Indo-Islamic Architecture

The medieval period saw great developments in the field of architecture. With
the coming of Muslims to India, many new features came to be introduced in
buildings. The development of Muslim Style of Architecture of this period can
be called the Indo-Islamic Architecture or the Indian Architecture influenced
by Islamic Art. The Indo-Islamic style was neither strictly Islamic nor strictly
Hindu. The architecture of the medieval period can be divided into two main
categories. They are the Delhi or the Imperial Style and the Mughal
Architecture. The Imperial Style developed under the patronage of the Sultans
of Delhi. The Mughal Architecture was a blend of the Islamic Architecture of
Central Asia and the Hindu Architecture of India.
The Indo-Islamic style provided spaciousness, massiveness and breadth to the
Hindu architecture. In almost all the prominent buildings, the arch, Minar
and dome began to be used and the mosque or Masjid became a part of the
landscape. The chief means of decoration was surface decoration through the
use of geometry, arabesque and calligraphy. The Muslims borrowed the design
of kalash on the top of the Hindu temple by placing a dome on the top of their
buildings.
The most important symbol of Indo-Islamic architecture in India is the tomb
or the mausoleum which evolved from the basic cube and hemisphere of the
early phase into a more detailed form during the Mughal period. In the
Mughal period multiple chambers were made and tombs were set in gardens,
known as the Char-Bagh. The tomb chamber houses the cenotaph below
which is the grave. The most famous example of tomb in India is the Taj
Mahal.
The Mughal Architecture occupies a significant place in the history of Indian
Architecture. The Mughal architecture developed with the efforts of Akbar.
Akbar cleverly incorporated foreign influences into indigenous style. Some of
the basic features of the Mughal Architecture are the round domes, high
minarets, mehrabs, pillars, open courtyards etc. A notable feature of the
Mughal architecture was the use of red sandstone. It is interesting to note that
red sandstone was used for construction of huge buildings and forts. However
red sandstone was replaced with white marbles replaced it during the later

period when the stress was more on beautifying of the buildings with the use
of colored designs, precious and semi-precious stones, gold and silver waters
and minute carvings.
The outstanding examples of Indo-Islamic architecture are the Qutub Minar,
Alai Darwaza, Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque, Tughlaqabad Fort, Fatehpur Sikri,
Agra Fort, Taj Mahal, Red Fort Delhi etc.
GOL GUMBAD:

The foundation of this mausoleum rests on the bedrock, which has prevented any unequal
settlement. Above the basement this building is a huge cube with each sidewall decorated with
three arches. The central arch, wider than the side ones, has doorways except on the north, where
a semi-octagonal chamber buttresses the wall. At the corners of this great cube are added seven
tiered towers octagonal in cross-section. After the death of its builder further decoration of the
structure appears to have been given up.
This edifice ranks among the most imposing ones in India for the sheer monumentality of its
massive dome and its floor area. The hemispherical masonry dome has an internal diameter of
37.92 m. The thickness of the dome varies from 3.05 m. near the base to 2.74 m. near the top. The
floor area of the monument is 1703.56 sq. m.
At a height of 33.22 m from the floor of the hall, projects a 3.25 m wide gallery, all round the inner
periphery of the dome. This gallery is called the Whispering Gallery, because even the finest
whisper or sound made in it is heard from side to side and even a single loud clap is distinctly
echoed over ten times.
TAJ MAHAL:
The Taj Mahal is the most brilliant and the most triumphant achievement among the funeral monuments
all around the world. It marks the culmination in the evolution of the tomb. The Indian builders achieved
the most beautiful expression through this creation under the Mughals. The Taj Mahal in its entirety is the
result of the grand total of all the efforts put meticulously by the expert artists of the age. They harmonized
all the fine features in their minutest details and brilliantly put together to produce the most pleasant
impression. The minarets and the grand elevation play an important part in the aesthetics of the Taj
Mahal. The beautifully laid garden presents the white marble structure more imposingly.
The main idea behind laying the garden was to give the monument a more beautiful setting. The sky
provides a wonderful backdrop to the Taj. The Taj overhangs the river grandly and is always seen in
harmony with a blue sky in the background. The Taj Mahal is always seen as ever-changing and against
an ever new backdrop because of the background changing its color every now and then. Besides the
above mentioned ones there are other substantial factors which add to the looks and beauty of the Taj.
Various parts combine together in symmetry and pleasing proportion to make the monument look more
astonishing. And all these structural masses have been beautifully harmonized. The overall unity which
has thus been obtained is simply elegant. If we intend to appreciate a work of art our approach should be

