Introduction
Indian
Civilization spanned at least 4,500 years. Indian civilization left its
impact on everything in our lives and society. UNESCO has listed 830 World
Heritage Sites, out of which 26 are in India which is less than six other
countries. It has evolved over the
centuries and has been affected by numerous invaders who have brought different
styles from their motherlands. Beginnings of Indian architecture are
more properly to be dated to the advent of Buddhism in India, in the reign of
Ashoka (304–232 BCE). By the eighth century, with the consolidation of Hindu
kingdoms, the southern Hindu school of architecture was beginning to flourish. In
central India, the Chandellas built a magnificent complex of temples at their
capital, Khajuraho, between 950-1030 A.D. In Ellora in western India, Hindus
added a new series of temples and carvings, culminating in the majestic Kailasa
temple, constructed in the reign of the Rashtrakuta monarch Krishna I (757-73).
The Ajanta Caves in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, India are
about 30rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments which date from the
2nd century BCE to about 480 or 650 CE. The Mughal emperors of
India, were heavily invested in monumental architecture and spent lavishly on
the construction of mosques, and palaces. But among them Taj Mahal (1653), is
an edifice of such ravishing beauty that it has now become icon of India.
Northern
Description :
Qutb Minar and its Monuments,
Delhi, located to the south of Delhi,
is a complex with the Qutb Minar as the centre piece, which is a red sandstone
tower of 72.5 metres (238 ft) height with a base of 14.32 metres
(47.0 ft) reducing to 2.75 metres (9.0 ft) diameter at the top. Built
in the beginning of the 13th century, the complex of structures comprises
itineraries, the Alai Darwaza
Gate (1311), the Alai Minar (an incomplete mound of the intended Minar or
tower), the Qubbat-ul-Islam
Mosque (the earliest existing mosque in India), the tomb of Iltumish,
and an Iron Pillar.
Architecture:
The Minar is made of red sandstone covered with intricate carvings and
verses from the Qur'an.
The Minar comprises several superposed flanged and cylindrical
shafts, separated be balconies
carried on Muqarnas corbels.
The first three storeys are made of red sandstone; the fourth and fifth storeys
are of marble and sandstone. At the foot of the tower is the Quwwat-ul-Islam
Mosque. The minar tilts just over 60 cm from the vertical, which is
considered to be within safe limits, although experts have stated that
monitoring is needed in case rainwater seepage further weakens the foundation. The
nearby 7 meters high Iron
Pillar from Gupta
empire is a metallurgical curiosity. The pillar standing in the Qutb complex
has Brahmic inscriptions on it and predates the Islamic minar.
Description :
Taj Mahal,
one of the Seven
Wonders of the World is a mausoleum –
a funerary mosque.
It was built by Emperor Shahjahan
in memory of his third wife Begum Mumtaz Mahal
who had died in 1631. This much acclaimed masterpiece was built over a 16-year
period between 1631 and 1648 under the Chief Architect Ustad
Ahmad Lahauri supported by several thousand artisans under the guidance of an
Imperial Committee. It was inscribed in the UNESCO World
Heritage List in 1983, under Category i, as a cultural property/monument. It is set
amidst vast Mughal
Gardens, which cover 17 hectares (42 acres) of land on the right bank of the Yamuna River
Architecture:
It is a large edifice made in white marble in typical Mughal
architecture, a style that combines elements from Persian, Islamic
and Indian
architectural styles. It has an octagonal layout marked by four exclusive minarets
at four corners with a pristine elevation of a central bulbous dome below which
the tombs are laid in an underground chamber. Calligraphic inscriptions
in-crusted in polychromatic pierra dura, decorative bands and floral arabesques
glorify the monument's graphic beauty and provide a picture perfect impression
to the viewers.
Description :
Fatehpur Sikri,
"the City of Victory," was built during the second half of the 16th
century by the Mughal
Emperor Akbar
(1556–1605). It was the capital of the Empire and seat of the grand Mughal
court, but only for 14 years.
Architecture:
Fatehpur Sikri sits on rocky ridge, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) in
length and 1 km (0.62 mi) wide and palace city is surrounded by a
6 km (3.7 mi) wall on three sides with the fourth bordered by a lake.
