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] ;
.
) ; ;
Steps Steps are provided at porches on front and sides, because
generally prayer halls of mosques are built at higher level than
*
39
the surrounding ground level. These steps are plain and are sometimes flanked by broad stepped walls with decorated fronts and comies. These steps are generally from sides of the porches and not from front.
(2)
Porches Porches are provided generally in front side but sometimes in
sides also as at Champaner, Dholka and Ahmedabad. They are domed parts with high vaulted ceiling with cusps at coners and suspended chandelier at their exact centre. Some of the porches are having a beautiful screens of Jali decorations on chequr plans. There are two arched gateways generally on north and south with step leading to them. At Champaner a projected balcony was added to the blind side i.e. east with reclining side (Kakshasanas of Hindu temples).
The pillasters are used as separaters for Jali units in rectangular formations and also as supporters of the ceiling formations. Each of them have typical base, shaft and capital surmounted by brackets. They reach upto the base of vaulted ceiling. The entrance arches are stilted arches with side jambs and arch proper.
AO
(3)
Minars A Minar is almost a must for a mosque. It is the most
characteristic architectural part of a mosque because the Bangi who proclaims the Azan has to climb on a high spot so that his Azan can be heard for longer distance. The minars of this period are tall, tower like parts with tapering shape, and surmounted by a
.
small dome with finial. Steps spralling up to the top are provided inside the minars. The lower parts of minars are highly decorated. These decorations are adopted from the temples architecture. As such they have stepped base, above which mouldings, cornices, step niches, arches and brackets are employed. The niches are filled with arabesque decoration under arches, and flanked by small pilasters. The top of such decorative bands are generally highly decorated with smaller designs. The upper parts of the minars are divided into storeys and separated by projected balconies supported by brackets under them. Each band between two balconies is sparsely decorated. Small arched windows are provided in the east and the west at each storey. /
(4)
Pillars Pillars are the main supports for the ceiling, roof and
domes of mosques. As such they are employed mainly in the prayer hall. In addition to this they are used on the varandah of the
courtyard and the upper storeys above the prayer hall. Usually they are made of 1. Base 2. Shaft 3. Brackets. Base are generally square in plan with mild offsets and marked by A-shaped motif in relief. Their hights are in proportions to the total heights of the pillar. For example, at Siddhapur and Dholka they are squat but at Champaner, 1
Patna and some of the mosques of Ahmedabad they are quite tall An exception to this, is the base of the Rani Sipri Mosque at Ahmedabad which is highly decorated with floral decoration, in three bands of lotus, in half circle, quarterfoil, flower and chaqur motif. The shafts are generally devided into two, to three parts according to their sections of square octagonal or circular. Main decorations are on the middle part of the shafts. At Dholka, Jami Mosque, the shaft is having multi offsets on the tall pillars. The srdi Sa^Lyad Mosque has plain shaft
2
without brackets which supports the arches on them. At Champaner they support the architraves of the ceiling of the prayer hall and arched in its front. The shaft and bracket of Tank Mosque at Dholka has wooden 'shafts and brackets probably of much later period.
Brackets are provided at the tops of pillars to support architraves on them. Brackets are mostly with single steps corbelled type and in some cases remoulded at bottom and square at top. Some of them at Tank Mosque are decorated. At the some mosques even Kichaka figures are also seen, 3 because
'.this must have been taken from Hindu temple. At
>
Jami Mosque, at Broach there is one tall bracket with stepped profile. A wooden bracket is encounted at Tank Mosque at -Dholka, but this seems to be of much later addition. (5)
Windows
Windows are provided along all the three walls of the prayer hall and on the open court yard walls on three sides. They are of two types; rectangular and square. All these windows are having jali screen. Some of them i.e. particularly the sxsjuare ones on the side of the mehrabs and sides of the prayer hall are having reclining seats i.e. Kakihasanas on their outer side which the covered at the top of the windovr with stepped arches.
(6)
Architraves :
Heavy, long architraves are used for supports to ceiling-of the prayer halls. Generally they are long shafts square in section. Architraves are .generally decorated on their bottom centre and flanks. The most common decoration on bottom is circular motif.
This is forms of.concentic circle, with floral pattern. The fanks are highly decorated .at Tank and at Hilal Khan Mosque at Dholka. These are in form of three horizontal bands of floral and geometric motifs.
(7)
Ceiling Mosque's ceiling shows following varieties. 1. Plain flat ceiling (Samtal) 2. Broad invented V shaped with hanging decoration (Ut-Kshipta) 3. Large domes of two types (Kshipto-Kshipta).
