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
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