Its architects were Tuhir Das and Dhruv Chawla and was constructed using Indian
principles. The buildings of Fatehpur Sikri show a synthesis of various
regional schools of architectural craftsmanship such as Gujarat and Bengal.
This was because indigenous craftsmen were used for the construction of the
buildings. Influences from Hindu and Jain architecture are seen hand in hand
with Islamic elements. The building material used in all the buildings at
Fatehpur Sikri, palace-city complex, is the locally quarried red sandstone,
known as 'Sikri sandstone'. It is accessed through gates along the 5 miles
(8.0 km) long fort wall, namely, Delhi Gate, the Lal Gate, the Agra Gate,
Birbal's Gate, Chandanpal Gate, The Gwalior Gate, the Tehra Gate, the Chor Gate
and the Ajmere Gate.
Description :
The 380,000 m2 (94-acre) fort has a semicircular plan, its chord
lies parallel to the river and its walls are seventy feet high. Double ramparts
have massive circular bastions at intervals, with battlements, embrasures, machicolations
and string courses. Four gates were provided on its four sides, one Khizri gate
opening on to the river.
Architecture:
Agra Fort,
also known as the Red Fort of Agra, which represented Mughal
opulence and power as the centre piece of their empire was inscribed in the
UNESCO World Heritage List in 1982, under Category iii as a cultural monument.
The fortress located on the right bank of the Yamuna River.
Description :
The Jantar
Mantar in Jaipur
is a collection of architectural astronomical instruments, built by Maharaja
(King) Jai
Singh II at his then new capital of Jaipur between 1727 and 1734. It has been
inscribed as cultural property on the UNESCO World Heritage List as "an
expression of the astronomical skills and cosmological concepts of the court of
a scholarly prince at the end of the Mughal period.”
Architecture:
Built from local stone and marble, each instrument carries an
astronomical scale, generally marked on the marble inner lining. Bronze tablets,
bricks and mortar were also employed in building the instruments in the
monument spread over about 18,700 square metres .
Eastern
Description :
Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya
(Buddha Gaya), spread over an area of 4.86 hectares (12.0 acres) was inscribed
in the UNESCO World Heritage List i as a unique property of cultural and
archaeological importance. The first temple was built by Emperor Ashoka
in the 3rd century BC (260 BC) around the Bodhi Tree Ficus religiosa
(to the west of the temple).
Architecture:
The structures have been built in bricks. he main temple is 50 m in
height, built in Indian
architectural style, dated between 5th and 6th centuries, and it is the oldest temple in
the Indian sub-continent built during the “Golden Age” of Indian culture
credited to the Gupta
period. Sculpted balustrades of the Ashokan
times (3rd century BC) are preserved in the Archaeological Museum located
within the temple complex
Description :
Konark Sun Temple
is a 13th-century Sun Temple (also known as the "Black Pagoda"), at Konark,
in Orissa.
Located on the east coast of the Bay of Bengal
in the Mahanadi
Delta, it is built in the form of the chariot
of Surya
(Arka), the sun god with 24 wheels, and is heavily decorated with symbolic
stone carvings and led by a team of six horses
Architecture:
The Sun temple belongs to the Kalingan
school of Indian temple architecture. The alignment of the Sun Temple is along
the East-West direction. The inner sanctum or vimana used to be surmounted by a
tower or shikara but it was razed in the 19th century.
Victoria
Memorial
Description :
The Victoria Memorial is a large marble building in Kolkata
(Calcutta), West
Bengal, India which was built between 1906 and 1921. It is dedicated to the
memory of Queen
Victoria (1819–1901) and is now a museum and tourist destination under the
auspices of the Ministry
of Culture.
Architecture:
The Victoria Memorial's architect was William
Emerson (1843–1924), president of the Royal Institute of British Architects.[10][11]
The design is in the Indo-Saracenic
revivalist style. This style uses a mixture of British and Mughal
elements as well as Venetian, Egyptian, Deccani
and Islamic
architectural influences.[12]
The building is 338 feet (103 m) by 228 feet (69 m) and rises to a
height of 184 feet (56 m). It is constructed of white Makrana
marble.[13]
The gardens of the Victoria Memorial were designed by Lord Redesdale
and David
Prain. Emerson's assistant, Vincent J. Esch designed the bridge of the north
aspect and the garden gates.
