The deep, rippling changes in Indian history over the last couple of centuries is a story richly narrated in its architecture. We asked architect Shobhan Kothari of Atelier DnD to pick the most striking styles that he’d travel for across the country. Here’s what he chose:
Portuguese-Baroque Influences
Goa
The Portuguese brought colonial architecture to India in the early 16th century. Throughout Goa, the Portuguese adapted the Iberian patio house to suit its tropical climate. and also built several Baroque-style churches. According to R. Sengupta, a retired director of conservation at the Archaeological Survey of India, their mixture of elements from the Gothic and Renaissance styles combined with motifs gleaned from their travels and other colonies, led to the creation of a Portuguese Baroque style in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Franco-Tamil Architecture
Pondicherry
The historic trading town of Pondicherry shows the strong influence of its French colonisation, set up in 1674. There are two segments to this city – the French and Tamil quarters. Facades of houses in the French quarter usually feature intricate cornices, louvered wooden shutters and balconies. According to the Indian Heritage Cities Network (IHCN), one of the main differences in comparison to Parisian villas are the roofs, which are flat instead of pitched. The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) Pondicherry has been at the forefront of multiple restoration projects and, in some cases, facade control – where, if a structure can’t be preserved, owners are encouraged to rebuild it in the same style. Hotel de l’Orient is one example of a beautiful restored hotel in the French quarter. In the Tamil quarter, the IHCN has described houses with exterior facades that feature a thalvaram (“a street veranda with a lean-to roof over wooden posts”) to shelter pedestrians, and a thinnai (“a semi-public veranda”) with masonry benches for visitors and pilgrims. Other elements of Tamil architectural style that can be found here include beautiful tiling, pillars and inner courtyards. INTACH also arranges heritage walks.
British Colonial Influences
Kolkata
The colonial architecture of Kolkata, the first capital of the British Raj, reveals Georgian, Victorian and late Gothic styles. Today’s BBD Bagh – formerly Dalhousie Square – is one of the prime examples of this rich architecture. Other striking examples include St John’s Church, the High Court, General Post Office, St Andrew’s Church, and the Town Hall. The state tourism board has organised this heritage walk that takes you through the basic history of each structure.
Lutyens’ British Colonial Architecture
Delhi
In a 2004 article for The Guardian, William Dalrymple quotes travel writer Robert Byron on Lutyens’ Delhi: “People don't realise what has been done,” he wrote, “how stupendous it is, and such a work of beauty, so unlike the English. One would never have thought it of them. It will be a mystery to historians.” Built in the 1920s and ’30s in order to shift the colonial capital from Calcutta to Delhi, British architect Edwin Lutyens was given custody of architectural plans. He combined Islamic and Buddhist elements with classical architecture, blending styles from the East and West to produce the buildings that still stand today. Apart from the Lutyens Bungalow Zone, today’s Rashtrapati Bhavan (then the Viceroy’s House), India Gate, Rajpath and its surrounding area were all designed by Lutyens.
Gothic Architecture
Mumbai
Mumbai’s Gothic Revival buildings were constructed with its rising fortunes in the cotton trade in the nineteenth century. Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus (V.T.), Rajabai Tower and Bombay High Court are prime examples of Gothic Revival architecture, with their finely detailed carvings, pointed arches, flying buttresses and stained glass. The Gateway of India and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (Prince of Wales Museum) were built in the Indo-Saracenic style that developed in the latter half of the 19th century, which infused the Gothic style with Mughal and Hindu elements.
Art Deco
Mumbai
The largest number of surviving art deco buildings in the world after Miami is in Mumbai. As the city spread northwards in the 1930s, the new structures cropping up along Marine Drive and Oval Maidan and in Girgaum and Fort were in the eclectic art deco style that combined Indian motifs with streamlined design and modern construction techniques. For more about the city’s art deco masterpieces and a walk through these art deco neighbourhoods, go here.
Mughal Architecture
North India
Fine examples of the Mughal architecture of the mid-16th to the late-17th centuries can be seen in Rajasthan, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Akbar commissioned the construction of the Agra Fort and his capital city of Fatehpur Sikri, Kashmir’s Shalimar Bagh were built during Jahangir’s rule, and the Red Fort, Jama Masjid in Delhi and the Taj Mahal emerged during Shah Jahan’s time. Red sandstone, marble, intricate inlay work and latticed windows are recurrent features.
Le Corbusier’s Modernist Architecture
Chandigarh
Chandigarh was independent India’s first planned city, the master plan of which was formulated by Le Corbusier. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru commissioned Corbusier to build a city that was “unfettered by the traditions of the past, a symbol of the nation's faith in the future”. Corbusier’s blueprint for the city was a mesh of rectangles, giving rise to Chandigarh’s iconic structures of exposed brick and stone laid in landscaped gardens. The High Court, Government Museum and Art Gallery, Palace of Assembly, and the Chandigarh College of Architecture are among the best examples of his work.The city remains an icon in the history of town planning.
Louis Kahn’s Modern Architecture
Ahmedabad
Established in 1961, the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) was designed by American architect Louis Kahn. The modernist structure fit right in the school’s focus on incorporating a more Western approach to teaching. Kahn fused modern elements with traditional brick architecture. According to Arch Daily, “the large façade omissions are abstracted patterns found within the Indian culture that were positioned to act as light wells and a natural cooling system protecting the interior” from harsh sunlight. The relatively young structure is reportedly already developing cracks, but it remains, nonetheless, an unusual design against the Indian cityscape.
