Architecture— Reminisced
Celebrating the ancient engineering wonders of India
Which is the last architectural marvel that you have visited and when was the visit? It is understandable that we are too busy with our life (as we claim) and it has become hard to visit any place, even the outskirts of the city we live in. India as we are aware is known for a wide variety of things. A few of them we are celebrated for include food, culture, heritage and diversity. Apart from these, the Indian architecture is considered as an invaluable gift to the world. Though there are foreigners lining up to visit India for its remarkable structures, very few of us Indians perceive their importance and the engineering behind them.
The first thing that gets to the mind when we talk about Indian architecture would be the majestic Taj Mahal and for many of us, it is the only structural wonder we could ever think of. There are 37 world heritage sites, including 29 cultural sites in India as listed by the UNESCO. With a majority of Indians practicing Hinduism, it is evident that India has numerous ancient temples. Apparently, temples were built as a mark of demonstrating power and wealth by the kings who built them and they also served as centres of positive energy.
From gargantuan number of ancient structures in India , a handful of temples, forts, tombs and a few other structures can be highlighted.
TAJ MAHAL
Built in the seventeenth century, 99.9% of today’s population are well aware of the Taj Mahal being entirely built with white marble and red sandstone by the emperor Shah Jahan over a period of 22 years. Moving to some unpopular facts about the Taj, we find that the Minarets (the four pillars) are tilted outwards rather than standing upright, so that in the worst case that the pillars fall, they would not damage the main tomb. The foundation of Taj is timber, so if it were not for the Yamuna river bank that keeps the wood moist, the Taj Mahal would have collapsed .
IRON PILLAR
Dating back to almost 2000 years, this ‘iron’ pillar stands majestically opposite to the Qutub Minar without getting rusted due to the composition of the metal used in building it. The corrosion resistant metal is found to be a type of iron with the highest content of phosphorus. This pillar, weighing around six tonnes was erected around 402 CE by King Chandragupta Vikramaditya.
JAGANNATH PURI TEMPLE
Standing resplendently in the coast of the Puri district in Odisha, the temple is built in a way that leads a layman to believe that brilliance is defined in the temple grounds. The flag that stands at the top of the 65 m tall tower always flaps in the opposite direction to the wind.The Neel Chakra(blue wheel) on which the flag is hoisted weighs about a tonne and faces the person who observes the Chakra irrespective of where he/she stands. Also, the temple’s main dome does not cast a shadow during any time of the day. Adding on, the sound of the ocean on whose shore the temple has been built, disappears once we step inside the temple.
VEERABHADRA TEMPLE IN LEPAKSHI
A marvelous combination of architecture and religion has led to the creation of this temple.It has the largest monolithic Nandi in the world. One can also not forget the hanging pillar.The pillar which weighs a few tonnes hangs from the ceiling at least half an inch above the ground. According to legend, when Hamilton, an English tourist tried to push an iron rod beneath it, the pillar and all the other pillars along with the ceiling were disrupted.
KONARK SUN TEMPLE
Built by the King Narasimhadeva I in the form of a chariot during the 13th century, this temple sits magnificently in Konark, Odisha. The temple was built over a period of 13 years and is 61m high.The chariot is pulled by 7 horses and the wheels of the chariot are sundials from which the exact time of the day can be calculated.
BRIHADEESWARA TEMPLE
This resplendent structure built by King Raja Raja Chola, stands in Thanjavur, Tamilnadu with a perimeter of 450m. The temple stands upright even after 10 centuries with a 216 feet wide base. The Kumbam — the stone on top of the 66m tall tower is carved out of a single stone and weighs over 80 tonnes. People believe that a ramp was created from the ground to the top to place the Kumbam and this alone cost them five years out of the total 29 years taken to build the temple. The whole structure is made from 1.3 lakh tonnes of granite but an interesting fact is that there is no source of granite anywhere in a 60km radius around the temple. The temple was built without digging the ground. It is also said that the temple contains statues of kings even from other countries like China. Wonder how!
RUINS OF NALANDA UNIVERSITY
It is recognised as one of the oldest universities in the world. Being a residential university, students who lived here studied astronomy, metaphysics, medicine and philosophy. According to historical records , Nalanda University has suffered destruction thrice. The first was caused by the Huns during the reign of Skandagupta. The second came three centuries later by the Gaudas. The third and the most destructive attack on Nalanda was by the Turkish leader Bakhtiyar Khilji in 1193. It is said that the university’s library was so vast that it took the Turkish army three months to destroy it completely.
AJANTA AND ELLORA CAVES
The caves of Ajanta and Ellora date back to the 2nd century BC. Apart from stunning paintings and sculptures, there are also colossal stupas and massive pillars. These structures are intricately carved in hard basalt and are mainly based on themes that signify Buddhism. It is evident from some of the incomplete caves that the excavation began by cutting a narrow tunnel at the roof level which was then expanded downwards and outwards.
KAILASA TEMPLE
This temple is located in the caves of Ellora, Maharashtra. Built in the 8th century, this monolith was constructed by removing around 4 lakh tonnes of rock! Yes, you read it right. If people worked for 12 hours a day for 20 years, to build the temple,they would have to dig out 20,000 tonnes of stone a year or 55 tonnes a day. The removed rocks also had to be taken away and the exposed rock had to be intricately carved. People believe that the tools used in this excavation were only hammers and chisels. The temple also has bridges, an astounding rain water harvesting system and a properly designed drainage system. This place is also famous for its hidden underground passages and balconies with huge staircases.
To conclude, India has witnessed the rule of different empires in various parts of the country. The emperors could have tried to demolish the establishments of their predecessor but they certainly didn’t, as a result of which these structures have stood the test of time. Sadly in the present, these extraordinary engineering wonders are being dilapidated due to pollution, human activity and various other factors.
All we can do as people who respect Indian culture is to wait for a day — a day when the country and its people realize how incredible and rich it’s history is and try to preserve marvels like these for the generations to come.
