Influence On Architecture In India

Introduction

India, a country located in South Asia, is the seventh-largest country in terms of area and the second most populous country. (Wikipedia, n.d.) With its rich history, India also has grand architecture styles such as Mughal, Temple, Indo-Saracenic revival, Dravidian, Kalinga and many more which will be looked into throughout this essay (Go Smart Bricks, 2017). My research question is “To what extent did India influence modern architecture in India (such as the Lotus Temple and the India gate)?” The aim of this essay is to looking into colonization into India and to have a deeper understanding of the architecture styles that brought into India and the influence that has on modern Indian architecture. This is significant since colonization had an effect on a few parts of the Indian culture such as art and architecture. The colonized India for more that 3 centuries from around 1615 till 1947. It started off with coming to India for trading goods, specifically, Indian spices. The East India Company was the main company in charge of the trading of goods between these 2 countries. They then started construction of factories in India and traded other mains goods such as silk, cotton, tea and more. Many groups developed across a few major towns at that time such as Calcutta, Bombay and Madras, now known as Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai. The main colonization happened due to getting involved with the Indian Politics of that time. The First War Independence in 1857 ended East India Company and Crown received control over India. This was then called Raj. (Anwar, 2019)

Indian Architecture before colonization

Similar to its history, India also has a very rich architecture style. Most of the ancient Indian architecture was built using raw materials such as rock or mud. Some of the earliest architecture styles include cave, rock cut and temple architecture, while a style that was prominent just before arrived into India was Mughal Architecture. Cave architecture was mainly utilized by the Buddhist and Jain monks for worshipping and residing. Rock cut architecture was mainly to build temples and was also used to create statues and figures made of rock, which is a significant part of Indian art. These structures were made for religious purposes for the communities living in India at that time. (Cultural India, n.d.)

An architecture style that was most prominent just before had come to India was Mughal Architecture. This architecture style thrived from the mid-16th century till the last 17th century. It included aspects of Islamic architecture and as well as, Indian and Persian architecture due to the fact that India was ruled by the Mughal Emperors who wanted to fuse different styles. (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, n.d.)

The earliest form of Mughal Architecture was present while Akbar the Great which was between 1556-1605. An example of Mughal architecture during his rule would be the Fatehpur Sikri which was his royal city. (Lumen, n.d.) Fatehpur Sikri, also known as the City of Victory, was built by the third Mughal emperor, Akbar, in 1571, in North India. It was the capital of the Mughal Empire for 10 years. All the structures in the Fatehpur Sikri is mainly built using carved red sandstone which white marble and glazed tiles for the interior. It also incorporates both Muslim and Hindu architectural influences. (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2015)

The fifth Mughal emperor Shah Jahan had also built a few famous Mughal architectural structures including the Taj Mahal and The Red Fort. When looking at both these buildings, the beauty of Islamic and Mughal Architecture is visible. A common aspect when in come to Mughal architecture is that most of the buildings have a dome, which is in relation to Islamic Architecture since Mosques usually have large central domes. The idea of a dome started off in the Middle East and Southwest Asia as a method of creating a roof out of materials such as stone, timber, metal or glass. According to Ernst J. Grube, domes in Islamic Architecture is a symbol of power in a royal city and serves a religious and secular purpose. (Gamm, 2014) Another aspect in terms of Islamic Architecture is that the Taj Mahal, includes calligraphy of passages from the Quran, making it significant for Muslims all around the world and attracting tourists and visitors. (Powar, n.d.)Indian Architecture after colonization

Colonial architecture was a common form in India at that time, since India was colonized by many countries between 1500 and 1947. India was colonized by, the Portuguese, the French and the Dutch. During and after Raj, Colonial Architecture was famous in the main cities that were colonized such as Delhi, Madras, Calcutta, Bombay and many more, now known as New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai respectively.

What did they bring into India?

Architecture styles that were brought into India by included, Indo-Saracenic Revival. This architecture style was a fusion of Victorian and Neo-Gothic style which Indian and Indo-Islamic architecture. It included the exotic element from the Indian architectural styles as well as the gothic style from Britain. (Go Smart Bricks, 2017) Most public buildings, for instance, clock towers, town halls, etc. had Indo-Saracenic Revival Architecture. The infrastructure of this architecture style was mainly made of iron, steel and concrete and often consisted of domes, pointed arches, vaulted roofs, open pavilions and many more characteristics. (Boundless, n.d.) Examples of Indo-Saracenic architecture include, the Municipal Corporation Building in Mumbai and The Chhatrapati Shivaji terminus, also known as Victoria Terminus Station in Mumbai is an example of Victorian Gothic Revival architecture including aspects derived from traditional Indian architecture.

influence on architecture in certain states in India

Kolkata

Some examples of architecture in Kolkata, also known as City of Joy, that are influenced include Victoria Memorial; and St. Paul’s Cathedral.

