India has several beautiful and splendid monuments in the world. These monuments owe their execution and creation to the imagination of men who dared to extend their ideas to the farthest limits of human thought. As kings and emperors, they were able to translate their ideas into bricks, mortar, marble and stone. These monuments range through a span of centuries and the major philosophies of the world.
The temple is situated on the northeastern corner of Puri. The name Konark is derived from the words Kona meaning corner and Arka meaning sun. Konark is also known as Arkakshetra. The temple was built in 1278 AD by the Ganga king Narasimha Deva. The ruins of this temple were excavated in late 19th century AD. The Sun temple at Konark is widely known not only for its architectural grandeur but also for the intricacy and profusion of sculptural work. It is listed in the UNESCO World heritage Site.Khajuraho was the capital city of the Chandelas. There were 85 temples constructed by the Chandelas between AD 950 and 1050 out of which only 25 have survived. The earliest temples of Khajuraho were built in coarse granite. However, the temples dating back to later period are mostly built in fine-grained buff, pink and pale yellow sandstone, quarried from neighboring areas. The temples mark the culmination of the northern Indian or Nagara style of temple architecture. The Khajuraho Group of Temples Comes under the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.The monuments of Mamallapuram are excellent specimen of Dravidian temple architecture and Pallava art. The Shore temple at Mamallapuram was built during the reign of Rajasimha in the 7th century AD. The temple is perched on a rocky outcrop and presides over the shoreline. It was designed to catch the first rays of the rising sun and to illuminate the waters after dark. Thus the temple has an unusual layout.The Qutub Minar was started in 1199 AD by Qutub-ud-Din Aibak and completed by the sultan’s successor and son-in-law, Iltutmish. The building is 72.5 m high and has 379 steps from the bottom to the top. It is made of red and b Qutub-ud-Din Aibak buff sandstone. All the storeys are surrounded by a projected balcony encircling the Minar and supported by stone brackets, which are decorated with honeycomb design, more conspicuously in the first storey. The Qutub Minar is decorated with floral motif and arabesque.
Shahjahan constructed the Taj Mahal for his favorite wife Arjumand Begum, popularly known as Mumtaz Mahal. Taj Mahal was constructed over a period of twenty-two years, employing twenty thousand workers. It was completed in 1648 AD at a cost of 32 Million Rupees. Ustad Isa Khan was the chief architect of the building. The Taj Mahal represents the Zenith of Mughal architecture. It is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of India.
Fort St. George marks the beginning of development of Madras (Chennai) as a modern city. It looks more like a complex of the well-maintained colonial mansions then a fort. It houses a place where Lord Clive used to live. Fort St. George houses the tallest towering flagstaff in India. The building had been constructed in a typical English style of architecture of the 17th and 18th century AD. It has beautiful stained glasses, church benches made of teak, ornate marble walls, frescoes and plaques. A moat was built around the fort to keep the locals at a distance. It once housed the British regiment mess and later the lighthouse.
India Gate is located in Rajpath and was the first gate to be constructed in the New Delhi. It was built as a War Memorial to commemorate the death of 90,000 India soldiers, who were killed in the North West Province during the First World War and the Afghan Fiasco of 1919. The Duke of Connaught laid the foundation of this Memorial on 10th February 1921. The India Gate was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and was completed in 1931. The gate is built of sandstone rising to a height of 160 ft. the height of the arch is 136′ externally and 87’6″ internally.
Indo-European Architecture
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| After the glorious Mughal Architecture, India saw the development of the Indo-European Architecture, which was the amalgamation of thestyles of the European countries, like Portugal, Holland, France and England. The Europeans constructed forts, churches, ton halls, clock towers, market complexes, gateways etc.The architecture of the imperial Portuguese marked by churches and cathedrals reflecting the post-Renaissance European architecture. There are examples of old mansions, remains of fortifications and defences, dating mainly from the 18th century AD. The Portuguese architecture was very much influenced by contemporary developments in Europe at that time. The churches of Goa are fusion of Renaissance principles and aesthetics to suit local colonial tastes, monetary resource and raw materials.Though Goa is spotted with numerous churches, the representatives of the Indo-European architecture are the Spirit Cathedral of St. Catherine (Se Cathedral), the Church of the Holy or St. Francis of Assisi, the Bom Jesus and the Church of Our Lady of Divine Providence.
