Islamic or Mogul architecture in India

I will be posting in parts many posts under this title. Each one will try to cover one Mogul monument or an Islamic place of worship.

The first part will be a sort of introduction to this topic as I see it. Of course all the posts under this title will have lot of photographs!

I have been trying to understand the difference between Mogul architecture and Islamic architecture. When I checked this with an orthodox Mohammedan friend of mine Mr.  Mohamed Moyeed, this is what he said - Any building built for the purpose of prayer or related stuff is Islamic architecture. E.g. a Mosque. Mogul architecture is any non worship place E.g. Taj Mahal, Akbar’s Tomb etc. According to him as per the Islamic scripture building a tomb or a memorial for a dead person is not allowed. Kuran says when a person dies; there should not be any structure or anything of that sort as a remembrance of the dead person.   

Mogul or Islamic architecture is all monumental places or places of worship that were built in India during the Mogul dynasty between 1526 and 1707. Architecture is probably the greatest contribution of Moguls to India. They have left behind the most enduring and influential architectural legacy. Before coming to India, they have inherited a wealth of varied designs from Sassanian (The Sasanian Empire was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire) and Byzantine empires (The Byzantine Empire was the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, ruled by Byzantine emperors). They are naturally endowed with good taste for buildings, never failed to adapt to their own requirements the indigenous architecture of almost every foreign country that they conquered. India was no exception to this. 

New elements like use of shapes; inlay decoration and use of coloured marble, painted plaster and brilliantly blazed tiles were introduced into the Indian architecture. As per the literature available the concept of arch or dome was not invented by the Muslims but was, in fact, borrowed and was further perfected by them from the architectural styles of the post-Roman period. It is said that the Muslims were the first people to use cementing agents in the form of mortar for the first time in the construction of buildings in India. From other civilisations they have derived some scientific and mechanical formulae in their constructions in India. This amalgamation of the Indian and the Islamic elements led to the emergence of a new style of architecture called the Indo-Islamic Architecture.

 

New elements like use of shapes; inlay decoration and use of coloured marble, painted plaster and brilliantly blazed tiles were introduced into the Indian architecture. As per the literature available the concept of arch or dome was not invented by the Muslims but was, in fact, borrowed and was further perfected by them from the architectural styles of the post-Roman period. It is said that the Muslims were the first people to use cementing agents in the form of mortar for the first time in the construction of buildings in India. From other civilisations they have derived some scientific and mechanical formulae in their constructions in India. This amalgamation of the Indian and the Islamic elements led to the emergence of a new style of architecture called the Indo-Islamic Architecture.

The architecture made tremendous progress during the Islamic rule in India. The greatest contributions came under the rule of Akbar and Shah Jahan. The Indo-Islamic Architecture was neither strictly Islamic nor strictly Hindu. They added arches, domes and minarets to the indigenous architecture. The Muslims borrowed the design of kalash on the top of the Hindu temple by placing a dome on the top of their buildings. The Hindu style of decoration was applied by the Muslims to decorate their arches.

Even before the arrival of Moguls, India has already reached the pinnacle in architecture. The temples at Thanjavur, Seerghazhi, Chidambaram, Kumbakonam, Kancheepuram, Rameshwaram, Madurai, Konark, Belur, Khajuraho and Halebid and forts at Orcha and Vellore, bear testimony to the architectural excellence of Indian rulers. The arrival of Moguls only added another dimension to Indian architecture.

Coming back to Mogul architecture, the best places in India where we can see lot of it is Delhi, Lucknow, Agra, Fathepursikri and Hyderabad. Since the capital of Mogul empire alternated among the north Indian cities of Agra and Delhi, until Delhi became the permanent seat under Shah Jahan, this is where most of the great works of Mogul Empire are concentrated. Besides these two places the Mogul architecture can also be seen in cities like, Lucknow, Fathepursikri and Hyderabad. Luckily, I had the opportunity of seeing all these cities except Fathepursikri because, Hyderabad is my home town, and Delhi is the place where I have been domiciled for the past two years!  Agra and Lucknow are close to Delhi. Unfortunately I never had the chance of visiting Fathepursikri although I went up to Agra. Bad luck! There is always a next time I guess!

F A N T A S Y

Today's 24x7 world order leaves little room for entertainment, social life, exercise and regular eating and sleeping patterns. Time is being converted into money and personal priorities take back seats as corporate interests and personal ambitions take center stage.

