MUGHAL ARCHITECTURE
Construction Style Based On: Indo-Islamic Persian Style
Some Famous Monuments Of This Architectural Style: Qutub Minar, Red Fort, Jama Masjid
There is perhaps no city in India that can compare with
Delhi in the number of its monuments.
The capital city is particularly rich in material for the study of
Indo-Muslim architecture.
Mughal architecture is a characteristic of Indo-Islamic-Persian style
that flourished on the Indian subcontinent during the Mughal empire
(1526-1857). This new style combined elements of Islamic & Mughal
Architecture, which had been introduced to India during the reign of Delhi
Sultunate and had produced great monuments such as the
Qutub Minar, with
features of Persian art & architecture. Mughal monuments are found
chiefly in northern part of India, but there are also many remains in
Pakistan.
The monuments of the early Pashtun style
(1193-1320) - represented by the Quwatu'l-Islam mosque, the Qutub Minar,
the tomb of Iltutmish, and the 'Ala'i Gate - reveal the adoption and
adaptation of Hindu materials and style to Islamic motifs and
requirements. The later Pashtun styles represented in
Tughluqabad and in the tombs
of the Sayyid kings (1414-1451) and Lodi kings (1451-1526) are
characterized by finer domes and decoration and the use of excellent
marble and tiles.
The first great Mughal monument was the
Humayun Tomb, made during
the reign of Akbar. The tomb, which was built in the 1560's, was designed
by a Persian architect Mirak Mirza Ghiyas. Set in the midst of a garden at
Delhi, it has an intricate ground plan with central
octagonal chambers, joined by an archway with an elegant facade and
surmounted by cupolas, pavilions, and pinnacles.
Jahangir, who resided at Lahore, built less than his ancestors but
effected the significant change from sandstone to marble. It was Shah
Jahan who perfected Mughal architecture and after establishing Delhi as
his capital, built the famous Red Fort,
which contained the imperial Mughal Palace. The Red Fort is one of the
most important buildings of the city of Delhi. Its massive red sandstone
walls, 75-feet in height, enclosing a complex of palaces,
gardens, military barracks, and other
buildings. The two most famous of these are the Hall of Public Audience -
'Diwan-i-Am' and the Hall of Private Audience - 'Diwan-i-Khas'. The Hall
of Public Audience has 60 red sandstone pillars supporting a flat roof.
The Hall of Private Audience is smaller and has a pavilion of white
marble.
Under the Aurangzeb the decline of the arts began, although his ornate
Pearl Mosque at Delhi is worthy of mention.
The Mosques or Masjids are a constant reminder of the simplicity of the
Mughal architecture. The mosque is basically an open courtyard surrounded
by a pillared verandah, crowned off with a dome. The Principal Mosque or
Jama Masjid situated in Delhi, reveals an increasing use of marble,
elaboration of external surfaces with florid decoration, and the
construction of circular domes and lofty minarets.
The Tomb or 'maqbara' are not actual in nature but they introduced an
entirely new architectural concept. While the masjid
was mainly known for its simplicity, a tomb could range from being a
simple to an awesome structure enveloped in grandeur. The Muslim tomb
usually consists of solitary compartment or tomb chamber known as the
'huzrah' in whose centre is the cenotaph or 'zarih'. This entire structure
is covered with an elaborate dome. In the underground chamber lies the
mortuary or the maqbara, in which the body is buried in a grave or 'qabr'.
The larger mausoleums used to have a separate mosque such as
Humayun's tomb. In such
cases the mosque stands discreetly at a little distance from the main tomb
and an enclosed area surrounded the whole complex or 'rauza'. The tomb of
a Muslim saint is called "dargah", literally meaning a court or
palace.
The final example of Mughal architecture in India would be
Safdarjung's Tomb in
Delhi. Set on a high platform, the mausoleum is crowned
with a high circular dome with four polygonal towers inlaid with marble.
Built of red sandstone and marble panels, the effort must have been made
to construct something similar to Humayun's
Tomb.
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