synthetic; we can't appreciate it in parts, we can do so only as a whole. The parts therefore should be so
assimilated together that each looses its identity in the total unity. The lover of architecture must be aware
of the synthetic nature of art as any work of art can not be appreciated in isolation of its parts. It is the
unity of different parts which make the work look great.
A wonderful artistic and visual effect of the Taj is obtained by its elevation, superstructure, balanced and
symmetrical combination of its parts. Different structural masses have been balanced most harmoniously.
The monument reflects beautiful admixture of lines, horizontal with vertical on the one hand and straight
with curved on the other. A combination of solids and voids imparts a three dimensional effect and allows
a beautiful play of light and gives a color independence to the monument. Not only white marble was
selected by the architects for exterior decoration but they also manipulated the material to produce the
best possible effects of light. This is best reflected in the colored inlay of the portal-dados, the spandrels
of the arches and the pilasters. The receding plinths, give the Taj a towering effect and it appears as if it is
about to rise high into the sky. The Taj marks the ultimate moment in the development of Mughal
architecture. It formed the stage of the art from where it could only decline. The Taj is the perfect
expression of beauty and the illusionary effect of the monument adds to its aesthetics. This illusion was
created by the architect with the help of such gross materials as lime, brick and white marble. The
architect of the Taj was a great master of aesthetics and he successfully incorporated it in his
masterpiece. All this go together to prove the fact that the Taj is more a work of art than of architecture. It
is more a work of beauty than a mere Mughal mausoleum.

Khajuraho Group of Monuments

Architecture

The temples are grouped into three geographical divisions: western, eastern and
southern.
The Khajuraho temples are made of sandstone. The builders didn't use mortar: the
stones were put together with mortise and tenon joints and they were held in place by
gravity. This form of construction requires very precise joints. The columns and
architraves were built with megaliths that weighed up to 20 tons.

GUJRAT TEMPLES:
SOMNATH TEMPLE:

The present temple is built in the Chalukya style of temple architecture or Kailash Mahameru Prasad
Style[23] and reflects the skill of the Sompura Salats, one of Gujarat's master masons. The
temple's shikhara, or main spire, is 150 feet in height, and it has a 27 foot tall flag pole at the top. [23]
The temple is situated at such a place that there is no land in straight-line between Somnath seashore
till Antarctica, such an inscription in Sanskrit is found on the Arrow-Pillar called Baan-Stambh erected on
the sea-protection wall at the Somnath Temple. This Baan-Stambh mentions that it stands at a point on
the Indian landmass, which happens to be the first point on land in the north to the south-pole on that
particular longitude.

Jain Temple Architecture

Jain temples are built with various architectural designs. Jain temples in North India are completely
different from the Jain temples in South India, which in turn are quite different from Jain temples in West
India. All Jain temples have many marble pillars which are carved beautifully with Demi god posture.
There is always a main deity also known as mulnayak in each derasar. The main part of Jain temple is
called "Gambhara" (Garbha Graha) in which there is the stone carved God idol. The main deity of a Jain
temple is known as a mulanayak. A Manastambha (column of honor) is a pillar that is often constructed in
front of Jain temples.

MAHABALIPURAM:

Mahabalipuram, or Mamallapuram, was the chief seaport of the

Pallavas who ruled over much of South India from as early as the
first century B.C to the eighth century A.D., and it is now recognized
as the site of some of the greatest architectural and sculptural
achievements in India. Under the reign of Narasimha Varman (c.
630), this seaport began to grow as a great artistic center. The
beautiful cave temples and gigantic open air reliefs carved from
blocks of granite date to the seventh century.
At

the southern edge of Mahabalipuram is a group of five freestanding temples. Four of them were carved out of a single long
granite boulder. These temples are actually detailed replicas of
ancient wooden structures. These temples represent
the rathas (chariots) of Arjuna, Bhima, Dharmaraja, NakulaSahadeva -- the five Pandava princes of the epic Mahabharata -- and
their common wife, Draupadi. Work on these five temples was
stopped after the death of Narasimha Varman in 668.

