosque belongs to the Indo-Islamic style of architecture. It has a single dome, which is not pronounced and lacks the grandeur of the bulbous onion-shaped domes generally seen on Islamic buildings.
Sher Mandal
To the south of the Qal'a-I-Kunha mosque is an octagonal two-storied structure called the Sher Mandal. It was built by Sher Shah Suri, probably as a pavilion, and has a tile and inlay work in red sandstone. The Sher Mandal is an intriguing structure and the purpose of building it is not clear. This monument also conforms to the Indo-Islamic style of architecture. The Sher Mandal has a touch of sadness attached to it, as it was here that the second Mughal emperor Humayun fell to his death.
Seeing the weaknesses in the Mughal rule and military organization, Sher Shah took advantage of the problems faced by Humayun. Eventually he managed to overthrow the Mughal rulers. His reign barely spanned five years, but is a landmark in the history of the Sub-continent. With his deep knowledge and practical experience, he made many brilliant additions and improvements to the existent system. Sher Shah was a capable military and civilian administrator. He set up reforms in various areas. Akbar later built on these reforms and extended them further. Many of these reforms pertained to the army, but the principal reforms for which he is remembered are those connected with revenue administration. Numerous civil works were carried out during his short reign.
Sher Shah ruled for a short period of five years in which he not only consolidated his power but also brought about important reforms. He died in 1545 from a gunpowder explosion. He was a practical and farsighted ruler who was way ahead of his contemporaries. He is remembered in history for the numerous reforms that he undertook to strengthen the government. He was in truth the greatest ruler that sat upon the throne of Delhi.
Administration of Sher Shah Suri
A brave warrior and a successful conqueror, Sher Shah was the architect of a brilliant administrative system. In fact, his qualities as a ruler were more remarkable than his victories on the battlefields. His brief reign of five years was marked by the introduction of wise and salutary changes in every conceivable branch of administration. Some of these were by way of revival and reformation of the traditional features of the old administrative systems of India , Hindu as well as Muslim, while others were entirely original in character, and form, indeed, a link between ancient and modern India
For administrative convenience, the whole empire was divided into forty-seven units (Sarkars), each of which was again subdivided into several parganas. The pargana has one Amin, one Shiqdar, one treasurer, one Hindu writer and one Persian writer to keep accounts. Over the next higher administrative unit, the sarkar, were placed a Shiqdar-i-Shiqdaran and a Munsif-i-Munsifan to supervise the work of the pargana officers. To check undue influence of the officers in their respective jurisdictions, the King devised a plan of transferring them every two or three years. Every branch of the administration was subjected to Sher Shah’s personal supervisions.
The currency and tariff reforms of Sher Shah were also calculated to improve the general economic conditions of his Empire. He introduced some specific changes in the mint of coins. He reformed the tariff by removing vexatious customs and permitting the imposition of customs on articles of trade only at the frontiers and in the places of sale.
Trade and commerce was greatly increase by the improvement of communications. For the purpose of imperial defense, as well as for the convenience of the people, Sher Shah connected the important places of his kingdom by chain of excellent roads. The longest of these, the Grand Trunk Road, which still survives, extended for 1500 kos from Sonargaon in Eastern Bengal to the Indus. Shade-giving trees were planted on both side of the roads. Sarais or rest houses were built at different stages and separate arrangements were provided for the Muslims and the Hindus. These sarais also served as the purpose of post-houses, which facilitated quick exchange of news and supplied the government with information from different parts of the Empire. The maintenance of an efficient system of espionage also enabled the ruler to know what happened in his kingdom.
To secure peace and order, the police system was re-organized, and the principle of local responsibility for local crimes was enforced. The village headmen were made responsible for the maintenance of law and order in the rural areas.
Sher Shah has a strong sense of justice and no distinctions were made between the high and the low. In the paragana / pargana, civil suits were disposed off by the Amin, and other cases mostly criminal by the Qazi and Mir-i-Adal. In some parganas, civil cases were tried by Munsif-i-Munsifan. At the capital city there were the chief Qazi, the imperial Sadr, and above all, the Emperor as the highest authority in judicial as in other matters.
Though a pious Muslim, Sher Shah was not a fierce bigot. His treatment of the Hindus in general was tolerant and just.
