HISTORY OF LANDSCAPE

ARCHITECTURE IN INDIA-
(LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE)

NAME - SNEHA DEY

CLASS - 7TH SEMESTER, B.ARCH
ROLL NO - 10
COLLEGE - GCAP,AZARA
1. THEORY OF LANDSCAPE DESIGN IN INDIA
THE THEORY OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE / DESIGN IN INDIA CAN BE DEFINED IN TERMS OF THE
FOLLOWING COMPONENTS.

A STUDY OF ENVIRONMENTAL/PHYSICAL FEATURES/FACTORS

1. GEOLOGY,
2. SOILS,
3. HYDROLOGY,
4. TOPOGRAPHY,
5. CLIMATE,
6. VEGETATION,
7. WILDLIFE AND THE
8. ECOLOGICAL RELATIONSHIP

MUST BE UNDERSTOOD IN ORDER TO AFFECT CHANGES IN THE ENVIRONMENT.

THE HINDU GARDEN
– THE IRRIGATION PRACTICE IN AGRICULTURE AND GARDENS WERE ASSOCIATED

WITH TEMPLES.

– THE GARDENS WERE LARGELY DEVOTED TO GROWING FLOWERS AS PART OF

RELIGIOUS PRACTICES.

– THE GARDEN WAS INFORMAL AND PROFUSE AND INFLUENCED THE CHINESE

PROTOTYPE THROUGH BUDDHISM.

– THE FORMALITY IN THE STRUCTURE THAT CONTAINED THE TULSI CHETTU IN

THE

CENTRE O THE COURTYARD

– THE EXISTENCE OF DENSE FORESTS COMBINED WITH THE RELIGIOUS

PHILOSOPHY

OF C0-EXISTENCE WITH NATURE (VANA) ALONG WITH THE RURAL LIFE STYLES

REDUCED THE NEED/URGE OF CREATING MAN MADE GARDENS

– HUMANS WERE REGARDED AS PART OF NATURE AND NOT APART FROM IT

– THE SPIRITUAL LIFESTYLES – BUDDHIST, JAINS, HINDUS.

– THE CONCEPT OF “VANVAS” / “SANYAS” OF PENANCE AND PLACE – AS BEING

ONE

WITH NATURE RULED OUT THE POSSIBILITY OF FORMAL GARDEN. –(MANMADE)

– THE BANYAN TREE - SPREADING BRANCHES / PROPER ROOTS

– THE PEPAL - HANGING LEAVES
– THE SALMALI - PEARLET FLOWERS
BUDDHIST GARDENS-
● THE EARLY BUDDHIST PERIOD SAW
THE TRANSITION FROM ROYAL
PUBLIC GARDEN.

THE VENUVANA, AND AMBAVANA NEAR

RAJAGAHA

1. MAHAVANA - VAISHALI
2. NIKRODHARAM - KAPILAVASTU
3. VSTAVANA – SRAVASTI

● LATER OPENED TO PUBLIC AND

CONVERTED INTO PERMANENT
RETREAT FOR MONKS.
● SUBSEQUENTLY MANY
MONASTERIES HAD THEIR OWN
GARDEN ATTACHED TO MONASTIC
COMPLEXES.
● “THE TEMPLE AROSE INTO THE MISTS
AND THE SHRINE HOUSE STOOD
ABOVE THE CLOUDS. STREAMS OF
BLUE WATER WOUND THROUGH THE
PARKS: GREEN LOTUS FLOWERS
SPARKLED AMONG THE BLOSSOMS
OF SANDAL TREES AND A MANGO
GROOVE SPREAD OUTSIDE THE
ENCLOSURE”
BUDDHISM AND LANDSCAPE
– BUDDHA – FROM THE SAKHYA TRIBE OF ARYANS, BORN IN KAPILAVASTU IN 563 BC.

– GAUTAMA WAS BORN UNDER AN ASHOKA TREE. RECEIVED ENLIGHTENMENT UNDER

PIPAL TREE, PREACHED HIS GOSPEL UNDER MANGO GROOVES AND DIED IN A SAL

GROOVE.

– BUDDHISM ADOPTED TREE WORSHIP FROM OLDER RELIGIONS PREVALENT IN THE

COUNTRY.

