Architecture an emblem of power, designed to endorse the patron.

Numerous outsiders invaded India and created architectural styles reflective of their ancestral and adopted homes. The European colonizers created architecture that symbolized their mission of conquest, dedicated to the state or religion. The British, French, Dutch and the Portuguese were the main powers that colonized India. British Colonial Era: 1615 to 1947 The British arrival in 1615 overthrew the Mughal empire. Britain reigned India for over three hundred years and their legacy still remains through building and infrastructure that populate their former colonies. [32]The major cities colonized during this period were Madras, Calcutta, Bombay, Delhi, Agra, Bankipore, Karachi, Nagpur, Bhopal and Hyderabad.[33][34]St Andrews Kirk, Madras is renowned for its colonial beauty. The building is circular in form and is sided by two rectangular sections one is the entrance porch. The entrance is lined with twelve colonnades and two British lions and motto of East India Company engraved on them. The interior holds sixteen columns and the dome is painted blue with decorated with gold stars.[35]The staple of Madras was Fort St. George, a walled squared building adjacent to the beach. Surrounding the fort was White Town settlement of British and Indian area Black Town later to be called Georgetown. Black Town described in 1855 as the minor streets, occupied by the natives are numerous, irregular and of various dimensions. Many of them are extremely narrow and illventilateda hallow square, the rooms opening into a courtyard in the centre."
[36]

Garden houses were originally used as weekend

houses for recreational use by the upper class British. Nonetheless, the garden house became ideal a full time dwelling, deserting the fort in the 19th Century.Calcutta Madras and Calcutta were similar bordered by water and division of Indian in the north and British in the south. An Englishwoman noted in 1750 the banks of the river are as one may say absolutely studded with elegant mansions called here as at Madras, garden houses. Esplanade-row is fronts the fort with lined palaces. Indian villages in these areas consisted of clay and straw houses, later transformed into a metropolis of brick and stone. The Victoria Memorial in Calcutta, is the most effective symbolism of British Empire, built as a monument in tribute to Queen Victorias reign. The plan of the building consists of one large central part covered with a larger dome. Colonnades separate the two chambers. Each corner holds a smaller dome and is floored with marble plinth. The memorial stands on 26 hectares of garden surrounded by reflective pools. [41Mughal tombs of
sandstone and marble show Persian influence.[26] The Red Fort at Agra (156574) and the walled city of Fatehpur Sikri (156974) are among the architectural achievements of this timeas is the Taj Mahal, built as a tomb for Queen Mumtaz Mahal by Shah Jahan (162858).[26] Employing the double dome, the recessed archway, white marble and parks while stressing on symmetry and detail was visible during the reign of Shah Jahan. [27] Quranic verses were described on the walls of the buildings. [1] However, the depiction of any living beingan essential part of the pre-Islamic tradition of Indiawas forbidden under Islam.[1] The Architecture during the Mughal Period has shown a very good blend of Indian style with the Iranian style.Some scholars hold that cultural contact with Europe under Manuel I of Portugal (reign: October 25, 1495December 13, 1521) resulted in exchange of architectural influences. [28] Little literary evidence exists to confirm the Indian influence but some scholars have nonetheless suggested a possible relation based on proximity of architectural styles.

Vijayanagara Architecture of the period (1336 - 1565 CE) was a notable building style evolved

by the Vijayanagar empire that ruled most of South Indiafrom their capital at Vijayanagara on the banks of the Tungabhadra River in present-day Karnataka.[18] The architecture of the temples built during the reign of the Vijayanagara empire had elements of political authority.[19] This resulted in the creation of a distinctive imperial style of architecture which featured prominently not only in temples but also in administrative structures across the deccan.[20] The Vijayanagara style is a combination of theChalukya, Hoysala, Pandya and Chola styles which evolved earlier in the centuries when these empires ruled and is characterised by a return to the simplistic and serene art of the past.[21] Hoysala architecture is the distinctive building style developed under the rule of the Hoysala Empire in the region historically known as Karnata, today'sKarnataka, India, between the 11th and the 14th centuries.[22] Large and small temples built during this era remain as examples of the Hoysala architectural style, including the Chennakesava Temple at Belur, the Hoysaleswara Temple at Halebidu, and the Kesava Temple at Somanathapura. Other examples of fine Hoysala craftmanship are the temples at Belavadi, Amrithapura, and Nuggehalli. Study of the Hoysala architectural style has revealed a negligible Indo-Aryan influence while the impact of Southern Indian style is more distinct.[23] A feature of Hoysala temple architecture is its attention to detail and skilled craftmanship. The temples of Belur and Halebidu are proposed UNESCO world heritage sites.[24] About a 100 Hoysala temples survive today.[25]
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