India is the home of one of the Seven
Wonders of the world - Taj Mahal. This structure built of marble
by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as a love tribute to his wife would
be a dream project of architects for centuries to come.
Civilisation in India had flourished along the banks of her rivers,
off the sea-shores & in semi arid regions. Depending on the
locale, materials like wood, mud, bricks, tatches woven of palm
& coconut leaves have been used. Huge stones had also been used
to create archways, temples etc., Tracing the growth of Indian
Architecture
Stambhas
Stupas
Chaityas & Viharas
- Buddhist rock-cut structures
Mughal architecture - Taj Mahal
STAMBHAS
Stambhas (pillars) were set up in the Buddhist sacred places
& along the highways. Emperor Ashoka made a major contribution,
setting up atleast thirty such pillars. A stambha consists of
a circular column or shaft slightly tapering towards the summit
(monolithic). On top of this shaft is the Persepolitan bell
or the inverted lotus shaped base. Above this is the abacus
on top of which rests the crowning sculpture. These three portions
were carved out of a single stone (monolithic). The stambhas
erected during various periods have shown a development in style
& structure. Some fine examles are the Basarh Bakhira (with
lion capital), Laurya Nandangarh in Champaran district of Nepal
(with a seated lion capital on an inverted lotus & carved abacus).
The Saranath stambha with its four lions seated back to back
as its crowning sculpture is a fine specimen. Following the
Buddhists, the Hindus & the Jains also had columns. (Garuda
pillar at Besnagar). The famous iron pillar from the Gupta period
is a fine specimen, withstanding exposure to rain & storm, yet
remaining smooth and unrusted bearing testimony to the mastery
of Indian metal-casting.
STUPAS
Stupas are basically funeral mounds
- low circular mounds ringed by boulders. It was mostly a Buddhist
art, though Jains also seemed to have built stupas.
Emperor Ashoka had built a great number of stupas. A stupa was to
enshrine body relics in the form of small pieces of calcinated bone
of the Buddhist monks & teachers.
A stupa consists of a solid hemispherical dome on which stands a
kind of kiosk. A railing surrounds this (vedika) and even when the
construction was of stone, it continued to rsemble wooden railings
of the past in design.
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The Sanchi
stupa in Madhya Pradesh is the best specimen of stupa art.
The finest of Buddhist stupas in South India is that in
Amaravathi, Andhra Pradesh. Stupas were also erected in
Nagarjunakonda, Jaggayapetta and Ghantasala in South India.
Smaller miniature stupas were also placed around the main,
as is the case in Bodh Gaya, Gandhara and Nepal, where the
pilgrims placed the stone replicas, sometimes with a Buddha
statue within. The Gandhara stupas show great development
in decorative sculptural elegance with a higher base.
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Chaityas are
the halls enclosing the stupas. Ashoka constructed eight rock-cut
halls in the Barabar & Nagarjuni hills and the one near Rajgir
dedicated to Jaina monks. The Lomas Rishi, the Sudama (both in
the Barabar hills) and the Sita Marhi (Nagarjuni hills) caves
are fine examples of the Chaityas which resembled the wooden buildings
of the period.
More sophisticated rock-cut chaityas developed later. The final
form of rock-cut architecture that developed from these early
forms can be seen all over India in Andhra Pradesh, Kathiawar
in Gujarat and in Ajanta & Ellora. The rock formation in all
these areas were most suited for these rock cut structures. Alternating
layers of hard and soft rock prevents moisture from seeping inside.
They began the work from the top & continued downward. The
Buddhists were the main contributors to these rock-cut monuments
and best monuments are those found in Ajanta & Ellora (vishwakarma
cave- cave No.10). Fine sculptures adorn the walls. Figures of
Buddha in various poses were cut out.
Viharas are the dwelling places donated to the normally wandering
Buddhist monks. The earlier structures were made of wood &
soon developed from the primitive thatched huts into large sangharamas.
Pali texts indicate the structure of the viharas. In course of
time the sangharamas developed into educational institutions &
centres of Buddhist learning, such as those at Nalanda, Vikramasila,
Somapura. Hinayana viharas are seen in Ajanta, Ellora & in
the Orissan hills in the east coast and at Nasik, Bedsa, Kondane
and Pitalkhora in the Western Ghats. The development of Mahayana
vihara can be traced only at Ajanta.
Mughal Architecture : The Taj
Mahal
The Taj Mahal at Agra, one of the
7 wonders of the world is undoubtedly the finest achievement &
the most exquisite of all Moghul buildings. In its flawless beauty
it ranks among the most perfect monuments in the world. It was erected
by Shah Jahan to the memory of his beloved queen, Arjumand Banu
Begum, called Mumtaz Mahal ( exalted of the palace ). A year after
her death in 1631 he began the Taj & it took twenty-two years
to complete.
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The Taj Mahal
stands in a walled enclosure measuring around 580x305m.
The red sandstone gateway at the south leads to a spacious
ornamental garden(305sq m). Near the river Jamuna on the
northern side of the enclosure, a low red stone terrace
extends from one end of the wall to the other, terminating
on both sides in a red standstone building. That on the
west is a mosque, & the eastern one-its jawab (answer)
- serves as mihman-khana (guest house) or as majlis khana
(assembly hall).
In the centre, on a white marble platform almost seven metres
high, is the rauza in glittering white marble, with four
minarests at the corners of the plinth. The bevelled angles
give this cubicle structure the shape of an irregular octagon.
The elevation, equal on all four sides, is typically Islamic
in design.
The greatest elegance of the Taj lies in its beautiful white
marble dome surrounded by four chatris (smaller domed pavilions).
The dome rests on a low drum. Lotus petals encircle its
restricted base. It curves up gently to the pointed top,
covered with radiating petals. While the dome reveals Persian
influence, the four chatris are purely Indian.
Delicacy & grace characterise the beauty of the Taj.
The white marble from the Makrana quarries has a texture
of the finest quality. It shows subtle variations in colour
with every change of light; dazzling white in the noonday
sunshine, tinted pale rose at sunset, & gleaming like
a pearl in the moonlight. Light & shade are cleverly
arranged. There are no outstanding parts producing sharp
contrasts of light & shadow; the shadows are soft &
delicate. The arched recess of doors & windows are just
deep enough to bring out their pointed shape. This softness
of shadows is oneof the great charms of the Taj.
The lovely tomb building together with the four minarets,
detatched from it yet united by means of the common platform,
form a harmonious open design. The setting too fits such
a lovely masterpiece. A pair of buildings in red sandstone
flank the glittering white edifice. Before it lies a spacious
garden laid out in a conventional plan, forming a carpet
of green lawns & flower beds as well as of strems, fountains
& lotus pools whose clear waters mirror the beauty of
the Taj. The contrast of the dark green trees & red
sandstone buildings enhances its white loveliness all the
more.
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