2. All the early Mughal Rulers except Aurangzeb were
great bui1ders. With the coming of the Mughals,
Indian architecture was greatly influenced by Persian
styles. The Mughals constructed excellent
mausoleums, mosques, forts, gardens and cities. The
Mughal buildings show a uniform pattern both in
structure and character.
The main characteristic features of Mughal
architecture are the bulbous domes, the slender
minarets with cupolas at the four corners, large halls,
massive vaulted gateways and delicate ornamentation.
3. The few mosques and palaces built by Babar and
Humayun are not of much architectural significance
Sher Shah of the Sur Dynasty who ruled over the
Kingdom of the Mughals after driving Humayun out
of the country was not only a great administrator but a
lover of art also. He built several forts, tombs and
mosques. The monuments of Sher Shah are a
continuation of the Lodi style. The mausoleums are
octagonal in plan and have verandahs around them,
surmounted by huge domes. The verandahs have three
smaller domes on each side.
4. Purana Quila (Old Fort), Delhi
Sher Shah built the Purana Quila in Delhi. Started by him, it was
completed by Humayun. Built of red and buff sand-stone, it is
ornamented with black and white marble and coloured tiles. A
beautiful mosque inside the Quila with ornamental arches,
decorative panels, geometrical designs and inscriptions is an example
of the development of architecture and ornamentation during Sher
Shah's reign.
5. Sher Shah's tomb, Sasaram
Sher Shah's tomb at Sasaram in Bihar built in 1549 is in the
centre of a large square tank and rises al 46 metres high. It is a
two storey construction on a terraced platform. The upper
terrace has pillared domes and the two storeys above have a
pillared kiosk at the four corners. The base of the large central
dome has thirty two sides. The tomb is decorated with
coloured tiles, very few of which remain now. Entrance to the
tomb is through a domed structure.
Mughal architecture begins with Akbar who showed his
passion for building by planning and constructing splendid
edifices. During his reign Mughal architecture took on new
forms. Akbar made free use of both Hindu and Persian styles
6. The use of red sandstone inlaid with white marble and
painted designs on walls and ceiling are the salient -features
of Akbar's buildings.
Akbar constructed numerous
forts, towers, palaces, mosques, mausoleums and gateways
7. Humayun's Tomb
Humayun’s tomb was built by his widow Haji Begum in 1565
A.D. in Delhi in 1569A.D., fourteen years after his death. The
mausoleum stands in the centre of a square enclosed
garden. The garden is divided and sub-divided into
squares, typical of Mughal gardens. The lofty double storeyed
structure is built on a huge high platform terrace which has a
row of calls with arched openings. The central chamber is
octagonal in shape and contains the tomb. Each side of the
mausoleum has a large arched alcove in the centre with smaller
ones on either side. It has a high marble double dome in the
centre and pillared kiosks with cupolas surrounding it. Built of
red sandstone with an inlay of black, white and yellow marble it
presents an imposing picture. Planned by a Persian architect
and constructed by Indian workers, it is a combination of both
Persian and Indian styles of architecture. Entrance to the
mausoleum is through two double storeyed gateways
8.
9. Agra Fort
Near the gardens of the Taj Mahal stands the important
16th-century Mughal monument known as the Red Fort of
Agra. This powerful fortress of red sandstone
encompasses, within its 2.5-km-long enclosure walls, the
imperial city of the Mughal rulers. It comprises many fairy-
tale palaces, such as the Jahangir Palace and the Khas
Mahal, built by Shah Jahan; audience halls, such as the
Diwan-i-Khas; and two very beautiful mosques.
10. Fatehpur Sikri
Akbar’s greatest architectural
achievement was the construction of
Fatehpur Sikri, his Capital City near
Agra. The construction pf the walled city
was started in 1569 A.D. and completed in
1574 A.D. contained some of the most
beautiful buildings – both religious and
secular which testify to the Emperor’s aim
of achieving social, political and religious
integration. The religious edifices worth
mentioning are the Jami Masjid and Salim
Chisti’s Tomb. The tomb built in 1571 A.D.
in the corner of the mosque compound is
a square marble chamber with a
verandah. The cenotaph has an exquisitely
designed lattice screen around it.
11. Jama Masjid, Delhi
Jama Masjid of Delhi is the largest mosque in India. The Jama
Masjid stands across the road in front of the Red Fort. Built
between 1644 and 1658, Jama Masjid is one of the last
architectural works of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. The
spacious courtyard of the Jama Masjid holds thousands of
faithful. Jama Masjid is located on a mound in the heart of
the old city and projects beautifully into the Old-Delhi skyline.
Jama Masjid Mosque was built in red sandstone and marble
by more than 5000 artisans. Originally called the Masjid-i-
Jahan-Numa, or "mosque commanding view of the world",
the Jama Masjid stands at the center of the erstwhile capital
city of the Mughals, Shahjahanbad.
12.
13. Red Fort, Delhi
In 1638 Shahjahan transferred his capital
from Agra to Delhi and laid the
foundations of Shahjahanabad, the
seventh city of Delhi. It is enclosed by a
rubble stone wall, with bastions, gates
and wickets at intervals. Of its fourteen
gates, the important ones are the
Mori, Lahori, Ajmeri, Turkman, Kashmiri
and Delhi gates, some of which have
already been demolished. His famous
citadel, the Lal-Qila, or the Red Fort, lying
at the town's northern end on the right
bank or the Yamuna and south of
Salimgarh, was begun in 1639 and
completed after nine years.
14.
15. Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is the epitome of Mughal art and one of the
most famous buildings in the world. Yet there have been few
serious studies of it and no full analysis of its architecture and
meaning. Ebba Koch, an important scholar, has been
permitted to take measurements of the complex and has been
working on the palaces and gardens of Shah Jahan for thirty
years and on the Taj Mahal itself—the tomb of the emperor's
wife, Mumtaz Mahal—for a decade Taj Mahal was built in 22
years (1631-1653) with the orders of Shah Jahan and it was
dedicated to Mumtaz Mahal (Arjumand Bano Begum), the wife
of Shah. 20.000 workers labored and 32 crore rupees were
spent during the construction of the monument and it was
built according to Islamic architecture. It is one of the Unesco
world heritage site.
