COLONIAL ARCHITECTURE IN

INDIA
• Colonial India was the part of the Indian subcontinent  that was under the
jurisdiction of European colonial powers during the Age of Discovery.
• European power was exerted both by conquest and trade, especially in spices.
• The search for the wealth and prosperity of India led to the colonization of the
Americas by Christopher Columbus in 1492.
• Only a few years later, near the end of the 15th century, Portuguese sailor Vasco da
Gama became the first European to re-establish direct trade links with India since
Roman times by being the first to arrive by circumnavigating Africa (c. 1497–1499).
• Having arrived in Calicut, which by then was one of the major trading ports of the
eastern world,he obtained permission to trade in the city from Saamoothiri Rajah.
• The next to arrive were the Dutch, with their main base in Ceylon.
• Their expansion into India was halted, after their defeat in the Battle of Colachel by
the Kingdom of Travancore, during the Travancore-Dutch War.
PORTUGUESE COLONIALISM IN
INDIA
• Long after the decline of the Roman Empire's sea-borne trade with India, the
Portuguese were the next Europeans to sail there for the purpose of trade, first
arriving by ship in May 1498.
• The closing of the traditional trade routes in western Asia by the Ottoman Empire,
and rivalry with the Italian states sent Portugal in search of an alternate sea route
to India. The first successful voyage to India was by Vasco da Gama in 1498, when
after sailing around the Cape of Good Hope he arrived in Calicut, now in Kerala.
• Having arrived there, he obtained from Saamoothiri Rajah permission to trade in
the city.
• The navigator was received with traditional hospitality, but an interview with the
Saamoothiri (Zamorin) failed to produce any definitive results.
• Vasco da Gama requested permission to leave a factor behind in charge of the
merchandise he could not sell; his request was refused, and the king insisted that
Gama should pay customs duty like any other trader, which strained their relations.
• Though Portugal's presence in India initially started in 1498, their colonial rule
lasted from 1505 until 1961.
• The Portuguese Empire established the first European trading centre
at Quilon(Kollam) in 1502.
• It is believed that the colonial era in India started with the establishment of this
Portuguese trading center at Quilon.
• In 1510, Albuquerque conquered the city of Goa, which had been controlled by
Muslims.
• He inaugurated the policy of marrying Portuguese soldiers and sailors with local
Indian girls, the consequence of which was a great miscegenation in Goa and other
Portuguese territories in Asia.
• Another feature of the Portuguese presence in India was their will to evangelise
and promote Catholicism.
• The Portuguese established a chain of outposts along India's west coast and on the
island of Ceylon in the early 16th century.
• They built the St. Angelo Fort at Kannur to guard their possessions in North
Malabar.
• Goa was their prized possession and the seat of Portugal's viceroy.
• Portugal's northern province included settlements
at Daman, Diu, Chaul, Baçaim, Salsette, and Mumbai.
• The rest of the northern province, with the exception of Daman and Diu, was lost
to the Maratha Empire in the early 18th century.
• In 1661, Portugal was at war with Spain and needed assistance from England.
• This led to the marriage of Princess Catherine of Portugal to Charles II of England,
who imposed a dowry that included the insular and less inhabited areas of
southern Bombay while the Portuguese managed to retain all the mainland
territory north of Bandra up to Thana and Bassein.
• This was the beginning of the English presence in India.
 PORTUGUESE INFLUENCE ON INDIAN ARCHITECTURE
• Nature of Indo Portuguese Architecture Indo Portuguese architecture is a result of
the amalgamation between the traditional Portuguese architecture and native
Indian architecture.
• Portuguese settlements in India falls under three main categories: the factory, the
fort and the city. Based on the type of settlements the settlement pattern also
differed.
• For example, a factory type of settlement is usually situated at the mouth of a river
or near the sea shores consisting of numerous warehouses and markets, to boost
commerce.
• The houses are present in the highland and a single main road connects the
residential spaces with the commercial spaces.
• While a fort settlement will have a fort in the center and will be surrounded by
numerous houses.
• Indo-Portuguese architecture adapted well to Indian climate having high wooden
ceilings with sloped roofs, large openings, balconies etc.
• It is a perfect example of a cross cultural architecture. Indian people are usually
introverted in their lifestyle which is in contrary to the Portuguese people.
• This nature has been well adapted in Indo- Portuguese houses by having lots of
