COLONISATION IN INDIA

BRITISH ERAINDO-SARASENIC ARCHITECTURE

COLONIALISM IN INDIA

Portuguese (1505–1961)

Dutch (1605 to 1825)

British (1612-1947)

French (1759–1954)

BRITISH COLONIAL ERA: 1615 TO 1947

Robert fellowes Chisholm(1840 - 1915), Henry Irwin were among the leading practitioners of the time. Indo-saracenic architecture found its way into public buildings of all sorts such as railway stations, banks and insurance buildings, educational institutions, clubs and museums.

Indo- Saracenic architecture represents a synthesis of Muslim designs and Indian materials developed by British architects in India during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. the hybrid combined diverse architectural elements of Hindu and Mughal with gothic cusped arches, domes, spires, tracery, minarets and stained glass, in a wonderful, almost playful manner.

INTRODUCTION

Onion (Bulbous) DomesOverhanging EavesPointed Arches, Cusped Arches, or Scalloped

ArchesVaulted RoofsDomed KiosksMany Miniature Domes, or Domed ChhatrisTowers or MinaretsHarem WindowsOpen PavilionsPierced Open Arcading

Principal Characteristics

 Robert Fellowes ChisholmHenry IrwinCharles Mant William Emerson George Wittet Frederick W. Stevens  

PRINCIPLE ARCHITECTS

Click icon to add pictureMap showing the locations of cities having Indo Saracenic style buildings in India

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MAJOR CITIES

WRITERS BUILDING,CALCUTTA

1777

CHEPAUK PALACE,MADRAS

1871

NAPIER MEUSEUM,TRIVENDRAM

1872

MAYO COLLEGE,AJMER

1875TIMELINE

LAXMI VILLAS,BARODA

1878

LAW COURTS,MADRAS

1890

VICTORIA TERMINUS,BOMBAY

1905

PRINCE OF WHALES MUSEUM,BOMBAY

1890

LUTYENTS BUILDINGS,DELHI

1913 - 14

GATEWAY OF INDIA ,BOMBAY

1911

VICTORIA MEMORIAL,CALCUTTA

1907

ART GALLERY,MADRAS

1921

CALCUTTA

• VICTORIA MEMORIAL (1906-1921)

•The Victoria Memorial (Victoria Memorial Hall) is a large marble building in Kolkata (Calcutta), West Bengal, India which was built between 1906 and 1921.•It is dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria (1819–1901) and is now a museum and tourist destination under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture.• The Memorial lies on the Maidan (grounds) by the bank of the Hooghly river, near Jawaharlal Nehru road.

VICTORIA MEMORIAL , CALCUTTA

LOCATION :

•The construction of the Victoria Memorial was delayed by Curzon's departure from India in 1905 with a subsequent loss of local enthusiasm for the project and by the need for testing of the foundations.• The Victoria Memorial's foundation stone was set in 1906 and the building opened in 1921.• The work of construction was entrusted to Messrs. Martin & Co. of Calcutta.• Work on the superstructure began in 1910.• After 1947, when India gained independence, additions were made.•The Victoria Memorial's architect was William Emerson (1843–1924), president of the Royal Institute of British Architects

HISTORY:

WILLIAM EMERSONLORD CURZONQUEEN VICTORIA

•The design is in the Indo- Saracenic revivalist style. •This style uses a mixture of British and Mughal elements as well as Venetian, Egyptian, Deccani andIslamic architectural influences. •It is constructed of white Makrana marble. •The gardens of the Victoria Memorial were designed by Lord Redesdale and David Prain. • Emerson's assistant, Vincent J. Esch designed the bridge of the north aspect and the garden gates

ARCHITECTURAL STYLE :

VICTORIA MEMORIAL – TAJ MAHAL OF KOLKATA!

•Emerson may not have taken, literally, from the Taj Mahal but there is a reminiscence. Like the Taj Mahal, the Victoria Memorial is built of white Makrana marble and is a memorial to an empress. •In design, it echo's the Taj Mahal with

1.DOME 3.DOMED CORNER TOWERS

2. FOUR SUBSIDIARIES 4.HIGH

PORTALS

4. OCTAGONAL DOMED CHATTRIS6.TERRACE

•The building is 184 ft high up to the base of the figure of Victory, which is another 16 ft high.

•The groups of figures above the north porch represent Motherhood, Prudence and Learning.

•Surrounding the main dome are figures of Art, Architecture, Justice, Charity etc. 

•The Memorial is situated on a 64 acres of land with the building covering 338 ft by 228ft.

•Much might be said about the external sculptures, one of which on the north side depicts a lion's head with water flowing out of it and passing into four troughs representing the four great Indian rivers - the Ganges, the Krishna, the Indus and the Jumuna - thus symbolizing the life-giving work of Britain in India.”

