Courtesy : Progressive customs of architecture

Regional styles

Rajput Architecture

Main article: Rajput architecture

See also: Architecture of Rajasthan

Rajput elements

Jharokha windows of Hawa Mahal

Profusely painted interiors Jal Mahal

Pietra Dura and Jaali works on Amer Fort Entrance

Chandra Mahal showcasing fusion of Rajput and Mughal styles.

Salim Singh ki Haveli

Chhatris in Udaipur

Rajput Architecture represents different types of buildings, which may broadly be classed either as secular or religious. The secular buildings are of various scales. These include temples, forts, stepwells, gardens, and palaces. The forts were specially built for defense and military purposes due to the Islamic invasions. # ISO certification in India

The Mughal architecture and painting influenced indigenous Rajput styles of art and architecture

The Hill Forts of Rajasthan (Amer, Chittor, Gagron, Jaisalmer, Kumbhalgarh, Ranthambore), a group of six forts built by various Rajput kingdoms and principalities during the medieval period are among the best examples of Rajput Architecture. The ensemble is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Other forts include the Mehrangarh Fort and Jaigarh Fort.# ISO certification in India

Most of the population of Rajasthan is Hindu, and there has historically been a considerable Jain minority; this mixture is reflected in the many temples of the region. Māru-Gurjara architecture, or “Solaṅkī style” is a distinctive style that began in Rajasthan and neighbouring Gujarat around the 11th century, and has been revived and taken to other parts of India and the world by both Hindus and Jains. This represents the main contribution of the region to Hindu temple architecture. The Dilwara Jain Temples of Mount Abu built between the 11th and 13th centuries CE are the best-known examples of the style. The Mughal architecture greatly influenced indigenous Rajput styles of art and architecture.# ISO certification in India

Some architectural style innovated and influenced by Rajasthani architectural styles are:-

1. Ornated buildings or Havelis
2. Chhatris
3. Delicate ornamentation
4. Jharokha
5. Stepwell or Bawdi

Rajput Forts

Jodhpur Fort

Neemrana Fort

Amer Fort

Chittorgarh Fort

In Hindi, the “Chhatri” refers to a canopy or umbrella. Chhatris are the elevated pavilions with dome shaped porches. The Chhatris are used as a symbol to portray the fundamentals of admiration and pride in its style of architecture.# ISO certification in India

A Jharokha is a kind of suspended enclosed gallery. A significant purposes it served was to allow women to witness the events and society outside the palace life without being noticed. This eventually lead to Jharokha Darshan, adapted by Mughals, which allowed essential and direct communication between the emperors or kings and the general public.

The walled city of Jaipur was formed in 1727 by Kacchwaha Rajput ruler Jai Singh II, and is “a unique example of traditional Hindu town planning”, following the precepts set out in much Hindu texts. Subsequently, the City Palace, Hawa Mahal, Rambagh Palace, Jal Mahal and Albert Hall Museum were also built. Udaipur also has several palaces, including the Bagore-ki-Haveli, now a museum, built in the 18th century.

Rajput Architecture continued well into the 20th and 21st centuries, as the rulers of the princely states of British India commissioned vast palaces and other buildings, such as the Albert Hall Museum, Lalgarh Palace, and Umaid Bhawan Palace. These usually incorporated European styles as well, a practice which eventually led to the Indo-Saracenic style.# ISO certification in India

Sikh Architecture

Main article: Sikh architecture

The Golden Temple in Amritsar

Sikh architecture is heavily influenced by Mughal and Islamic styles. The onion dome, frescoes, in-lay work, and multi-foil arches, are Mughal influences, more specially from Shah Jahan’s period, whereas chattris, oriel windows, bracket supported eaves at the string-course, and ornamented friezes are derived from elements of Rajput architecture. Apart from religious buildings, Sikh architecture includes secular forts, bungas (residential places), palaces, and colleges.# ISO certification in India

Gurudwara

The religious structure is called gurdwara (a place where the Guru dwells). The word gurdwara is a compound of guru (guide or master) and dwara (gateway or seat). The Golden Temple in Amritsar and Hazur Sahib are examples.

Gurdwara Baba Atal is a 17th-century nine-storeyed Gurudwara in Amritsar

Gurdwara buildings do not have to conform to any set architectural design. The only established requirements are: the installation of the Granth Sahib under a canopy or in a canopied seat, usually on a platform higher than the specific floor on which the devotees sit, and a tall Sikh pennant flag atop the building.

In the 21st century, more and more gurdwaras (especially within India) have been following the Harimandir Sahib pattern, a synthesis of Indo-Islamic and Sikh architecture. Most of them have square halls, stand on a higher plinth, have entrances on all four sides, and have square or octagonal domed sanctums usually in the middle. During recent decades, to meet the requirements of larger gatherings, bigger and better ventilated assembly halls, with the sanctum at one end, have become accepted style. The location of the sanctum, more often than not, is such as to allow space for circumambulation. Sometimes, to augment the space, verandahs are built to skirt the hall. A popular model for the dome is the ribbed lotus, topped by an ornamental pinnacle. Arched copings, kiosks and solid domelets are used for exterior decorations.# ISO certification in India

Maratha Architecture

Shaniwarwada palace fort in Pune.

The Maratha Rule from 17th to 19th Centuries, emerged after the Maratha’s victory over the Mughal Empire in the Maratha-Mughal Wars, Prominent buildings such as the Shaniwar Wada and Lal Mahal in Pune are examples.The decorative features of the mansions were “pointed arches, heavy carved stone brackets, narrow balconies projecting on rows of such brackets, domical shallow ceilings resting on a variety of squinches, the chief being the interwoven type”.

Many jyotirlinga temples were rebuilt by the Marathas after being destroyed by invading Islamic forces. Some examples are the Kashi Vishwanath, Mahakaleshwar, Trimbakeshwar, Grishneshwar temples. The ghats of Varanasi were also rebuilt under Maratha patronage, including the Dashashwamedh Ghat and Scindia Ghat.# ISO certification in India

The Maratha structures used both the local architectural style and the Maratha’s own distinct corinthian columns style. Because of the constant turmoil and protracted wars with Mughals, Nawabs, Afghans, and other forces, very little documentation of these efforts remain. Nevertheless, studies of these structures show that the main architectural elements were made from brick, wood, mortar and stone. Wood was most used element as it is easily and cheaply available in Maharashtra and Karnataka. The Historian Khafi Khan wrote about enchanting beauty of 16th Century wooden Palaces, temples and Forts However very few of these survived due to wars with Mughal Empire and comparitively short life of wooden structures than stone and marble structures. Forts were the main focus of Maratha architecture, decorated with Deccan-style pointed arches and elaborate woodwork.# ISO certification in India

Herman Goetz writes about their architectural style in his work ‘Five Thousand Years of Indian Art’: “The Maratha temples generally provided with a huge lampstand (deepmala),The wood work they used to decorate their palaces and other civil buildings was intricate and minute. Maratha art could have developed and attained a distinctive character but it was not possible because of the turbulent times of Medieval India.# ISO certification in India