– SAL – ASHOKA AND PLAKSHA – ASSOCIATED WITH BIRTH OF BUDDHA.

– THE LUMBINI GARDEN - (HUSEN TSANG) – 630 AD

– A BATHING TANK OF THE SAKYAS - CLEAR WATERS

– PIPAL - SAKYA MUNI - (FICUS RELIGIOSA)

– BANYAN - KASYAPA - (FICUS BENGHALENSIS)

– GULAR - KANAKA MUNI - (FICUS GLOMERATA)

– SIRISA - KRAKUCHANDA - (ALBIZIA LEBBECK)

– SAL - VISHVA BAHU - (SHOREA ROBUSTA)

– PALALI - VISPASTEI - (BIGNONIA SUAVEOLENS)

– ASOKA - - (SAROSA ASOKA (S.INDIA)

ISLAMIC GARDENS
● FROM THE 12TH CENTURY ONWARDS INDIA WAS PROGRESSIVELY OCCUPIED
BY ARABS, TURKS AND MONGOLS. THEY CAME FROM THE WEST AND NORTH
BRINGING KNOWLEDGE OF A NEW RELIGION (ISLAM), NEWWEAPONS AND
NEW BUILDING TECHNIQUES.
● THEY USED MORTAR TO MAKE STONE ARCHES, HITHERTO UNKNOWN IN
INDIA. WHEN THE MUSLIMS BECAME CONQUERORS, FORTS WERE REQUIRED
TO PROTECT THE RULERS' ELEGANT STONE PALACES, AS AT DELHI AND AGRA .
BOTH HAVE LOST THE MUD BUILDINGS WHICH COMPRISED THE SERVANTS
QUARTERS WITHIN THE FORTIFICATIONS. THEY ARE DESCRIBED AS MUGHAL,
WHICH IS AN INDIAN VERSION OF MONGOL.
MUSLIM KINGS ALSO INTRODUCED A NEW BUILDING TYPE TO INDIA:
1. ROYAL TOMBS OF THE KIND BUILT FOR TIMUR IN SAMARKAND. TOMBS WERE
NOT PART OF THE HINDU TRADITION, BECAUSE LIFE AND DEATH ARE SEEN AS
PART OF AN ENDLESS CYCLE OF REBIRTH. ARABIC ISLAM HAD DISCOURAGED
ELABORATE TOMB BUILDING AS A TYPE OF SELF-GLORIFICATION, CONTRARY
TO THE PRINCIPLE THAT ALL MEN ARE EQUAL BEFORE GOD. NOR HAD THE
MONGOLS BUILT TOMBS IN THEIR NOMADIC CENTURIES. THE PRACTICE OF
TOMB-BUILDING MAY HAVE BEEN INSPIRED BY BUDDHIST STUPAS OR, MORE
PROBABLY, BY CHINA. CHINESE EMPERORS HAD LONG BUILT TOMBS IN
PROTECTIVE ENCLOSURES.
2. IN INDIA, THE PRACTICE OF BUILDING ORNATE TOMBS IN WALLED
ENCLOSURES BECAME HIGHLY DEVELOPED. THE MUGHAL INNOVATION WAS
TO TREAT THE ENCLOSED OUTDOOR SPACE AS A GARDEN. THE WORDS OVER
THE ENTRANCE TO AKBAR'S TOMB AT SIKANDRA EXPLAIN THE REASONING:
'THESE ARE THE GARDENS OF EDEN: ENTER THEM TO DWELL THEREIN
ETERNALLY'. THE TOMB GARDEN BECAME A MICROCOSM OF THE WORLD. THE
THREE TYPES OF GARDEN MADE BY THE MUGHALS WERE:
● TOMB GARDENS (EG HUMAYUN'S TOMB AND THE TAJ MAHAL)
● PALACE GARDENS (EG AT DELHI AND AGRA)
● ENCAMPMENT GARDENS (EG THE SHALIMAR BAGH GARDENS AT SRINAGAR,
LAHORE AND DELHI
RAJPUT GARDENS
THE RAJPUTS, A WARRIOR CLASS, RETAINED MUCH OF THEIR POWER
DURING PERIODS OF MUGHAL AND EUROPEAN INFLUENCE. THE STYLE OF