DESIGNING AND ARCHITECTURE :

 Designed by - Sir William Emerson

PLAN OF VICTORIA MEMORIAL

Italian-style statues over its entrances

Mughal domes in its corners

tall elegant open colonnades along its sides

the Victoria Memorial houses a large bronze statue of the Queen .

VIEW FACING CALCUTTA MAIDAN

•The magical lighting effect in the evening and a fairy tale 'Fountain of Joy' facing the memorial building create an atmosphere of unforgettable charm.

•It also has a 5 meter tall bronze winged figure of Victory, weighing 3 tons

•Even apart from the Moghul-style corner domes, there are many Saracenic touches, like the carving round the window arches, which reveal the sympathies of both architects involved•The main attraction at the memorial is the huge sombre statue of the Queen, which is flanked by two ornamental tanks.•The money required for the construction of the stately building, surrounded by beautiful gardens over 64 acres and costing more than 10 million was contributed by British Indian states and individuals .

•At present the Victoria Memorial has notable collection of weapons, sculptors, paintings, maps, coins, stamps, artifacts, textiles etc.

The Royal Gallery is a storehouse of oil paintings of Queen Victoria receiving the sacrament at her coronation in the Westminster Abbey in June 1838; her marriage with Prince Albert (1840), the christening of the Prince of Wales, the marriage of the Prince of Wales (Edward VII) with Princess Alexandra and others.

INTERIOR :

ROYAL GALLERY:

ADDITIONS AFTER INDEPENDENCE :

NATIONAL LEADER’S LIBRARY:

The National Leaders’ Gallery was added after independence, and features portraits, mostly by Atul Basu and Langhammer.

CALCUTTA GALLERY :•A recent addition to Victoria Memorial is the Calcutta Gallery. Although this gallery was envisioned by Curzon himself, it was commissioned on the occasion of the city’s tercentenary. •The Calcutta Gallery traces the city’s evolution from its inception in Job Charnok’s days, with old maps, sketches, photographs and important historical documents, right up to the Partition of India in 1947. •There is also a beautiful walk – through diorama of Chitpur Road in the 19th century.

•A wonderful Light & Sound show is held at the Victoria Memorial, regularly. •The show famed as ‘Pride & Glory – the Story of Calcutta’ was initiated as a joint venture with Bengal Chamber of Commerce. •The show is held in both Bengali and English version.

LIGHT AND SOUND :

•The landscaped garden of the Victoria Memorial Hall spanning 64 acres was designed by Sir David Prain and Lord Redesdale.• There is a bronze statue of Queen Victoria, seated on her throne towards the north gate. •The King Edward VII memorial arch featuring a bronze equestrian statue of the King and a marble statue of Lord Curzon is featured within the garden. •The garden also has statues of other British luminaries like Lord Bentinck and Lord Ripon.• The statue of Sir Rajendranath Mookherjee, an eminent industrialist of Bengal lies on the eastern side of the garden. Twenty-one gardeners have been appointed to maintain the garden of Victoria Memorial.

GARDEN:

MADRAS

• GENERAL POST OFFICE BUILDING• SENATE HOUSE ,MADRAS UNIVERSITY 1874-79

• CHEPAUK PALACE

GENERAL POST OFFICE BUILDING

• The roofs may have been inspired by the timber roofs in Kerala

• Its pillars are of corinthian order and has square flat topped towers

• The roofs in the buildings are varied. there is the flat  roof  and the gable roof with dormer   windows. 

the gabled ventilators on the roof besides a chimney and some of the fenestrations reflect a victorian "country-colonial" .

• It was designed and completed in 1884 by robert fellows chisholm.

• the arches, columns, and all other details are cut in stone. the arches which occupy the longer faces of the building have on them intricate jali work carved in stone. 

• the projecting eaves are supported by stone brackets and this seems to be a hindu influence

• the arches in the veranda and the exterior are pure saracen.

Constructed by Robert Chisholm between 1874 and 1879

Inspired by the Byzantine and built in the Indo-Saracenic style.

Chisholm was the Principal of the School of Industrial Art at Madras, and won the commission for designing the Presidency College and the University Senate House.

SENATE HOUSE- MADRAS UNIVERSITY

http://www.cmdachennai.gov.in/pdfs/

http://www.cmdachennai.gov.in/pdfs/

Tower

Porch

Double height verandah

http://www.cmdachennai.gov.in/pdfs/

DOME

• USED SAME METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION AS USED BY MUGHALS

Stone columns with sculptured capital

Hindu iconography on the capital

Turrets

http://www.cmdachennai.gov.in/pdfs/

LARGE CLERESTORY CIRCULAR OPENINGS DECORATED WITH COLOURED GLASS

http://www.cmdachennai.gov.in/pdfs/

MUGHAL CHAJJAS

• The chepauk  palace is one of the oldest buildings on marina.located at the junction of south beach road or kamarajar sarai and wallaja road just across the senate house it now houses various governement deptt.

