The royal tombs (mausoleums) of the Sayyid and Lodi period were usually built in which shape?

The tombs of the Sayyid and Lodi rulers were usually built in an octagonal (eight-sided) plan, while the tombs of nobles were generally square.

The two types of Lodi-period tombs:

Octagonal tombs: built for rulers (Sultans); they have an eight-sided central chamber surrounded by a verandah (arcade) with three arches on each side, sloping buttresses at the corners, and a central dome surrounded by small domed kiosks (chhatris).

Square tombs: built for nobles and important officials; they often look like two or three storeys from outside, though they have a single chamber inside, and are crowned by a dome.

Examples of octagonal tombs:

• The tomb of Muhammad Shah (a Sayyid ruler), in the Lodi Gardens, Delhi.
• The tomb of Sikandar Lodi, in the Lodi Gardens.
• The tomb of Mubarak Shah Sayyid, at Kotla Mubarakpur, Delhi.
• The tomb of Khan-i-Jahan Tilangani, built in the Tughlaq period, is considered the first octagonal tomb in Delhi.

Examples of square tombs:

The Bara Gumbad and the Shish Gumbad, in the Lodi Gardens.

Later influence:

• The octagonal tomb plan was adopted and improved in later buildings.
• Sher Shah Suri's tomb at Sasaram is a famous octagonal tomb, standing in the middle of a lake.
• The octagonal form also influenced the design of Humayun's Tomb and the Taj Mahal, which use octagonal chambers and corners.

About the Lodi Gardens:

• It is a park in Delhi containing tombs of the Sayyid and Lodi period.
• It was laid out as a garden by the British in 1936, and was originally called "Lady Willingdon Park".

Features of the period:

• Domes raised on high drums.
• Decoration with coloured tiles and carved plaster.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Circular, triangular and hexagonal plans were not the typical form of royal tombs of this period.