Will ‘Fantasy’ have a therapeutic effect on de-stressing? I am not sure, but, basically since it is a good diversion, escape from reality and almost all fantasies are pleasant in some way or other, I presume it can have a positive effect on de-stressing.

When talking about fantasy I would like to quote what Albert Einstein said. He said, “When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than any talent for abstract, positive thinking.”

Sometimes fantasy can become destructive, if it serves as a constant refuge from the world of reality and a source of delusions, in which case the subject would need a psychiatric intervention!

Various definitions for Fantasy:

Mental images or imaginary narratives that distort or entirely depart from reality.

The power of the mind to form images.

The tendency to escape from daily reality or routine.

An exciting and unusual experience or situation you imagine happening to you, but which will probably never happen.

An idea or belief that is based only on imagination, not on real facts.

Imagery that is more or less coherent, as in dreams and daydreams, yet unrestricted by reality.

All of us indulge in fantasy in our day to day life. We know for sure that one man cannot fight with twenty men and win the fight. But, still, films like Gajini, Mission Impossible and Shivaji, to name a few, were all a super duper success, where in Amir Khan, Tom Cruise and Rajinikant fight with twenty guys and win the fight! This is not real but fantasy! We have enjoyed these films -which means, we have endorsed or indulged in Fantasy? “What people really want in the theatre is fantasy involvement and not reality involvement. People go to theatre for diversion, change of scene and entertainment. While we are in the theatre we escape from reality, for that two or three hours.  One definition of fantasy is - The tendency to escape from daily reality or routine by indulging in daydreaming or entertainment.

Then the recent successful novels - seven fantasy novels of J. K. Rowling and The Lord of the Rings, again a fantasy novel written by J. R. R. Tolkien. Although these novels were written for children, I know many adults have thoroughly enjoyed reading these novels. All these novels are total fantasy. We all know it is not real. But, still we enjoy this.

Why do people read fantasy? The answer is that people are searching for 'escape.' While reading these novels we actually live in a surrealist fantasy world and temporarily escape from reality. This acts as a diversion or change of scene, which actually refreshes us, a kind of stress buster!

Fantasy represents a retreat from the harsh world of competition and commerce. It provides an opportunity to forget the day-to-day problems and indulge in something that gives diversion/pleasure to the individual who indulges in fantasizing. This diversion is very essential and actually relieves tension.

Most of us have things that we would love to tell our boss, but would only say if we were dying or quitting for a much better job. Bosses and jobs like that cause unneeded stress in our lives.

Studies conducted by clinical psychologists have revealed something very interesting and informative. In these studies the subject is encouraged to fantasise that his boss is sitting next to him in his car. Then the subject is asked to utter loudly every sarcastic, mean and vindictive thing the subject wanted to tell his boss.

This may sound laughable, but studies have shown that saying something out loud can help people release the negative emotions they carry around with them over the course of daily life. Studies have also shown that people who have this type of fantasy life are also more emotionally well-adjusted than people who don't!

Sexual fantasies are sexual thoughts and images created in the mind that provide an outlet to the sexual feelings of human beings. Men and women generally indulge in sexual fantasies in their dreams and this helps them to get rid of physical exhaustion. If a person most frequently finds himself having sexual fantasies, it doesn’t imply that he is suffering from any specific ailment or disease. Mental health practitioners around the world admit that it is absolutely normal to have sex related fantasies and they cite sexual fantasizing as a most frequently adopted measure to gain sexual relief. Someone said and I quote here - “Love is the exchange of two fantasies and the contact of two skins.”

I think it is reasonably OK to say that Fantasy does have a de-stressor effect! I do not know who said this but when you need diversion - “Abandon the search for Truth; settle for a good fantasy”

Brahadeeswara Temple.

‘A sculptor's dream, a historian's mine, a dancer's vision and a sociologist's scoop that's the Brahadeeswara Temple’ said Times of India. I would like to add one more; and that is ‘a photographer’s delight! Yes, I literally went berserk when I visited this temple with my Nikon! I wanted to shoot everything and everything is so unique that you wouldn’t like to miss. I am a diehard fan of South Indian temple architecture. Big temple is a brilliant example of south Indian temple architecture and probably one of the best in the world!