Sher Shah realized the importance of maintaining a strong and efficient army, and so re-organized it. He maintained a regular army as such the soldiers were bound to him through their immediate-commanding officer by the strong tie of personal devotion and discipline. He had under him a direct command of a large force consisting of 150,000 cavalry, 25,000 infantry, 300 elephants and artillery. Garrisons were maintained at different strategic points of the kingdom; each of these called a fauj, was under the command of a faujdar. Sher Shah enforced strict discipline in the army and took ample precautions to prevent corruption among the soldiers. Besides, duly supervising the recruitment of soldiers, he personally fixed their salaries and took their descriptive rolls. He also revived the practice of branding horse.
From the above account we can conclude that Sher Shah was one of the greatest monarchs that had ever ruled India India
The Purana Quila is a good example of medieval military architecture. Like its predecessor, the Tughlaqabad fort, it is a massive fort. Purana Quila is a monument of bold design, which is strong, straightforward and every inch a fortress. It is different from the well-planned, carefully decorated, and palatial forts of the later Mughal rulers. Purana Quila is also different from the later forts of the Mughals, as it does not have a complex of palaces, administrative and recreational buildings, as is generally found in the forts built later on. The main purpose of this now-dilapidated fort was its utility, with less emphasis on decoration.
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The Lodhi dynasty was the last dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate. The kingdom of Delhi finally ended in 1526 when the armies from a small Central Asian kingdom, led by Zahir-ud-din Babur defeated the last Lodhi ruler, Ibrahim Lodhi in the First battle of Panipat. After extinguishing the rule of the Delhi Sultanate, Babur did not return to Central Asia, but established the Mughal Empire, in India. Babur chose Agra as the capital of the Mughals, but his son Humayun decided in favor of Delhi.
The political life of the Mughal emperor Humayun was not stable. Humayun became the Mughal Emperor after the death of his father Babur in 1530 and established the capital at Dinpanah, which was the sixth fort city of Delhi. Within five years, massive gateways and lofty ramparts of this fort city were completed. However, Humayun could not rule there for long as Sher Shah Suri, an Afghan chieftain, drove him out from Delhi and India. Sher Shah destroyed much of Humayun's buildings in the fort. He called his city Shergarh. Two gateways of his city, Lal Darwaza and Khooni Darwaza, can still be seen in their original grandeur. Within the fort, Sher Shah Suri built a grand mosque (Qal'a-I-Kunha Masjid) and an octagonal tower called Sher Mandal. Meanwhile, Humayun spent a life of exile in the court of the Persian ruler of Iran. He returned to Delhi, after the death of Sher Shah Suri and regained his former capital. He hardly built any new structures within the fortifications of Dinpanah. However, Humayun did not live long and died unexpectedly when he fell from the Sher Mandal, which he used as a library, on January 24, 1556. Thus ended the story of a king who loved the city of Delhi and who could never rule from it in the true sense of the word. The city of Dinpanah or the Purana Quila (as it is now known) is thus the reflection of the tragic life of emperor Humayun. Humayun was succeeded by his son, Akbar, who went on to become the greatest Mughal ruler. However, the city of Dinpanah lost its importance as Akbar soon shifted the Mughal capital from Delhi to Agra.
At present, the Purana Quila is in a bad state due to neglect. However, one can still see the grandeur of this massive fort, which sprawls over an area of 3 km. It has three grand gateways. One can appreciate this simple and rugged edifice, which dominates its surroundings from far.
IMPORTANT MONUMENTS WITHIN THE FORT
Though not many buildings within the crumbling walls of the Purana Quila have survived, there are two monuments of architectural importance within it that have survived the ravages of time: the Qal'a-I-Kunha Masjid and the Sher Mandal. Both these monuments were built by Sher Shah Suri.
Qal'a-I-Kunha Masjid
The Qal'a-I-Kunha Masjid is a superb but austere building, with sparse, sophisticated ornamentation in sandstone and a little marble. This mosque belongs to the Indo-Islamic style of architecture. It has a single dome, which is not pronounced and lacks the grandeur of the bulbous onion-shaped domes generally seen on Islamic buildings.
Sher Mandal
To the south of the Qal'a-I-Kunha mosque is an octagonal two-storied structure called the Sher Mandal. It was built by Sher Shah Suri, probably as a pavilion, and has a tile and inlay work in red sandstone. The Sher Mandal is an intriguing structure and the purpose of building it is not clear. This monument also conforms to the Indo-Islamic style of architecture. The Sher Mandal has a touch of sadness attached to it, as it was here that the second Mughal emperor Humayun fell to his death.
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