Editing Architecture of India (section)

== Regional styles ==
=== Rajput Architecture ===
{{Main|Rajput architecture}}
{{See also|Architecture of Rajasthan}}{{multiple image
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| image4 = Chandra Mahal, City Palace, Jaipur, 20191218 0953 9046.jpg
| caption4 = Chandra Mahal showcasing fusion of Rajput and Mughal styles
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| image3 = Amer Fort Entrance.jpg
| caption3 = Pietra Dura and Jaali works on Amer Fort Entrance
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| image2 = Profusely painted interiors of palatial quarters.jpg
| caption2 = Profusely painted interiors [[Jal Mahal]]
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| caption1 = Jharokha windows of [[Hawa Mahal]]
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| caption5 = Salim Singh ki Haveli
| caption6 = Chhatris in Udaipur
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Rajput Architecture represents different types of buildings, which may broadly be classed either as secular or religious. The secular buildings are of various scales. These include temples, forts, stepwells, gardens, and palaces. The forts were specially built for defense and military purposes due to the [[Muslim conquests of the Indian subcontinent|Islamic invasions]].

[[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] architecture and painting is claimed to have influenced indigenous Rajput styles of art and architecture.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Kossak|first1=Steven|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=orBAYzCRJhIC&q=Rajput+architecture+was+influenced+by+Islamic+architecture&pg=PA7|title=The Art of South and Southeast Asia: A Resource for Educators|last2=Watts|first2=Edith Whitney|date=2001|publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art|isbn=9780870999925|language=en|access-date=5 November 2020|archive-date=14 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314135449/https://books.google.com/books?id=orBAYzCRJhIC&q=Rajput+architecture+was+influenced+by+Islamic+architecture&pg=PA7|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Hill Forts of Rajasthan]] ([[Amer Fort|Amer]], [[Chittor Fort|Chittor]], [[Gagron Fort|Gagron]], [[Jaisalmer Fort|Jaisalmer]], [[Kumbhalgarh]], [[Ranthambore Fort|Ranthambore]]), a group of six forts built by various Rajput kingdoms and principalities during the medieval period are among the best examples of Rajput Architecture. The ensemble is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Other forts include the [[Mehrangarh Fort]] and [[Jaigarh Fort]].

Most of the population of Rajasthan is [[Hindu]], and there has historically been a [[Jainism in Rajasthan|considerable Jain minority]]; this mixture is reflected in the many temples of the region. [[Māru-Gurjara architecture]], or "Solaṅkī style" is a distinctive style that began in Rajasthan and neighbouring [[Gujarat]] around the 11th century, and has been revived and taken to other parts of India and the world by both Hindus and Jains. This represents the main contribution of the region to [[Hindu temple architecture]]. The [[Dilwara Temples|Dilwara Jain Temples]] of [[Mount Abu]] built between the 11th and 13th centuries CE are the best-known examples of the style. The [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] architecture greatly influenced indigenous Rajput styles of art and architecture.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Steven|first1=Kossak|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=orBAYzCRJhIC&q=Rajput+architecture+was+influenced+by+Islamic+architecture&pg=PA7|title=The Art of South and Southeast Asia: A Resource for Educators|last2=Watts|first2=Edith Whitney|publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art|year=2001|isbn=9780870999925|access-date=5 November 2020|archive-date=14 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314135449/https://books.google.com/books?id=orBAYzCRJhIC&q=Rajput+architecture+was+influenced+by+Islamic+architecture&pg=PA7|url-status=live}}</ref>

Some architectural style innovated and influenced by Rajasthani architectural styles are:-
# Ornated buildings or Havelis
# [[Chhatri]]s
# Delicate ornamentation
# [[Jharokha]]
# Stepwell or [[Bawdi]]
{{multiple image
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| image3 = Amber Palace 013.jpg
| caption3 = [[Amer Fort]]
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| image2 = Neemrana-Fort-Palace-Hills-Alwar-Rajasthan.jpg
| caption2 = Neemrana Fort
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| image1 = Jodhpur, Rajasthan - India (17933517794).jpg
| caption1 = Jodhpur Fort
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| image5 = Chittorgarh fort.JPG
| caption5 = [[Chittorgarh Fort]]
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In Hindi, the "Chhatri" refers to a canopy or umbrella. Chhatris are the elevated pavilions with dome shaped porches. The Chhatris are used as a symbol to portray the fundamentals of admiration and pride in its style of architecture.

