Islamic Architecture in India, 2/e (10th reprint)

Hcv powerful the force of Islam was and how effectively the Indian builder produced d viable style out of the two seemingly contradictory philosophies is only too apparent in the great and diverse masterpieces of Islamic architecture all over India. The Qutab Minar at Delhi the Jami and Atala Masjids at Mandu and Jaunpur the Teen Darwaza at Ahmedabad the Gol Gumbaz at Bijapur the city of Fatehpur Sikri and the Taj at Agra are all undoubtedly and distinctly Islamic. This book however stresses on the indigenous quality of each of these monuments. In fact they represent a mirrorlike architectural reflection of the synthesis of Hindu and Muslim cultures that reached itsmost creative period under the rule of Akbar. This process of assimilation is evident in varying degrees at Delhi Jaunpur Bengal Mandu Gujarat and the Deccan in fact all over India that was under the Mughal rule.The format of the book is much the same as followed in its companion volume Buddhist and Hindu Architecture which is to be published later. In the context of studying Islamic architecture in India an overall chronological study of its earliest phase in Delhi is undoubtedly rewarding. Subsequently in describing the parallel but architecturally distinct styles of the various provinces it becomes necessary to study each in its own chronological order to understand the evolution of the style within its own geographic social and artistic parameters.