Mughal architecture is an
architectural style developed by the
Mughals in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries throughout the ever changing extent of their empire in
Medieval India. It was an amalgam of
Islamic,
Persian,
Turkic and
Indian architecture.
Mughal buildings have a uniform pattern of structure and character,
including large bulbous domes, slender minarets at the corners, massive
halls, large vaulted gateways and delicate ornamentation.
[1] Examples of the style can be found in India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.The Mughal dynasty was established after the victory of
Babur
at Panipat in 1526. During his five-year reign, Babur took considerable
interest in erecting buildings, though few have survived. His grandson
Akbar built widely, and the style developed vigorously during his reign. Among his accomplishments were
Humayun's Tomb (for his father),
Agra Fort, the fort-city of
Fatehpur Sikri, and the
Buland Darwaza. Akbar's son
Jahangir commissioned the
Shalimar Gardens in Kashmir.
While Shah Jahan's son
Aurangzeb commissioned buildings such as the
Badshahi Masjid in Lahore, his reign corresponded with the decline of Mughal architecture and the Empire itself.
Agra Fort
Agra fort is a
UNESCO world heritage site in
Agra, Uttar Pradesh. The major part of Agra fort was built by
Akbar The Great during 1565 AD to 1574 AD. The
architecture of the fort clearly indicates the free adoption of the
Rajput
planning and construction. Some of the important buildings in the fort
are Jahangiri Mahal built for Jahangir and his family, the Moti Masjid,
and Mena Bazaars.The Jahangiri Mahal is an impressive structure and has a
courtyard surrounded by double-storeyed halls and rooms.
[2]
Great Humayun's Tomb
Main article:
Humayun's tomb
14 years after the death of Humayun, his widow Hamida Banu Begum
built the Humayun’s tomb in Delhi. The mausoleum of Humayun is located
in the centre of a square surrounded by typical Mughal garden in
Fatehpur Sikri. It is said to be first mature example of Mughal architecture.
[3]
Buland Darwaza
Buland Darwaza,
also known as the Gate of Magnificence, was built by Akbar in 1576 A.D.
at Fatehpur Sikri. Akbar built the Buland Darwaza to commemorate his
victory over Gujarat and the Deccan. It is 40 metres high and 50 metres
from the ground. The total height of the Structure is about 54 metres
from the ground level. The Buland Darwaza is approached by 1,000,000
steps. The Buland Darwaza is made of red and buff
sandstone, decorated by carving and inlaying of white and black
marble. An inscription on the central face of the Buland Darwaza is based on
Christian belief (advice given by Jesus Christ), and hence shows Akbar's broad mindedness in matters of
religion.
[4][5]
Haramsara
The Haramsara, the royal seraglio in
Fatehpur Sikri
was an area where the royal women lived. The opening to the Haramsara
is from the Khwabgah side separated by a row of cloiters. According to
Abul Fazl, in
Ain-i-Akbari, the inside of Harem was guarded by senior and active women, outside the enclosure the
eunuchs were placed, and at a proper distance there were faithful
Rajput guards.
[6]
Jodha Bai's Palace
This is the largest palace in the Fatehpur Sikri seraglio, connected to the minor
haramsara
(where the less important harem ladies and maids would have resided)
quarters. The main entrance is double storied, projecting out of the
facade to create a kind of
porch
leading into a recessed entrance with a balcony. Inside there is a
quadrangle surrounded by rooms. the columns of rooms are ornamented with
a variety of
Hindu sculptural motifs. The glazed tiles on the roofs from
Multan have an eye catching shade of
turquoise.
[7] The mosque was built in honour of
Jodha Bai,
mother of Jahangir and wife of Akbar. Her Mughal name was Mariyam
Zamani Begum and this being the reason that the mosque was built in her
honor in Lahore’s walled city. Jahangir built his mother Mariyam Zamani
Begum’s mosque and is just 1 km away from the tomb of Akbar near Agra at
a place called Sikandra.
Buland Darwaza dominates the landscape. Historian
`Abd al-Qadir Bada'uni writes that it was the highest gateway in Hindustan at that time until today.
Inscription
A
chronogram is inscribed on the central archway composed by Ashraf Khan, one of Akbar's principal secretaries that reads,
'In the reign of King of the world Akbar, To whom is due the order in
the country. The Sheikh -ul-Islam adorned the mosque, Which for its
elegance deserves as much reverence as the Ka'ba. The year of the
completion of this magnificent edifice, Is found in the words,"duplicate
of the Masjidi'l-Haram"'
[8]
Sheikh Salim Chishti Tomb
The Tomb of
Sheikh Salim Chishti
is famed as one of the finest examples of Mughal architecture in India,
built during the years 1580 and 1581, along with the imperial complex
at Situated near Zenana Rauza and facing south towards Buland Darwaza,
within the quadrangle of the Jama Masjid which measures 350 ft. by
440 ft.[1] It enshrines the burial place of the Sufi saint, Salim Chisti
(1478 – 1572), a descendant of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti of Ajmer, and
lived in a cavern on the ridge at Sikri.[2] The mausoleum, constructed
by Akbar as a mark of his respect for the Sufi saint, who foretold the
birth of his son, who was named Prince Salim after him and later
succeeded Akbar to the throne of the Mughal Empire, as Jahangir.
