Medivial Architecture

Question 1

Medieval Architecture

Answer 1

• Also known as Indo-Islamic Architecture
• Indo-Islamic architecture - range of styles from various backgrounds
* started from the advent of Islam in Indian subcontinent -7th century
* influenced modern Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi architecture - secular and religious buildings
* influences from Indian, Persian, Central Asian, Arabic and Ottoman Turkish influences
• Replaced the indian trabeate style with arcuate style
• Turks and Afghans Muslims - inherited varied designs from Sassanian and Byzantine empires
• Ornamental decoration, open space for prayer toward mecca(quibla), light and open, lesser decoration in prayer hall, purdah hall system for females coming for prayer, tower/minaret to call prayer(azaan),
• Muslims and Romans - extensive use of concrete and lime mortar
* lime as plaster and a base for decoration and also held enamel work on tiles.

Question 2

Difference between Trabeate style and Arcuate style

Medieval Architecture

Answer 2

Trabeate style

• Shikhal
• No use of minar
• Material-sand stone arch
• Lintel

Arcuate style

• Dome
• Concept of minar
• Material-brick, lime and mortar-used for making dome
• Lintel replaced by arch

Medieval Architecture

a. Delhi Sultanate
i. Imperial style
ii. Provincial style
b. Mughal Period

Question 3

Imperial Style

Answer 3

a. Slave Dynasty
i. Also called as mamulak dynasty
ii. llbar dynasty(llbari tribe)
iii. Started converting the existing Hindu structures into mosques
iv. Monument
* Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque.
* Qutub Minar.
* Arhai Din ka Jhompra.
* Tomb of Nasir-ud-Din Mohammed (Sultan Ghari)
* Tomb of Shams-ud-Din Iltutmish.
b. Khilji dynasty
i. Seljuk style-richest style in Delhi sultanate
ii. Sand stone-Red sandstone used in all structures
iii. Siri fort ;Alai darwaja in Qutub complex
c. TughIaq dynasty
i. Crisis period
ii. Not much interested in architecture
iii. Focus on strength rather than beauty
iv. Sloping walls called”batt” was introduced-combined the techniques of lintel and arch (batt = lintel + arch)
v. Generally grey sandstone was used
vi. Established 3 cities
1) Tughlaqgabad by Gyasuddin Tughlaq
2) Jahapanah by Mummad Tughlaq
3) Firozshah kotla by Firozshah Taghlaq
vii. Present Delhi is made of 7 cities
1) Lalkot/Killa Rai Pithora by Rajput Tomar(1060 A.D.
2) Siri by Alauddin Khilji(1304 A.D.)
3) Tughlaqabad by Giyassuddin Tughlaq(1321-1323 AD.)
4) Jahanpanah by Muhammad Tughlaq(1324 A.D.)
5) Firozshah Kotla by Firozshah Tughlaq
6) Delhi Shershahi/sgergadh by Sher shah Suri(1534 AD.)
7) Shahjahanbad by Shahjaha
d. Sayyid and Lodhi dynasty
i. Unstable kingdom
ii. Scarcity of money
iii. Only tombs were made in this period
iv. Sikandar lodhi established the city of AGRA
v. Known as period of macabre Concept of double dome was introduced by Lodhis
vi. 3 royal tombs - Mubarak Sayyid,Muhammed Sayyid,Sikandar Lodi
vii. combination of the Hindu and Islamic styles of architecture
* Hindu features - eight chhatris, each of them capped by a lotus finial with a decorative band around the base
* corner ornamental pinnacles (guldastas)and chhajja
viii. Tomb
1) Hard Structure
2) Jail work
3) 2 types of tombs -
* octagonal plan surrounded by arched walkway with one storey height
* square plan- two or three storey in height.
4) Double Dome - started Taj Khan (1501 ) and Skandar Lodi - fully mature form - tomb Of Humayun
6) important feature - measurements of height and width to match with the structure of the basements.
* Sayyid dynasty monument - tomb of Mubarak Sayyid
* Lodi dynasty monument- garden tomb of Sikander Lodi, Bara Gumbad, BaraKhan Ka Gumbad, Sheesh Gumbad, Chita Khan Ka Gumbad, Moth-ki Masjid, Pavilion Tombs

Question 4

Provincial styles

Answer 4

a. Bengal school
i. Brick was used
ii. Use of mortar,lime plaster was very less
iii. Use of black marble
iv. Focus was not on decoration or strength but Focus was on construction of massive buildings
v. Le.Kadamrasul mosque,Gor ;Adina mosque,Pandua
b. MaIwa school of Art
i. Absence of minars in mosques
ii. European influence can be found here
iii. Imaginative use of water in pools and fountains
iv. Use of arch along with pillar and beam
v. Well-proportioned staircase
vi. le-jahaaz mahal at mandu,Rani Rupmati pavallion
c. Jaunpur school of art
i. Developed by sharqui dynasty
ii. Absence of minar suggests Persian influence
iii. Bold and forceful character
iv. le-Babri masjid,atala mosque
d. Bijapur school of art
i. Adil shahi rulers
ii. 3 arch method instead Of single arch
iii. Bulbus dome-unique feature
iv. Gol Gumbaj-Largest dome of the world -minar-graceful,tall and slender
v. Use of cornice(chhajja)
vi. Important feature-treatment of ceiling-without any apperant support-slab of stones are bounded by iron clamps and mortar
vii. Gol Gumbaj is the maqbara of Muhammad Adil shah

