Sasaram

Shēr Shah of Sūr: tomb

Sasaram, also spelled Sahsaram, city, southwestern Bihar state, northeastern India. It is situated about 10 miles (16 km) west of Dehri.

Located at a major road and rail junction, Sasaram is an agricultural trade centre. Carpet and pottery manufacture are important. The red sandstone mausoleum of the emperor Shēr Shah of Sūr (reigned 1540–45) of the Sūr dynasty, an excellent example of Pashtun (Pathan) architecture, stands in the middle of an artificial lake. Sasaram also contains the mausoleum of Shēr Shah’s father and the unfinished tomb of his son. Nearby is a rock edict of the 3rd-century-bce Mauryan emperor Ashoka. The city was constituted a municipality in 1869. Pop. (2001) 131,172; (2011) 147,408.