Architecture of Rajasthan
The architecture of the Indian state of
Most of the population of Rajasthan is
The Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra mosque in Ajmer (no longer in religious use) is an important early example of Indo-Islamic architecture in a state not otherwise notable for this.
Common features
The generally arid climate has made stepwells (baoli or bawdi) more common than in other parts of India, as well as the distinctive covered taanka underground tanks.
Stone carved
Forts and palaces
The
The
The rulers of the princely states of Rajasthan continued the tradition of building elaborate palaces almost until independence, with examples such as the Lalgarh Palace in Bikaner, Monsoon Palace in Udaipur, and Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur. Many of these are in versions of Indo-Saracenic architecture, often using European architects.
Cenotaphs
A number of the Rajput dynasties built groups of
.History
Ancient
Rajasthan has significant sites of the
Hindu temples
Notable early Hindu temples include the early 9th-century
The small but richly-carved Hindu
The style mostly fell from use in Hindu temples in its original regions of Rajasthan and Gujarat by the 13th century, especially as the area had fallen to the Muslim Delhi Sultanate by 1298. But, unusually for an Indian temple style, it continued to be used by Jains there and elsewhere, with a notable "revival" in the 15th century.[9]
The five
Jain temples
Māru-Gurjara architecture is especially popular in Jain temples. Interiors are if anything even more lavishly decorated, with elaborate carving on most surfaces. In particular, Jain temples often have small low domes carved on the inside with a highly intricate rosette design. Another distinctive feature is "flying" arch-like elements between pillars, touching the horizontal beam above in the centre, and elaborately carved. These have no structural function, and are purely decorative. The style developed large pillared halls, many open at the sides, with Jain temples often having one closed and two pillared halls in sequence on the main axis leading to the shrine.[12]
Significant older
The Kirti Stambha at Chittor Fort is a spectacular 12th-century tower, carved in Māru-Gurjara style, erected by a Jain merchant.
Gallery
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Remains of the Bairat stupa, 3rd century BCE
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Ambika Mata templein Jagat, Rajasthan, by 960
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Dev Somnath Temple
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Detailed Stone work, Karni Mata Temple, Bikaner Rajasthan
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TheHenry Vaughan Lanchester in a blend of Beaux-Artsand traditional Rajasthani styles.
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The Albert Hall Museum was designed by Samuel Swinton Jacob, and was opened as public museum in 1887.
See also
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Notes
References
- Harle, J.C., The Art and Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent, 2nd edn. 1994, Yale University Press Pelican History of Art, ISBN 0300062176
- Hegewald, Julia A. B. (2011). "The International Jaina Style? Māru-Gurjara Temples Under the Solaṅkīs, throughout India and in the Diaspora". Ars Orientalis. 45 (20191029). ISSN 2328-1286.
- Michell, George (1990), The Penguin Guide to the Monuments of India, Volume 1: Buddhist, Jain, Hindu, 1990, Penguin Books, ISBN 0140081445
Further reading
- Atherton, Cynthia Packert (1997). The Sculpture of Early Medieval Rajasthan. BRILL. ISBN 9004107894.