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Architecture
Integration and Absorption
Regional Variations of Islamic Architecture
by Ashish Nangia
Islamic architecture in and around Delhi retained much of the characteristics
in both form and detailing of Persian Islam, with only the court at Delhi able
to attract and pay the best Muslim architects and artisans from abroad.
As one moves away from the main power centre, the regional Islamic satraps –
whether governors of the Delhi Sultanate or newly-independent Sultan –
patronized an architecture which slowly began to assume a very different
identity. This identity was not constant throughout, but varied from
place to place, and depended chiefly on :
-
the distance from Delhi, which determined the level of dilution of ‘pure’
Islamic principles;
-
the economic condition of the regime, responsible for the quality of
finished and materials used;
-
the local artisans available in the region and their specialization and
experience;
-
and
local Hindu architecture, which served as direct or indirect inspiration for
Muslim examples.
If the Qutb Minar merely had sinuous carving which
hinted at the Hindu craftsman at work, examples further away from Delhi
illustrated both a riot of carving as well as formal aspects directly
influenced by Hindu architecture. The main areas that produced a
substantial body of architecture and can be said to have evolved a ‘style’ of
their own are Gujarat, Punjab, Bengal, Malwa, some parts of south India and
Kashmir.
Gujarat
 The Muslim rulers of Gujarat produced architecture on as grand a scale as
their Hindu and Jain predecessors. As in Delhi, the first building material
for the earliest mosques and tombs came from the demolition of temples in the
area.
It was with the reign of Ahmed Shah (1411-42), that the city of Ahmedabad was
founded.
 Some of the most spectacular architectural remains at Ahmedabad are
the stepped wells or wavs. More than simply a means of bathing, these
wavs were associated with stylistic ritual which spanned back to the
time of the Rajputs. Imposing steps lead down to the water table and the
vertical exposed walls were treated with rich carving. (Images show Adalaj -
an architectural wonder, a seven-storied underground Step well
built by Queen Rudabai during the rein of Ahmed Shah.)
 The mosques at Ahmedabad show a development from the relatively primitive,
with an open façade, to the arcaded screen type prevalent in Delhi, with
carved pillars visibly produced by Hindu craftsmen discernible through the
arcade. Of the second, arcaded type of mosque, the two most impressive
examples are the mosque of Ahmed Shah and the Jami-Masjid.
Ahmed Shah’s mosque has original Hindu pillars behind a simple arcaded façade,
the central arch of which is flanked by two rather bloated minarets rising
from the ground, almost like pilasters. The form of the minarets, indeed,
brings to mind the battlements of Rajput fort rather than the graceful
tapering classical Islamic minaret.
In the Jami-Masjid, the minarets do not become any more graceful, but their
power depends mainly on their massive proportions and the riot of carving on
their faces. The base of the minarets is covered by what seems to be almost
temple shikharas rising one upon the other, vocabulary extensively used
in a classical temple.
Thus while the mosques retain all the design elements of a Islamic prayer
hall, in detail they resemble, and are indeed part of, the ethos of Gujarat
architecture in the same tradition of the carved temples at Mount Abu.
At a later date, the successors
of Ahmed Shah were noted for a number of mortuary complexes or rauzas,
consisting chiefly of a tomb and mosque face to face.
 A notable example.
A
notable example is the rauza of Rani Separi. Here the mosque face is
without a screen, and entrance definition is achieved by means of two stubby
minarets at each end of the mosque. Carved balconies, the function of which is
not clear, project from the south side. Both the mosque and tomb are finely
detailed with the by-now familiar carving.
And so, to conclude,
we can say that Muslim architecture in Gujarat is characterized mainly by its
carving, so unlike classical Islam, and in the manner in which the carving is
depicted. Carving here takes on a sinuous, almost sensuous quality, a
dream-world of fragrance, gardens and sweet herbs, relaxing the strict dogmas
of Islam against decoration and depiction of living form.
Thus Islam in India generated not only an imperial style, but many regional
variations, among which that of Gujarat is one of the richest.
July 1, 2002
Adalaj images under license with Gettyimages.com
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