Howrah
bridge
Description :
Howrah Bridge is a cantilever bridge
with a suspended
span over the Hooghly River
in West
Bengal, India. Commissioned in 1943,[8][10]
the bridge was originally named the New Howrah Bridge, because it replaced a pontoon bridge
at the same location linking the two cities of Howrah
and Kolkata
(Calcutta). On 14 June 1965 it was renamed Rabindra Setu after the great Bengali
poet Rabindranath
Tagore, who was the first Indian and Asian Nobel
laureate.[10]
It is still popularly known as the Howrah Bridge.
Architecture:
When commissioned in 1943, Howrah was the 3rd-longest cantilever bridge
in the world,[13]
behind Pont
de Québec (549 metres (1,801 ft)) in Canada and Forth Bridge
(521 metres (1,709 ft)) in Scotland. It has since been surpassed by three
bridges, making it the sixth-longest cantilever bridge in the world in 2013. It
is a Suspension
type Balanced
Cantilever[4]
bridge, with a central span 1,500 feet (460 m) between centers of main
towers and a suspended span of 564 feet (172 m). The main towers are 280
feet (85 m) high above the monoliths and 76 feet (23 m) apart at the
top. The anchor arms are 325 feet (99 m) each, while the cantilever arms
are 468 feet (143 m) each.[6]
The bridge deck hangs from panel points in the lower chord of the main trusses
with 39 pairs of hangers.[4]
The roadways beyond the towers are supported from ground, leaving the anchor
arms free from deck load. The deck system includes cross girders suspended
between the pairs of hangers by a pinned connection.[6]
Six rows of longitudinal stringer girders are arranged between cross girders.
Floor beams are supported transversally on top of the stringers,[6]
while themselves supporting a continuous pressed steel troughing system
surfaced with concrete.[4]
The longitudinal expansion and lateral sway movement of the deck are
taken care of by expansion and articulation joints. There are two main
expansion joints, one at each interface between the suspended span and the
cantilever arms, and there are others at the towers and at the interface of the
steel and concrete structures at both approach.[4]
There are total 8 articulation
joints, 3 at each of the cantilever arms and 1 each in the suspended portion.
These joints divide the bridge into segments with vertical pin connection
between them to facilitate rotational movements of the deck.[4]
The bridge deck has longitudinal ruling gradient
of 1 in 40 from either end, joined by a vertical curve of radius 4,000 feet
(1,200 m). The cross gradient of deck is 1 in 48 between kerbs.
Western
Description :
Churches
and Convents of Goa are monuments inscribed by UNESCO under the World Heritage List in
1986 as cultural property, under criteria (ii),(iv) and (vi), which were built
by the Portuguese
colonial rulers of Goa
between 16th and 18th centuries.
Architecture:
The monuments are built in laterites and walls plastered with limestone
mortar mixed with broken shells. For this reason, the monuments need constant
maintenance to prevent deterioration due to monsoon climatic conditions, and
thus keep them in good shape
Description :
The Elephanta
Caves are a network of sculpted caves located on Elephanta Island, or
Gharapuri (literally "the city of caves") in Mumbai Harbour,
10 kilometres (6.2 mi) to the east of the city of Mumbai.
The island, located on an arm of the Arabian Sea,
consists of two groups of caves — the first is a large group of five Hindu
caves, the second, a smaller group of two Buddhist caves.
Architecture:
The Hindu caves contain rock cut stone sculptures, representing the
Shaiva Hindu sect, dedicated to the god Shiva.
The rock-cut architecture of the caves is dated to between the 5th and 8th
centuries, although the identity of the original builders is still a subject of
debate. The caves are hewn from solid basalt rock.
Rani ki vav
(The Queen's Stepwell)
Description :
Rani ki vav
(The Queen's Stepwell) at Patan,
Gujarat, is a famous stepwell.
