A multiethnic and diverse population, India is home to over 1.4 billion individuals of different creeds, customs, and heritages. This confluence of different peoples comprises a carefully constellated mosaic of heterogeneous art and architecture. While we could spend aeons investigating the unique gastronomies and dialects of different cities and provinces, we’ll prioritise the architectural over the social. One of the most salient aspects of Indian cultural heterogeneity is its vast array of architectural styles. We will focus on a few key regions and demographics to accurately portray the breadth of ingenuity and skill displayed in Indian architecture. Our areas of interest will include Goa, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Madya Pradesh. While this list is by no means an exhaustive record of Indian creativity or culture, each of these destinations brings an important element to our understanding of Indian history and the development of interprovincial relations.
The influence of the West in Goa
Christianity made its presence known in Goa with the arrival of the Portuguese in the late fifteenth century. Portugal ushered in its Baroque influence most notably into Indian architecture with the erection of Catholic churches and basilicas. A stark example would be the chapel of St. Sebastian in Fontainhas. While it is quaint in stature, the chapel of St. Sebastian houses one of the rarest pieces of religious iconography. The crucifix depicts Christ with his eyes open, which bears witness to the austerity visited upon the Goan people during the depredations of the Inquisition. This is alleged to be the only portrayal of Jesus in this way, providing emotional and spiritual solace to locals.
While the interior of the chapel relies upon a subtler detail to convey its profundity, the outside radiates a clear and distinct message. Its facade is adorned in a pristine white hue, resembling a sense of piety, purity, and holiness. The Italian renaissance influence here is unmistakable, whereas it differs starkly on the other sides. Partial to the vernacular form, the rest of the building consists of sloped roofs and large protrusions. It is here that St. Sebastian’s seemingly Frankenstein composition hints at a historical unity of traditions, rather than a rejection of the unknown, as the eponymous story would convey.
It is important to note that even within the locale that is Goa, an additional layer of intermixture exists. What distinguishes Goa as an epicentre of diversity and cultural depth is the remanence of Islamic and Hindu styles. Architectural scholar, Amita Kanekar, noted the eclectic nature of Goan temples. She stated that even Brahmanical temples include European influences in their mouldings, arches, and floor plans. Additionally, she remarked how the Bijapuri domes resemble Adil Shahi mosques. Within one house of worship resides a multiplicity of faith traditions. A true attestation to their ability to coexist and emanate splendour in the process.
Royalty revisited in Rajasthan
Moving north to the state of Rajasthan, we experience a different aspect of grandeur in Indian architecture. A state with a royal history, Rajasthan is a place of vibrancy, iridescence, and potency. It dazzles its visitors and inhabitants alike with demonstrations of lucid colour, intricate murals, and gorgeous palaces. While cities like Jodhpur are home to heritage sites, historic forts, and lavish gardens, they’re also shining examples of modernization. There are railways to Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, and many more other Indian cities to facilitate business relations and put Jodhpur on the industrial map.
Rajasthan’s infrastructure is also a testament to its keen sense of self-awareness and the necessity of interconnectivity with not only the rest of the country, but the world. Its havelis or ancient mansions, for example, are beautiful syntheses of Rajput and Islamic architectural styles. A blend of Indigenous, Persian, and Central Asian styles, havelis rose to prominence during the Mughal empire in the sixteenth century. Equipped with smooth, intricate, and carefully constructed walls, they house bright and colourful murals. These mansions expressed the monarchic support and patronage of the arts with their lush gardens and exquisite fountains.
The Mehrangarh fort, for example, shelters several palaces with beautiful architectural features. The most notable is Moti Mahal with its many Mughal-inspired arches and domes, constructed in 1667 by Hriday Shah. A multipurpose palace, Moti Mahal possessed prison chambers, royal quarters, sophisticated courtyards, political meeting rooms, and much more. Its terrace is over three storeys in height, overlooking the sacred Narmada river which provided kings and queens of days past with an extraordinary visual spectacle.
Had it not been for the architectural smorgasbord that comprises the Mughal artistic style, the Mehrangarh Fort and its interior palaces may not be with us today. We owe our gratitude to artistic miscellany for this ironic bastion of contemporary culture.
The holisticism of Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh is yet another example of multiple faith backgrounds coexisting in Indian architecture. It is a hallmark of Islamic, Rajput, and European architectural styles coalescing. An abundance of Hindu and Jain temples populate the province, depicting precise and animated dance scenes. These reliefs contain rock carvings so detailed, they convey emotions and moods via mere body positioning and contortions. Illustrations of passionate lovemaking, eroticism, lavish parties, and bawdy women shift the focus to a more terrestrial set of interests. That being said, the aim is not to render the building vulgar, crass, or in any way indecent. In this ancient Indian mindset, divine and earthly imagery need not be mutually exclusive.
The Khajuraho group of temples is a perfect example. It may portray gods and goddesses, but its artistry is so awe-inspiring that it has become renowned for secular reasons. Love and sex are human activities, after all, and cannot be reduced to the habits of one particular creed.
Situated in the Chattarpur district of Madhya Pradesh, this magnificent structure also provides spiritual succour for Hindu and Jains alike, separating the complex into two spheres of worship. This tremendous site was constructed during the Chandella dynasty between 900-1130 CE and is now protected by UNESCO World Heritage services.
Delhi’s divinely inspired dwelling for the deceased
Delhi, whose architectural influences range from Medieval Islamic to modern, is a city of variegation and a hallmark of the early Mughal architecture. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, Humayun’s tomb is the first instance of garden tombs in Mughal architecture. This structure is octagonal in shape and made of a beautiful red sandstone. It contains multiple chambers that house some of the most eminent figures of the empire, including its founder Babur.
The garden setting or, char-bagh, was inspired by descriptions of heaven written in the Holy Quran. The pools fed into by adjacent streams mimic the four rivers of Islamic paradise, representing purity. Once again, we see an example of divine and religious inspiration in Indian architecture, indicating just how integral the spiritual aspects of life in India are.
Humayun’s tomb is a secular structure but is considered the first Islamic mausoleum. Persian and Indian workers collaborated to produce this garden-tomb, yielding an unprecedented home of multi-generational Mughal resting places. Quranic influence helped to create a vegetative environment reminiscent of the sublime, invoking a sense of ethereality in its visitors.
Conclusion
While we have by no means completed the architectural journey that India has to offer, the four locations of Goa, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Delhi have given us a unique insight into the historical royal appreciation for the arts, the intimate relationship between the secular and the divine within many structures, and the vast storehouse of cosmopolitanism that is Indian architecture. Christian, Islamic, Hindu, and Jain influences have united to produce exemplary facades, lavish gardens, erotic reliefs, and intergenerational resting places. It is within this limited but extraordinary sample of Indian artistry and craftsmanship that we can admire and contemplate the rich and profound history that comprises India.