Editing Architecture of India (section)

=== True Arch ===
The 19th century archaeologist [[Alexander Cunningham]], head of the [[Archaeological Survey of India]], at first believed that due to the total absence of arches in Hindu temples, they were alien to Indian architecture, but several pre-Islamic examples bear testimony to their existence, as explained by him in the following manner:<ref>{{Cite book|title=Mahâbodhi, or the great Buddhist temple under the Bodhi tree at Buddha-Gaya|last=Cunningham|first=Alexander|publisher=W. H. Allen|year=1892|location=London|pages=85}}</ref>
{{Blockquote|text=Formerly it was the settled belief of all European enquirers that the ancient Hindus were ignorant of the Arch. This belief no doubt arose from the total absence of arches in any of the Hindu Temples. Thirty years ago I shared this belief with Mr. Fergusson, when I argued that the presence of arches in the great Buddhist Temple at Buddha Gaya proved that the building could not have been erected before the Muhammadan conquest. But during my late employment in the Archeological Survey of India several buildings of undoubted antiquity were discovered in which both vaults and arches formed part of the original construction.|sign=[[Alexander Cunningham]]|source=Mahâbodhi, or the great Buddhist temple under the Bodhi tree at Buddha-Gaya, 1892}} Archaeological evidences indicate that wedge shaped bricks and construction of wells in the Indus valley civilization and although no true arches have been discovered as of yet, these bricks would have been suitable in the construction of true arches.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SzS6CwAAQBAJ&q=indus+valley+civilization+wells+true+arch&pg=PA58|title=The Indus: Lost Civilizations|last=Robinson|first=Andrew|date=2015-11-15|publisher=Reaktion Books|isbn=9781780235417|language=en}}</ref> True arch in India dates from [[Nanda Empire|pre Mauryan Nanda]] period from the 5th century BC. Arch fragment discovered by archaeologist [[K. P. Jayaswal]] from an arch with [[Brahmi script|Brahmi]] inscribed on it,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.20579/page/n109|title=Proceedinds And Transactions Of The Second Oriental Conference (1923)|date=1923|pages=86|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=The Calcutta Review Vol.10, No.1-3(april-june)1924|year=1924|pages=140}}</ref> or 1st - 2nd century CE when it first appeared in [[Kosambi|Kausambi]] palace architecture from [[Kushan Empire|Kushana]] period.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Dubey|first=Lal Mani|title=Some Observations on the Vesara School of Hindu Architecture|date=1978|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44139449|journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress|volume=39|pages=1000–1006|jstor=44139449|issn=2249-1937|access-date=12 June 2021|archive-date=12 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612072821/https://www.jstor.org/stable/44139449|url-status=live}}</ref> Arches present at [[Vishnu]] temples at [[Deo Barunark|Deo Baranark]], [[Amb Temples|Amb]] and [[Kafir Kot]] temples from [[Hindu Shahi]] period and Hindu temple of [[Bhitargaon]] bear testimony to the use arches in the Hindu temple architecture.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1N95DwAAQBAJ&q=amb+temple+true+arch&pg=PA4|title=Temples of the Indus: Studies in the Hindu Architecture of Ancient Pakistan|last=Meister|first=Michael W.|date=2010-07-26|publisher=BRILL|isbn=9789004190115|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/photocoll/f/019pho000001003u00466000.html|title=Front view of a ruined temple, with sculptured slabs in foreground, Deo Baranark|last=Wright|first=Colin|website=Bl.uk|access-date=2019-04-23|archive-date=25 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225010021/http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/photocoll/f/019pho000001003u00466000.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.europeana.eu/portal/record/92037/_http___www_bl_uk_onlinegallery_onlineex_apac_photocoll_g_zoomify58580_html.html|title=General view of ruined temple at Deo Baranark|website=Europeana Collections|language=en|access-date=2019-04-23}}</ref>
[[File:20191203 Diwan-i-Khas, Red Fort, Delhi 0507 6368 DxO.jpg|thumb|Arches of Diwan-i-Khas, Red Fort, Delhi]]
Although Alexander Cunningham has persisted in the notion that the Buddhist [[Mahabodhi Temple]]'s pointed arch was added later during a Burmese restoration, given its predominant use in Islamic architecture, scholars such as Huu Phuoc Le have contested this assumption based on analysis that relieving arches could not have been added without destroying the entire temple structure, which is dated to 6th–7th century CE. Hence the pointed and relieving arches much have formed part of the original building dating from the pre-Islamic periods in proper.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Buddhist Architecture|last=Le|first=Huu Phuoc|publisher=Grafikol|year=2010|isbn=978-0984404308|location=USA|pages=246–247}}</ref><ref>Rowland, 163-164</ref>  Moreover, pointed arches vaulted entrances have been noted in Bhitargaon temple and Kausambi Palace architecture as well.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/241/|title=Group of Monuments at Hampi|website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214052910/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/241/|archive-date=2019-02-14|access-date=2019-10-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=District Gazetteers Of The United Provinces Of Agra And Oudh Cawnpore Vol Xix|pages=190}}</ref>