In

early eighth century, work was begun on the Shore Temple at

Mahabalipuram. This temple was built to honour Lord Shiva. Unlike
the temples described above, the Shore Temple was built with
granite blocks. The design of the Shore Temple is significant because
it is the earliest known example of a stone-built temple in South
India. The Shore Temple also influenced the architecture of the
Cholas, who succeeded the Pallavas as the dominant dynasty in the
area now covered by Tamil Nadu.

Kailashnath Temple, Ellora

Kailashnath Temple, also Kailash or Kailsa or Kailasanath Temple, is a famous temple, one of the 34
monasteries and temples known collectively as the Ellora Caves, extending over more than 2 km, that
were dug side by side in the wall of a high basalt cliff in the complex located atEllora, Maharashtra, India.
Of these, the Kailasa (cave 16) is a remarkable example of Dravidian architecture on account of its
striking proportion; elaborate workmanship architectural content and sculptural ornamentation of rock-cut
architecture.[1][2] It is designed to recall Mount Kailash, the abode of Lord Shiva.[3] It is a megalith carved
out of one single rock. It was built in the 8th century by the Rashtrakuta king Krishna I.
The Kailash Temple is notable for its vertical excavationcarvers started at the top of the original rock,
and excavated downward. The traditional methods were rigidly followed by the master architect which
could not have been achieved by excavating from the front. [4]
It is estimated that about 400,000 tons of rocks were scooped out over hundreds of years to construct this
monolithic structure.[5] From the chisel marks on walls of this temple, archeologists could conclude that
three types of chisels were used to carve this temple. [6]
All the carvings are done in more than one level. A two-storeyed gateway opens to reveal a U-shaped
courtyard. The courtyard is edged by a columned arcade three stories high. The arcades are punctuated
by huge sculpted panels, and alcoves containing enormous sculptures of a variety of deities. Originally
flying bridges of stone connected these galleries to central temple structures, but these have fallen.
Within the courtyard are two structures. As is traditional in Shiva temples, an image of the sacred
bull Nandi fronts the central temple housing the lingam. In Cave 16, the Nandi Mandap and main Shiva
temple are each about 7 metres high, and built on two storeys. The lower stories of the Nandi Mandap are
both solid structures, decorated with elaborate illustrative carvings. The base of the temple has been
carved to suggest that elephants are holding the structure aloft.
A rock bridge connects the Nandi Mandap to the porch of the temple. The temple itself is a tall pyramidic
structure reminiscent of a South Indiantemple. The shrine complete with pillars, windows, inner and
outer rooms, gathering halls, and an enormous stone lingam at its heart is carved with niches, plasters,
windows as well as images of deities, mithunas (erotic male and female figures) and other figures. Most
of the deities at the left of the entrance are Shaivaite (followers of Lord Shiva) while on the right hand side
the deities are Vaishnavaites (followers of Lord Vishnu).

There are two Dhwajasthambha (pillars with the flagstaff) in the courtyard. The grand sculpture
of Ravana attempting to lift Mount Kailasa, the abode of Lord Shiva, with his full might is a landmark in
Indian art.

MENAKSHI TEMPLE:

Architecture[edit]

The temple is the geographic and ritual center of the ancient city of Madurai and one of the largest temple
complexes in Tamil Nadu. The temple complex is divided into a number of concentric quadrangular
enclosures contained by high masonry walls. It is one of the few temples in Tamil Nadu to have four
entrances facing four directions. Vishwantha Nayaka allegedly redesigned the city of Madurai in
accordance with the principles laid down by Shilpa Shastras (Sanskrit: ilpa stra, also anglicized
as silpa sastra meaning rules of architecture) relevant to urban planning. The city was laid out in the
shape of square with a series of concentric streets culminating from the temple. These squares continue
to retain their traditional names, Aadi, Chittirai, Avani-moola and Masi streets, corresponding to Tamil
month names.[8] Ancient Tamil classics mention that the temple was the center of the city and the streets
happened to be radiating out like lotus and its petals. The temple prakarams (outer precincts of a temple)
and streets accommodate an elobrate festival calendar in which dramatic processions circumabulate the
shrines at varying distances from the centre. The vehicles used in processions are progressively more
massive the further they travel from the centre.[18] The complex is in around 45 acres (180,000 m2)[7]