Above image: Built between 1906 and 1921, The Victoria Memorial is a large marble building in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta),WB, India; it is dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria (1819–1901).It came up at the initiative of Lord Curzon. Now it is a museum and tourist destination under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture. The memorial lies on the maidan (grounds) by the bank of the Hooghly River, near Jawaharlal Nehru road......
Indo-Saracenic architecture was one of the most striking stylistic legacies of British rule in India. Emerging prominently in the late nineteenth century, it represented a conscious revival of Indo-Islamic and Mughal forms blended with European structural principles, particularly Gothic Revival and Neo-Classical architecture. The British began to realize that monumental government buildings in an Indian setting looked more impressive when their façades were embellished with onion domes, cusped arches, minarets, and jalis—motifs deeply rooted in Islamic and Rajput architectural traditions. What emerged was an exotic yet disciplined architectural idiom that was both modern in engineering and Indian in appearance. Sometimes called Indo-Gothic, Mogul-Gothic, or even “Hindoo Style”, its vocabulary became the architectural language of the Raj.
Above images: Chepauk Palace, Chennai: Located in Royapettah, a suburb of Chennai (Madras) is a fine and iconic heritage building - Amir Mahal in Indo-Saracenic style built in 1798 on a 14 acre ground. It has been the official residence of the the titular Nawab of Arcot and his family since 1876. The Prince of Arcot, Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali,
Though most scholars associate Indo-Saracenic architecture with the late nineteenth century, the first true example predates this era. Built in 1768, Chepauk Palace in Madras (Chennai) is considered the earliest Indo-Saracenic building in India. Constructed for the Nawab of Arcot, its arched gateways, domes, and decorative stucco elements set a precedent. Chepauk Palace later influenced Amir Mahal—today the official residence of the Prince of Arcot—which too reflects the same Indo-Saracenic grammar. Surprisingly, the British themselves would later borrow this exotic idiom, incorporating it into public buildings to symbolically assert their authority while simultaneously accommodating Indian climate and artistic taste.
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| The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Mumbai. en.wikipedia.org |
Above image: Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (officially Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus) (previously Victoria Terminus) in Mumbai, 1878–88 is a historic terminal train station and UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Designed by British architect and engineer Frederick William Stevens in the style of Victorian Italianate Gothic Revival architecture
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| Madras Senate house flickr.com |
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| Interior Madras senate house thenewsminute.com |
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| Madras University Senate House,victorianweb.org |
Above images: Architect: Robert Fellowes Chisholm. 1869-73. Built for convocations of the University of Madras, but more recently used for storage. Winning the competition for designing both this building and Presidency College, Madras, brought the young architect; Admired by the then Governor General of Madras, Lord Napier....
During the high noon of the Raj, the style flourished especially in Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, and princely states such as Mysore and Jaipur. The Senate House of the University of Madras, designed between 1874 and 1879 by Robert Chisholm, stands as one of the finest specimens. Inspired partly by Byzantine architecture yet enriched with Mughal arches and colored bands of brick, it demonstrated how Western plans could successfully carry Indian ornamentation. Bombay became a gallery of the style, the most spectacular monument being the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, formerly Victoria Terminus, built between 1878 and 1888. Its domed towers, turrets, stained glass, pointed arches and iron framework placed it in harmony with Gothic Revival engineering, while its exuberant ornamentation embraced Indian motifs.
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Taj Rambagh Palace, wikipedia.
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Above images: The Rambagh Palace in Jaipur, Rajasthan is the former residence of the early 20th century ruler
Maharajah of Jaipur and now, it has been converted into a hotel; it came up first on the site in 1835.It was a garden house for the wet nurse of prince Ram Singh II. In 1887, during the reign of
Maharajah Sawai Madho Singh.
.......The princely ruling houses enthusiastically joined the trend. Samual Swinton Jacob’s conversion of Rambagh Palace in Jaipur into a stately Indo-Saracenic residence gave the princely city a structure that blended Rajput domes with Western planning and lavish interiors. Mysore Palace, rebuilt after a fire in 1897, became a dramatic fusion of Hindu, Mughal, Rajput and Gothic features crowned with soaring marble domes, grand Durbar halls, stained glass ceilings and monumental gateways. Such palaces signaled royal sophistication and the eagerness of Indian courts to adopt modern architectural styles without abandoning their cultural vocabulary.
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Interior. Mysore palace, Mysore, you tube.
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| Mysore palace, Mysore. economictimes.indiatimes.com/ |
Above images: Mysore Palace, Mysore: A historical palace and a royal residence of the Wadiyar ruling dynasty in Mysore, Karnataka state. This palace was built between 1897 and 1912 (total cost then was around $30 million) after the Old Palace had been heavily damaged in a fire mishap. It is said more than 6 million people visit this palace annually. .......
Above images: The Taj Mahal hotel, Mumbai: Built in the Saracenic Revival style, the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in the Apollo Bunder area of Mumbai city is a popular heritage, five-star, luxury hotel. Close to the the Gateway of India.........
Above images: The Daly College, Indore, MP: A co-educational residential and day boarding school in Indore city, Madhya Pradesh was founded by Sir Henry Daly of the British Indian Army during India's colonial British Raj...Above image:The High Court building is an example of Indo-Saracenic architecture. Construction began in October 1888 and was completed in 1892 following the design prepared by J. W. Brassington, and later under the guidance of architect Henry Irwin, who completed it with the assistance of J. H. Stephens....
Other famous structures across India continued the movement. The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai, opened in 1903, adopted the luxurious Saracenic style in its domes, projecting balconies, and deep verandas, all suited to the tropical climate. Across northern India, Indo-Saracenic forms beautified colleges, museums, post offices and railway buildings. Daly College in Indore, built for the education of princes of Central India, softened Victorian planning with chhatris, pierced screens, and large domes. The Madras High Court and the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata expanded the Indo-Saracenic lexicon by mixing Mughal details with European symmetry and large-scale stonework.
The style spread far beyond India. Under British rule, Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Malaya adopted similar architectural elements in their railway stations, museums and public offices. The famous Royal Pavilion at Brighton and Sezincote House in Gloucestershire, with exotic domes and scalloped arches, demonstrate how Indian architectural aesthetics influenced buildings on British soil as well. What appealed most to British architects was the combination of beauty and practical design. High ceilings, wide verandas, jaalis for ventilation, and shaded corridors were ideal for tropical climates, while iron and concrete infrastructure represented the latest nineteenth-century engineering.
The popularity of Indo-Saracenic architecture endured for over three decades, producing some of the most iconic buildings on the subcontinent. It symbolized power, modernity and colonial prestige, yet its success lay in its ability to appear “Indian” in form and European in structure. Even today, courts, colleges, museums, hotels and palaces built in this style remain protected monuments under the Archaeological Survey of India, admired for their grandeur and their hybrid cultural language. No other colonial style in India achieved such a delicate balance between local tradition and modern global architecture.
https://victorianweb.org/art/architecture/chisholm/2.html
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/madras-univ-fails-to-present-budget-but-senate-approves-19-cr-spending-for-april/articleshow/119769248.cms
https://www.thenewsminute.com/features/live-chennai-never-heard-madras-senate-house-visit-citys-photo-exhibition-98334
https://en.wikipedia.orghttps://www.thenewsminute.com/features/live-chennai-never-heard-madras-senate-house-visit-citys-photo-exhibition-98334/wiki/Madras_High_Court
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Saracenic_architecture
