The Indo-Islamic School

India clashed with the world of Islam for the first time in the middle of the
eleventh century. This was a period of transition and adaptation, at the end of
which the Muslim art of India was to bloom into a luxuriant life of its own,
worthy of the name ‘Indo-Islamic’ art.
 Destruction and repurposing

The first phase of invasion by the new rulers

caused a clash, where cities were sacked, all
Indian temples and monuments were razed to
the ground.

Consequently, the materials from the

demolished structures (Hindu and Buddhist)
were reused for the construction of new
architectural works.

The Islamic structures built with this economic

method had a style that was neither fully
Indian or Islamic.

This paved the way of the subsequent artistic

flowering of the two unmatched trends. Jama Masjid, Delhi
 Different Ideals
The strongest architectural contrast between the two cultures was due to historical, social and psychological
reasons.

In the matters of faith, the Mosque is simple, linear, open to the light and to all that come to pray. A typical
Hindu temple on the other hand, houses the deity in a small cell, reflecting a penchant for darkness and mystery.

A view of an Indo-Islamic mosque A Hindu temple

 Islamic Architecture

Architecture was crucial because it was

the stamp of the new faith on the lands
conquered

It was not however, exclusively religious,

but also military and civic.

Always distinctive, with its basic dome

and pillared hall, it underwent a long
evolution resulting in varied
manifestations.

Gol Gumbaz
 The Mamluk Dynasty
Qutb-ud-din Aibak (the first Sultan of Delhi) of
the Mamluk dynasty had the first mosque built in
Delhi in 1193 CE after he defeated the Rajput
Chauhans who were ruling Delhi at that time.

The Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque was raised over the

remains of a temple and, in addition, it was also
constructed from materials taken from other
demolished temples.

The mosque is in ruins today but indigenous

corbeled arches, floral motifs, and geometric
patterns can be seen among the Islamic
architectural structures.
The Quwwat ul-Islam Mosque, Qutb complex, Delhi

http://www.dsource.in/gallery/qutub-minar-delhi
Pillars taken from Hindu temples at The Iron pillar The Qutb Minar
Quwwat ul-Islam Mosque, in the Qutb Complex
Qutb complex, Delhi
 The Qutub Minar
The Qutb Minar is inspired by the
Minaret of Jam in Afghanistan

It is 72.5 meters (239 ft) high, has five

distinct storeys, each marked by a
projecting balcony carried on a corbel
and tapers from a diameter 14.3 meters at
the base to 2.7 meters at the top, which is
379 steps away. The inside has intricate
carvings of the verses from the Quran.

The structure has the contributions of

various rulers like Qutb-ud-din Aibak, his
successor Shams ud-Din Iltutmish,
Firoz Shah Tughlaq of the Tughlaq
dynasty and Sultan Sikander Lodi of the
Lodi dynasty.
Qutub minar details
 The Khilji Dynasty
Under the Khijli dynasties (1290-1414), Indo
Muslim architecture favoured colossal structures
with extremely pronounced military features,
even when there was no need for them.

Also evident was the inclusion of more Indian

elements. Bold contrasting colours of masonry,
with red sandstone and white marble, introduce
what was to become a common feature of
Indo-Islamic architecture, substituting for the
polychrome tiles used in Persia and Central Asia.

The Alai Darwaza

 The Tughlaq Dynasty
The Tughlaq defensive structures of Tughlaqabad
and Adilabad are the best examples of
Indo-Islamic military style.

Made of red sandstone and embellished with

elegant ornamentation, these buildings are at
once formidable defensive structures and
paragons of refined decorative taste.

Tomb of Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq at Tughlaqabad

Adilabad Daulatabad
 The Lodi Dynasty
The Lodi dynasty conquered all of the northern
Indian plains as far as the borders of Bengal, Punjab
and the whole of central Asia.

They continued the trend of Tughlaq architecture.

High domes, polychrome stucco ornaments,
encaustic tiles, niches and ornamental moldings
gave their structures a heavy, baroque aspect.

Jamali mosque in Mehrauli, Delhi

Interior of the Jamali mosque in Mehrauli, Delhi
 The Mughals
Babar and Humayun
With the advent of the Mughals, the artistic
character of India changed drastically.

Babar defeated the Lodi sultanate and the Rajput

kings of Mewar. His son Humayun conquered
Malwa, Bengal and Gujarat.