The plain flat or samtal ceiling is seen on the navachokis, around its central choki on the ground floor. It is common on the first and second floor also. The second variety is seen in the central square of the Navachoki facing the central kibla or Mehrab. This type has a frame with 15 small padams of three units. The enclosed space has one larger padama in each corner and the centre is occupied by a traditional Kalparik^a pattern. The large dome of first variety is the traditional dardarika vitana with decorated and plain ring surmounted by padmalila. They are seen on Mandapas on the sides. The second variety of the large dome is ribbed. It has
44
16 ribs supporting the main dome. Its lower circle has a decoration of arches with enclosed designs. It is also surmounted by padam^ila.
No doubt, ceiling covers the whole prayer hall, which is mostly flat. 'But at places where domes are toping vaulted, ceilings are provided under domes. Generally they are made by rounded combelling of diminishing circles ending in the central suspend chandelier. In other type there are flat ceilings also with decorative planned in a square. In some cases,
(as at Cambay, Jami Mosque) the square
ceiling Is further marked by a sunken square with corners touching the sides of the square. Decoration on these ceilings are planned according to their basic plan. In the case of corbelled circular ceiling decorations are in circular form of bands of floral and geometric motif. Such examples are Jami Mosque, Rani Slpri and Ahmad Shah’s Mosque at Ahmedabad and Jami Mosque at Cambay.
Cusped ceilings decorated with floural motif are encounted at Siddhapur, Jami Mosque at Broach, Tank Mosque at Dholka and Shaikh Farid at Patan. At Jami Mosque at Broach multiple cusps are used in a square
45
formation. At Champaner, Jami Mosque a huge square "Kalpataru" type ceiling is placed in the ceiling in front of Central Mehrab. Square formative decorations are employed at Dholka Jami Mosque and Hilal Khan's Mosque. (8)
Arches Arches are provided at following places, in the front wall
of the prayer hall, along the varandah front, on entrances; on Mehrabs and on the inner opening of windows. They are typical stilled arches slightly pointed at top and curviliner on sides. The central arches on the entrance of the prayer halls are biggest. Smaller ones are provided as decorative motifs on the lower part of ceilings of domes at entrances as at Ahmedabad in Jami Mosque. The finest arches are those on the mehrabs. These are delicately designed and decorated along its carves and side jambs in addition to its surrounding area on the wall. The inner part of mehrab are kept sprasely decorated so that the decorative mehrab will be visible bodly. (9)
Mehrabs Mehrab~is the most important architectural feature of
mosque. They are in variably built in the western wall of the prayer hall, because Macca the sacred city is toward west. It
46
is composed of an arched door frame with the decorated wall with the symbol sunk in the wall. The door frame on the arch are having highly decorated thin pilasters, supporting the additional of stepped or arched mimber. All these are copied from the door frames of Hindu temples. At Sidi Sayyid at Ahmedabad, we have simple Mehrab, almost without any decoration. But at Champaner, ,Broach, Dholka, Ahmedabad etc. We have highly decorated pilasters, jamb arches etc. The inner wall of Mehrabs are having central medalians decorated with flower petals etc. In addition to this a water pot symbol suspended with chains from the medalians are alsos displayed.
(10) Mimber
Mimber was a stepped preaching platform attached to the Western wall of mosque. They are having plain as well as highly decorated steps (Dholka) with side by balustered (Fig. ft(Fig. fZ. ), (Fig.fS
).
), (Fig. itj ). (Bibi Harir's Mosque at Ahmeda
bad, Jami Mosque at Cambay, Ahmad Shah's Mosque at Ahmedabad and Jami Mosque at Cambay). The top of this platform was specially ornamented. At Dholka it has a square canopy supported by highly decorated pillars with bracket at top (Fig. ff at Ahmedabad it is simple but artistic (Fig.
). At Jami Mosque ). Built of
white marble, it has artistic arched back supports on the top back, decorated with three compartments of lattice decoration at the base, and floral petalled half circle with a lotus in the
47
centre in arch. The mimber of Sidi Sayyid at Ahmedabad, is also simple and decent, built of white marble (Fig.
).