The Victoria Memorial in Kolkata was built in memory of Queen Victoria between 1906 till 1921. (Weekend Thrill, n.d.) It is an iconic landmark and a remembrance of Raj as well as the architectural heritage of India. This historical landmark was a contrivance by Lord Curzon, the Viceroy of India, who decided to build this structure in memory of Queen Victoria, the Empress of India, who had died in January 1901. The Victoria Memorial has an Indo-Saracenic revivalist architecture style that aims to fuse and display aspects of Mughal architecture, architecture, Islamic architecture and many more. The building itself is made of white Makrana marble. In terms of design, from the picture on the left, it can be seen that the structure includes different sizes of domes, a big one in the middle and smaller ones on the sides and corners of the structure itself. Other features include domed chhatris, domed towers and a terrace. On top of the main dome, a 16 feet tall Angel of Victory is also placed. The St. Paul’s Cathedral (picture on the bottom left) is a major landmark of the city with its rich history, cultural and religious importance. It is an example of a building which uses the Gothic Revival architectural style. It’s construction was between 1839 till 1847 and was the first and largest cathedral to be built in Raj. This church as a very similar to the Norwich Cathedral in England, since they both have a similar architecture style, Gothic. The cathedral is located quite close to the Victoria Memorial, making this significant because it suggests that at the time may have been settled in Kolkata, and then started building and exhibiting their architectural styles, in order to make their mark in India. (Ram, 2018)

Mumbai

Examples of Colonial Architecture in Mumbai include Bombay High Court; Gateway of India; The Chhatrapati Shivaji terminus; and the Municipal Corporation Building.

The Gateway of India was built around the 20th century, in order to celebrate the King George V and Queen Mary on their visit to India in 1911. The style of this building is Indo-Saracenic, which means it is the style of architecture that added elements of Mughal Architecture to Victorian Gothic architecture (GKToday, 2014)

New Delhi

In the capital, examples include The India Gate; Parliament of India; and Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Chennai

In Chennai, examples of influenced architectural structures include: Fort St. George; St. Andrew’s Church in Madras, modern-day Chennai, is an example of colonial architecture. (Boundless, n.d.)

St. Andrew’s Church in Madras, modern-day Chennai, is an example of colonial architecture. (Boundless, n.d.)

Analysis

Before looking at the analysis and the extent to which did influence Indian architecture by looking at specific buildings such as the Lotus Temple and the India gate, have a deeper understanding at Indian architecture before the colonization would be important.

One of the main buildings and famous architecture in India, which was constructed before colonized India was the Taj Mahal which is one of the 7 wonders of the world.

As mentioned before, the Taj Mahal is one of the finest examples of Mughal Architecture in India, which was made by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as a tribute to his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, as her tomb. The construction of the Taj Mahal started in 1632 and was completed in 1648, this was towards the beginning of colonization in India (Wikipedia, 2019). The Mughal architectural style is a combination of Islamic, Persian and Indian architecture, this will be closely looked at as this essay follows. This structure is made up of mainly a mosque but also includes a main gateway and a garden. (Tutorials Point, 2019).

When looking at the design and architecture of the structure, the pattern of the structure itself is quite unique since it includes calligraphy from the Quran, including the 99 names of Allah. This means that patterns of this are repeated across the whole structure itself, which is a key characteristic of Mughal architecture. Since the main structure is a tomb for Shah Jahan and his wife, the repetition of the 4 pillars around the main structure would act as a wall of protection or security so that the tombs would be safe. Since it is mainly made of marble, the pattern in the structure of the building itself can also be seen which creates a subtle uniform look to the overall structure. When looking at the rhythm in the building, the repetition of the style of the windows and the design through each side of the main structure, creates an aesthetics look from every angle of the building. The fact that the structure looks the same on all sides creates a sense of cohesion to it. Since the building is a tomb, the ‘box’ effect that the Taj Mahal has, again creates a “tomb” or “grave” effect. The Taj Mahal is also symmetrical, creating a sense of perfection since symmetry is often associated with completeness and precision. The idea of symmetry is clear here when looking at the repetition of the patterns on the building, as well as the 4 pillar on each corner. Having 4 pillars on each corner creates a balance, and as mentioned before, it adds to the coherence of the structure. Using 4 pillars may have been appealing to Shah Jahan since adding one or 2 would make the structure as a whole seem incomplete and not ‘full’, and being and a famous ‘emperor’, he would tend to have and design objects and structures, which look grand. Overall, the structure is balanced due to its symmetry. When looking at contrast as an element of architectural design, it isn’t very applicable to the Taj Mahal since the structure is entirely made of white marble, however, if the garden where to be included, the choice of making a garden itself is significant, since the greenery beside the main structure does create a sense of contrast and makes the structure itself stand out much more than it already does, due to white being a brighter color than the green in the garden. In terms of proportion and scale, I would say that Shah Jahan did a good job in maintaining scale throughout the structure itself, since the measurements of the distances between the pillars and the fact that he decided to make it equal distances apart (a square), overall made the structure today look aesthetically pleasing to the eye due to its exact measurements since if the pillars were to be indifferent positions today, it would not have created a sense of uniformity that makes it one of the worldwide known structure today. Since the architecture style is Mughal architecture, the style of the Taj Mahal seems very Islamic, but also reflects the society and culture of India at the time the Taj Mahal was built, closely reflecting the cultural context during that era.