SUOBIRON, RENELYN M.

ANCIENT INDIAN
ARCHITECTURE

GEOGRAPHY

India
a
three-cornered
country occupies an area
fifteen times greater than
Great Britain.
Bounded on The north by
the himalayas
on the north-west by the
Suleiman mountains
and on the east by the
heights of southern assam
The remaining portion is
bounded by the sea.

CLIMATE
In the south there was a tropical climate.
In the south there was a tropical climate.
The weather is mostly rainy and warm.
The land is diverse and fertile.
It is very grassy and varied around the season.

RELIGION

India is the birthplace of four of the world's major religions

Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism.
Islam (13.4%)
Christianity (2.3%),
Sikhism (1.9%),
Buddhism (0.8%) and
Jainism (0.4%)

GREAT STUPA AT
SANCHI

Sanchi Stupa is located at

Sanchi Town in RaisEn
District of the state of
Madhya Pradesh, India, it
is located 46 km north
east of Bhopal.
is
the
oldest
stone
structure in India
was
originally
commissioned by the
emperor Ashoka the Great
in the 3rd century BCE.
Its nucleus was a simple
hemispherical
brick
structure built over the
relics of the Buddha. It
was crowned by the
chatra,
a
parasol-like
structure
symbolising
high rank, which was
intended to honour and
shelter

The Taj Mahal

A white marble mausoleum located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was built by Mughal
emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal is widely
recognized as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces
of the world's heritage".
Reported by: Shena Mae R. Bugas

Materials:

Agate

Onyx

Black Slate

Corals

Blood Stone

Red Sandstone

Jade

Yellow
Sandstone

Turquoise

White Marble

Building Elements:
Taj Mahal is regarded by many as the finest example of Mughal architecture, a
style that combines elements from Islamic, Persian, Ottoman Turkish and Indian
architectural styles.
the dome is often called an onion dome or amrud (guava dome).
While earlier Mughal buildings were primarily constructed of red sandstone,
Shah Jahan promoted the use of white marble inlaid with semi-precious stones,
and buildings under his patronage reached new levels of refinement

Taj Mahal site plan:

1.The Moonlight Garden to the north of the Yamuna
2. Terrace area: Tomb and Mosque
3.Charbagh (gardens).
4.Gateway, attendant accommodations, and other tombs.
5. Taj Ganji (bazaar)

 The tomb is the central focus of the

entire complex of the Taj Mahal.
consists of a symmetrical building with
an iwan (an arch-shaped doorway)
topped by a large dome and finial.
The main chamber
houses the
false sarcophagi of
Mumtaz Mahal and
Shah Jahan; the
actual graves are at
a lower level.
The minarets, which are
each more than 40
metres (130 ft) tall,
display the designer's
penchant for symmetry.

THANJAVUR TEMPLE
o

Brihadeshwara at Thanjavur in the Indian state

of Tamil Nadu, is a Hindu temple dedicated
to Shiva. It is an important example
of Tamil architecture achieved during the Chola
dynasty. The temple is part of the UNESCO World
Heritage Site known as the "Great Living Chola
Temples.
This is one of the largest temples in India and
one of India's most prized architectural sites.
Built by emperor Raja Raja Chola I and completed
in 1010 AD,Peruvudaiyaar Temple, also popularly
known as the 'Big Temple', turned 1000 years old
in 2010.
Hannah N. Tagura

MATERIALS
o

Only granite was used to make the entire

temple structure. It is believed that
about 130,000 tons of granite was used
to construct the Brihadeeswara Temple.
The temple is said to be made up of
about 60,000 tons of sandstone and
granite.

ELEMENTS
o
o
o

pyramid shaped towers

constructed of sandstone
soapstone or granite.

SHAPE
o

Pyramid

KANDARIYA MAHADEVA TEMPLE

Ariana Corpuz

KANDARIYA MAHADEVA TEMPLE

is the largest and most ornate Hindu temple in
the medieval temple group.
found at Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, India.
It is considered one of the best examples of
temples preserved from the medieval period in
India.
built by king Dhangadeva.

KONARK SUN TEMPLE

- Is a 13th-century Sun
Temple (also known as the
Black Pagoda), at Konark,
in Odisha, India.
- The name Konark
derives from the
combination of the
Sanskrit words, Kona
(corner) and Arka (sun), in
reference to the temple
which was dedicated to
the Sun god Surya.
Edison B. Cuasito

- It has been built in the

shape of a gigantic chariot
with elaborately carved
stone wheels, pillars and
walls.

The 'Kalasha' was made

of copper, most probably
gilded, and the 'Amla' of
stone. The 'Kalasha' was
removed at the beginning
of the 17th century by the
Muslims, who thought it
was gold and wanted to
melt it down.
The Amla underneath it
was made of several
massive blocks of stone,
clamped together by iron
dowels.

The very weight of the stone

served to keep the corbeled
walls of the spire in position
by counteracting their
tendency to fall inward.
But when the Kalasha was
removed, the plaster covering
the dowels was damaged and
exposed and, over time,
washed away.
The iron underneath now
began to erode, disintegrate,
and finally fell apart.