(11) Back support behind Mehrab These supporting buttressing devices are locally known as"Hathani" i.e. cow-elephant. This is because they look like the front of the elongated elephant head i.e. with scoping top and reaching up to the base of the outer wall. Broadly speaking these devices are huge pilaster like architectural components. Some of them are square in section as at Blbi Harir's Aswav at Ahmedabad and Jami Mosque at Dholka. k.KoJn;«i At Hilal Saha's Mosque at Dholka they are five sides at base, and middle portion is circular near half pyramidal top. At Champaner Jami Mosque they are decorated with horizontal bands of geometric motifs. It seems that these buttressing part were necessary because of sinking of Mehrabs in the back walls of the prayer halls.
(12) Balconies Balconies which are adopted from the Kakshasanas of the Hindu temples are provided on the outer sides of windows on the flanks of the prayer halls. They are also,found in the front windows of prayer.halls and front of the entrance porches.
_____....
48
___
/ /
f •;\
" In addition to this the reeling supporting low balustrade-
! like device
:
is edopted on the periphery of the, top opening near
i t j
the entrance of the prayer hall as at Champaner and Ahmedabad
] j
mosques. These are highly decorated reeling parts, decorated
j
‘with floural and geometric motifs. They not only add the beauty
I
to the window but support the small pillars of the projecting
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1
roof of windows.
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: (13) Merolon (Kahgra)
;
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1
The merolons'are adopted from the fort-walls and stylized in almost circular archlikedecorative
j
in horizontal rows. They
■
or cornies, against
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are on the top of the straight wall,line
the skylines. They are decorated with geometry as well as floural motifs (f^g.
-—•).
/
I
REFERENCES
ij
f
i
1
tf 'i
t I }
{
i
•I
l
49
1
Brown Percy
:
Indian Architecture (Islamic Period) P* 3.
2
Brown Percy
:
Ibid, p.. 3
3
Brown Percy
*
Ibid, p. 46
4
Havell, E.B.
i
Indian Architecture p.p. 51-52. Brown Percy, Ibid, p.p. 47-48.
5
Majumdar, R.C.
:
The Delhi Sultanate (The History and Culture of the Indian People) p. 170.
and others 6
Havell, E.B.
:
2E* cit. p. *52, Brown Percy, op. cit. p.p. 47-48.
7
Havell, E.B.
:
Ibid, p. 52, Brown Percy, Ibid, p. 47, Fergusson, History of Indian and Eastern Architecture, p. 230.
8
Majumdar, R.C.
;
The Delhi Sultanate (The History and Culture of the Indian People) p. 771.
:
History of Indian and Eastern
and others 9.
Fergusson,
Architecture p. 230. 10
Brown Percy,
:
11
Marshall
:
on. cit. p. 48. Monuments of Muslim India, Cambridge History of India, p. 609, . Brown Percy, Ibid, p. 48. i
12
Marshall
:
Ibid, p. 609, Brown Percy, Ibid, p. 48.
13
Fazlullah
:
Mirat-i-Sikandari, p. 14.
14
Fergusson,
:
on. cit.;p. 230-32, Havell, op. cit.; p. 68-72, Marshall, op. cit.; p. 610-11. Brown Percy, og_. cit. p. 48-59.
50
15
16
Majumdar, R.C.
The Delhi Sultanate, (The History and
and others
Culture of the Indian People) p. 712-13.
Marshall,
:
op_. cit. p. 611-12; Brown Percy, op. cit. p. 51.
17
Havell, E.B.
op_. cit. p. 52, Brown Percy, Ibid, p. 51.
18
Fergusson,
:
op. cit. p.p. 238-39» Havell, E.B., Ibid, p. 75-76; Marshall, op. cit. p. 614, Brown Percy, Ibid, p. 53.
j
19.
Marshall,
:
ojd.
cit. p. 614,
20
Majumdar, R.C.
:
The Delhi Sultanate. (The History and
i
j
Culture of the Indian People) p. 718.
and others
i
21
i
Marshall,
:
op_. cit. p. 615, Brown Percy, op. cit. pp. 53-54.
i
j
22
Fergusson,
5
j I1 i
or.
cit. p. 236-37, Havell,'E.B.f
op. cit. p.p. 139-41, Marshall, Ibid, p. 616, Brown Percy, Ibid. p. 55
!
23 Fergusson,
:
Ibid, p. 242-43, Havell, E.B.,
t
j
Ibid. -p. 130-136; Marshall,
/
Ibid, p. 612, Brown Percy;
\
Ibid, p. 55-56.
1
\
!
24
: 1
25
i '] 1
!!
Fergusson,
;
Ibid, p. 242.
Majumdar, R.C.
;
The Delhi Sultanate. (The History and
and others
Culture of the Indian People) p. 721.
