Mughal Architecture

Mughal architecture refers to the Indo-Islamic architecture built by the Mughal emperors in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries across the Indian subcontinent as their empire grew and transformed. It derived from preceding Muslim rulers’ styles of architecture in India, as well as Iranian and Central Asian architectural legacies, especially Timurid architecture. During the reign of Akbar (1556 – 1605), it also assimilated and synthesised ideas from broader Indian architecture. Large bulbous domes, thin minarets at corners, vast halls, large arched doorways, and exquisite ornamentation are all hallmarks of Mughal architecture, that can be found in modern day Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan.

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About Mughal Architecture

The Mughal empire was created after Babur’s victory at Panipat in 1526. During his five-year rule, Babur was a keen builder, yet few of his structures have survived. Akbar, his grandson, built much, and the style flourished under his rule. Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri Fort City, and the Buland Darwaza were one of his achievements. The Shalimar Gardens in Kashmir were commissioned by Akbar’s son Jahangir. During the reign of Emperor Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal, the Jama Masjid, the Shalimar Gardens of Lahore, the Wazir Khan Mosque, and reconstructed the Lahore Fort, Mughal architecture achieved its pinnacle. Aurangzeb, the last of the great Mughal architects, designed the Badshahi Mosque, Bibi Ka Maqbara, and Moti Masjid, among other structures.

Features of Mughal Architecture

Hindu, Persian, and Islamic influences are combined in Mughal architecture. Large bulbous onion domes, frequently flanked by four smaller domes, are a typical feature of many structures.

• White marble, as well as red sandstone, are used.
• Pachin Kari ornamental work and jali-latticed screens are examples of exquisite ornamentation workmanship.
• On all four sides, magnificent buildings are encircled by gardens.
• Mosques with huge courtyards are very popular.
• Calligraphic inscriptions in Persian and Arabic, containing Quranic verses.
• The main building is approached via a series of large gateways.
• On 2 or 4 sides, there are iwans.
• Decorative chhatris are used.
• Jalis and jharokhas are used.

Mughal architecture influenced later Indian styles of architecture such as the British Raj’s Indo-Saracenic style, the Rajput style, as well as the Sikh style.

Mughal Monuments

Akbar

Agra Fort

In Agra, Uttar Pradesh, the Agra Fort is a World Heritage site. Between 1565 and 1574, Akbar constructed the majority of the Agra fort. The fort’s architecture demonstrates the liberal use of Rajput designing and building techniques. The Jahangiri Mahal, constructed for Jahangir plus his family, the Moti Masjid, as well as the Mena Bazaars, are among the fort’s most prominent structures. The Jahangiri Mahal is a magnificent edifice with a courtyard and double storeyed halls and rooms surrounding it.

Great White Mosque Islamia College Peshawar

A magnificent white mosque, surrounded by beautiful green grass, stands in the centre of historic Islamia College Peshawar, reminding us of its more than a century of architectural splendour and spiritual glory. The mosque’s design, which combines Mughal and British elements, acts as a reminder of Muslim architecture. After the Mughal-era Mahabat Khan Mosque, this magnificent mosque has now become Peshawar’s second most major tourist attraction.

Humayun’s Tomb

Humayun’s mausoleum is a tomb in Delhi, India, of the Mughal Emperor Humayun. Empress Begum (also referred to as Haji Begum), Humayun’s first wife and primary consort, commissioned the monument in 1569-70 and had it planned by Persian architects Mirak Mirza Ghiyas and his son, Sayyid Muhammad. This was the Indian subcontinent’s earliest garden tomb. It is frequently regarded as the first fully developed specimen of Mughal architecture.

Fatehpur Sikri

The building of Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar’s capital city close to Agra, at a commercial and Jain pilgrimage centre, was his finest architectural feat. The fortified city’s construction began in 1569 and was finished in 1574. It housed several of the most exquisite ecclesiastical and secular structures, all of which testified to the Emperor’s goal of social, political, and religious unity. The large Jama Masjid and the modest Tomb of Salim Chisti were the most important religious structures. In 1576, Akbar constructed Buland Darwaza, popularly referred to as the Gate of Magnificence, to celebrate his triumph over Gujarat and the Deccan. It stands at a height of 40 metres and a distance of 50 metres from the ground. The structure’s entire height is approximately 54 metres above ground level.

The Haramsara, Fatehpur Sikri’s regal seraglio, was where the royal women resided. A row of cloisters separates the entrance to the Haramsara from the Khwabgah side. As per Abul Fazl, the Harem in Ain-i-Akbari was secured by older and active ladies on the inside, eunuchs on the outside, and loyal Rajput soldiers at a respectable distance. The biggest palace in the Fatehpur Sikri seraglio, Jodha Bai’s Palace is joined to the minor haramsara districts. The main entrance is two stories high, jutting out from the front to form a porch that leads to a recessed entry with a balcony. A quadrangle is encircled by rooms on the inside. A range of Hindu sculptural designs adorn the columns of the chambers.

Tomb of Salim Chisti

Salim Chishti’s Tomb, built between 1580 and 1581, is regarded as one of India’s greatest specimens of Mughal architecture. The tomb is a square marble room with a verandah that was built in 1571 at the corner of the mosque compound. The cenotaph is surrounded by an elegantly crafted lattice screen. Salim Chisti (1478–1572), a descendent of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti of Ajmer, was buried in a grotto on the ridge near Sikri. The mausoleum was built by Akbar as a tribute to the Sufi saint who predicted the birth of his son.

