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Made by Vibhansh, Preeti, Tejendra and Kamaxi

Architecture as Power

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Architecture as Power

• In this presentation we are going to explain about the followings topics:

1. Introduction

2. Some interesting information

3. The Nagara or ‘northern style’

4. The Dravidia or ‘southern style’

5. The Vesara or Hybrid style

6. Mughal Architecture

7. Summary

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Introduction

• The medieval period in India was a period of great building activity.

• The kings use to construct many things.

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Introduction

• The various monument built during this period of 1000 years can be categorized as follows:

1. Sacred structures like temples, mosques and dargas.2. Forts and fortresses built for security reasons.3. Palaces and Havelis.4. Sarais and Kos minars for convenience of the travelers.5. Lakes, reservoirs and water harvesting system in forts.6. Wells and step wells or baolis .

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Some interesting informationabout Dargah

• Chishti's tomb was originally built with red sandstone but later converted into a beautiful marble mausoleum. Salim Chishti's Mazar (tomb) is in the middle of the Emperor's Courtyard at Fatehpur Sikri, Uttar Pradesh, India.

• The mausoleum was 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.

• The ancestral house of Shaikh Salim Chishti has a large Sun motif at its main door and inside has a beautiful array of impressive stone screen.

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Some interesting informationabout Dargah

• One of the oldest buildings in Fatehpur Sikri, Stone Cutter's mosque is situated to the west of the Jami Masjid, which was built by the local stone cutters in honor of Chishti. It has some beautiful architectural features, marking the incorporation of indigenous architectural styles in the construction.

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Some interesting informationabout Haveli

• The term Haveli was first applied in Rajasthan by the Vaishnava sect to refer to their temples in Gujarat. In the northern part of India havelis for Lord Krishna are prevalent with huge mansion like constructions.

• The havelis are noted for their frescoes depicting images of gods, goddesses, animals, scenes from the British colonization, and the life stories of Lords Rama and Krishna. The music here was known as Haveli Sangeet.

• The Marwaris commissioned artists to paint those buildings which were heavily influenced by the Mughal architecture.

• The havelis were status symbols for the Marwaris as well as homes for their extended families, providing security and comfort in seclusion from the outside world.

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Some interesting informationabout Haveli

• The typical havelis in Shekhawati consisted of two courtyards — an outer one for the men which serves as an extended threshold, and the inner one, the domain of the women.

• The largest havelis could have up to three or four courtyards and were two to three storey high.

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The Nagara or ‘northern style’

• The Nagara style of temples first developed in the fifth century in north India.

• It is characterized by a beehive-shaped tower called a shikhara.

• The shikhara crowns the square shaped room called ‘garbhagriha’ in which the deity is placed.

• The shikhara has a huge stone disc called amalaka.• Above the amalaka the kalasha is placed.• There are distinct regional variations in the temples located in

different regions of north India. For example – the Jagannath Temple at Puri in Orissa, sun Temple at Konark, etc.

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The Nagara or ‘northern style’

• The shikhara remains the most prominent element of the Nagara style temples and the gateway is usually modest.

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The Dravidia or ‘southern style’

• Dravidian architecture was a style of architecture that emerged thousands of years ago in the Southern part of the Indian subcontinent or South India, built by the Dravidian people.

• It consists primarily of pyramid shaped temples called Kovils in Tamil which are dependent on intricate carved stone in order to create a step design consisting of many statues of deities, warriors, kings, and dancers.

• Mentioned as one of three styles of temple building in the ancient book Vastu shastra, it originated mainly in the region of Tamil Nadu.

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The Dravidia or ‘southern style’

• Various kingdoms and empires such as the Cholas, Chera, Pandyas, Pallavas, Rashtrakutas, Chalukyas, Hoysalas, and Vijayanagara Empire amongst many others have made a substantial contribution to the evolution of Dravidian architecture through the ages.

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The Vesara or Hybrid style

• The Vesara or hybrid style of temple architecture combines the Nagara and Dravida styles.

• It is found in the Deccan region.• A typical example is the Hoysala Temple with its multiple

shrines and remarkable ornate carving.

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Techniques of arch

• An arch is a structure that spans a space and supports structure and weight above it. Arches appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamian brick architecture and their systematic use started with the Ancient Romans who were the first to apply the technique to a wide range of structures.

• A corbel arch is an arch-like construction method that uses the architectural technique of corbeling to span a space or void in a structure, such as an entranceway in a wall or as the span of a bridge. A corbel vault uses this technique to support the superstructure of a building's roof.

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Mughal Architecture

• The mughals built magnificent forts, palaces, public buildings, mosques, baolis, sarais, etc.

• They also laid out many gardens, for example, Nishat Bagh in Kashmir, Shalimar at Lahore, the Pinjore Garden in the Punjab foothills, etc. These gardens were called char bagh (four gardens) because of their symmetrical divisions into quarters.

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Mughal Architecture

• The Mughal building usually have:1. Impressive front sides with four centred arches.2. Domes with constricted necks and inverted lotus tops.3. Marble carving, delicate perforated screens and Pietra dura.4. Use of red, yellow sandstones and marble as the building

material.5. Use of running water in the gardens, palaces and pleasure

resorts.

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Mughal Architecture

• Shah Jahan proved to be the greatest builder among the Mughals.

• He brought grace, delicacy and rhythm to the Mughal monuments that he built.

• The extensive use of marble and Pietra Dura characterizes all his major buildings.

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Summary

• The medieval period in India marked a period of great building activities.

• The mughals built magnificent forts, palaces, public buildings, mosques, baolis, sarais, etc.

• The rich merchants also constructed impressive structures to suit their lifestyle.

• The temple architecture included three styles, namely, Nagara, Dravidian and Vesara.

• During the Mughal period, the Indian Islamic traditions of architecture had blended together nicely to produce a new indo-Islamic style of architecture.

• Shah Jahan is called the greatest builder of the Mughal Dynasty. He was one to construct the Red Fort in Delhi and Taj Mahal in Agra, concentrate to be one of the seven wonders of the world.

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Pictures

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Acknowledgment

• Information 1. Wikipedia.2. Self knowledge. 3. Reference book – Go World.• Images1. Wiki Images.2. Agarwal.

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Thank you

Thank You For Viewing This Slideshow.Thank You For Giving Your Precious Time.

At Last Thank You Very Much