A Jharokha is a kind of suspended enclosed gallery. A significant purposes it served was to allow women to witness the events and society outside the palace life without being noticed. This eventually lead to [[Jharokha Darshan]], adapted by Mughals, which allowed essential and direct communication between the emperors or kings and the general public.

The [[City wall of Jaipur|walled]] city of [[Jaipur]] was formed in 1727 by Kacchwaha Rajput ruler [[Jai Singh II]], and is "a unique example of traditional Hindu [[town planning]]",<ref name="Michell1990">Michell, George (1990), ''The Penguin Guide to the Monuments of India, Volume 1: Buddhist, Jain, Hindu'', 1990, Penguin Books, pg −288-301 {{ISBN|0140081445}}</ref> following the precepts set out in much Hindu texts. Subsequently, the [[City Palace, Jaipur|City Palace]], [[Hawa Mahal]], [[Rambagh Palace]], [[Jal Mahal]] and [[Albert Hall Museum]] were also built. [[Udaipur]] also has several palaces, including the [[Bagore-ki-Haveli]], now a museum, built in the 18th century.

Rajput architecture continued well into the 20th and 21st centuries, as the rulers of the [[princely state]]s of [[Presidencies and provinces of British India|British India]] commissioned vast palaces and other buildings, such as the [[Albert Hall Museum]], [[Lalgarh Palace]], and [[Umaid Bhawan Palace]]. These usually incorporated European styles as well, a practice which eventually led to the [[Indo-Saracenic architecture|Indo-Saracenic style]]

=== Sikh Architecture ===
{{Main|Sikh architecture}}
[[File:Hamandir Sahib (Golden Temple).jpg|thumb|The [[Golden Temple]] in Amritsar]]
[[Sikh architecture]] is heavily influenced by [[Mughal architecture|Mughal]] and [[Islamic architecture|Islamic]] styles. The [[onion dome]], [[fresco]]es, in-lay work, and multi-foil arches, are Mughal influences, more specially from [[Shah Jahan]]'s period, whereas ''[[Chhatri|chattris]]'', oriel windows, bracket supported eaves at the string-course, and ornamented friezes are derived from elements of [[Architecture of Rajasthan|Rajput architecture]]. Apart from religious buildings, Sikh architecture includes secular [[forts]], ''bungas'' (residential places), palaces, and colleges.

====Gurudwara====
The religious structure is called ''[[gurdwara]]'' (a place where the Guru dwells). The word ''gurdwara'' is a compound of ''guru'' (guide or master) and ''dwara'' (gateway or seat). The [[Golden Temple]] in Amritsar and [[Hazur Sahib]] are examples.

[[File:Baba atal 1.jpg|thumb|[[Gurdwara Baba Atal]] is a 17th-century nine-storeyed Gurudwara in Amritsar.]]

Gurdwara buildings do not have to conform to any set architectural design. The only established requirements are: the installation of the Granth Sahib under a canopy or in a canopied seat, usually on a platform higher than the specific floor on which the devotees sit, and a tall Sikh pennant flag atop the building.

In the 21st century, more and more gurdwaras (especially within India) have been following the Harimandir Sahib pattern, a synthesis of Indo-Islamic and Sikh architecture. Most of them have square halls, stand on a higher plinth, have entrances on all four sides, and have square or octagonal domed sanctums usually in the middle. During recent decades, to meet the requirements of larger gatherings, bigger and better ventilated assembly halls, with the sanctum at one end, have become accepted style. The location of the sanctum, more often than not, is such as to allow space for circumambulation. Sometimes, to augment the space, verandahs are built to skirt the hall. A popular model for the dome is the ribbed lotus, topped by an ornamental pinnacle. Arched copings, kiosks and solid domelets are used for exterior decorations.

