HISTORY - MUGHAL ART AND ARCHITECTURE

ARYAMAN SINGH DEVVII – A

INTRODUCTION

Mughal architecture is the architectural style developed by the Mughals in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries throughout the extent of their empire in the Indian subcontinent.

It was an amalgam of Islamic, Persian, and Indian architecture.

Examples of the style can be found in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

THE MUGHAL EMPIRE The Mughal dynasty was established after the victory of

Babur at Panipat in 1526. During his reign, Babur took interest in erecting buildings.

His grandson Akbar built widely, and the style developed during his reign. He built a tomb for his father Humayun, the Agra Fort, and the fort-city of Fatehpur Sikri. Akbar's son Jahangir commissioned the Shalimar Gardens in Kashmir.

Mughal architecture reached its zenith during the reign of Shah Jahan, who constructed the Jama Masjid, the Red Fort, the Shalimar Gardens in Lahore, and the most famous Mughal monument, the Taj Mahal.

While Shah Jahan’s son Aurangzeb built some buildings such as the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, his reign corresponded with the decline of Mughal architecture and the Empire itself.

MAIN CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES

The Mughals constructed excellent mausoleums, mosques, forts, gardens and cities.

The main characteristics are :1. The usage of Iwans2. Extensive use of  arches3. Gardens, fountains and pools4. Domes5. Symmetry

FAMOUS MUGHAL ATTRACTIONS

Some famous mughal attractions IN INDIA are:1. TAJ MAHAL IN AGRA2. RED FORT IN DELHI3. JAMA MASJID IN DELHI4. HUMAYUN’S TOMB IN DELHI5. FATEHPUR SIKRI IN UTTAR PRADESH

TAJ MAHAL

This is the most popular example of Mughal architecture which was built by Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.

Taj Mahal is in Agra, India and was built in 1648.

Taj Mahal is also one of the worlds seven wonders and its white marbled tomb is the main thing behind its fame.

Today the popularity of the Taj Mahal shows that the love of Shah Jahan for his wife was very pure.

RED FORT

Red Fort commonly known as Lal Qillah is located in Old Delhi, India.

It was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. It was built in the walled city of Old Delhi. In its early days this fort served as residence for the Mughal Emperors.

But later on Mughal emperor Shah Jahan shifted his capital from Agra to Red Fort.

The construction of the red fort was started in 1638 and was completed in 1648, Red Fort is also included in the list of World Heritage Sites.

JAMA MASJID

The Masjid-i Jahān-Numā commonly known as the Jama Masjid of Delhi, is the principal mosque of Old Delhi in India.

Commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, it is the largest and best-known mosque in India.

Construction began in 1650 and was completed in 1656. It lies at the beginning of the Chawri Bazar Road, a very

busy central street of Old Delhi.

HUMAYUN’S TOMB

1. Humayun’s Tomb is located in Delhi, India. Its close to the Purran Qilla in old Delhi, India.

2. This tomb was built by the wife of Humayun named Haji Begum.

3. Humayun’s Tomb was the first garden tomb on the Indian Subcontinent and it was also the first building to use red sandstone at such a large scale.

4. Humayun’s Tomb is also included in the list of world Heritage sites by UNESCO, it was included in the list in 1993 and since than the restoration work is going on in the Tomb.

5. Mughal’s last emperor Bhadar Shah Zafar took refuge in this fort during the last days of Mughal Dynasty and was captured by British army in the late 19th century.

FATEHPUR SIKRI

Fatehpur Sikri is a city and municipal board in Agra district, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Fatehpur Sikri was built by Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1569. After that Akbar shifted the capital of the state from Agra to Fatehpur

Sikri, which served as Mughal dynasty capital from 1571 to 1585 AD. Fatehpur Sikri was a full planned walled city with many types of

buildings like, guest houses, Diwan, Masjids in it. This Mughal Building is also included in the list of world heritage sites.

CONCLUSION

BY – ARYAMAN CLASS – VII-A

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