openings facing the street but being covered partially using wooden screens.
• Such nature of adapting and blending both the culture has led to the creation of a
very unique and distinct architecture which is sustainable till date
• On 20th May 1498, Vasco de Gamma unshipped in Calicut, Kerala, India.
• Later on May 6, 1542, the Jesuit Francisco Javier arrived in Goa with the mission to preach the
catholic doctrine.
• In his labor of evangelizing, he constructed churches, schools, universities that followed the rules
of styles from Portugal.
• Portuguese architecture has original and peculiar characteristics that exported to colonies in
India, Africa, Azores, Madeira, North and South of Brazil.
• At the beginning, Portuguese Jesuitical architecture followed the Baroque model from The
Church of Gesú (Rome), The College of the Holy Spirit (Evora) and the Sao Roque (Lisbon).
• In the course of the years, the architecture was changed and adapted to the new lands.
• In 1551, Saint Ignacio de Loyola ordered the architects Jacopo Vignola and Giacomo della Porta
the construction of this church that introduced the baroque style into architecture and served as
model for innumerable Jesuit churches all over the world.
• The construction of the church started on 1568 and it followed the aesthetics rules they decided
during the celebration of the Council of Trent.
a) There is no narthex, the visitor is projected immediately into the body of the church, a single
nave without aisles, so that the congregation is assembled and attention is focused on the high
altar.
b) In the place of aisles there are a series of identical interconnecting chapels behind arched
openings, which entrance is controlled by decorative balustrades with gates.
c) Transepts are reduced to stubs that emphasize the altars of their end walls.
• The construction of this church began in Basílica do Bom Jesus
1594 and was completed in 1605. Old Goa, India
• The church, cruciform on the plan, has a
three storied façade having where
the main entrance is flanked by two
smaller entrances.
• The entire façade has moulded basalt
casing and the remaining part is exposed
in laterite including the buttressed.
• It is an elaborate late-Renaissance
structure, fronted by a façade combining
elements of Doric, Ionic and Corinthian
design.
• The Basilica of Bom Jesus contains the
tomb and mortal remains of St Francis
Xavier, the so-called Apostle of the • The floor is of marble inlaid with precious
Indies. stones. 
• St Francis Xavier’s missionary voyages •  Apart from the elaborate gilded altars, the
throughout the East became legendary. interior of the church is simple. 
• His ‘incorrupt’ body is in the mausoleum • The altar table which is used in Holy mass is
to the right, in a glass-sided coffin amid gilded and adorned with the figures of
a shower of gilt stars. Christ and his apostles at the Last Supper,
• This is one of the oldest churches along with the words "Hi Mhoji Kudd",
 in Goa and in India. which in Konkani means "This is my Body“.
 Catedral de Santa Catalina
• The Sé Catedral de Santa Catarina, known as Se Old Goa, India.
Cathedral, is the cathedral of the Latin Roman
Catholic Archdiocese of Goa and Daman.
• The Cathedral was built to commemorate the
victory of the Portuguese under Alfonso de
Albuquerque over a Muslim army on 25th
November, the feast day of Saint Catherine.
• It was commissioned by Governor George Cabral
to be enlarged in 1552 on the remains of an
earlier structure. Construction of the church
began in 1562.
• It had two towers, but one collapsed in 1776 and
was never rebuilt.
• The architecture style of the Se Cathedral is • On the right, there is a Chapel of
Portuguese-Manueline. The exterior is Tuscan, the Cross of Miracles, where a
whereas the interior is Corinthian. vision of Christ is said to have
• The tower of Se Cathedral houses a large bell appeared in 1919.
known as the «Golden Bell», on account of its • There are six main panels, on
rich tone. It is said to be the largest in Goa, and which scenes from the life of Saint
one of the best in the world. Catherine are carved. There is a
• The main altar is dedicated to Catherine of huge gilded reredos above the
Alexandria, and there are several old paintings main altar.
on either side of it.
 The Convent and Church of St. Francis of Assisi
Old Goa, India.
• The Church and the Covent of St. Francis of Assisi was built in 1661 by the
Portuguese.
• The church faces west and has a nave with three chapels on either side, a
choir, two altars in the transept and a main altar.
• To the north of the main altar is a belfry and a sacristy. The convent,
which forms an annexure to the church, now houses the Archaeological
Museum.
• The exterior of the Church is of the Tuscan Order while the main entrance
is in Manuline style.
• The main altar is Baroque with Corinthian features. There are no aisles
but only a nave, which is rib-vaulted