The buildings built by the British were not as elegant and grand as that of the Mughals, but were civic and utilitarian buildings and commemorative structures. Indo-European architecture in India during British period closely followed the developments in their home country but also sought inspiration from existing architecture in India for greater legitimacy.
The evolution and development of British Indo-European Architecture in India can be studied from the cities of Kolkota. Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Shimla etc. The contributions made by the British lead to the creation of a composite architectural style imbibing European, Indian and Mughal elements and was also called the Colonial Architecture. One of the most significant legacies of Britain’s long reign in India is the Colonial Architecture from the two centuries anteceding the struggle for independence. These imposing buildings including palaces, mansions, clubhouses and government offices, represented a hybrid of Western and Eastern sensibilities as their architects sought to plant the flag of British dominance in a foreign culture.
The new princely cities of Jaipur, Bikaner and Mysore are influenced by the Indo-European Architecture. The towns were patterned along British examples of clock towers, railway stations, public offices, assembly halls, water systems and public hospitals.
The finest examples of the Indo-European architecture are the Churches and Convents of Goa, the Fort St. George at Chennai, Fort St. William at Kolkata, the India Gate, the Rashtrapati Bhawan, the Victoria Terminus, the Gateway of India, Crawford Market, Mumbai, Connaught Place, New Delhi etc
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The fine arts, especially architecture, made tremendous progress during the Islamic rule in India. The architecture of this period can be divided into four categories. They are the Delhi or the Imperial Style, the Provincial Style, the Hindu Architecture and the Mughal Architecture. The Imperial Style developed under the patronage of the Sultans of Delhi. The Provincial Rulers who were mostly Muslims patronized the Provincial Style. Though the Imperial Style influenced this style yet it had its own individuality. The Hindu Architecture evolved under the Hindu kings of Rajasthan and Vijayanagara Empire with an influence of the Imperial style. The Mughal Architecture was a blend of the Islamic Architecture of Central Asia and the Hindu Architecture of India.
The development of the Muslim Style of Architecture of this period can be called the Indo-Islamic Architecture or the Indian Architecture influenced by Islamic Art. This style was neither strictly Islamic nor strictly Hindu. The Muslims provided spaciousness, massiveness and breadth to the Hindu architecture. They added mere or arch, dome and minar to the indigenous architecture. 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 Hindu style of decoration was applied by the Muslims to decorate their arches.
The Provincial Rulers could not provide the grandeur similar to the Imperial or the Mughal buildings to their own buildings because of limited economic resources at their disposal. The local circumstances also influenced the Provincial Style therefore making them different not only from the Imperial Style but also from each other.
The Mughal Architecture occupies a most significant place in the history of Indian Architecture. Akbar was responsible for its origin and development.
The Mughal Architecture was basically Indian though it recognized and incorporated foreign influences with in it. Some of the basic features of the Mughal Architecture are the round domes, high minarets, mehrabs, pillars, open courtyards etc. Red sandstone was used for construction of the buildings during the initial period while white marble 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 Muslims mostly constructed tombs, minarets, mosques, palaces and forts while the Hindus mostly constructed temples, forts, palaces, stambhas (victory towers), gopurams, and mandapas in the temples. Though there was no positive effort for the fusion of the Hindu and Muslim architecture yet the synthesis took place and gave birth to the Ind-Islamic style of architecture. The Mughals constructed many mausoleums, mosques places etc. it was influenced by theprovincial architectures of the times.
The outstanding examples of this period are the Qutub Minar, Alai Darwaza, Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque, Tughlaqabad Fort, Vithala temple, Kirti Stambha, Fatehpur Sikri, Agra Fort, Taj Mahal, Red Fort etc.
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