It is generally assumed that it was built in the memory of Bhimdev I
(AD 1022 to 1063), the son of Mularaja,
the founder of the Solanki dynasty of Anahilwada Patan about 1050 AD by his
widowed queen Udayamati
and probably completed by Udayamati and Karandev I
after his death. A reference to Udayamati building the monument is in Prabandha
Chintamani, composed by the Jain monk Merunga Suri in 1304 AD. The stepwell was
later flooded by the nearby Saraswati
River and silted over until the late 1980s. When it was excavated by the Archaeological
Survey of India, the carvings were found in pristine condition
Architecture:
This magnificent east-facing step well measures approximately 64m long,
20m wide & 27m deep. A stepped corridor compartmented at regular intervals
pillared multistory pavilions is a unique feature. It was one of the largest
and the most sumptuous structures of its type. It became silted up and much of
it is not visible now, except for some rows of sculptured panels in the
circular part of the well. Among its ruins one pillar still stands which is an
excellent example of this period of design. A part only of the west well is
extant from which it appears that the wall had been built of brick and faced
with stone. From this wall project vertical brackets in pairs, which supported
the different galleries of the well shaft proper. The bracketing is arranged in
tiers and is richly carved. The minute and exquisite carving of this vav is one
of the finest specimens of its kind. Befitting its name, the Rani-Ki-Vav is now
considered to be the queen among step wells of India. There is also a small
gate below the last step of the step well, with a 30 kilometre tunnel,
currently blocked by stones and mud) which leads to the town of Sidhpur
near Patan. It was used as an escape gateway for the king, who built the step
well in the times of defeat.
Description :
Hill
Forts of Rajasthan, are a series of sites located on rocky outcrops of the Aravallis
mountain range in Rajasthan.
The property consists of Chittorgarh Fort, Kumbhalgarh
Fort, Ranthambore
Fort, Gagron
Fort, Amber
Fort, Jaisalmer
Fort.
Architecture:
They represent a typology of Rajput military hill architecture, a style
characterized by its mountain peak settings, utilizing the defensive properties
of the terrain. These hill forts in Rajasthan represent Rajput
military strongholds across a vast range of geographical and cultural zones.It
represents number of hill forts and is said to express the development of
Rajput defensive architecture. examples of Rajput military architecture. Rajput
forts are well known for their defensive architecture. They enclose large
territories and even complete villages in walled compounds.
Dilwara
Temple
Description :
The Jain Dilwara temples of India are located nearly about 2½
kilometers from Mount Abu which is Rajasthan's only hill station. These jain
temples dating back from the 11th to the 13th century AD are world famous for
their stunning use of marble. The five legendary marble temples of Dilwara are
the sacred pilgrimage for the clan of Jains.
There are five temples in all, each with its own unique identity. Each
is named after the small village in which it is located. These are:
Pithalhar, dedicated to the first Jain Tirthankar, Rishabha
Architecture:
Vimal Vasahi Temple
This temple carved entirely out of white marble was built in 1031 A.D.
by Vimal
Shah, a minister of Bhimdev I,
the Chalukya[3]
King (Solanki Maharaja)
of Gujarat.
The temple is dedicated to Lord Rishabha. The temple stands in an open
courtyard surrounded by a corridor, which has numerous cells containing smaller
idols of the tirthankaras. The richly carved corridors, pillars, arches, and 'mandaps'
or porticoes of the temple are simply amazing. The ceilings feature engraved
designs of lotus-buds, petals, flowers and scenes from Jain mythology.
The Rang mandap is a grand hall supported by 12 decorated pillars and
nicely carved out arches with a breathtaking central dome. On the pillars are
carved female figurines playing musical instruments and 16 Vidhyadevis, or the
goddesses of knowledge, each one holding her own symbol.[citation needed]
The Navchowki is a collection of nine rectangular ceilings, each one
containing beautiful carvings of different designs supported on ornate pillars.
The Gudh mandap is a simple hall once you step inside its heavily decorated
doorway. Installed here is the idol of Adi Nath or Lord Rishabdev, as he is
also known. The mandap is meant for Aarti
to the deity.
The Hastishala (Elephant Cell) was constructed by Prithvipal, a descendant of
Vimal Shah in 1147-49 and features a row of elephants in sculpture.
Luna Vasahi
The Luna Vashi temple is dedicated to Lord Neminath. This magnificent
temple was built in 1230 by two Porwad
brothers - Vastupal and Tejpal - both ministers of a Virdhaval, the Vaghela
ruler of Gujarat. The temple built in memory of their late brother Luna was
designed after the Vimal Vashi temple. The main hall or Rang mandap features a
central dome from which hangs a big ornamental pendent featuring elaborate
carving. Arranged in a circular band are 72 figures of Tirthankars in sitting
posture and just below this band are 360 small figures of Jain monks in another
circular band. The Hathishala or elephant cell features 10 beautiful marble
elephants neatly polished and realistically modelled.