Jahangir

Begum Shahi Mosque

The Begum Shahi Mosque is a mosque in the fortified City of Lahore, Pakistan, dating from the early seventeenth century. The mosque was erected in tribute to Mughal Emperor Jahangir’s mother during 1611 and 1614, and it is Lahore’s oldest surviving instance of a Mughal-era mosque. The mosque would subsequently influence the bigger Wazir Khan Mosque, which was built a few decades later.

Tomb of I’timād-ud-Daulah

The mausoleum of Itimd-ud-Daulah is a tomb in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. The mausoleum of I’timd-ud-Daulah is commonly said to as a “jewel box” and is often referred to as the “Bachcha Taj.” It is thought to be a precursor of the Taj Mahal.

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Shah Jahan

Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was erected in remembrance of King Shah Jahan’s favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal between 1630 and 1649. It took 22 years to build and cost 32 million rupees, using 22,000 people and 1,000 elephants. It is a massive, white marble construction with a symmetrical architecture including an iwan (an arch-shaped gateway) capped by a huge dome and finial situated on a square base.

Wazir Khan Mosque

The Wazir Khan Masjid was begun in 1634 and finished in 1642 during the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. Wazir Khan Mosque is famed for its complex faience tile work recognized as kashi-kari, as well as its internal panels that are almost totally covered in elaborate Mughal-era murals. It is regarded to be the most ornately adorned Mughal-era mosque. Since 2009, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and the Government of Punjab have been working together to restore the mosque.

Shalimar Gardens

It is a Mughal garden compound in Lahore, the Pakistani region of Punjab’s capital. The gardens were built during the height of the Mughal Empire’s architectural and aesthetic splendour. The gardens were started in 1641 and finished in 1642, under the reign of Emperor Shah Jahan. The Shalimar Gardens were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981 because they exemplify Mughal garden design at its pinnacle.

Shah Jahan Mosque

The Shah Jahan Masjid is the main mosque in the Pakistani city of Thatta, which is located in the Sindh province. Shah Jahan commissioned the mosque and presented it to the city as a gesture of his thanks. Its design is primarily influenced by Central Asian Timurid architecture, which was popularised during Shah Jahan’s wars in Balkh and Samarkand. The mosque is known for having the most magnificent exhibition of tile work in South Asia, as well as geometrical brick work, a stylistic element uncommon in Mughal-period mosques.

Shahi Hammam

The Shahi Hammam is just a Persian-style bathhouse that was constructed in Lahore, Pakistan, under Emperor Shah Jahan’s reign in 1635 C.E. It was constructed by Ilam-ud-din Ansari, the Mughal Court’s top physician, also known as Wazir Khan. The baths were constructed as a waqf, or endowment, for the Wazir Khan Mosque’s upkeep.

Aurangzeb

Badshahi Mosque

The 6th Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb built the Badshahi Masjid in Lahore, Pakistan. It was built between 1671 and 1673, and at the time of its completion, it was the world’s biggest mosque. It is Pakistan’s third largest masjid and the world’s seventh largest masjid. The mosque is the final of a sequence of red sandstone congregational mosques next to the Lahore Fort. The walls’ red sandstone contrasted with the domes’ white marble and the delicate intarsia ornamentation. The architectural plan of Aurangzeb’s mosque is identical to that of his predecessor, Shah Jahan, who built the Jama Masjid in Delhi, except it is much bigger. It is also used as an idgah. A hundred thousand attendees may be housed in the courtyard, which covers 276,000 square feet; 10 thousand can be hosted inside the masjid. The minarets stand at a height of 196 feet (60 metres). The Mosque is among the most well-known Mughal monuments, but it was severely damaged during Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s rule. The Badshahi Mosque was added to the provisional list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1993 by the Pakistani government.

Bibi ka Maqbara

King Aurangzeb constructed Bibi Ka Maqbara in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, in the late 1700s as a loving monument to his first spouse, Dilras Bano Begum. According to other stories, it was afterwards taken care of by Azam Shah, Aurangzeb’s son. It was conceived by Ata-Ullah, the son of Ahmed Lahori, the Taj Mahal’s chief designer, and is a duplicate of the Taj Mahal.

Mughal Gardens

Mughal gardens are Islamic-style gardens established by the Mughals. Persian gardens inspired this design. They are constructed in a char bagh architecture, which is a quadrilateral garden plan based on the Qur’an’s 4 gardens of Paradise. This style is meant to depict an earthly paradise in which humans live in perfect harmony with all other aspects of nature. The quadrilateral garden is separated into four smaller sections by walkways or flowing water. Within the fortified enclosures, rectilinear layouts are used extensively. Inside the gardens, you’ll find ponds, fountains, and canals, among other things. Bagh-e-Babur in Kabul, Mehtab Bagh gardens near the Taj Mahal, gardens at Humayun’s Tomb, Shalimar Gardens in Lahore, Wah Gardens in Wah, Khusro Bagh in Prayagraj, and Pinjore Gardens in Haryana are only a few examples of Mughal gardens. The Pari Mahal, Nishat Bagh, Shalimar Bagh, Chashme Shahi, Verinag Garden, and Achabal Gardens (all in Jammu and Kashmir) are also on the provisional list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India.

Mughal Bridges

During the time of Mughal Emperor Akbar, the Shahi Bridge in Jaunpur was built. The Shahi Bridge was built by Munim Khan in the years 1568–69 under the orders of Mughal Emperor Akbar. The bridge took 4 years to build. Afzal Ali, an Afghan architect, developed it.

Mughal Architecture UPSC Notes PDF –Download PDF Here

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