• Initially, most of the churches followed the model of Portuguese churches,

but later architects became more independent moving away from what was happening in Europe.
• Most of the churches of Salcete (South Goa) follow the prototype of the façade of Bom Jesus, adding
complexity with time. It was the beginning in Goa of a Mannerism and Baroque period.
• Margao Church was built in 1565 over the ruins of a Hindu temple, it was sacked by the Muslims in
1589 and rebuilt in 1675. During the reconstruction, two towers were added, being still the model
reserved to the cathedrals. This innovation was an influence to the whole region and the churches that
only had one tower, had a second one added to them.
• The purpose of the tower was not only aesthetic, they also concealed hidden corridors where
parishioner could listen the mass protected of the tropical heat or storms.
• To finish, I would like to share some pictures I took during my stay of Goa. Have a look to discover some
details of Portuguese architecture.
 SETTLEMENT, STREETS AND RELATED ASPECTS
The first settlement grew in an organic way
along the coastal line, where fishing was the
primary occupation. The second settlement
grew in clusters, where their occupation
supported fishing activities like boat building,
basket weaving etc. The third settlement was
planned in a proper grid pattern, with the
churches on one side and with the
backwaters on the other side. This
settlement was occupied by the high class
people. This area is situated at an elevated
land and hence facilitated good views too.
There are four types of roads. The main
streets are the traditional streets which
facilitated chariot movement during church
festivals and hence were wide. The next
category of roads marks the boundary of the
place and are now used for vehicular usage.
The third category of roads are slightly lesser
in width and connects the clusters with the
primary or main streets. The final category
of roads are lanes, which are very small and
facilitates internal movement within the
cluster.
 SPECIAL FEATURES IN STREET

All the street intersections have a small shrine / grotto, which is built and maintained by the
residents of that street itself. This kind of grotto can be seen in all the streets, irrespective
of the type of clusters, which is another unique character of Manapad. This character is said
to be influenced from the neighbouring settlement in that area. Areas like Tiruchendur,
Kulashekarapatanam etc. usually have Hindu shrines at every street intersection. This
character has been adopted, altered as per their religion and is being followed till the
present day.
 HOUSE FORM
The architectural style of the houses are of
Ceylon-Portuguese style. It has an
extroverted planning with lots of open and
semi-open spaces like Balcoes, verandas, and
Balconies etc. which faces the street and sea.
Balcoes are nothing but covered porches
which are commonly found in the facades of
traditional Portuguese houses. The balcoes
were the places where men and women
could sit together and chat with neighbours
or just enjoy the evening breeze. The façade
of most houses are symmetrical with
tripartite divisions.
Large ornamental arched windows with
stucco mouldings were present in the
houses. These mouldings and other ornate
elements and details belonged to the
Portuguese architecture. Railings were the
most intricate element in the house. Almost
all houses have a false ceiling of wood.
A very peculiar feature that is found in
almost all the houses belonging to the
Ceylon cluster, is the presence of a window
between the Master bedroom and the guest
bedroom, which is a direct reflection of
Portuguese culture, but these windows are
now covered or left closed which is a
reflection of Indian culture. Thus the house
as a whole is a result of the fusion of all
three cultures.
DUTCH COLONIALISM IN INDIA
• The Dutch East India Company established trading posts on different parts along the
Indian coast.
• For some while, they controlled the Malabar southwest coast (Pallipuram, Cochin, Cochin
de Baixo/Santa Cruz, Quilon (Coylan), Cannanore, Kundapura, Kayamkulam, Ponnani) and
the Coromandel southeastern coast
(Golkonda, Bhimunipatnam, Pulicat, Parangippettai, Negapatnam) and Surat (1616–
1795).
• They conquered Ceylon from the Portuguese.
• The Dutch also established trading stations in Travancore and coastal Tamil Nadu as well
as at Rajshahi in present-day Bangladesh, Hugli-Chinsura, and Murshidabad in present-
day West Bengal, Balasore (Baleshwar or Bellasoor) in Odisha, and Ava, Arakan,
and Syriam in present-day Myanmar (Burma).
• However, their expansion into India was halted, after their defeat in the Battle of
Colachel by the Kingdom of Travancore, during the Travancore-Dutch War.
• The Dutch never recovered from the defeat and no longer posed a large colonial threat to
India.
• Ceylon was lost at the Congress of Vienna in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars,
where the Dutch having fallen subject to France, saw their colonies raided by Britain.
• The Dutch later became less involved in India, as they had the Dutch East
Indies (now Indonesia).
 BOLGATTY PALACE