Jahangir
Jahangir features architecture vanished from the style; his great mosque at
Lahore is in the Persian style, covered with enameled tiles. At
Agra, the tomb of
Itmad-ud-Daula, which was completed in 1628, was built entirely of white marble and covered in
pietra dura mosaic. Jahangir also built the
Shalimar Gardens and
Nishat Bagh, and their accompanying pavilions on the shore of
Dal Lake in
Kashmir. He also built a monument to his pet deer,
Hiran Minar in
Sheikhupura, Pakistan and due to his great love for his wife, after his death he went on to build his
mausoleum in Lahore.
Shah Jahan
Rather
than building huge monuments like his predecessors to demonstrate their
power, Shah Jahan built elegant monuments. The force and originality of
this previous building style gave way under Shah Jahan to a delicate
elegance and refinement of detail, illustrated in the palaces erected
during his reign at
Agra and
Delhi. Some examples include the
Taj Mahal at Agra, the tomb of his wife
Mumtaz Mahal. The
Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque) in the Lahore Fort and the
Jama Masjid
at Delhi are imposing buildings of his era, and their position and
architecture have been carefully considered so as to produce a pleasing
effect and feeling of spacious elegance and well-balanced proportion of
parts. Shah Jahan also built sections of the
Sheesh Mahal, and
Naulakha pavilion, which are all enclosed in the fort. He also built a mosque named after himself in
Thatta called
Shahjahan Mosque. Shah Jahan also built the
Red Fort in his new capital at Shah Jahanabad, now
Delhi. The red sandstone Red Fort is noted for its special buildings-
Diwan-i-Aam and
Diwan-i-Khas. Another mosque was built during his tenure in Lahore called
Wazir Khan Mosque, by Shaikh Ilm-ud-din Ansari who was the court physician to the emperor.
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal, a
World Heritage Site known as the "teardrop on the cheek of time" according to writer
Rabindranath Tagore,
was built between 1630–48 by the emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his
wife Mumtaz Mahal. Its construction took 22 years and required 22,000
laborers and 1,000 elephants. Built entirely of white marble at a cost
of approximately 32 million rupees
[citation needed], it is one of the
New7Wonders of the World. The building's longest
plane of symmetry runs through the entire complex except for the
sarcophagus
of Shah Jahan, which is placed off centre in the crypt room below the
main floor. This symmetry extended to the building of an entire mirror
mosque in red sandstone, to complement the
Mecca-facing mosque placed to the west of the main structure. Shah Jahan used "
pietra dura", a method of decoration on a large scale-inlaid work of jewels.
Shalimar Gardens
The Shalimar Gardens (1641–1642) built on the orders of Shah Jahan in
Lahore, Pakistan, is also on the UNESCO world heritage list.
Aurangzeb and later Mughal architecture
In
Aurangzeb's reign (1658–1707) squared stone and marble was replaced by brick or rubble with
stucco ornament.
Srirangapatna and
Lucknow
have examples of later Indo-Mughal architecture. He made additions to
the Lahore Fort and also built one of the thirteen gates which was later
named after him (Alamgir). Aurangzeb also built the
Badshahi Mosque which was constructed in 1674 under the supervision of
Fida'i Koka.
This mosque is adjacent to the Lahore Fort and is the last in the
series of congregational mosques in red sandstone and is closely modeled
on the one Shah Jahan built at
Shahjahanabad. The red sandstone of the walls contrasts with the white marble of the domes and the subtle intarsia decoration.
Additional monuments from this period are associated with women from
Aurangzeb's imperial family. The construction of the elegant
Zinat al-Masjid in
Daryaganj was overseen by Aurangzeb's second daughter
Zinat-al-Nissa. Aurangzeb's sister
Roshan-Ara who died in 1671. The tomb of
Roshanara Begum and the garden surrounding it were neglected for a long time and are now in an advanced state of decay.
Bibi Ka Maqbara was a mausoleum built by Prince
Azam Shah, son of Emperor Aurangzeb, in the late 17th century as a loving tribute to his mother, Dilras Bano Begam in
Aurangabad,
Maharashtra. The
Alamgiri Gate,
built in 1673 A.D., is the main entrance to the Lahore Fort in
present-day Lahore. It was constructed to face west towards the Badshahi
Mosque in the days of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.
Another construction of the Mughal era is
Lalbagh Fort
(also known as "Fort Aurangabad"), a Mughal palace fortress at the
Buriganga River in the southwestern part of Dhaka, Bangladesh, whose
construction started in 1678 during the reign of Aurangzeb.
Mughal Gardens
Main article:
Mughal gardens
Mughal gardens are gardens built by the Mughals in the Islamic style
of architecture. This style was influenced by Persian gardens and
Timurid gardens. Significant use of rectilinear layouts are made within
the walled enclosures. Some of the typical features include pools,
fountains and canals inside the gardens. The famous gardens are the
Char Bagh gardens at Taj Mahal, Shalimar Gardens of Lahore, Delhi and Kashmir as well as
Pinjore Garden in
Haryana.
Mughal Bridges
Shahi Bridge, Jaunpur was constructed during the reign of the
Mughal Emperor Akbar.