Mughal Architecture

MUGHAL ARCHITECTURE

Mughal rulers were men of acute aesthetic awareness who revitalised Indo-Islamic architecture. Thirteenth century had already introduced of the arcuate technique where spaces were covered with domes and entrances were made with the help of arches. The new rulers effected an amalgam of the prevalent architectural forms and techniques with those brought from Central Asia and Persia. The Mughals carried this tradition and created a synthesis of the pre-Turkish indigenous technique, viz., trabeate with the arcuate.

Marble replaced red sandstone as the principal building material,  and the decorative art of inlaying achieved distinction with the introduction of semiprecious  stones as inlay material, called pietradura (prachinkari).  Shah Jahan also introduced the bulbous domes and convoluted arches in his buildings.

BABUR   took considerable interest in building secular works.Babur's secular works mainly comprise the laying of gardens and pavilions.Ruins of a couple of mosques built by Babur &Humayun survive but lack any architectural distinctiveness.

HUMANYU’S TOMB: This building is in fact a landmark in the development of the Mughal style of architecture.The architect of the building was MirakMitzaGhiyas, a native of Persia. He brought many Persian craftsmen to Delhi to work on the structure and their skills and techniques were liberally employed.

SUR ARCHITECTURE

The architectural heritage produced under diverse conditionsand in two separate localities of the Surs may be divided into two separate and distinct periods.

The first phase is represented by a group of tombs. These buildings reflect the ambition of Sher Shah to create monuments grander than anything around in Delhi. This was to create an elevated genealogy for himself.

The first project of this scheme was the construction of the tomb of Hasan Khan, Sher Shah's father, in 1525.  But this was a conventional exercise in Lodi design. The first architectural masterpiece was the tomb of Sher Shah in Sasaram. Here the architect considerably enlarged the normal proportions of the earlier building and set it in a beautiful artificial lake approached by a causeway. In addition to this, he increased the number of stories thus producing a beautiful pyramid structure in five distinct stages.  This monument was constructed of the finest Chunar sandstone.

The main building comprises of octagonalchamber surrounded by an arcade. There are domed canopies in each corner of the platform.

The second phase of development took place in Delhi. Sher Shah built the PuranaQila intended to be the sixth city of Delhi. Far more important, however, was the QilsiKuhnaMasjid , built about 1542 inside the PuranaQila  citadel. Its facade of the prayer hall is divided into five arched bays, the central one larger than the others.

One notable feature in this building is the shape of the arches - there is a slight drop, or flatness, in the curve towards the crown. It is indicative of the last stage before the development of the four-centred "Tudor"  arch of the Mughals.

AKBAR

Akbar's reign can be taken as the formative period of Mughal architecture. It represents the finest example of the fusion of Indo-Islamic architecture.

STRUCTURAL FORM:The architecture of the reign of Akbar represents encouragement of the indigenous techniques and a selective use of the experiences of other countries.

The chief elements of the style of architecture that evolved under Akbar's patronage are listed thus: 

a) The buildings mainly used red sandstone as the building material

  b) A widespread use of the trabeated construction

 c) The arches used mainly in decorative form rather than in structural form

  d) The dome was of the 'Lodi' type, sometimes built hollow but never technically of the true double order.

 e) The shafts of the pillars were multifaceted and the capitals of these pillars invariably took  the form of bracket supports;

f)  The decoration comprised of boldly carved or inlaid patterns complemented by brightly coloured patterns on the interiors.

Akbar's building projects can be divided into two main groups, each representing a different  phase. The first group comprised buildings of forts and a few palaces mainly at Agra, Allahabad , Ajmer and Lahore. The second group related basically to the construction of his new capital at Fateh-purSikri

In its design and layout FathpurSikri  is a city where the public areas like the courtyards, Diwan-i Am and Jami Masjid form a  coherent group around the private palace apartments.

 All the buildings are in characteristic rich red sandstone, using traditional trabeate construction. The pillars, lintels, brackets, tiles and posts were cut from local rocks & assembled without mortar.