=== Maratha Architecture ===
[[File:Shaniwarwada gate.JPG|thumb|[[Shaniwarwada]] palace fort in [[Pune]]]]
The [[Maratha Confederacy|Maratha Rule]] from 17th to 19th Centuries, emerged after the Maratha's victory over the [[Mughal Empire]] in the [[Mughal–Maratha Wars|Maratha-Mughal Wars]], Prominent buildings such as the [[Shaniwar Wada]] and [[Lal Mahal]] in [[Pune]] are examples. The decorative features of the mansions were “pointed arches, heavy carved stone brackets, narrow balconies projecting on rows of such brackets, domical shallow ceilings resting on a variety of squinches, the chief being the interwoven type”.

Many [[Jyotirlinga|jyotirlinga temples]] were rebuilt by the Marathas after being destroyed by invading Islamic forces. Some examples are the [[Kashi Vishwanath Temple|Kashi Vishwanath]], [[Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga|Mahakaleshwar]], [[Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple|Trimbakeshwar]], [[Grishneshwar Temple|Grishneshwar]] temples. The [[Ghats in Varanasi|ghats of Varanasi]] were also rebuilt under Maratha patronage, including the [[Dashashwamedh Ghat]] and [[Scindia Ghat]].

The Maratha structures used both the local architectural style and the Maratha's own distinct corinthian columns style. Because of the constant turmoil and protracted wars with Mughals, [[Nawab]]s, [[Afghans in India|Afghans]], and other forces, very little documentation of these efforts remain. Nevertheless, studies of these structures show that the main architectural elements were made from brick, wood, mortar and stone. Wood was most used element as it is easily and cheaply available in [[Maharashtra]] and [[Karnataka]]. The Historian [[Khafi Khan]] wrote about enchanting beauty of [[16th Century]] wooden [[Palaces]], [[temples]] and [[Forts]] However very few of these survived due to wars with [[Mughals|Mughal Empire]] and comparatively short life of wooden structures than stone and marble structures. Forts were the main focus of Maratha architecture, decorated with [[Deccan]]-style pointed arches and elaborate woodwork.

Herman Goetz writes about their architectural style in his work ‘Five Thousand Years of Indian Art’: “The [[Maratha]] temples generally provided with a huge lampstand (deepmala), The wood work they used to decorate their palaces and other civil buildings was intricate and minute. Maratha art could have developed and attained a distinctive character but it was not possible because of the turbulent times of [[Medieval India]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.preservearticles.com/notes/short-notes-on-architecture-of-marathas/14139|title=Short notes on Architecture of Marathas|date=29 October 2011|accessdate=4 April 2023}}</ref>

=== Dzong Architecture ===
{{Main|Dzong architecture}}
Dzongs are a type of fortified monastery with a distinctive architecture that are found mainly in Tibet, Bhutan and North and Northeastern part of India. The architecture is massive in style with towering exterior walls surrounding a complex of courtyards, temples, administrative offices, and monks' accommodation.[[File:Kee monastery.jpg|thumb|[[Key Monastery|Kee monastery]], [[Spiti Valley|Spiti]]|left]]'''Distinctive features include:'''
* High inward sloping walls of brick and stone painted white with few or no windows in the lower sections of the wall
* Use of a surrounding red ochre stripe near the top of the walls, sometimes punctuated by large gold circles
* Use of unique style flared roofs atop interior temples
* Massive entry doors made of wood and iron
* Interior courtyards and temples brightly colored in Buddhist-themed art [[Motif (visual arts)|motifs]] such as the [[ashtamangala]] or [[swastika]]
By tradition, dzongs are constructed without the use of architectural plans. Instead construction proceeds under the direction of a high lama who establishes each dimension by means of spiritual inspiration. Dzongs comprise heavy masonry walls surrounding one or more courtyards. The main functional spaces are usually arranged in two separate areas: the administrative offices; and the religious functions – including temples and monks' accommodation. This division between administrative and religious functions reflects the idealized [[Dual system of government|duality of power]] between the religious and administrative branches of government.

