Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
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SOME ASPECTS OF
INDO-ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE
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TYPOLOGIES
OF
STRUCTURES
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CATEGORIES OF STYLES
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DECORATIVE FORMS
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ARCHITECTURAL INFLUENCES
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FORTS
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The walls in all buildings were extremely thick and were largely
constructed of rubble masonary, which was easily available. These
walls were then cased over with chunam or limestone plaster or
dressed stone. An amazing range of stones were utilised for
construction such as quartzite, sandstone, buff, marble, etc.
Polychrome tiles were used to great advantage to finish the walls.
From the beginning of the seventeenth century, bricks were also
used for construction and these imparted greater flexibility to
the structures. In this phase there was more reliance on local
materials.
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Aerial view,
Daulatabad Fort
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Gwalior Fort
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MINARS
Another form of stambha or tower was the minar, a common feature
in the sub-continent. Two most striking minars of medieval times
are the Qutub Minar in Delhi and the Chand Minar at Daulatabad
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Chand Minar,
Daulatabad
TOMBS
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Tomb of Itmaduddaula,
Agra
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SARAIS
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MANDU
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The city of Mandu is located sixty miles from Indore, at an elevation of over 2000
feet and overlooks the Malwa Plateau to the north and the Narmada valley to the
south. Mandus natural defence encouraged consistent habitations by Parmara
Rajputs, Afghans and Mughals. As the capital city of Ghauri Dynasty (14011561)
founded by Hoshang Shah it acquired a lot of fame. Subsequently, Mandu was
associated with the romance of Sultan Baz Bahadur and Rani Rupmati. The
Mughals resorted to it for pleasure during the monsoon season.
Mandu is a typical respresentation of the medieval provincial style of art and
architecture. It was a complex mix of official and residential-cum-pleasure palace,
pavilions, mosques, artificial reservoirs, baolis, embattlements, etc. In spite of the
size or monumentality, the structures were very close to nature, designed in the
style of arched pavilions, light and airy, so that these buildings did not retain
heat. Local stone and marble were used to great advantage. Mandu is a fine example
of architectural adaptation to the environment.
The Royal Enclave located in the city comprised the most complete and romantic
set of buildings, a cluster of palaces and attendant
structures, official and residential, built around two
artificial lakes. The Hindola Mahal looks like a
railway viaduct bridge with its disproportionately
large buttresses supporting the walls. This was the
audience hall of the Sultan and also the place where
he showed himself to his subjects. Batter was used
very effectively to give an impression of swinging
(Hindola) walls.
Jahaaz Mahal is an elegant two-storey shippalace between two reservoirs, with open pavilions,
balconies overhanging the water and a terrace.
Built by Sultan Ghiyasuddin Khilji it was possibly
used as his harem and as the ultimate pleasure
and recreational resort. It had a complex
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Hindola Mahal
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TAJ MAHAL
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GOL GUMBAD
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Whisper Gallery
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JAMA MASJID
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Minaret
Qibla
Maqsur
Screen
Mihrab
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Aisles
Tank
Colisters
(Liwan)
Main
Entrance
Courtyard
(Sahn)
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W
E
S
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1. What do you understand by the term Indo-Islamic or IndoSaracenic architecture? Can you think of another nomenclature?
How did this architecture evolve in India?
2. What types of buildings were added in India in the thirteenth
century?
3. Name four styles of Indo-Islamic architecture.
4. What was the significance of a fort in medieval India? What were
the strategic devices adopted in the construction of forts to confuse
or defeat the enemy?
5. Which forms of secular architecture evolved during medieval
times? What significance did these buildings have in the sociocultural lives of contemporary people?
6. How does Mandu showcase the fact that humans adapt to their
environment?
7. In spite of being unfinished how does Gol Gumbad symbolise the
grandeur and majesty of Indo-Islamic architecture?
8. Which are the places where the dead are buried? How do these
differ from each other?
9. What according to Havell are the fundamental concepts of faith of
a Hindu and a Muslim?
10. Why is the word perfection associated with the Taj Mahal?
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EXERCISE
PROJECT
H. The present
location and
status of the
structure.
Have you
visited any
medieval structure
in your locality/
region/country?
Document the
following aspects
of the structure:
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G. Is it conserved?
Should it be
conserved?
A. Period-RegionPolitical Association
F. Materials used
for construction
of the structure
E. Decorative forms
on the structure
B. Typology of the
structure
Secular/Religious
C. Purpose of
the structure
D. Architectural
forms located
in the structure
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GLOSSARY
A fine-grained variegated chalcedony, its
colours arranged in stripes, blended in clouds,
or showing moss like forms
Amalaka
Anda
Semi-circular dome
Arabesque
Ardhmandap
Ashtadikpalas
Ayudhas
Weapons
Batter
Bosses
Burin
CE
Calligraphy
Caturasra
Square
Chhatra
Chhatri
Chahar Bagh
Chaitya Arch
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Agate
Chaitya
Chakra
Wheel
Chamfer
Chert
Chevron Patterning
V- shaped patterns
Corbel
GLOSSARY
A moulded roof-line
Crystal
Dado panel
Dargah
Dhammachakrapravartan
Dravid
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Cornice
Dressed stone
Inlay in ceramics
Faience
Gahapati
Garbhgriha
Gopuram
Hamam
Harmika
Imam
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Intaglio
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Jali
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Jagmohan
Jasper
Jataka
Jati
Caste
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Keystone
Kos minar
Kuta
Lapis lazuli
Linga
Mahamandapa
Mahaparinibban
Mandap
Hall
Maqbara
Mausoleum or tomb
Mastak
Head
Medallion
Medhi
Cylindrical drum
Mihrab
Mimbar
Mukhlinga
Multiple foliations
Nagara
Naqqar khana
Natyamandapa
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Kalash
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or Rangmandapa
Panchayatana
Pathan architecture
Pendentive
Pietra-dura
GLOSSARY
An object or a work composed of or decorated in
many colours
Pradakshina
Circumambulation
Qibla Liwan
Quartz
Rekhaprasad or
Latina
Rupkar
Artisan
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Polychrome
Sabha Mandapa
Assembly hall
Saracenic
Sarai
Shala ayatasara
Elliptical
Shikhar
Shilpa texts
Shilpi
Artisan
Shraman
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Spandrels
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Sovereignty
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Squinch
Steatite
Stellate
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Architect
Stupa
Sutradhara
Chief artisan
Suzerainty
Tablet
Terracotta
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Sthapati
Torans
Trefoil
Turquoise
Valabhi
Vang
Varna
Vesara
Vihara
Vijanain
Viman
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Tessellation
Volute
Voussoir
Vritta
Circular
Yakshas/Yakshanis
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GLOSSARY
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NOTES
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NOTES