Periya Kovil (Big temple) or Brihadeeswarar Temple is situated in Tanjavur in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. This temple is also known as Peruvudaiyar Kovil (Kovil is the Tamil word for temple). This is believed to be the world’s first fully granite temple. UNESCO has declared  it a World Heritage Site. I personally prefer to call it ‘Big temple’ as I consider this to be temple of temples! Every feature of this temple is larger than life — the monolithic Nandi, the gigantic twelve feet high Dwarapalakas (guardian deities) and the sculptures in the niches around the central shrine. They are distinguished by an elegant simplicity in lines and ornamentation.

In front of the temple is a very big statue of Nandi (Nandi is a Sanskrit word for bull), which is a monolith - 16 feet long and 13 feet tall. Nandi is a common sight  in front of all Shiva temples as it is considered to be the gate keeper of Shiva and Parvathi.

The 'Vimana' - or the temple tower - is 66 meters tall and is among the tallest of its kind in the world. Something very striking with this temple is that the entire temple structure is made out of hard granite stones, which is sparsely available in Thanjavur area where the temple is located. This means that all the granite required to build this temple was brought form hundreds of miles away! This would have been a phenomenal task, considering the fact that cranes and other related infrastructure that are required to transport these granite stones were not available thousand years back when this temple was built! Inconceivable indeed!

This marvelous structure was built by one of the greatest kings who ruled this part of the world centuries back – Rajaraja Chozhan I. 1002 CE was the year this temple was built! Big temple has stood the test of time for more than thousand years! The temple survives to this day in its original grandeur. It is a magnificent haven of architecture, sculpture and paintings.

Rajaraja Chola the Great was the first Chola King to document archives of his rule in the form of written evidence on stone tablets and copper plates. In the famous inscriptions in the Brahadeeswara temple complex, he records not only the donations given by him and his sister and relatives, the noblemen but also the commoners who donated to the temple.

This temple is unique in many respects.

An all stone structure of such stupendous proportions had never been attempted before. In height, elegance and simplicity of design and plan, the temple has few parallels.

It attracts the curiosity of not merely the historians but also the sociologists, not to speak of the dancers and the painters, for it is perhaps the only temple in the world which carries on its walls the engraved evidence, in beautiful calligraphy, of its entire history and the story of the contemporary society.

An exhaustive documentation ranging over almost a hundred long inscriptions engraved on the walls, pillars and podium, is a  rare wealth and indeed of immeasurable value to the scholar.

  

The inscriptions found on the temple walls and pillars give a comprehensive history of the times. The temple also sports a depiction in stone, of eighty one of the one hundred and eight karanas of Bharata Muni's Natya Sastra - the first of its kind - setting the pace for many others to follow in succeeding centuries.

The inscriptional data also abound in mention of the jewelry of the period; about sixty-six different types of ornaments and jewelry are listed with all the details.

Besides all this information there is a fund of material on the social and cultural life of the people of the times. Contrary to the general belief that the Indian community lacked a sense of history, this temple sets an example of the ability of Indians in documenting history.

  

The details of Rajaraja's conquests, his army and navy, his administrative ability and his religious tolerance, are gleaned from the inscriptional evidence on the temple walls.  

The inscriptions also describe  the types of jewellery, the composition and the content and the highly advanced techniques in fashioning them. They also mention twenty-three varieties of pearls, and eleven very clearly defined varieties each of diamonds and rubies alone; which only shows how exhaustive is the recording left behind for posterity.  

The Thanjavur Peria Kovil is one thousand years old this year, 2010. Rajaraja Chola I commissioned this greatest edifice of Tamil history and performed the sacred dedication of the temple in the year 1010, the 25^th year of his reign.

A temple for the Cholas was not merely a house of worship. It was the fulcrum of life, for the king linked himself closely with the deity of his choice. War booty was gifted to the temple which was the Treasury as well as the Public Record Office.  

The learned scholar, the sculptor and the architect, the dancer and the musician, the blacksmith and the carpenter, and a host of others depended on the temple for their livelihood. Thus, the temple was an institution of activities which touched upon every aspect of a person's life.  

The construction of the temple is said to have been completed on the 275th day of the 25th year of his reign. After its commemoration the great temple and the capital had close business relations with the rest of the country and acted as a centre of both religious and economic activity.

The towering vimanam is built up with stones with bonding and notching, without the use of mortar. The topmost stone, weighing about 80 tons, is still a matter of discussion for engineers who are baffled as to how the builders lifted it to that height without the help of modern contrivances. A charming tale is told about a ramp being built from a village — Sarapallam — four miles away, from where the giant stone was pulled up by elephants!