This accommodation is arranged along the inside of the outer walls and often as a separate stone tower located centrally within the courtyard, housing the main temple, that can be used as an inner defensible citadel. The roofs are massively constructed in hardwood and bamboo, highly decorated at the eaves, and are constructed traditionally without the use of nails. They are open at the eaves to provide a ventilated storage area. They were traditionally finished with timber shingles weighted down with stones
<gallery widths="180" heights="140" class="center">
File:The 9 Stupas.jpg|Stupas in Thikse Monastery
File:Ralong Monastry (36).jpg|[[Ralang Monastery]], Sikkim
File:Tawang Monastery3.JPG|[[Tawang Monastery]], [[Arunachal Pradesh]]
File:Tawang Monastery assembly hall.jpg|Tawang Monastery assembly hall
File:Devoting oneself to the path of god.jpg|Prayer hall at the [[Bylakuppe|Golden Temple in Bylakuppe]], a Tibetan settlement in Karnataka 
</gallery>

=== Bengal Architecture ===
{{Main|Architecture of Bengal}}
[[File:Bishnupur Cluster of Temples.jpg|left|thumb|Cluster of temples in Bishnupur]]
The '''architecture of Bengal''', which comprises the modern country of [[Bangladesh]] and the [[States and union territories of India|Indian states]] of [[West Bengal]], [[Tripura]], and [[Barak Valley]] in [[Assam]], has a long and rich history, blending indigenous elements from the [[Indian subcontinent]], with influences from different parts of the world. Bengali architecture includes ancient urban architecture, religious architecture, rural [[vernacular architecture]], colonial [[townhouse]]s and [[country house]]s, and modern urban styles.<ref name="Amit">{{citation |url=http://www.aishee.org/essays/classification.php |title=Classification of Terracotta Temples |author=Amit Guha |access-date=30 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131235044/http://www.aishee.org/essays/classification.php |archive-date=31 January 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Ancient Bengali architecture reached its pinnacle during the [[Pala Empire]] (750–1120); this was Bengali-based and the last Buddhist imperial power in the Indian subcontinent. Most patronage was of Buddhist [[vihara]]s, temples and [[stupa]]s. Pala architecture influenced Tibetan and Southeast Asian architecture.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}} The most famous monument built by the Pala emperors was the [[Somapura Mahavihara|Grand Vihara of Somapura]], now a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]]. Historians believe [[Somapura Mahavihara|Somapura]] was a model for the architects of [[Angkor Wat]] in Cambodia.

'''Distinctive architectural elements are:-'''
* '''Deul Temple''' -  Originally influenced by Kalinga style, they were main temple style during 6th-10th century. It was the style of [[Jain]] and [[Hindu temple architecture]] of Bengal, where the temple lacks the usual [[mandapa]] beside the main shrine, and the main unit consists only of the shrine and a ''[[deul]]'' (shikhara) above it. It was revived in the 16th to 19th century. The later representatives of this style were generally smaller and included features influenced by Islamic architecture.
* '''Chala Temple''' - [[Chala Style|Chala style]] or Hut style temples were influenced by the vernacular architecture or rural Bengal. Thatched rooftops of the houses were either in form of ''do-chala'' type which has only two hanging roof tips on each side of a roof divided in the middle by a ridge or ''[[Chala Style#char-chala|char-chala]]'' type, the two roof halves are fused into one unit and have a dome-like shape. The ''char-chala'' temples started coming up around the 17th century and profoundly adopted by Mughal and later the Rajput in their architectural styles.
* '''Ratna Temple''' - The curved roof of the temple is surmounted by one or more towers or pinnacles called ''ratna'' (jewel). The ''[[Ratna Style|ratna]]'' style came up in the 15th-16th century. It was basically a mix of chala and deul architecture where small deul, or in some case domes, were used on the centre or corners of the chala (char chala) roof.
* '''Dalan Temple''' - With the comings of European colonists, a new form of temple style took place. Generally used by [[Zamindars of Bengal|Zamindars]] or elite Bengalis, Dalan style became prominent in the 19th century. The flat-roofed (dalan) temples was easier to build and had incorporated many European elements, specially the arches. In the long run, this style lost its special identity as religious architecture and got mixed up with domestic architecture.
{{multiple image
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| image1 = Rasmancha Bishnupur (38294403222).jpg
| caption1 = Pyramidal shaped structure over [[Rasmancha, Bishnupur|Rasmancha]]
| image2 = Jor Bangla Temple Arches Bishnupur.JPG
| caption2 = Terracota work at a temple of Jor Bangla
| image4 = Jorbangla Bishnupur WB From left Side.jpg
| caption4 = Jorbangla (Douchala style) Temple
| image6 = Hangseswari Temple, Bansberia.jpg
| caption6 = [[Hangseshwari Temple]], Ratna Temple
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| image3 = Pakbirra Jain Shrine of Purulia 03 (cropped).jpg
| image5 = Madan Mohan Temple of Cooch Behar Town at Cooch Behar district in West Bengal 03.jpg
| caption5 = Flat roofed dalan with dome, Madan Mohan Temple
| caption3 = Pakbirra Jain Shrine, Deul Temple
| header = Distinct Bengali Temple Style
}}

