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| Indo-Saracenic styled Chennai central station. flicker com |
The Indo-Saracenic architectural style followed by
British architects in the late 19th century British India drew
inspirations from native building styles and designs of Indo-Islamic
and Hindoo and aesthetically blended them with the Gothic revival
and Neo-Classical styles quite popular in Victorian Britain period.
Prior to this exotic style in early 1800s quite prevalent among the
public buildings there were the European classical style mixing Greek
and Roman designs. It was a symbol of power and status for the ruling
class to keep them away from the natives.
After the great rebellion of 1857- 1858
by the native Indian soldiers against the English Company's oppressively misrule
sand with the advent of direct crown administration - under
the Raj, the rulers wanted to maintain their imperial status in India and, at the
same time, needed a link between the rulers and natives of colonized
land. This culminated in the introduction of Indo-Saracenic style to
represent the empire and their connection with the early Hindu -Mogul
rulers. They kept the ex-Muslim and Hindu rulers in power by way of
forming Princely states and bestowed them with various British titles sort of peerage (to cool them off but be servile to them). They also classified their lands as salute states
based on their extend of land, revenue and style of living.
It was a way of legitimatizing their rule in this Asian land being the masters to rule and not to be ruled under.
They gave limited powers to the princes and each princely state had a
British Resident to check the activities going on in respective states. In
this regard the British rulers took the advice of - Sir Thomas Metcalf.
As for the rulers, with frequent visits by Europeans to their places,
their life style also changed because of their close association; so was the design and architecture of
their buildings and palaces with lots of embellishments and fine furniture.
The leading architects were Robert
Fellowes Chisholm, Charles Mant, Henry Irwin, William Emerson, George
Wittet and Frederick W. Stevens whose imagination and expertise made a mark
in all major cities in India.
The exotic Indo-Saracenic features stand apart among other styles. the distinctive features are : Minarets, Harem Windows, Open Pavilions, Pierced Open Arcading, Domed Kiosks, Many Miniature Domes, or Domed Chhatris, Towers impressive Onion (Bulbous) Domes Overhanging Eaves, Pointed Arches, Cusped Arches, or Scalloped Arches Vaulted Roofs. colonnaded balcony, Chattris & Chajjas in red sandstone. Refer to the features in the images presented here.
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| Historical Hindu temple architecture. .slideshare.net |
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| Contemporary Architecture (1920 – 1930) indian, slidesharenet. |
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harem window on balcony, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India. alamy com
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Above image:Ornately carved stone window or Jharokha overhanging balcony Harem window to allow women to see but not be seen. Junagarh Fort, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India
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| royal courtyard,Udaipur, Rajasthan, India.gounesco. |
Above image:Open air royal courtyard, City Palace, Rajasthan open-air-ornate-royal-courtyard-rajya-angan-city-palace-udaipur-Rajasthan-
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| .Open courtyard Junagarh Fort Bikaner Rajasthan India alamy.com |
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Dome of the Taj Mahalwonders-of-the-world.net
 | features .of the confluence of Indian and Persian styles. en.wikipedia.or
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 | 3rd BCE great stupa, at Sanchi, India hemysteriousworld.com
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domed kisok, india. alamy.com
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Harem windows, Hawa Mahal, Jaipur, India. 123rf.com
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Chhatri, Fatehpur Sikri, near Agra, india.
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Above image : Chhatri set atop each corner of the Hall of Audience in Fatehpur Sikri palace complex
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| tomb of Salim Chishti ,Fatehpur Sikri, Delhi tall minarets..en.wikipedia.com |
Above image: The tomb of Salim Chishti in Fatehpur Sikri (India) exhibiting a deep chhajja following the perimeter of the building supported with elaborate brackets. A chhajja is actually projecting or overhanging eaves or cover of a roof, usually supported on large carved brackets; it is common as part of the architecture of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. In Rajasthan they are particularly large and are meant for protection against elemental forces like the sun and rain.....................
The following are some additional examples of colonial buildings in India. This one and the previous post cover just some samples.
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| Madras High Court building wikipedia.org |
Above image: Madras High Court building complex: A a good example of Indo-Saracenic architecture, designed by J W Brassington
under the guidance of British architect Henry Irwin. Built in 1892, the
court buildings are believed to be the second largest judicial complex
in the world after the one in London. The complex has the
largest number of courts in Asia, one of the three oldest High Courts of India established in the three Presidency Towns of Madras, Bombay and Calcutta by letters patent granted by Queen Victoria, bearing date 26 June 1862. It exercises original jurisdiction over the city of Chennai and appellate jurisdiction over the entire state of Tamil Nadu and Union territory of Puducherry, as well as extraordinary original jurisdiction, civil and criminal, under the letters patent and special original jurisdiction for the issue of writs under the Constitution of India. Covering 107 acres, the court complex is one of the largest in the world, next only to Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, London; a prime landmark in Chennai city.