The details of the stone work of this imposing vimanam are representative of the masterly craftsmanship of South Indian artisans. The shilpi (sculptor) and the sthapathi (architect) came together to create their fanciful abode for Shiva. Naturally, the shape had to echo Mount Kailash itself. In its perfect geometry and distinct clarity of lines, this tower is unbeatable.

Any write up on ‘Big temple’ will not make much sense without making a reference to the great King who built this wonderful edifice. Rajaraja Chozhan I, who built this temple, was the greatest king of Chola dynasty. Tamil historical novel “Ponniyin Selvan” (The son of Ponni) written by Kalki Krishnamurthy narrates the story of Rajarja Chola. Ponniyin Selvan is a famous 2400 page 20^th century Tamil historical novel. Rajaraja Chola I holds the distinction of being one of the Six Indian kings who never lost out on the battlefield to the enemies.

After visiting three times, I still had the feeling that I had missed to photograph something in this temple. This marvelous structure has been there for one thousand years spreading the greatness of the greatest Chola King - Rajaraja Chozhan I. I am sure, when I visit this temple next time, I will definitely find something else which I did not capture this time.

Big temple is truly an architectural marvel!

Created with flickr slideshow.

Meenakshi Amman Temple - Madurai

Recently I visited Madurai – one of the oldest cities of Tamil Nadu, in southern part of India.

The main attraction in Madurai is of course Meenakshi Amman Temple.

Meenakshi amman temple has been given a big face lift by the Tamil Nadu government. Looks like they have spent a lot of money and time to clean the temple and paint it. Painting the Gopurams (Tamil word for Temple towers) however is a matter of opinion. I am not in favor of painting the gopuram. In my opinion it loses the original look. In the recent past they have started painting all the gopurams in Tamil Nadu. I guess they should be left without painting. It looks better that way.

Meenakshi amman temple is a historic Hindu temple, which is dedicated to Lord Sundareswarar.  Ironically later on it became more famous as Meenakshi amman temple! The main deity in this temple is the Lingam and Meenakshi. The temple is full of wonderful architecture. Although many statues have been mutilated over time, even what remains today is testimony to the splendid architectural capability of Tamilians! The temple is a significant symbol for the Tamil people and has been quoted often in ancient Tamil literature. Although the exact year in which this magnificent temple was built is not known, references to this temple in many ancient Tamil literatures are found. Thirugnanasambandar, the famous Hindu saint has, mentioned this temple as early as the 7th century in his works!

The temple Gopurams are very elaborately sculptured and there are 12 such towers in this temple. Two towers which are just above the main deities are made of Gold with splendid sculptures. The tallest temple tower is nearly 52 meters high! The temple is the geographic and ritual center of the ancient city of Madurai. The temple walls, streets and finally the city walls (ancient) were built around the temple in concentric squares. Ancient Tamil classics mention that the temple was the center of the city and the streets happened to be radiating out like the lotus and its petals. It is one of the few temples in Tamil Nadu to have four entrances facing four directions. The temple is surrounded by 12 towers, the tallest of which, the famous Southern tower, rises to over 52 meters high.

Created with flickr slideshow.

Madurai

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Last week I had the opportunity of visiting Madurai in Tamil Nadu. I knew ‘Meenakshi Amman temple’ offers fantastic photo opportunities. So I packed my Nikon promptly, even before I packed other things!

I spent two days at Madurai and two days at Tanjavur before returning to my base – Mumbai.  The way people speak Tamil in Madurai is quite different and I always enjoyed it whenever I visited Madurai. The main attraction in Madurai is of course Meenakshi. The next attraction for me is Murugan Iddly kadai! Yes, recently they have opened a branch at Madurai. For a guy like me who stays in north India, this is definitely an added attraction! In Madurai you get superb iddlies. I felt that these guys can pay more attention to keep the place cleaner!  The stuff they serve is very good and fortunately they serve mineral water. Big consolation!

Meenakshi Amman temple has been given a big face lift by Tamil Nadu government. Looks like they have spent a lot of money and time to clean the temple and paint it. Painting the Gopurams (Tamil word for Temple towers) however is a matter of opinion. I am not in favor of painting the gopuram. In my opinion it loses the original looks. In the recent past they have started painting all the gopurams in Tamil Nadu. I guess it should be left without painting. It looks better that way.

