Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India encyclopedia

ARCHITECTURE

Jaipur : City palace — former royal residence — is an imposing blend of traditional Rajasthani and Mughal architecture and craftsmanship. Rambagh Palace — Spacious corridors, wide terraces, splendid reception and banquet rooms is set in large gardens. Now a luxury hotel. Udaipur : Capital of Sisodia Rajputs, palace built by Rana Udai Singh, 244 m long X 30.5 m height, on lake Pichola, built in granite and marble. Imposing octagonal tower surmounted by cupolas comparable in magnificence to Windsor Palace of the United King- dom. Jaisalmer : Gajvilas — built by Maharawal Gaj Singh in 1884 Mo- timahal, Badal Vilas, Jawahar vilas. Kumbalgarh : Badal Mahal Amber : Lake Palace.

The gateway to the royal palace may be one or two and a draw bridge shall be provided for crossing the moat. The doors of the gate shall be secured by double catches. The gateways shall be sur- rounded by towns with constructions on either side for weapons The gateway to the royal palace may be one or two and a draw bridge shall be provided for crossing the moat. The doors of the gate shall be secured by double catches. The gateways shall be sur- rounded by towns with constructions on either side for weapons and guards. The rampart shall have small abutting turrets to ward off enemies, cylindrical hollow towers in several places both for strength and for ambush. There shall always be buttresses for the ramparts to make them strong and impregnable. Three classes of mansions are described one by one. The simplest, namely the Bhavana, has no storeys. In the second type, namely, Harmya, the central hall may be of the same dimensions as that of the first type or bigger in size. This hall shall be beautified by ornamental structures and it may have three to five storeys. In the third or most elaborate building, namely prasada, the central hall may still be bigger than that of the second and it shall be surrounded on the sides by smaller buildings of-half the size pro- vided with doorways and arrangement for drainage, ventilation between the halls. The upper floors may have by their sides, stor- ages with flat roofs (Khandaharmya). The text states that the portico in front of palaces shall gener- ally be an open hall with dome and pillars or a closed hall with flat roof. It shall be furnished with cushioned seats, mirrors, hanging pictures and paintings. The pillars may be either of brickwork or of wood. The description of the royal palace complexes given in the classical Sanskrit literature are very much similar to those de- scribed in the Vastu texts. It is evident that the ethos of Indian people were translated in the planning concept by the authors of Shilpa Shastras. These traditions of palace architecture continued with small modifications even during the medieval period. Even the Mughal palaces of the medieval period have Hindu in- fluences in their planning principles and architectural detailing. RAJASTHAN Rajput rulers were great patrons of art and architecture and their rule saw the zenith of architecture in northern India. Many treatises on architecture were written on Nagari or north Indian school of architecture, especially during the rule of Raja Bhoj of Dhar and Rana Kumbha of Mewar. The art and architecture of northern India do not bear witness to-the Arab, Persian or any other influence as generally believed, it is totally Rajput in its concept. Most of the palaces were built beside lakes, which were often artificially created. The beauty of the palaces of Amber, Bundi and Udaipur is greatly enhanced by their being reflected in water. Ajmer : Called the Vinay Vilas Mahal this is a new structure of late 18th c. It houses a museum. Bharatpur : The palace, actually three palaces in one, was built by various Maharajahs. Bikaner : Anup Mahal built by Maharaja Surat Singh Lalgarh palace — magnificent 19th C red sandstone building of graceful proportions set amidst spacious lawns. SOME IMPORTANT PALACES

UTTAR PRADESH Fetehpur Sikhri : Panch Mahal is the most complete example of urban planning during the medieval period.

MADHYA PRADESH

Datia : Ramji Mandir, Raj Mandir, Jahangiri Mahal.

Chanderi : Kushak Mahal, Badal Mahal.

Gwalior : Karan Mandir, Mani Mandir, Gujari Mahal, Vikrama . Mandir, Kshira Mandir, Jahanrgiri Mandir. Mandavgarh : Jahaz Mahal. Mandu-: Rani Rupmati's palace , Baj Bahadur's palace, Jahaz Ma- hal, Hindola Mahal.

SOUTH INDIA

Bijapur (Kar) : Gagan Mahal

Golconda (AP) : Rani Mahal

Gingee (TN) : Kalyan Mahal Mysore (Karnataka):- Seat of an ancient ruling family, Maharaja's palace built in Indo-Saracenic style, it is an architectural fantasy. There is another palace, Jagan Mohan Palace, which now houses the Sri Chamarajendra Art Gallery. Padmanabhapuram (Kerala) : 54 km from Trivandrum, a palace of elaborate woodwork, it was the ancient seat of the Travancore rulers. It contains Relics of historical and artistic value. The palace is enlosed within a fort which covers an area of 6 acres. In the Ramaswamy Temple adjoining the palace, scenes from the Ramayana have been covered in 45 panels. Madurai (TN) : The Thirumala Nayak Mahal, built in Saracenic style, is said to be the most perfect palace in perinsular India. Chahdragiri (AP) : The palace built by the Vijayanagar rulers in the fort of Chandragiri is a notable 17th C example of south Indian school of building. The lower portion is siolidly constructed of stone masonry, but upper two stories are of brick strengthened with a certain amount of wood work. Each storey contains a pillared hall in the centre.

Kondapally (AP) : Tanisha Mahal or palace.