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Mughal Architecture

The document discusses Mughal architecture from the 15th-18th centuries, including important features like Persian, Indian and Turkish influences. It describes architectural works from each Mughal emperor like Humayun's Tomb, Fatehpur Sikri and Buland Darwaza under Akbar, and the Taj Mahal under Shah Jahan, with Mughal architecture reaching its peak under Shah Jahan.

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149 views2 pages

Mughal Architecture

The document discusses Mughal architecture from the 15th-18th centuries, including important features like Persian, Indian and Turkish influences. It describes architectural works from each Mughal emperor like Humayun's Tomb, Fatehpur Sikri and Buland Darwaza under Akbar, and the Taj Mahal under Shah Jahan, with Mughal architecture reaching its peak under Shah Jahan.

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MUGHAL ARCHITECTURE

Introduction
 The Mughal period (1526-1857) marked a striking revival of Islamic architecture in northern
India.
 Flourished in northern and central India under the patronage of the Mughal emperors
from the mid-16th to the late 17th century.
 Persian, Indian, Turkish, and various provincial styles were fused to produce works of
unusual quality and refinement.

Important Features
The important features of Mughal art were:
1. Influence: Persian, Indian, Turkish, and various provincial styles.
2. Mixed Architecture: It was a blend of Indian, Persian, and Turkish architectural style.
3. Diversity: Different types of buildings, such as:
a. majestic gates (entrances),
b. forts,
c. mausoleums,
d. palaces,
e. mosques,
f. serais, etc.
4. Building material: Mostly red sandstone and white marble were used.
5. Speciality:
a) Charbagh style of the mausoleums,
b) pronounced bulbous domes,
c) slender turrets at the corners,
d) broad gateways,
e) beautiful calligraphy,
f) arabesque and geometric patterns on pillars and walls and
g) palace halls supported on pillars.
The arches, chhatri, and various styles of domes became hugely popular in the Indo-
Islamic architecture and were further developed under the Mughals.

Babur
Due to his short reign (1526-1530), most of which was spent in wars, Babur could not
leave any significant construction except the
1. Mosque of Kabuli Bagh at Panipat and
2. Jama Masjid at Sambhal near Delhi.
Babur also built Ram Bagh, the first Mughal Garden in India (1528) in Charbagh
Style located in Agra.

Humayun
1. He laid the foundation of the city named Dinpanah but could not finish it.
2. Humayun’s Tomb, also known as the precursor of the Taj Mahal was the first imposing
structure of the Mughals which was built by his widow Hamida Begum and designed by
Persian architect Mirak Mirza Ghiyas.
The mausoleum built upon a raised platform is a mix of Indian and Persian
artistry using red sandstone and white marble.
It has a Persian Charbagh style. The tomb was declared as a UNESCO World
Heritage Site in 1993.
Akbar
(Fatehpur Sikri, Buland Darwaza, Jama Masjid, Tomb of St. Salim Chisthi, etc,.)
 The reign of Akbar (1556-1605) witnessed immense developments in Mughal art and
architecture.
 He built the city of Fatehpur Sikri which was the first planned city of the Mughals and
served as his capital from 1571 to 1585.
 Buland Darwaza (1576, built to commemorate Akbar’s victory over Gujarat kings), Jama
Masjid, Diwan-i-aam, Diwan-i-khaas, Birbal’s house, Tomb of Saint Salim Chisthi are
some of the important monuments in Fatehpur Sikri.
 He also built the Govind Dev temple in Vrindavan.

Jahangir
 The prince had a special appreciation for the paintings over architecture.
 He built the tomb of Itimad-ud-Daula (father of his wife Nur Jahan) displaying the
world’s finest Pietra-dura works and completed Akbar’s tomb at Sikandra.
 He also built the famous Shalimar Bagh in Srinagar, Moti Masjid at Lahore.

Shah Jahan
 He immortalized himself as he built the Taj Mahal in the memory of his late wife,
Mumtaz Mahal.
 He is rightly called ‘the prince of builders’ as the Mughal architecture reached its zenith
under his reign.
 He built Shahjahanabad, the 7th city of Delhi, today is known as Old Delhi.
 He made extensive use of white marble as opposed to red sandstone which was
preferred by his predecessors.
 He also built the Jama Masjid in Delhi, Moti Masjid in the Agra Fort, and the Sheesh
Mahal in the Lahore Fort brilliantly using pietra dura and complex mirror work.

Aurangzeb
 He preferred simplicity over the grandeur and repaired more mosques than he built.
 Aurangzeb is also said to have destroyed numerous Hindu temples as well.
 A beautiful pearl mosque in the Red Fort, Delhi, and the Bibi ka Maqbara in
Aurangabad for his wife are only a few notable mentions in his long reign.

Conclusion
The Mughal empire, as well as Mughal architecture, flourished and rose to great heights
under their benign rule, but all this ended abruptly under the last of the great Mughals,
Aurangzeb, a puritanical Muslim, who tried to reverse the entire conciliatory policy of his
ancestors. However, the Mughal Era has extensively contributed to a rich and admirable
architectural, literary and cultural history to India.

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