I am visiting Madurai probably after a gap of about 8 years. Nothing has changed! Everything is same. Same Tirunelveli Alva kadai swarming with people, no change in town hall road, College House same as it was 20 years ago with same tables! Only striking change I noticed was the poster of Azhagiri everywhere! He almost owns Madurai, I guess! Everything is in his name; auto stand, cycle stand, bus stand, you name it! Malli poo (Jasmine flower) with superb vasanai continues to be available in plenty in Madurai. I saw it being sold everywhere! Good this has not changed!

Of course another difference I noticed this time was the penetration of Chudidhar! Almost everyone is wearing Chudidhar in Madurai. The beautiful Pavadai & dhavani is almost extinct! Why Tamilians  Tamilians lose their identity, I do not know!

One thing which is very striking in Madurai is the crowd in hotels. Every hotel is crowded all the time! You can never enter freely into a hotel and eat peacefully in Madurai. Before you start eating, someone will be waiting next to your table for you to finish! How anyone will have the mood to enjoy the food, I am not sure! But that is what is happening in Madurai everyday!

Madurai does not have any quality of being called as a city! It is surrounded by lot of villages and the city is frequented by these villagers. Always crowded because of tourist importance, Madurai still has a charm of its own! 

Tirumalai Naicker Mahal

Tirumalai Nayacker Mahal (Palace) was built in the 17th century by King Tirumalai Nayak in one of the oldest city of south India - Madurai. This is believed to have been built in the year 1636 AD. This palace was built with the help of an Italian Architect and is a classical fusion of Dravidian, Islamic and European style. The building, which can be seen today, was the main Palace where the king lived. The original Palace Complex was four times bigger than the present structure. In its heyday, Tirumalai Nayak Palace at Madurai was considered to be one of the wonders of the South India.

Created with flickr slideshow.


Tirumalainaicker is the greatest Naick rulers of Madurai.

The palace built by the king, consisted mainly of two residential complexes named Swarga Vilasam and Ranga Vilasam. There were other portions like a theater, a palace shrine harem, royal band stand, armory and structures to accommodate palanquins, and other royal paraphernalia. Relatives of Tirumalainaickerand servant had two separate quarters. At the backyard a lotus pond and flower garden added beauty to this palace.

The original entrance to this building was located in the northern side of the building. This is about 1.2 KM from Meenakshi amman temple. Once you pay the fees for the camera you are allowed to pictures of anything inside this palace. Recently it has been renovated by the Tamil Nadu government.Wonderful place to take many pictures!

Trauma of transition!

The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown. (A. C. Benson)

In my company, all of us are presently suffering from what I would like to call as ‘Transition trauma’.

We are shifting our base form Gurgaon- a beautiful modern city of North India to Mumbai – a congested old city of western India. A distance of 1393 KMs from each other – Gurgaon and Mumbai are poles apart in the way both these cities are made up of! Mumbai is considered the commercial capital of India for ages. Gurgaon is a future city developed only five or six years ago. The corporate offices of many companies are situated in Gurgaon. Since it was developed very recently the infrastructure of this city is superb! The population is moderate and life is very peaceful here. It is a cosmopolitan city in every sense!

In contrast Mumbai city is very thickly populated, life is very fast, people are different attitudinally and above all the climate is very different from that of Gurgaon. Mumbai has three seasons – hot, hotter and hottest!!! Climate is very humid, as the city is on the shores of Arabian Sea.

The trauma, I guess, stems from the ‘Fear of unknown and familiarity of known’ as the modern philosopher JK puts it. When we think of Gurgaon, only good things come to our mind, as all of us are very familiar with Gurgaon. But many of us are not familiar with Mumbai and this lack of familiarity is the cause of concern for all of us! Thinking objectively, there are many good things in Mumbai; those are not available in Gurgaon! For example, public transport! Mumbai city never sleeps and hence public transport is available twenty four hours a day. Whereas in Gurgaon, public transport is a major problem.

Moreover, Mumbai is very intimidating to a person who goes there from a peaceful city like Gurgaon, because of its sheer size and fast pace of life! But, when one settles in Mumbai and becomes familiar with everything there, I guess, life will slowly settle!

I am unable to find time for my ‘iCapture’ because as I said before, we are all busy in getting ourselves and our belongings transported to Mumbai. It will take a while for me to find time for my blog!