• the palace was constructed by wallajah Muhammad ali,the Nawaz of Carnatic for moving his residence from the town of arcot to the palace.

• the main architect of the building was paul benfield. later on numerous additions were made by the govt. in this building.which were done by r.f.chisholm.

• the building comprises of two blocks : humayun mahal and the khalsa mahal. the majority of additions were done to the humayun mahal while the khalsa mahal was largely left as it  was.

• the humayun mahal was transformed into the revenue board building in 1871 while the khalsa mahal incorporated the engineering college and the office of the pwd.      

CHEPAUK PALACE

DELHI

• RASTRAPATI BHAWN

• PARLIAMENT HOUSE• THE SECRETARIATE

• PATIALAHOUSE• HYDERABAD HOUSE• JAIPUR HOUSE

Lutyen's grandiose Government House (Rashtrapati Bhawan) - located on Raisina Hill, and one of New Delhi's major thoroughfares, Rajpath, connects it to the Purana Qila

Lord Hardinge chose the Raisina Hill for locating the viceroy’s palace because: 

The Rashtrapati Bhawan

• It was a well drained.• Constituted of slopes and

plains between the ridge and the river.

• Its eastern and southern margins were studded with monuments of vanished empires. A broad crescent from Shahjahanabad and Kotla Firoz Shah, south to Tughlaqabad and the Qutub with tombs of Safdarjung and Lodhis as well as Jantar Mantar in the foreground could be viewed from the site. 

Image 2

The Secretariat The Secretariat Building was

designed by architect Herbert Baker in Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture.

Much of the building is in classical architectural style, yet it incorporated Mughal and Rajasthani architecture style and motifs in its architecture.

These are visible in the use of  Jali. Another feature of the building is a

dome-like structure known as the Chatri. • The style of architecture

used in Secretariat Building is unique to Raisina Hill. In front of the main gates on buildings are the four "dominion columns", given by Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Columns and colonnaded verandahsPhotograph by Medha Malik Kudaisya

Chattris & Chajjas in red sandstone

The Parliament House

The Parliament Hous was designed by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker.

It was built with indigenous materials and by Indian labour and the architecture of the building bears a close imprint of the Indian tradition.

The layout of fountains both inside and outside the building, the use of Indian symbols , the "Chhajjas” and the varied forms of "Jali" in marble are reminders of the story of the craftsmanship displayed in ancient monuments and memorials.

JALIS

JALIS

JALIS

COMMONFEATURES

BUDDHIST DOME

BUDDHIST DOME

THICK BAND

THICK BAND

THICK BAND

The largest of all palaces in New Delhi — a building that suited the status of the Nizam of Hyderabad. Designed by Edwin Lutyens. The majestic mansion had 36 rooms.Lutyens designed Hyderabad House in the shape of a butterfly — a plan that he had first used for Papillon Hall in Leicestershire in 1903. The main architectural feature of Hyderabad House is a dome with an entrance hall beneath which symmetrical wings radiate at an angle of fifty-five degrees. Its round arches flanked by rectangular openings to the height of the impost was inspired by the Pantheon in Rome, a city where Lutyens stayed in 1909. For the first floor windows of the grand place, Lutyens chose a combination of rectangular and round arches that were inspired by the Uffizi to the Arno in Florence.The majestic building that boasts of courtyards, archways, obelisks, large flower containers, grand stairways, marble fireplaces, fountains, had a pre-dominantly European character with some Mughal motifs.

THE HYDRABAD HOUSE

Patiala House was formerly the palatial residence of the Maharaja of Patiala (in Punjab). part of central vista, this building, built in the 1930s, has a central dome with a butterfly layout, similar to other buildings o the Lutyens zone. Today it houses the district Courts complex for New Delhi District. 'A double Vtoreyed building, the central portion is emphasized with a domed pavilion on the terrace and projection porchover the upper storey, there is a projecting chajja running the entire length of the old building. It has seen interesting occupants ever since the Maharaja vacated it.

THE PATIALAHOUSE

Jaipur House (National Gallery of Modern Art) is located diametrically opposite Hyderabad House. Like other princes’ residences, the building was also designed in the shape of a butterfly with a central dome. But very few people know that it was British architect Charles Blomfield, who designed the building. It was designed in a mix of neo-classical and Art Deco style. The butterfly-shaped building has two symmetrical ‘wings’ radiating from the central court.

Two similar wings radiate towards the back facing the gardens. The façade of this comparatively austere palace is marked by two levels of small, vertical, slit-like windows. A continuous sunshade or ‘chajja’ in redstone caps the entire façade. The building has arched openings framed by Rajput columns.