THEIR PALACES AND GARDENS BECAME PARTLY HINDU AND PARTLY
FOREIGN-INFLUENCED, THEIR FORM RELATING TO THE CLASSIC INDIAN
TOWNHOUSE AND FARMHOUSE (HAVELI): ROOMS OPENING ONTO A
COURTYARD (CHOWK) WITH A WALL TO GIVE PROTECTION FROM THE
OUTSIDE WORLD. PALACE FORTS HAD IMMENSELY STRONG
FORTIFICATIONS AND SPECIALISED CHOWKS FOR MEN, WOMEN, RELATIVES,
GUESTS, COOKING, HORSES ETC. UNDER MUSLIM INFLUENCE, AND WITH
INCREASED PROSPERITY, CHOWKS DEVELOPED INTO PARADISE GARDENS.
THIS WAS A PROGRESSIVE DEVELOPMENT WITH GARDEN DESIGN PLAYING
AN INCREASINGLY SIGNIFICANT PART IN PALACE LAYOUT.
1. ORCHHA, ON A FORTIFIED ISLAND IN THE RIVER BETWA, HAS
SEVERAL PLACES WITHIN ITS WALLS, SOME WITH GARDENS.
2. CHITTOR HAS A GREAT FORTRESS, ON A RIDGE, WITH ROOF TERRACES
AND BALCONIES OVERLOOKING THE SURROUNDING LANDSCAPE.
3. UDAIPUR IS A VAST COMPOSITION OF PALACE, GARDEN COURTS,
ARTIFICIAL LAKE, ISLAND GARDENS, FORESTS AND HUNTING
LODGES.
4. MANDU –THE ‘CITY OF JOY’ - HAS A SPECTACULAR SITE AND A
GARDEN PALACE (JAHAZ MAHAL) BUILT BETWEEN TWO LAKES.
5. AMBER HAS AN ISLAND GARDEN OUTSIDE ITS FORTIFICATIONS,
INTERNAL GARDEN COURTS AND AN OLD MARDANA WITH A CENTRAL
CHOWK.
6. JAIPUR IS AN INTEGRATED PALACE AND CITY DESIGN. DEEG IS
PROTECTED BY MOATS AND FORTIFICATIONS BUT THE PALACE
BUILDINGS ARE LOCATED ON THE AXES OF A CHAHAR BAGH TYPE
GARDEN.
EUROPEAN INFLUENCE IN INDIA
AS EUROPEAN INFLUENCE ON INDIA BECAME SIGNIFICANT, SEVERAL
FACTORS CONTRIBUTED TO A NEW WAVE OF PALACE BUILDING. FIRST
THERE WAS MORE SECURITY THAN DURING THE LAST 150 YEARS OF
MUGHAL RULE. SECOND, THERE WAS MORE WEALTH AS NEW
TECHNOLOGY AND TRADING OPPORTUNITIES BENEFITTED THE INDIAN
ECONOMY. THIRD, THE MUGHAL LAW REQUIRING THE TRANSFER OF
WEALTH AND PROPERTY TO THE IMPERIAL TREASURY AFTER A MAN
DIED HAD DISCOURAGED PRIVATE PALACE BUILDING. FOR ALL THESE
REASONS THERE WAS A BUILDING BOOM FROM THE EIGHTEENTH
CENTURY ONWARDS LED BY INDIAN PRINCES. PORTUGUESE AND
FRENCH INFLUENCE WAS STRONG IN SOUTH INDIA. NOT SEEING
THEMSELVES AS COLONISTS, THE BRITISH BUILT FEW LARGE ESTATES
FOR THEIR OWN USE BUT BRITISH ARCHITECTS WERE ACTIVE IN INDIA.
TO BEGIN WITH, THE NEW PALACES WERE BUILT STYLE WAS A BLEND
OF MUGHAL AND RAJPUT. AS THE NINETEENTH CENTURY PROGRESSED
EUROPEAN INFLUENCE BECAME STRONGER BUT WAS RARELY
DOMINANT. INDIAN BUILDINGS AND GARDENS REMAINED
DISTINCTIVELY INDIAN, INCLUDING THE GOVERNMENT COMPLEX IN
DELHI DESIGNED BY EDWIN LUTYENS.