Art & Culture · Topic 4 of 16
Sultanate, provincial and Mughal architecture showing the synthesis of Islamic and Indian building traditions
The Basics
By the twelfth century, India already had a long tradition of monumental building. Temples across the country used trabeation: pillars, brackets and horizontal lintels supporting flat roofs or shallow domes. Arches and domes were known in wood and stone, but these were not strong enough to carry heavy loads, so builders rarely used them on a large scale.
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By the end of the twelfth century, Turkish rule had been established in Delhi under Qutb-ud-din Aibak, the first ruler of the Mamluk, or Slave, dynasty. He needed a place of worship for the new Muslim population, so he chose to build a mosque at the heart of the conquered city rather than start entirely from scratch.
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Alauddin Khalji added the Alai Darwaza as a gateway to the Qutab complex.
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Tughlaq architecture used sloping walls called 'batter', giving strength and solidity.
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By the early 15th century, the Tughlaq dynasty had weakened. Two short-lived dynasties then ruled Delhi one after the other. These were the Sayyids (1414 to 1451) and the Lodis (1451 to 1526), the last Sultanate dynasties. Political power was now limited and insecure. Rulers and nobles put fewer resources into mosques or forts. They focused instead on personal commemoration, building tombs for their families.
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Provincial sultanates developed their own architectural styles after the Delhi Sultanate's decline.
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Mandu was the capital of the Malwa Sultanate, shifted from Dhar.
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Gol Gumbaz at Bijapur is the tomb of Adil Shahi ruler Muhammad Adil Shah, built in the 17th century.
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Lotus Mahal and elephant stables stand in the royal centre of Vijayanagara, at Hampi.
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Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi at Panipat in 1526 and founded the Mughal dynasty. He ruled only until his death in 1530, so he had little time to build. He raised the Kabuli Bagh mosque at Panipat and the Jama Masjid at Sambhal. Both were simple structures that continued the plain Lodi style. Babur was fond of gardens. He laid out early char-bagh gardens, a Persian four-part garden divided by water channels, near Agra and Lahore.
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Akbar inherited an empire where Humayun's Tomb had already shown what Mughal patronage could achieve, combining red sandstone, marble and a Persian garden plan. Akbar began ruling in 1556. He was the first Mughal ruler with enough time and resources to build on a large scale. He chose red sandstone as his signature material, while Shah Jahan later favoured white marble.
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Noor Jahan built the tomb of her father Itmad-ud-daulah at Agra, during Jahangir's reign.
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Shah Jahan's reign marks the peak of Mughal architecture, with heavy use of white marble.
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Aurangzeb became Mughal emperor in 1658. The empire was already under financial strain. Constant wars, especially in the Deccan, drained the treasury. Aurangzeb preferred austerity over grand building, unlike his father Shah Jahan.
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Indo-Islamic architecture included forts, minars and sarais, serving defence, religious and public needs.
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Chittorgarh is the largest fort in Asia and was long used as a seat of power.
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