Both father and son remained faithful to the

Timurid architectural patterns of Central Asia
favouring octagonal ground-plan pavilions and
gardens adorned with flowers, geometrically
designed to highlight the schematized plans of the
buildings.

All in all, they remained what they were - Central

Asians of mixed culture, to whom Persia was the
The Kabuli Bagh Masjid in Panipat built by Babar
land of the greatest artistic achievement.
 The Mughals
Akbar
The imperial style of the Mughals began to
develop only under Akbar, the first emperor who
really regarded India as his homeland rather than
as a conquered country. This changed the cultural
and political outlook of the rule.

The Mughal architects of the days of Akbar

employed local craftsmen and skillful Indian
master builders.

Other factors such as lack of supply of Central

Asian materials led to the extensive use of locally
available sandstone, marble and schist.

Tomb of Muhammad Ghaus at Gwalior, built by Akbar

(derived from the style of Gujarat)
 The Mughals
Akbar
The empire under Akbar had become a
super-national state in which attempts were being
made to give Muslim and Hind subjects equal
rights.

Furthermore, because of Akbar’s interest in

religious problems, he departed from Islamic
orthodoxy with consequences also in the field of
architecture.

Among his other merits as a builder, Akbar was

the founder of Fatehpur Sikri, in which the
combination of different styles is an indication of
his political attitude.
Fatehpur Sikri
The buildings are of red sandstone reinforced by a
frame work of pillars and its roof is derived from
the Hindu tradition.
Buland Darwaza Diwan e Khas Anup Talao
 The Mughals
Akbar
In Akbar’s reign a desire to meld the traditional
elements of Indian Islam with the characteristic
architecture of the Rajputs was strong.

The Rajputs were the most unrelenting and bold

opponents of Muslim power in India.

The admixture of Rajput and Islamic elements was

not only the result of circumstances arising from
the clash of the two sides but also an intentional
device to demonstrate on the political level that
understanding and coexistence were possible.

Agra fort
 The Mughals
Akbar
A curious aspect of the conciliatory policy of the
Mughals toward the non-Muslim Indians is the
fact that human figures appeared in coins.

Both Akbar and Jehangir commissioned statues

after their the stylistic motifs dear to the Rajputs.
The statues were later either destroyed or
damaged.

The human motif became a fully accepted feature

of decoration, breaking forever the traditional, Coins of the Mughal empire
though not always strictly observed, aniconic 1. Akbar
prejudice of Islamic art. 2. and 3. Jehangir
 The Mughals
Shah Jahan
When Shah Jahan ascended the throne in 1628,
the Mughal style changed.
The effort to fuse the Islamic tendencies with
those of the Rajputs slackened.

The preferred material of use became marble, a

material until then very little used.

The colour of the great architectural works and

particularly of mausoleums changed from red to
white and rose-white.

The carved decoration became extremely

naturalistic, rich and often multicoloured.
Tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah at Agra
Inlay in gold and semiprecious stones was created.
 The Mughals
Shah Jahan
The masterpiece of the classical Mughal style is
the Taj Mahal in Agra.

The design of the marvelous mausoleum is

attributed to various people, Isa Muhammad
Effendi (pupil of Sinan, the greatest Turkish
architect). Another source informs the architect
being a venetian, Geronimo Veroneo. Another
claim is for Ustad Ahmad and brother Ustad
Hamid.

The height of the Taj from the ground to the top

of the exterior dome is the
same as its breadth.

The four minarets are 140 feet tall.

The Koranic verses carved in black marble with
very fine calligraphic effects were executed by a
Persian, Amanat Khan Shirazi.
The decoration was further brightened by precious stones (diamonds and
sapphires) and the huge gates were solid silver.

Decoration details The cenotaph above the tomb of Noor Jahan

 The Mughals
Aurangzeb
Muslim orthodoxy, which had greatly slackened
in the reign of the unprejudiced Akbar, was
restored under the reign of Shah Jahan and
Aurangzeb.

Both sultans were ardent builders of mosques.

Aurangzeb had depleted his strength in the fights

against the Marathas while the Europeans had
quickly seized positions on the peninsula.

Widely considered to be the last effective Mughal

emperor, Aurangzeb rule saw the decline of the
massive Mughal empire.
Badshahi Masjid built by Aurangzeb in Lahore