Architecture as Power

Made by Vibhansh, Preeti, Tejendra and Kamaxi

Architecture as Power
In this presentation we are going to explain about the
followings topics:
1. Introduction
2. Some interesting information
3. The Nagara or northern style
4. The Dravidia or southern style
5. The Vesara or Hybrid style
6. Mughal Architecture
7. Summary

Introduction

The medieval period in India was a period of great

building activity.
The kings use to construct many things.

Introduction

The various monument built during this period of

1000 years can be categorized as follows:
1. Sacred structures like temples, mosques and
dargas.
2. Forts and fortresses built for security reasons.
3. Palaces and Havelis.
4. Sarais and Kos minars for convenience of the
travelers.
5. Lakes, reservoirs and water harvesting system in
forts.
6. Wells and step wells or baolis .
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Some interesting information

about Dargah
Chishti's tomb was originally built with red sandstone
but later converted into a beautiful marble
mausoleum.Salim Chishti's Mazar (tomb)is in the
middle of the Emperor's Courtyard atFatehpur
Sikri,Uttar Pradesh,India.
Themausoleumwas constructed byAkbaras a mark of
his respect for the Sufi saint, who foretold the birth of
his son, who was namedPrince Salim after him and
later succeeded Akbar to the throne of theMughal
Empire, asJahangir.
The ancestral house of Shaikh Salim Chishti has a large
Sun motif at its main door and inside has a beautiful
array of impressive stone screen.
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Some interesting information

about Dargah
One of the oldest buildings in Fatehpur Sikri,
Stone Cutter's mosque is situated to the west of
theJami Masjid, which was built by the local stone
cutters in honor of Chishti. It has some beautiful
architectural features, marking the incorporation
of indigenous architectural styles in the
construction.

Some interesting information

about Haveli
The term Haveli was first applied in Rajasthan by the Vaishnava
sect to refer to their temples in Gujarat. In the northern part of
India havelis for Lord Krishna are prevalent with huge mansion
like constructions.
The havelis are noted for their frescoes depicting images of
gods, goddesses, animals, scenes from the British colonization,
and the life stories of Lords Rama and Krishna. The music here
was known as Haveli Sangeet.
The Marwaris commissioned artists to paint those buildings
which were heavily influenced by the Mughal architecture.
The havelis were status symbols for the Marwaris as well as
homes for their extended families, providing security and
comfort in seclusion from the outside world.

Some interesting information

about Haveli
The typical havelis in Shekhawati consisted of two
courtyards an outer one for the men which
serves as an extended threshold, and the inner
one, the domain of the women.
The largest havelis could have up to three or four
courtyards and were two to three storey high.

The Nagara or northern style

The Nagara style of temples first developed in the
fifth century in north India.
It is characterized by a beehive-shaped tower called
a shikhara.
The shikhara crowns the square shaped room called
garbhagriha in which the deity is placed.
The shikhara has a huge stone disc called amalaka.
Above the amalaka the kalasha is placed.
There are distinct regional variations in the temples
located in different regions of north India. For
example the Jagannath Temple at Puri in Orissa, sun
Temple at Konark, etc.
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The Nagara or northern style

The shikhara remains the most prominent

element of the Nagara style temples and the
gateway is usually modest.

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The Dravidia or southern style

Dravidian architecture was a style of architecture
that emerged thousands of years ago in the
Southern part of the Indian subcontinent or South
India, built by the Dravidian people.
It consists primarily of pyramid shaped temples
called Kovils in Tamil which are dependent on
intricate carved stone in order to create a step
design consisting of many statues of deities,
warriors, kings, and dancers.
Mentioned as one of three styles of temple
building in the ancient book Vastu shastra, it
originated mainly in the region of Tamil Nadu.
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The Dravidia or southern style

Various kingdoms and empires such as the

Cholas, Chera, Pandyas, Pallavas, Rashtrakutas,
Chalukyas, Hoysalas, and Vijayanagara Empire
amongst many others have made a substantial
contribution to the evolution of Dravidian
architecture through the ages.

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The Vesara or Hybrid style

The Vesara or hybrid style of temple architecture

combines the Nagara and Dravida styles.
It is found in the Deccan region.
A typical example is the Hoysala Temple with its
multiple shrines and remarkable ornate carving.

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Techniques of arch
An arch is a structure that spans a space and supports
structure and weight above it. Arches appeared as
early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamian brick
architecture and their systematic use started with the
Ancient Romans who were the first to apply the
technique to a wide range of structures.
A corbel arch is an arch-like construction method that
uses the architectural technique of corbeling to span a
space or void in a structure, such as an entranceway
in a wall or as the span of a bridge. A corbel vault uses
this technique to support the superstructure of a
building's roof.
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Mughal Architecture
The mughals built magnificent forts, palaces,
public buildings, mosques, baolis, sarais, etc.
They also laid out many gardens, for example,
Nishat Bagh in Kashmir, Shalimar at Lahore, the
Pinjore Garden in the Punjab foothills, etc. These
gardens were called char bagh (four gardens)
because of their symmetrical divisions into
quarters.

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Mughal Architecture
The Mughal building usually have:
1. Impressive front sides with four centred arches.
2. Domes with constricted necks and inverted lotus
tops.
3. Marble carving, delicate perforated screens and
Pietra dura.
4. Use of red, yellow sandstones and marble as the
building material.
5. Use of running water in the gardens, palaces and
pleasure resorts.

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Mughal Architecture
Shah Jahan proved to be the greatest builder
among the Mughals.
He brought grace, delicacy and rhythm to the
Mughal monuments that he built.
The extensive use of marble and Pietra Dura
characterizes all his major buildings.

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Summary
The medieval period in India marked a period of great
building activities.
The mughals built magnificent forts, palaces, public
buildings, mosques, baolis, sarais, etc.
The rich merchants also constructed impressive structures
to suit their lifestyle.
The temple architecture included three styles, namely,
Nagara, Dravidian and Vesara.
During the Mughal period, the Indian Islamic traditions of
architecture had blended together nicely to produce a new
indo-Islamic style of architecture.
Shah Jahan is called the greatest builder of the Mughal
Dynasty. He was one to construct the Red Fort in Delhi and
Taj Mahal in Agra, concentrate to be one of the seven
wonders of the world.
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Pictures

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Acknowledgment
Information
1. Wikipedia.
2. Self knowledge.
3. Reference book Go World.
. Images
1. Wiki Images.
2. Agarwal.

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