INDIAN ARCHITECTUREIndian architecture was very diverse, reflecting the complex history of the region. Known for its

temples, palaces, forts and iconic Indian rock-cut architecture, its styles included pronounced Buddhist, Islamic and European influences.

The architecture of the Indian subcontinent: • timber• mudbrick architecture

GEOGRAPHICAL INFLUENCESIndia’s present-day relief features have been superimposed on three basic structural units:

• the Himalayas in the north• the Deccan (plateau region) in the south• the Indo-Gangetic Plain (lying over the subsidence zone) between the two.

Physiographic RegionsIndia can be divided into five physiographic regions. They are:

1. The Northern Mountains2. Indo Gangetic Plains3. The Peninsular Plateaus

4. The Islands5. The Coastal Plains

Early Buddhist monuments: chaitya halls, stupa rails, and toranasclearly imitate wood construction, and timber buildings. Allsurviving architecture is of stoneusing exclusively a structural system of post and lintel,brackets, and corbels. The architecture of India is rooted in its:

History Culture

Religion

The Process of Evolution of Indian Architecture• HARRAPAN PERIOD

The Harappan people had constructed mainly three types of buildings:o dwelling houseso pillared hallso public baths

EARLY HISTORIC PERIODo Mauryan period (322-182 BC) - depicted the influence of Persians and Greeks

The stupas of Sanchi and Sarnath are symbols of the achievement of Mauryan architecture.

ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER OR FEATURES CAVE ARCHITECTURE

The cave architecture in India is believed to have begun in the third century BC. These caves were used by Buddhist and Jain monks as places of worship and residence.

ROCK-CUT TEMPLESTemples were hewn out of huge rocks. The earliest rock-cut temples were excavated in western

Deccan in the early years of the Christian era FREE-STANDING TEMPLES

The building of free-standing structures began in the 5th century, while rock cut temples continued to be excavated until the 12th century.

COLONIAL ARCHITECTUREThe Dutch, Portuguese and the French made their presence felt through their buildings but it was

the English who had a lasting impact on architecture. INDO-ISLAMIC ARCHITECTUREThe Indo-Islamic style provided spaciousness, massiveness and breadth to the Hindu architecture.

The Muslims borrowed the design of kalash on the top of the Hindu temple by placing a dome on the top of their buildings.

o The most important symbol of Indo-Islamic architecture in India is the tomb or the mausoleum which evolved from the basic cube and hemisphere of the early phase into a more detailed form during the Mughal period.

o In the Mughal period multiple chambers were made and tombs were set in gardens, known as the Char-Bagh.

o The most famous example of tomb in India is the Taj Mahal.

ANCIENT INDIAN CAVE ARCHITECTURE Ellora Ajanta Elephanta

TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE• Ancient Indian temples are classified in three broad types. This classification is based on

different architectural styles, employed in the construction of the temples. • Three main style of temple architecture are:

• the Nagara or the Northern styleo KONARK SUN TEMPLE is a 13th-century Sun Temple (also known as the

Black Pagoda), at Konark, in Odisha, India. It is believed that the temple was built by king Narasimhadeva I of Eastern Ganga Dynasty around AD 1250. The temple is in the shape of a gigantic chariot with elaborately carved stone wheels, pillars and walls. A major part of the structure is now in ruins

• the Dravida or the Southern styleo BRIHADEESWARA TEMPLE is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva that is

located in the city of Thanjavur in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.• the Vesara or Mixed style

o HOYSALESWARA TEMPLE is a temple dedicated to Hindu god Shiva. It was built in Halebidu (in modern Karnataka state, India) during the rule of King Vishnuvardhana of the Hoysala Empire in the 12th century.

PAKISTAN ARCHITECTURE

• refers to the various structures built during different time periods in the modern day region of Pakistan.

• with the beginning of the Indus civilization around the middle of the 3rd millenium B.C• this was followesd by the Gandhara style of buddhist architecture that Borrowed

elements from the Ancient Greece. These remnants are visible in the Gandhara capital of Taxila.

GEOGRAPHY OF PAKISTAN• The geography of Pakistan is a profound blend of landscapes varying from plains to deserts,

forests, hills, and plateaus ranging from the coastal areas of the Arabian Sea in the south to the mountains of the Karakoram range in the north.

CLIMATEPakistan has four seasons:

• a cool, dry winter from December through February; • a hot, dry spring from March through May• the summer rainy season, or southwest monsoon period, from June through September; • the retreating monsoon period of October and November.

Rainfall can vary radically from year to year, and successive patterns of flooding and drought are also not uncommonHISTORICAL PLACES IN PAKISTAN

Minar-e-Pakistan is a tall minaret in Iqbal Park Lahore, built in honor of the Lahore Resolution. The Badshahi Mosque or the 'Emperor's Mosque', was built in 1673 by the Mughal Emperor

Aurangzeb in Lahore. It is one of the city's best known landmarks, and a major tourist attraction and characterizes the beauty and greatness of the Mughal era.

Faisal Mosque is among one of the largest mosques in the world. It is renowned for both its size and its architecture

The National Monument in Islamabad, Pakistan is a national monument. Representing the four provinces and three territories of Pakistan. Designed by Arif Masood the blooming flower shape of the monument represents Pakistan's progress as a rapidly developing country.