The buildings in FathpurSikri may be resolved into two categories: religious and secular character. The religious buildings comprise

(a) the Jami Masjid;

(b) theBulandDarwaza;

(c) the tomb of Shaikh SalimChishti. (Akbar’s spiritual mentor)

The buildings of secular nature are more varied and thus numerous.  These can be grouped under:

 (a)Palaces;

(b) Administrative buildings; and

 (c) Structures of miscellaneous order.

It is a curious fact that the religious buildings are invariably built in the arcuate style while in secular buildings dominates the trabeate order.

The Jami Masjid uses the typical plan of a mosque - a central courtyard, arcades on three  sides and domed skyline.

 The BulandDarwaza. It is constructed in red and yellow sandstone with white marble inlay outlining the span of the arches. The loftiness of the structure is enhanced by a flight of steps on the outside. The entrance has been formed by a piercing huge central arch which is crowned by an array of domed kiosks. The Buland-Darwaza was built to commemorate Akbar's  conquest of Gujarat in 1573.

The tomb of SalimChishti stands in the courtyard of the Jami Masjid in the north-western quarter. It is all architectural masterpiece as it exhibits one of the finest specimens of marble work in India. The structure was completed in 1581 and was originally faced only partly in marble.  The serpentine brackets supporting the eaves and the carved lattice screens areremarkable features of structure.

A unique building of the palace complex is the PanchMahal, a five storeys structure. The size of the five storeys successively diminishes as one goes upwards. At the top is a small domed kiosk.

The palace complex in FathpurSikri comprises a number of apartments and chambers. The   largest of these buildings is known as the JodhBai palace. The palace is massive and austere in character.

Diwani-e-Khas. The plan of this building is in the form of a rectangle and is in two storiesfrom outsides

The city of Sikri has a few public structures like Diwani Am, two caravansarais, Hathi pol, Karkhana building, water works or baolis near caravansarais.

ARCTECTURE OF SHAH JAHAN & JAHANGIR

A secure Empire and enormous wealth in legacy permitted both Jahangir and Shah Jahan to pursue interest in the visual arts.

In the sphere of the building art, Jahangir and Shah Jahan's reigns were an age of marble. The place of red sandstones was soon taken over by marble in its most refined form.It is evident that Akbar's buildings were characterised by robustness while that of Jahangir & Shah Jahan had touch of sensuousness & sophistication.

 This dictated significant stylistic changes which have been listed below:

1.      The arch adopted a distinctive form with foliated curves, usually with nine cusps.

2.      The dome developed a bulbous form with stifled neck.  Double domes became very common.

3.      Inlaid patterns in coloured stones became the dominant decorative form.

4.      A new device of inlay decoration called pietradura was adopted.

In the buildings, from the latter half of the Jahangir's reign, a new device of inlay decoration called pietradura was adopted. In this method, semi-precious stones such as lapis lazuli, onyx, jasper, topaz and cornelian were embedded in the marble in graceful foliations.

A double dome is built of two layers. There is one layer inside which provides ceiling to the interior of the building. The other layer is the outer one which crowns the buildings. The devices of double dome enable the ceiling inside to be placed lower and in better relation to the interior space it covers. This is done without disturbing the proportions and the effect of elevation of the exterior. The method of making double dome was practised in east Asia for quite sometime before it was imported into India. It was a problem for the early Muslim builders to place a dome over an edifice effectively. If they erected it high, it left a deep void of darkness in the ceiling of the building it cover-ed. In case they kept it low, in proportion with the dimensions of the room, it diminished the monumental effect of the structure. The solution was invented as double dome. In this innovation, the dome, instead of consisting of one thickness of masonry, was composed of two separate shells–one Outer and the other inner-with ample space between them. The attempts in the direction of Double Dome started with tomb of Taj Khan (1501 ) and the tomb of Sikandar Lodi (1518), both in Delhi. However, the fully mature form of the double dome is seen, for the first time in India in the tomb of Humayun.

The first remarkable structure was the tomb of Akbar near Agra. It was designed by Akbar himself and begun in his own lifetime but was completed by Jahangir after Akbar’s death with modifications in the original design. It is curious mix of the architectural schemes of both Akbar and Jahangir.

The scheme of this complex envisages the location of tomb in the midst of an enclosedgarden with gateway in the centre of each side of the enclosing wall. The tomb building in the centre is a square structure built up in three stories. The first storey isan arcaded platform making the basement. The middle portion is in three tiers of red sandstone pavilions trabeated throughout.