Question 5

Mughal Architecture

Answer 5

• Arch and dome method(arcuate style)
• Existence of minar
• Mortar used as a cementing agent to create arch and dome
• Avoided the representation of human beings
• Provided spaciousness,massiveness and breath to hindu architecture
• Use of calligraphy-pietradura technique
• Use of arabesque method
• Significance of light
• Symmetry
• use of water in premises
• Foresightening technique
• Charbag style

Pietra dura technique

1. It is an decorative art.
2. Also called parchin kari in South Asia, is a term for the inlay technique of using cut and fitted, highly polished colored stones to create images.
3. The stonework, after the work is assembled loosely, is glued stone-by-stone to a substrate after having previously been “sliced and cut in different shape sections; and then assembled together so precisely that the contact between each section was practically invisible”.
4. Stability was achieved by grooving the undersides of the stones so that they interlocked, rather like a jigsaw puzzle, with everything held tautly in place by an encircling ‘frame’.
5. It first appeared in Rome in the 16th century

Arabesque method

1. Method of design and decoration
2. Under this technique,A continuous stem is drawn which splits regularly producing the series of counter poised leafy secondary stems which can in turn split again or returned to be reintegrated into the main stem.

Use of water

1. Cooling purpose
2. Mirror image
3. To add the beauty to the monument

Charbagh style

1. Charbagh is a Persian-style garden layout. The quadrilateral garden is divided by walkways or flowing water into four smaller parts.
2. le-humayun’s tomb,taj-mahal

Question 6

Mughal Architecture under

1. Babur
2. Humayun
3. Akbar
4. Jahangir
5. Shah Jahan
6. Aurangzeb

Answer 6

Babur

1. No time for development
2. Babur built 2 mosques - Rohilkhand & Panipat

Humayun

1. He didn’t live long to emphasize on architecture
2. He led the foundation of Dinpanah-later became shergarh under sher shah Suri
3. Sher shah started developing the architecture-shergarg city,grand trunk road
4. 4 centered arches
5. Semi domed roofs
6. Double dome continued
7. Inverted lotus dome
8. Humayun’s tomb was intiated by his wife Haji beghum
9. All features of Indo-Islamic architecture are present here
10. 1st time white marble was used
11. Humayuns tomb is made of red sandstone and white marble

Akbar

1. The architecture ofthe Akbar period is characterized by a strength made elegant and graceful by its rich decorative work, which reflects many traditional Hindu elements.
2. The style is best exemplified by the fort at Agra (built 1565-74) and the magnificent town Of Fatehpur Sikri (1569-74), but fine examples are also found in the gateway to the Arab Saräi (guesthouse at Humäyün’s tomb), (1560-61), the Ajmer fort (1564-73), the Lahore fort with its outstanding decoration (1586-1618)
3. The capital town of Sikri (named a World Heritage site in 1986) is one of the most notable achievements of Islamic architecture in India. The town, which was deserted only a few years after it was built, is a great complex of palaces and lesser residences and religious and official buildings, all erected on top of a rocky ridge 26 miles (42 km) west of Agra. The Hall of Private Audience (Diwan- i-Khas) is arresting in its interior arrangement, which has a single massive column encircled by brackets supporting a stone throne platform, from which radiate four railed balconies.
4. The most imposing of the buildings at Fatehpur Sikri the Great Mosque, the Masiiri which served as a for later congregational mosques built by the Mughals. The mosque’s southern entrance. a massive gateway called the auland Darwaza (Victory Gate). gives a feeling of immense strength and height. an impression emphasized by the steepness of the flight of steps by which it is approached.
5. All these buildings reflected Akbar’s design and architectural philosophy. This “Akbari” style of architecture
6. For example, Akbar’stomb, though Islamic in spirit, is a blend of styles. The magnificent entrance, use of exquisite patterns, excellent jaali work (intricately perforated decorative stone screens), fine Persian style calligraphy, the charbagh garden layout (four-quartered garden layout, with the main building at the center), etc.. are represertative of Islamic influence.On the other hand, the absence of a dome, use of chhatris (small domed canopies. supported by pillars), tiers of airy pavilions. etc„ reflect a local influence, which are also found in the buildings built by Akbar in Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri.
7. The employment of Hindu masons and architects who unconsciously introduced in the Muslim buildings their own ideas of art.
8. He established a public works department and his plans were carried out by his able architects and engineers.
9. Even Hindu buildings Of Rajput at Amber and jodhpur were influenced by the Mughal style of Architecture. Not only civil buildings, but even the Hindu temples could not escape the nationalizing effects of Akbar’s architecture. While Akbar had freely borrowed from indigenous temple architecture, Hindu temples erected during his reign did not fail to borrow some Of the features Of the new eclectic style evolved at Agra and Fatehpur Sikri. Hindu temples at Vrindaban show clearly that certain of their features are borrowed from the contemporary style of the Mughals.
10. Mosaic and ebony decoration, in which our craftsmen of the Mughal age were proficient, was also lavishly used in the buildings Of the time. Glazed tiles and decorative carvings form another special feature of the Mughal architecture. The Turkish Sultana’s palace at Fatehpur Sikri is one of the finest specimens of glazed tile work.
11. Fatehpur sikri-panch mahal,jodhabai palace,salim Chishti tomb-inticrate jail work-climax of jail work
12. Akbar built a temple of govinddev at vrindavan

