Provincial Architecture during Sultanate Period

Provincial Architecture during Sultanate Period

After the decline of Delhi Sultanate various provincial dynasties flourished. The rules of these provinces built several palaces, mosques and tombs and contributed to the development of architecture according to their resources and conditions prevailing in the various provinces.

Multan

Various Muslim rules ruled over Multan from time to time. They built some monuments there. The first mosque was built there by Muhammad-bin-Qasim and another was built at the site of Aditya temple. Besides, the shrine of Shah Tusuf-ul-Gardizi, the Mousoleum of Bahlul Haqq, the tomb of Shamsuddin and the tomb of Rukh-i-Alam are the best specimens of provincial architecture. The tomb of Rukh-i-Alam is supposed to be the best of all tombs so for built.

Bengal

Although in Bengal there was no dearth of, yet the rules failed to produce any specific style during their times. The buildings of Bengal were made of brick, as stone was not available there. The ruins of architecture can be seen at Gaur or lakhanauti, Triveni and Pandua. The earlier architecture of Bengal is visible in the mosque of Zafar Kahn Ghazi. The Adina mosque built by Sikanda Shah in Pandua is also very superb. But Sir John Marshall writes, “It is far from being worthy of its size.” The other significant buildings are Ekladhi tomb, Saat Gumbad, Lotan Masjid, Sona Masjit and Firoz Minar. Dr. A.L. Srivastava has written about the architecture of Bengal, “The beauty of the Bengal style consisted in ornamentation in terracotta, curved cornice, and the hut-shaped superstructure over the roof and in juxtaposition with the semicircular dome.”

Junapur

The rulers of Sharqi dynasty were patrons of arts and some fine buildings were constructed by them. Really, the Sharqi dynasty of Jaunpur was chiefly responsible for the advancement of architecture. The best specimens of Sharqu dynasty were Atala Masjid, Jami Masjid, and Lal Darwaza mosque. They are the best specimens of provincial architecture of Jaunpur.

Melwa

Although the buildings of Malwa style were similar to those of the Delhi Sultanate, yet they were not exact replicas of the same. In fact, Malwa had its own style of architecture. Dhar, the ancient capital of Malwa, had two mosques of Indian style. The most significant buildings of Mandu are the Jami Masjid, the Hindola Mahal, the Ashrafi Mahal, the tower of victory and the tomb of Sultan Hushang Shah and the palaces of Baz Bahadur and Rupmati. Percy Brown has thus praised the Hindola Mahal, “Few buildings in India present a more striking appearance, or are more solidly constructed than this amazing palace.”

Gujarat

Several buildings are built here in Indo-Islamic style. Dr. Saraswati writes, “its unique character may best be explained as the product as much of a highly specialized local style as of a different kind of Islamic patronage.” The Jain temple of Abu had been the source of inspiration to several kings and rulers. The Jami Masjid at Ahmedabad is the best example of Gurarat style. Percy Brown writes about it, “The mosque has reached the high watermark of the mosque design in western India, if not in the entire country.” Other significant buildings of this provincial style were the tomb of Darya Khan, the mosque of Rani Sipari and the mosque of Sayyid.

Kashmir

The Muslim rulers built some buildings in Kashmir in traditional Hindu style. They are built according to the Hindu traditions of stone and wooden architecture. Some fine buildings were constructed here during the reign of Jainul Abadin. The tomb of Mandani, Jami Masjit and mosque of Hah Hamadan are significant buildings of Kashmir.

Bahmani Kingdom

The mosques of Gulbarga and Bidar were constructed by the rulers of Bahamani dynasty. The tomb of Muhammad Adil Shah was influenced by Turkish style. Besides this, the Chand Minar at Daulatabad and college of Mahmood Gavan at Bidar are fine specimens of architecture during the reign of Bahmani Sultans. As the material of Hindu buildings was used in the construction of these buildings, the influence of Hindu style is clearly visible in these buildings.

Hindu Architecture

During this period, the Rajput rulers tried to build some buildings in Hindu style. Hindu rules preferred to construct Sanskrit schools in place of palaces. Rana Kumbha of Mewar built the fort of Chittor, kirti Stambha or Jai stambha. The main characteristic of these buildings was gigantism.

The fort of Gwalior is also the best specimen of Hindu provincial architecture. The Man temple constructed by Man Singh Tomar is the best specimen of Hindu architecture.

The rulers of Vijayanagar Empire were also great patrons of art. Krishna Deva Raya is the most significant of them. The Vithala temple is the best example of architecture in South India. Foreign travelers have praised the beauty of Vijaynagar due to its fine buildings.

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Milan Tomic

Hi. I’m Designer of Blog Magic. I’m CEO/Founder of ThemeXpose. I’m Creative Art Director, Web Designer, UI/UX Designer, Interaction Designer, Industrial Designer, Web Developer, Business Enthusiast, StartUp Enthusiast, Speaker, Writer and Photographer. Inspired to make things looks better.

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