|
¤ Persian
Architecture
For invading Muslims, India, served as a home, and it was
here that Persian architecture was experimented with and
perfected. Islamic architecture in India can be classified
into three sections: Delhi or the Imperial style, from 1191
to 1557AD; the Provincial, encompassing the surrounding
areas like Jaunpur and the Deccan; and the Mughal, from
Babur to Aurangzeb (1526 to 1707AD), although the last of
the true `Great Mughal Emperor’ was not much of a great
builder.
¤ Muslim Architecture--Religious and Secular
Muslim architecture can be subjected to another
classification, this one being a little simpler – religious
and secular. The mosque or masjid still stands as a constant
reminder of Muslim art in all its simplicity.
The masjid, or place of prostration, is the all-important
construction of the Muslims. It is also the key note of the
Islamic style. Based on a humble design, it follows the
principle of the somewhat discreet dwellings of Mohammad,
the founder of Islam in Medina in Arabia. The religion
itself condemns the use of idols, or that of any fanfare,
and this principle was kept in mind while building mosques.
Prayers are meant to be offered in the open air,
ascertaining that nothing stands between man and the God.
That was the original intent, but somewhere along the way
the hand of man intervened.
¤ Mosque Architecture
The mosque is basically an open courtyard surrounded by a
pillared verandah, crowned off with a dome. The enclosed
space provided respite from distractions from outside. A
water tank also seeped in as a convenience for devotees to
wash and cleanse themselves before they prayed to Allah.
Prayers are always offered facing Mecca, the holy pilgrimage
for all Muslims. The pillared verandahs gradually got
neighbors in the form of a wall containing an alcove called
mihrab, indicating the direction or qibla for prayer.
Towards the right of the mihrab stands the mimbar or pulpit
from where the Imam (religious head) presides over the
proceedings. An elevated platform, usually a minaret from
where the Faithful are summoned to attend the prayers is
almost always a necessity.
But it was only during a much later period that minarets
began to be included as a device for carrying the muezzin’s
(person who calls the Faithful to prayer) voice further.
However, during Prophet Muhammad’s time, mosques were free
of minarets, possibly to ensure that it’s height and was not
misused to spy into nearby homes.
In every city there will be a Jama Masjid (Arabic: Al-Masjidu’l
Jami meaning the Collecting Mosque) where the faithful
assemble for the Friday prayer or Jum’ah. (See Jama Masjid
under Delhi).
It was soon discovered that additions were required to this
basic structure, but that seemed to create a problem.
Obviously the mihrab couldn’t be tampered with for this was
the most important place. So the outer sections were dealt
with; the idea was to make it look like a house of prayer
without making any drastic changes on the inside.
Towards the outside a screen was thrown to ward off evil
eyes, and a dome was raised.
Coordinating all this was a problem, and Indian builders
never did get it right. The early phase in mosque building
in India presents a consistent disharmony between the front
elevation and the dome, and in almost every mosque the view
of the dome is hampered by the parapet. However, this
doesn’t mean that the view from the back is equally bad. The
cause of such an incoherent approach to building can be
attributed to the immature design of the earliest examples,
the Qutub in Delhi and Arhai Din Ka Jhonpra in Ajmer, which
were essentially built on the foundations of temples. Their
defects were adhered to in following constructions due to
force of tradition. Wherever Muslim monuments were built
with temples as the basic structure, this disharmony
prevailed.
¤ New Architecture Concept in Tomb and Maqbara
Construction
Although not actually religious in nature, the tomb or
maqbara introduced an entirely new architectural concept.
While the masjid was mainly known for its simplicity, a tomb
could range from being a simple affair (like Emperor
Aurangzeb’s tomb in Aurangabad) to an awesome structure
enveloped in a grandeur which has to be seen to be
disbelieved (the glorious Taj Mahal in Agra).
The Aryans and subsequently the Hindus never marked the
place of their dead simply because they didn’t bury them;
instead immersing their ashes in rivers.
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 corpse is buried in a grave or
qabr. In the western wall is a mihrab, although larger
mausoleums will have a separate mosque (a befitting example
is Humayun’s tomb in Delhi).
In such cases the mosque stands discreetly at a little
distance from the main tomb, the whole complex or rauza is
surrounded by an enclosure. The tomb of a Muslim saint will
be called dargah, literally meaning a court or palace.
Almost all Islamic monuments were subjected to free use of
verses from the Holy Koran, and a great amount of time was
spent in carving out minute details on walls, ceilings,
pillars and domes.
¤ Islamic Architecture Follows a Change
In the 14th century under the Timurid rulers,
Islamic architecture underwent a change.
The narrow horseshoe arch of the Suljuqs was replaced by the
true arch, an idea imported directly from Persia, later to
become the hallmark of Islamic architecture.
However, Indian masons weren’t completely convinced of its
holding power. They began using wooden beams as supports,
and eventually the four-centered arch minus the beam support
came into vogue. The darwaza or gate was a standard feature
in every Islamic monument, be it the entrance to a citadel,
city, palace, mosque or simply a gate leading to nowhere.
The palace was normally within the ramifications of the
fort, based on a similar structure as that of mosques –
pillars, domes, detailed engravings, et al – although on a
much, much more grandiose line.
Amongst the secular buildings stand the palace and the fort,
where emperors and kings lived and fought battles. These,
again, were extremely elaborate and massive structures, of
imposing height and splendid grandness, depending on the
size of the empire under control. Built almost entirely of
stone and marble, palaces could be as high as five storeys.
At one time Emperor Akbar even announced that he would build
Fatehpur Sikri from copper, but dropped the idea on the
advice of his ministers.
Forts were essentially functional, complete with a little
township within and various fortifications to engage and
repel the enemy. The Tughlaqs were perhaps the greatest
builders, taking the city of Delhi into five additional
palace citadels through 1320 to 1415AD. It was the unwritten
law for a new ruler to inaugurate his reign by beginning to
build a palace or a fort. Restoration of previous buildings
was rarely adopted, and it was understood that a new
location would be chosen for a new construction altogether.
¤ Restoration Efforts Taken Up By Feroze Shah Tughlaq
It was only Feroze Shah Tughlaq (mid 14th
century) who took up restoration and repaired hundreds of
monuments.
The final flickering example of Mughal architecture in India
would perhaps be Safdarjung’s (1753-74AD) tomb in Delhi.
Safdarjung was Ahmad Shah Abdali’s wazir and the Nawab of
Oudh. Set on a high platform, the mausoleum is crowned with
a high bulbous dome with four polygonal towers inlaid with
marble. Built of red sandstone and marble panels, the effort
was probably to make something similar to Humayun’s tomb,
but by this time decay had already seeped into Mughal
architecture.
|