The Navchowki features some of the most magnificent and delicate marble
stone cutting work of the temple. Each of the nine ceilings here seems to
exceed the others in beauty and grace. The Gudh mandap features a black marble
idol of the 22nd tirthankar Neminatha. The Kirthi Stambha is a big black stone
pillar that stands on the left side of the temple. The pillar was constructed
by Maharana Kumbha of Mewar.
The remaining three temples of Dilwara are smaller but just as elegant as the
other two.
Southern
Description :
The Group
of Monuments at Hampi comprise a sombre but ostentatious Hampi town, on the banks of the
river Tungabhadra
in Karnataka. Hampi subsumes the ruins of Vijayanagara,
which was the former capital of the powerful Vijayanagara
Empire. Dravidian
temples and palaces abound in Hampi.
Architecture:
The city of Vijayanagara was originally encompassed by seven lines of
fortifications. These fortifications had a large number of bastions and
gateways. The seventh & the innermost fortification enclosed the main city
and is the best preserved.[11]
The extant monuments of Vijayanagara or Hampi can be divided into Religious,
Civil & Military buildings.these bulding are made by people who lived in 
the hampi While most of the monuments at Hampi are from the
Vijayanagara period, a small proportion may be assigned to pre-Vijayanagara
times. The Jain temples on Hemakuta hill, the two Devi shrines & some other
structures in the Virupaksha temple complex predate the Vijayanagara empire.
The earliest amongst them, the Shaiva shrines with their stepped pyramidal
vimanas or superstructures, date to the early Chalukyan period around
ninth-tenth century AD.
Description :
The Group
of monuments in Pattadakal designated under UNESCO World Heritage List, in 1987, cover a
remarkable series of nine Hindu temples,
as well as a Jain sanctuary in northern Karnataka.
In this group of temples, the Virupaksha Temple, built c. 740 by Queen
Lokamahadevi to commemorate her husband's (King Vikramaditya II)
victory over the Pallava kings from the south
Architecture:
There are numerous Kannada language inscriptions at Pattadakal.
Important among them; at Virupaksha Temple, there is 8th (733–745) century Old Kannada
inscription on victory pillar, in the Sangameshvara temple, there exists a
large inscription tablet (696-733) describing grants made by King Vijayaditya
for the construction of the temple.
Description :
The Great
Living Chola Temples, built by kings of the Chola Empire
stretched over all of Tamil Nadu. This cultural heritage site includes three
great temples of 11th and 12th centuries namely, the Brihadisvara
Temple at Thanjavur,
the Brihadisvara
Temple at Gangaikondacholisvaram and the Airavatesvara
Temple at Darasuram.
The Temple of Gangaikondacholisvaram, built by Rajendra I.
Architecture:
The three Chola temples of Southern India represent an outstanding
creative achievement in the architectural conception of the pure form of the
dravida type of temple. The three Great Chola Temples are an exceptional and
the most outstanding testimony to the development of the architecture of the Chola
Empire and the Tamil
civilisation in Southern India. The Great Chola temples at Thanjavur,
at Gangaikondacholapuram
and Darasuram
are outstanding examples of the architecture and the representation of the Chola
ideology. Airavatesvara Temple is a Hindu temple of Dravidian
architecture located in the town of Darasuram,
near Kumbakonam
in the South
Indian state of Tamil
Nadu. This temple, built by Rajaraja Chola II
in the 12th century CE.
Description :
The Group
of Monuments at Mahabalipuram, in Tamil
Nadu, about 58 km from Chennai,
were built by the Pallava
kings in the 7th and 8th centuries. The town is said to have gained prominence
under the rule of Mamalla.
Architecture:
These monuments have been carved out of rock along the Coromandel coast.
The temple town has approximately forty monuments, including the largest
open-air bas-relief in the world.
