Provincial Architecture: Gujarat
Gujarat
- Western Indian architecture, which emerged at the beginning of the 14th century, was almost exclusively confined to Gujarat.
- The founders of this Gujarat style of Indo-Islamic architecture were, in fact, the governors of the Khalji Sultans of Delhi.
Three Phases of the Gujarat Style
First Phase (till the first half of the 14th century):
- This phase was marked by the demolition of Hindu temples and their reconversion into Muslim buildings.
Second Phase (first half of the 15th century):
- This phase shows signs of the hesitant maturity of a distinctive architectural style.
Ahmad Shah I (1411–42):
- Ahmad Shah I was a great builder, beautifying the town with numerous magnificent palaces, bazars, mosques, and madrasas.
- He drew upon the rich architectural tradition of the Jains of Gujarat to devise a style of building markedly different from that of Delhi.
- Some of its notable features included slender turrets, exquisite stone-carving, and highly ornate brackets.
- Examples of his architecture:
- Jama Masjid, Ahmedabad: built in 1424 during the reign of Ahmad Shah I, situated outside the Bhadra Fort.
- Tin Darwaza: completed in 1415, serving as a gateway on the eastern side of the Bhadra Fort, Ahmedabad.
Mahmud Begarha (1459–1511):
- Mahmud Begarha founded a new town, Mustafabad (present-day Junagadh), at the foot of the Girnar hill, constructing many lofty buildings there and directing his nobles to do likewise — in time, it became the second capital of Gujarat.
- He also built a new town, Muhammadabad, near Champaner, laying out numerous gardens and making it his principal place of residence.
- Buildings at Champaner:
- The Jama Masjid featured a covered courtyard, incorporating many Jain and Hindu principles of architecture.
- The stonework in other buildings constructed during this period was so refined that it could only be compared to the work of goldsmiths.
- Sarkhej Roza: Mahmud Begarha is also credited with completing Sarkhej Roza, a mosque and tomb complex located near Ahmedabad.
Third Phase (latter half of the 15th century):
- In this phase, the Gujarat style finally emerged in its own magnificent, fully developed form.
Character of the Gujarat Style
- The Gujarat style of architecture is one of the most indigenous in character among the regional Indo-Islamic styles.
- In some of its finer examples, considerable portions of the buildings are, in fact, adaptations from Hindu or Jain temples.
- The structure of a temple is often fitted into the sanctuary of the mosque in the form of a central compartment — a manner in which almost all mosques of the second and third phases were composed.
Central Indian Architecture
- The development of Indo-Islamic architecture in central India remained confined largely to the Malwa region.
- (A more detailed account of Malwa architecture is provided in a separate chapter.)