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| slideshare.net |
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Delhi Secretariat. slideshare.net
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The All-India War Memorial 1931, Delhi.
postcolonialweb. |
Above image: War Memorial, Delhi: The
Memorial records the names of 13,516 officers who died fighting on the
North-West frontier and in the Thirth Afghan War (1919). The 42 meter
tall arch is surmounted by a stone bowl to be filled with oil for with
the plan to place an 'eternal flame' to burn in the dome on top
of the arch. This was, however, never done. Today, a flame - the Amar
Jawan Jyoti ('Eternal Flame of the Immortal Soldier') - burns below,
just behind the three flags of the army, air force and navy which can be
seen in the foreground.
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| The National Art Gallery, chennai. en.wikipedia.org. |
Above image: The
National Art Gallery in Egmore, Chennai which is one of the
oldest art galleries in India is in the Government Museum Complex
on Pantheon Road, Egmore; it houses the Government Museum and
the Connemara Public Library. Built in 1906 in
Indo-Sarasenic architecture with red stones specifically brought from
Satyavedu in Andhra Pradesh, the Gallery remained closed for long time after 2002 since 2002, due to structural damages. It was designed by architect Henry Irwin to mark the
celebration of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. It is a Heritage site identified by the CMD.
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| HQ of Southern Railways, chennai. en.wikipedia.org |
Above image: Originally
built in 1921, this Indo -Sarasenic building housed the HQ of Southern Railways as the new
Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway Company (MSMR) headquarters
(successor of Madras Railway Company), replacing the general office of
MSMR at Royapuram Railway Station. It was built for the first time in India in
reinforced concrete in classical and Dravidian styles; designed by N. Grayson.
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Mogul-style structure, Magistrate court, Chennai. timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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Metropolitan Magistrate court, Egmore. timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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Egmore court complex is yet another Indo-Saracenic
building in Chennai covering over 8,640 square feet, where the
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court, three additional Chief Metropolitan
Magistrate courts and 10 magistrate and fast track courts had functioned. It was restored in
2018 after several appeal from the heritage lovers for a cost of ₹ 48 million. The damage was extensive and the old monument had begun to crumble; it was built in 1916.
In the same
year, a new 6-story 71,200-square-foot structure with 12 court halls,
came up on the same premises as an additional court complex. A sum of
Rs. 26.28 crores was spent for this new building. For three years the court functioned in Lily
Pond shopping complex near central station during the construction period that was was done by the state PWD.
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| Chennai central station Tower. deccanherald.com |
Above image: Chennai Central railway station : It was built as a second terminus to reduce congestion in the Royapuram harbour station, which
had being utilized for port movements. Built in 1873 in a combination of styles,
namely, Gothic and Romanesque, its architect was Gothic Revival style was followed in the original station and it consisted of four platforms and a capacity to accommodate 12-coach trains. Robert Fellowes Chisholm, the architect, took another five years to finish the project. He modified the design with the addition of the central clock tower, Travancore 'caps' on the main towers, and other changes. The redesigned building was eventually completed in 1900. The main building, a combination of Gothic and Romanesque styles is declared as a heritage building. The 135 ft clock tower, the tallest of the main building with the flagstaff has a huge clock with four faces. It is set to chime every quarter of an hour and every hour The station is the busiest one in South India connecting many northern cities as well as SW and Western cities in Kerala and Karnataka. It is connected to Moore Market Complex railway station, Chennai Central metro station, Chennai Park railway station, Park Town railway station and is 2 km from Chennai Egmore railway station. Adjacent to the current headquarters of the Southern Railway and the Ripon Building (built during the Raj), the station served as the gateway to South India, and is still used as a landmark in this big city.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chennai_Central_railway_station
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| Chennai Egmore railway stationen.Alamy.com |
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| Chennai Egmore railway stationen. railwayrecruitment.co.in |
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| Chennai Egmore railway stationen.wikipedia.org |
Above image: Chennai Egmore railway station, Southern Railways. (formerly known as Madras Egmore) railway station, Tamil Nadu, India is one of the four intercity railway terminals in the city and the other three railway stations are Chennai Central Railway Station, Tambaram railway station and Chennai Beach railway station. The station was built in 1906–1908 as the terminus of the South Indian Railway Company. The building built in Gothic style is one of the prominent landmarks of Chennai. The main entrance to the station is on Gandhi-Irwin Road and the rear one on Poonamallee High Road.The station was apparently constructed from land purchased from Pulney Andy. It is built in the Gothic style with imposing domes and corridors. Built more than 200 years ago, it is being well maintained by the railways,
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| oldest High Court in India, Kolkata, WB t heculturetrip.com |
Above image: The oldest High Court in India built in Neo-gothic style, came up 10 years later in 1872 in Calcutta, the British India's capital; designed by British architect Walter Granville, the structure is said to have been modeled on the Cloth Hall in Ypres, Belgium. The court began to function earlier in Ft. William, The new court was sanctioned to have a strength of 72 judges.
https://www.calcuttahighcourt.gov.in/page/About-High-Court
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Saracenic_architecture
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