Central
Description :
Buddhist
Monuments at Sanchi, located 45 kilometres (28 mi) from Bhopal
in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh
are a group of Buddhist monuments dated between 200 BC and 100 BC. The site,
however, has been conjectured to have been developed in the 3rd century BC,
when Emperor
Ashoka of the Mauryan Empire
ruled. The principal monument is Stupa 1 dated to the 2nd century and 1st
century BC.
Architecture:
The sanctuary has a plethora of monolithic pillars, palaces, temples
and monasteries in different status of preservation. It was inscribed as a
World Heritage Site by UNESCO on January 24, 1989
Description :
Khajuraho
Group of Monuments attributed to the Chandela dynasty
which, under sovereignty of Gurjar Pratihars reached its glory. The ensemble of
monuments that have survived belong to the Hindu
and Jain
Religious practices with striking fusion of sculpture and architecture; the
best example of this outstanding feature is seen in the Kandariya Temple. Of
the 85 temples built, only 22 temples have survived in an area of 6 km2,
which represents the Chandela period of the 10th century. Located in the Indian
state of Madhya Pradesh, it was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, a
cultural property on October 15, 1982 for its unique original artistic creation
and proof of the Chandela Culture that existed prior to the Muslim
invasion of India in the early 12th century.
Architecture:
Khajuraho temples, like almost all Hindu temple designs, follow a grid
geometrical design called vastu-purusha-mandala.[36]
This design plan has three important components - Mandala means circle, Purusha
is universal essence at the core of Hindu tradition, while Vastu means the
dwelling structure. The design lays out a Hindu temple in a symmetrical, concentrically
layered, self-repeating structure around the core of the temple called
garbhagriya, where the abstract principle Purusha and the primary deity of the
temple dwell. The shikhara, or spire, of the temple rises above the
garbhagriya. This symmetry and structure in design is derived from central
beliefs, myths, cardinality and mathematical principles. The circle of mandala
circumscribe the square. The square is considered divine for its perfection and
as a symbolic product of knowledge and human thought, while circle is
considered earthly, human and observed in everyday life (moon, sun, horizon,
water drop, rainbow). Each supports the other.[27]
The square is divided into perfect 64 sub-squares called padas. Most Khajuraho
temples deploy the 8x8 (64) padas grid Manduka Vastupurushamandala, with pitha
mandala the square grid incorporated in the design of the spires.[35]
The primary deity or lingas are located in the grid’s Brahma padas.
Description :
Ajanta Caves
listed under UNESCO World Heritage as a cultural heritage site, are Buddhist
caves that were built in two phases, the first phase was from 2nd century BC.
In the second phase, further additions were made during the 5th and 6th
centuries AD of the Gupta period.
Architecture:
The majority of the caves are vihara
halls for prayer and living, which are typically rectangular with small square
dormitory cells cut into the walls, and by the second period a shrine or
sanctuary at the rear centred on a large statue of the Buddha, also carved from
the living rock. This change reflects the movement from Hinayana to Mahāyāna
Buddhism. These caves are often called monasteries. The other type of main hall
is the narrower and higher chaitya
hall with a stupa
as the focus at the far end, and a narrow aisle around the walls, behind a
range of pillars placed close together. Other plainer rooms were for sleeping
and other activities. Some of the caves have elaborate carved entrances, some
with large windows over the door to admit light. There is often a colonnaded
porch or verandah,
with another space inside the doors running the width of the cave.
Description :
Ellora Caves
also known as Ellora Complex are a cultural mix of religious arts of Buddhism, Hinduism
and Jainism.
Architecture:
These are 34 monasteries and temples sculpted contiguously into rock
walls of a high basalt
cliff, which are seen along a length of 2 kilometres (1.2 mi). Dated to
600 to 1000 AD, they are a reflection of artistic creation of the ancient
civilization of India. This cultural property has been inscribed under the
UNESCO World Heritage List. Several inscriptions at Ellora[19]
range from 6th century to 15th century. The best known of them is an
inscription of Rashtrakuta Dantidurga
(c. 753-57 A.D.) on the back wall of the front mandapa of Cave 15, which gives
an account of his conquests. Inscriptions on the Kailash temple itself range
from 9th to 15th century. Jain cave Jagannatha Sabha has 3 inscriptions that
give the names of monks and donors. A Parshvanth temple on the hill [20]
has an 11th-century inscription that gives the name of the donor from
Vardhanapura.
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