Jahangir

1. Akbar’s tomb was constructed by Jahangir at sikandara
2. Noorjahan constructed the tomb of her father at Agra-ldmat-ul-Daula
3. Here first time complete use of white marble is found
4. Pietra dura technique was used for the 1st time in this tomb
5. Moti masjid at Lahore was built by Jahangir
6. Jahangir constructed his own maqbara at lahore

Shah Jahan

1. Mosque building reached its climax
2. Established the city-shahjanbad
3. Moti masjid of Agra fort ;Jama masjid ;Shalimar bagh at Lahore ;Taj mahal
4. Taj Mahal
   a. taj Mahal was built in Agra by Shah Jahan asa mausoleurn (a kind of large tomb) for his deceased wife Mumtaz Mahal.
   b. It was commissioned in the year of 1632 arul is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
   c. Taj Mahal was the apogee of evolutionary architectural process in medieval India.
   d. The Taj complex is entered through a monumental red sandstone gateway. the opening arch of which beautifully frames the mausoleum
   e. The tomb is laid out in a Chahar Bagh (garden), crisscrossed with paths and water courses, interspersed with pools and fountains.
   f. The structure is placed on the northern extremity of the bagh instead of the middle to take the advantage of the river bank (Yamuna).
   g. The straight path through the bagh reaches the plinth of the tomb.
   h. At the comers of the terrace stand four tall minarets, one hundred and thirty two feet high.
   i. The main body of the building is topped with a drum and a dome and four cuploas forming a beautiful skyline
   j. Towards the west of the white marble faced tomb lies a red sandstone mosque and a similar construction in the east to maintain balace
   k. The marbles for the building was quaried from Makrana Mines, Rajasthan
   l. The inner arragement of the mausoleum consists of a crypt below a vaulted, octagonal tomb chamber, with a room at each angle, all connected by corridors
   m. Light to every part of the building is obtained by means of carved and perforated jails set in the arched recesses of the interior
   n. Four types of embellishments have been used with great effect for the interior and exterior surfaces of the Taj Mahal
   o. These are stone carvings in high and low relief on the walls, the delicate carving of marble into jails and graceful volutes (sprial ornament on the pillars), and the creation of arabesque with pietra dura on walls and tombstones and geometric designs with tessellation
   p. The art of calligraphy is used with the inlay of jasper in white marble to unite Quranic verses
   q. Calligraphy provides a decorative element on the walls and a continuous connection with the almighty

Aurangzeb

1. Decline in architecture
2. Bibi ka makbara-poor replica of taj mahal
3. Construction of red fort at delhi
4. Badshahi mosque at lahore

Question 7

Sikh form of Architecture

Answer 7

1. Golden temple at Amritsar
2. Also known as harminder sahib
3. Foundation by Ramdas,completed by Arjun Deb
4. Multiplicity of chhatris
5. Fluted dome covered with brass and copper gilt
6. Chhajja-shallow cornicce

Question 8

Rajputana Architecture

Answer 8

1. Concept or henging balconies
2. Carved cornice like in the shape Of arch Shadows arch like a bow
3. The Kritistambha, or Tower of Fame, was constructed by the Solanki ruler of Gujarat and one that of the Chittor Fort, the capital of Mewar before Udaipur. The tower,was constructed in the eight years following 1440 and restored in 1906 to commemorate the building of the Kumbhaswami Vaishnava temple. consecrated in 1440.
4. Of many experimental works, in which the Hindu and the Islamic traditions had combined to create something novel is the interesting example of ‘Hava Mahal’ (the palace of the wind) at Jaipur
5. Here an extraordinary experiment has made to create a building suited to the hot, dry climate of Rajasthan. by making the entire facade a perforated screen by creating over fifty slightly raised pavilions, each a half oriel window, as it were, to allow little breeze to walft through those hundreds of perforated jail windows
6. These hat raised pavilions are covered by little domes and curvilinear roofs, whilst the openings are arch-shaped. These are probably inspied by the tiers of small shikharas rising one above the other, of Bhubaneswar or Tanjore.