Green gardens, azure skies and the virgin charms

of Kerela are aplenty at the Bolgatty Palace.
• Bolgatty Palace is a former palace built by the Dutch in India on Bolgatty
Island in Kochi, Kerala.
• One of the oldest existing Dutch palaces outside Holland, this quaint mansion was
built in 1744 by Dutch traders and later extended and gardens were landscaped
around it. The building was then the Governor's palace for the commander of Dutch
Malabar, and in 1909 was leased to the British.
• It served as the home of the British governors, being the seat of the British
Resident of Cochin during the British Raj.
• In 1947, when India attained independence, the palace became the property of the
state and was converted into a heritage hotel resort.
• Bolgatty Palace has a swimming pool, 9-hole golf course, ayurvedic centre, and daily
Kathakali performances and is a holiday destination for tourists. There is in a temple
dedicated to Shiva that is the first of its kind in Kerala.
• Bolgatty Palace is built on the European model.
• The building material used were the most commonly found sea rocks, clay tiles,
teak woods, clay bricks and mount bricks.
• This is mostly built like a mansion to occupy the colonial officials.
• There are many living rooms, a swimming pool, and golf court.
• There are many boat platforms built around its shore to reach here from all
direction of this Island.
• This palace is totally built in luxury and comforts articles brought from European
countries.
• There are splendid works on woods in and all around the palace which are very
beautifully carved.
• Introduction of colored glass were fixed on windows and doors of this palace.
• Its roofs are mostly placed with clay tiles. There are one to two storied floors built
here. It has pillared and verandahs and many pavilions were built on the shore
surroundings.
 DUTCH CEMETERY, KOCHI

A small, square plot enclosed with high walls within which are tombs –
‘flat, dome and pyramid shaped – occasionally diversified by broken pillars,
urns and sarcophagi, all more of less blackened by exposure, the grass rank
and wild, here and there lost sight of among bushes of a beautiful orange
flowered weed that infests these parts,’ is how Charles Allen Lawson
describes the cemetery in his British and Native Cochin (1861).
• The ancient Dutch Cemetery in Fort Kochi, the oldest European cemetery in India, is
a tell-tale reminder of Dutch lives lost in their quest for trade and expansion. Every
tombstone has a story of a historic past, of pride, of power.
• The Dutch, through the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oost-Indische
Compagnie or the VOC) stepped on the shores of this port city in the early 1660s.
• In 1663 they managed to capture the fort and port from the Portuguese who had
been there from 1505 onwards. In 1795, the English captured the fort from the
Dutch.
• The Portuguese had their hospital and cemetery on the west of the Parade Ground,
writes K.L. Bernard in his History of Fort Cochin.
• A Catholic cemetery was taboo to the Dutch and they decided to erect a separate
one for them, which is located between the Lighthouse and Bank House.
UDAYAGIRI FORT
• The fort in Tamil Nadu is located 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) from Nagercoil in Thuckalay
Town, Kanyakumari District on the Thiruvananthapuram-Nagercoil National highway at
Puliyoorkurichi. This was the most important military barracks of the Travancore rulers,
when Padmanabhapuram was their capital.
• Originally built in the 17th century, the fort was rebuilt by Maharaja Marthanda
Varma of Travancore in the 18th century.
• Enclosing an area of about 90 acres (36 ha), including an isolated 260 feet (79 m), the
fort contains an old foundry which was used for casting guns.
• The fort was rebuilt during the reign of Marthanda Varma, between 1741-44 under the
supervision of Eustachius De Lannoy, a Flemish naval commander of the Dutch East
India Company, who later served as the Chief of the Travancore Army.
• The fort is built of massive granite blocks around an isolated hillock.
• The tombs of the Dutch Admiral Eustachius De Lannoy, (in whose honour the fort
was once called Dillanai Kottai— De Lennoy's Fort), and of his wife and son can still
be found inside a partly ruined chapel in the fort.
• De Lannoy's body was buried within the fort and a chapel was built at his burial
site. De Lannoy's tombstone lies within the walls of the ruined chapel. The
inscriptions on his stone are both in Tamil and in Latin. His wife and son were
buried by his side.
• Recently, officials of the Department of Archaeology found a tunnel within the fort.
• Presently, the fort has been turned into a bio-diversity park by the Tamil
Nadu forest department, with sites of historical importance, such as De Lannoy's
tomb, remaining as protected archaeological sites under the Archaeological
Department of India.