Deuls are located in the numerous rivers crisscrossed by stone-free alluvial and bush landscape of the southern [[Sundarbans settlements]] in the [[India]]n state of [[West Bengal]].
[[File:Thakur Dalan of Itachuna Rajbari at Khanyan.jpg|thumb|Thakur Dalan of Itachuna Rajbari at Khanyan|left]]
Most temples surviving in reasonable condition date from about the 17th century onwards, after temple building revived; it had stopped after the Muslim conquest in the 13th century. The roofing style of Bengali [[Hindu temple architecture]] is unique and closely related to the paddy roofed traditional building style of rural Bengal. The "extensive improvisation within a local architectural idiom" which the temples exhibit is often ascribed to a local shortage of expert [[Brahmin]] priests to provide the rather rigid guidance as to correct forms that governed temple architecture elsewhere. In the same way the terracotta reliefs often depict secular subjects in a very lively fashion.

In larger, and later, temples, small towers rise up from the centre or corners of the curving roof. These are straight-sided, often with conical roofs. They have little resemblance to a typical north Indian [[shikara]] temple tower. The [[Pancharatna (architecture)|pancharatna]] ("five towers") and [[Navaratna (architecture)|navaratna]] ("nine towers") styles are varieties of this type.

The [[bungalow]] style is a notable architectural export of Bengal. The corner towers of Bengali religious buildings were replicated in medieval Southeast Asia. [[Bengal roofs|Bengali curved roofs]], suitable for the very heavy rains, were adopted into a distinct local style of [[Indo-Islamic architecture]], and used decoratively elsewhere in north India in [[Mughal architecture]].<ref name="Petersen2002">{{cite book |author=Andrew Petersen |year=2002 |title=Dictionary of Islamic Architecture |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9A-EAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA34 |publisher=Routledge |page=34 |isbn=978-1-134-61365-6}}</ref>

Structures like [[Rasmancha, Bishnupur|Rasmancha]], built by King Bir Hambir, has an unusual elongated pyramidical tower, surrounded by hut-shaped turrets, which were very typical of Bengali roof structures of the time. Madan Mohan Temple was built in the ''ekaratna'' style, surmounted by a pinnacle along with carvings on the walls depicting scenes from the [[Ramayana]], [[Mahabharata]] and the [[Puranas]]. Temples like [[Dakshineswar Kali Temple]], features the Navratna style of roof.

Bengal is not rich in good stone for building, and traditional Bengali architecture mostly uses brick and wood, often reflecting the styles of the wood, bamboo and thatch styles of local [[vernacular architecture]] for houses. Decorative carved or [[Molding (process)|moulded]] plaques of [[terracotta]] (the same material as the brick) are a special feature. The brick is extremely durable and disused ancient buildings were often used as a convenient source of materials by local people, often being stripped to their foundations over the centuries.