The third storey, of white marble in contrast to the red sandstone

The tomb is linked by causeways and canals to the gateways in the enclosure wall. But it is the one in the south which provides the only entrance, the other three being false gateways added for symmetry.

The southern gateway is a two-storey structure with circular minarets of white marble rising above the corners.  The entire structure of the gateway is ornamented with painted coloured stone and marble inlay.  Interestingly, the decorative motifs include, besides the traditional floral designs, arabesques and calligraphy, gaja (the elephant) hamsa (the swan) padma (the lotus), swastika and chakra.

Thus along with resembling a mix of Akbar and post Akbar style, it also has indigenous Indian inputs in form of decorative motifs.

Jahangir was a much greater patron of the art of painting.  His love for flowers and animals as reflected in the miniature painting of his period made him a great lover of the art of laying out gardens rather than building huge monuments. Some of the famous Mughal gardens of Kashmir such as the Shalimar Bagh and the NishatBaghstand as testimony to Jahangir's passion.

In contrast to Jahangir, his son and successor Shah Jahan, was a prolific builder. His reign was marked by extensive architectural works in his favourite building material- the marble. Some of these were:

  a) the palace-forts, e.g, the La1 Qila at Delhi

  b) the mosques, e.g. the Moti Masjid in the Agra Fort and the Jami Masjid at Delhi

  c)  the garden-tombs, e.g., the TajMahal.

His obsession with marble could be seen in LalQuila in which arcaded pavilions of DiwaniAm &Rang Mahal have sandstone pillars but are plastered with powdered marble.

In the Moti Masjid in the Agra Fort, Shah Jahan made experiment with an alternative scheme-an  open arcaded prayer hall.  Moreover, this mosque has been dispensed with the minarets. In their place, chhatris (Kiosks) have been used on all four comers of the prayer hall. There are three bulbous domes rising over cusped arcades. The entire building has been built in white marble with blackmarble calligraphy, heightening the elegance of the structure.

Jami Masjid (Jama Masjid)at Delhi is an extended and larger version of the Jami Masjid at FatehpurSikri and thus becomes the largest building of its kind in India. It is built on a raised platform surrounded by arcades that have been left open on both sides.  The main entrance is on the eastern side with an ascending flight of steps increasing the effect of loftiness. Three bulbous domes in white marble rise above the sanctuary. The building material used here is red sandstone with white marble for revetments and for inlaying the frames of panels.

TajMahal: Too much clichéd to be covered, architecturally similar to Humnyu’s tomb only difference is that it is made of marble and the unique style of pietradura is extensively used for inlaying.

AURANGZEB AND LATER

Aurangzeb had none of his father's passion for architecture. Under him, the generous encouragement given by his predecessors to the arts was almost withdrawn. The architectural works during the reign of Aurangzeb were less numerous and of a lower standard than those executed under any previous Mughal ruler.One highlight during Aurangzeb's period architecture was resurgence of red sand stone as prominent building material and marble used only as relief to the former. This could be attributed to the severe financial constraints faced by later Mughals, Aurangzeb onwards.

The major buildings include the mausoleum of his wife RablaudDaurani in Aurangabad, the Badshahi Masjid in Lahore and the Moti Masjid at LalQila, Delhi.

The Badshahi Masjid is comparable to the Delhi one in size and architectural composition.

In the Moti Masjid in the LalQila Complex, Delhi,marble used in its construction is of a very fine quality. The plan is similar to the MotiMasjid built by Shah Jahan in Agra fort; only the curves are more prominent.

The mausoleum of his wife at Aurangabad, popularly known as ‘Bibikamaqbara’ is an attempt at emulating the TajMahal.

After Aurangzeb's death in 1707, the collapse of the Empire was only a matter of time. The few buildings that were built during the first half of the eighteenth century amply testify the decadent conditions that ensued.

The Safdar Jang's tomb at Delhi is the most important building of this period. It is located amidst a large garden and copies the plan of the TajMahalin the same manner as was done in the RabiaudDaurani's tomb. The building is in red sandstone with marble panelling.

Name: AadharSharmaa