Page 56 - SST Class 07

it is this”, truly depicts the spirit of this magnifi- One of the magnificent architectures of this
cent monument. One of the magnificent build- period is Gol Gumbaz of Bijapur.
ings in Red Fort of Delhi is the Diwan-i-Khas.
This is where the famous peacock throne was
placed. In Diwan-i-Khas or the hall of private
audience is inscribed these famous lines – “If
there be a paradise on the earth, it’s this, it’s
this”.
Another great achievement of Shah Jahan as a
builder is that he laid foundation of the city of
Shahjahanabad, the seventh city of Delhi. This
Taj Mahal
city of a vibrant appearance was characterised by
wide roads, well-constructed houses and
mosques and many bazaars. Humayun’s tomb of
Delhi built towards the beginning of Akbar’s reign
has a massive marble dome and can be consid-
ered a precursor of the Taj. This city has played a
momentous role. In the history of Delhi, the
Mughals reached excellence in architecture. They
can be put in the category of the master builders
of the World. Gol Gumbaz

CHARACTERISTICS OF SULTANATE g Even in Delhi, the style varied with different
ARCHITECTURE periods when Muslim architects and super-

g The buildings at Delhi, where foreign visors were not available. The true Islamic
Muslim builders were available in the largest architecture can be seen in Iltutmish period
numbers, display the traditional characteris- with Ala-ud-Din when the Muslim tradition
tics of the Muslims at its highest. Here, became firmly established and ornamenta-
Hindu craft ship had only a limited play. tion became an integral part.
g At Juanpur and Deccan, the local style g The Tughlaq introduced a new and austere
enjoyed greater ascendancy. phase, “a severe and puritanical simplicity”.
In the Tughlaq architecture, the Hindu
g At Bengal, the conquerors not only adopted
influence not only reduced to minimum but
the established fashion of buildings but also
suffered from serious faults.
adorned their structures imitated by the
Hindu prototypes. g Under the Lodhies, there reemerged a
vigorous and catholic spirit of design,
g Before the arrival of the Muslims, concrete
replete with creative energy and imagination
had been in little use in India and was
and almost reminiscent of the Khilji Period.
scarcely used. But, the Mohammedans
employed the same as freely as the
Romans.

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