THE JAIPURHOUSE

BOMBAY

• CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI TERMINUS• GATEWAY OF INDIA

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus

• The station building is designed in the High Victorian Gothic  style of architecture. The building exhibits a fusion of influences from Victorian Italianate Gothic Revival architecture and traditional Indian architecture.

• The skyline, turrets, pointed arches, and eccentric ground plan are close to traditional Indian palace architecture

• The centrally domed office structure has a 330 feet long platform connected to a 1,200 feet long train shed, and its outline provides the skeleton plan for building.

• VT's dome of dovetailed ribs, built without centring, was considered as a novel achievement of the era. 

• The columns of the entrance gates are crowned by figures of a lion (representing Great Britain) and a tiger (representing India).

The stone arches are covered with carved foliage and grotesques.

• The ceiling of the booking hall was originally painted blue, gold and strong red on a ground of rich blue with gold stars. Its walls were lined with glazed tiles

GATEWAY OF INDIA•The architect George Wittet combined the elements of the Roman triumphal arch and the 16th-century architecture of Gujarat Its design is a combination of Hindu and Muslim architectural styles; •The gateway is built from yellow basalt and reinforced concrete.

•The stone was locally obtained, and the perforated screens were brought from Gwalior.

•The arch is of Muslim style while the decorations are of Hindu style.

MYSORE

• MYSORE PALACE

Mysore Palace• The Palace of Mysore (also known as

the Amba Vilas Palace) is a historical palace in the city of Mysore in Karnataka, southern India.

• It is the official residence and seat of the Wodeyars - the Maharajas of Mysore, the former royal family of Mysore, who ruled the princely state of Mysore from 1399 to 1950.

• The original palace built of wood, got burnt down in 1897, during the wedding of Jayalakshammanni, the eldest daughter of Chamaraja Wodeyar and was rebuilt in 1912 at the cost of Rs. 42 lakhs.

• Designed by the well-known British architect, Henry Irwin, the palace is a treasure house of exquisite carvings and works of art from all over the world. The old Mysore Palace

Mysore Palace

• The architectural style of Mysore palace is hybrid. That is, its design is a mixture of various schools of architecture. The palace is made in a style collectively called Indo-Saracenic Revival style.

• The Islamic power in India by the turn of 12th century.

• A large number of Islamic structures in India during the Mugal era were build in the Sassanian ( Persia ) style. So the name Saracenic.

• That style when merged with the native Indian styles , gave rise to a hybrid style called Indo-Islamic style or Indo-Saracenic style.

• Many centuries later – by the turn of 19th century – India came under the colonial powers.

• The five storied tower measuring about 145 feet (45 meters) at the center of the palace.

• This projects up from the rest of the roof-line of the palace like a tower of a Gothic cathedral. However on top of it is a large dome, a very typical feature of Islamic/Persian style structures.

• Further on top of this dome is a domed Chhatri. That is, a smaller dome supported by slender pillars projecting up from the large dome.

Domed Chhatri is a typical Rajput ( Rajastan ) architectural feature.

• more such domed Chhatris at the top on either side of the central arch of the facade.

• Between these two domed Chhatris and above the central arch is a sculpture of goddess Gajalakshmi. This is a common feature in Hindu architecture.

Elements That Resemble Different Architectural Style

• The pillars, the squinch (where the pillar meets the ceiling ) and the domical ceiling above the verandah.

• The capitals are beautifully carved with hard granite. This too is a present blend of native and gothic styles.

• The entrance gate and arch hold the emblem and coat of arms of the kingdom of Mysore, around which is written the kingdom's motto in Sanskrit: "न बि�भॆबि� कदाचन" (never terrified).

• It has a facade with several expansive arches and two smaller ones flanking the central arch, which is supported by tall pillars.

• The arches are cusped and of Sassanian in origin. These are supported by massive pillars.

• The three-story stone building of fine gray granite with deep pink marble domes.

• The massive doors carved out of teak (yellow-brown) and rosewood (coffee colored).

• On the rosewood doors,frames and lintels you can see the finely done inlay work... The ceiling when you are in the room that showcased a row of silver and glass chairs.

• You can spot on the southern and northern extremities of the palace protruding balconies. These resembles that of the ‘jharokha’ one find in the Rajshani architecture

.

THANK YOU !!

• used architecture as a symbol of power. • The British followed various architectural styles – Gothic, Imperial, Christian, English Renaissance and Victorian being the essentials.• A deeper concern with architecture was exhibited in churches and other

public buildings.• Most of the buildings were adaptations of the buildings designed by

leading British architects of that time like Wren, Adam, Nash and others in London and other places.

http://www.culturopedia.net/architecture/colonialarchitecture.html

they wanted to legitimatize their rule, they decided to justify theirpresence by relating themselves to the previous rulers, the Mughals.. The British deliberatelykept Mughal princes in power so as to not to provoke Indian contempt and to further establishtheir connection to the Mughals.