24-01-2013, 03:16 PM
Colonial Architecture in Delhi
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“COLONIAL” Architecture means:
As we can see, ‘colonial architecture’ consists of two words- one being colonial which refers to colonial INDIA and other being architecture which means the way something is designed.
Firstly, it is important for us to understand the context or meaning of ‘colonial India’. Colonial India is the part of the Indian subcontinent which was under the control of European colonial powers, through trade and conquest. The first European power to arrive in India was the army of Alexander the Great in 327–326 BC. Later, in the early 19th century the British started gaining direct or indirect control over almost all of India. British India contained the most populous and valuable provinces of the British Empire and built many masterpieces of architecture including ‘The viceroy’s lounge’ in Delhi.
Thus, Colonial architecture refers to architectural style having the influence of various cultures.
Prominent colonial architectural style of DELHI:
The architectural style of the British period is very promimrnt in Delhi and is represented by the Central Secretariat, Parliament House or the 'Sansad Bhavan' and the President's House or Rashtrapati Bhavan, formerly the British viceroy's house,the splendid Rajpath, India gate and New Delhi combining the best features of the modern English school of architecture with traditional Indian forms.
The British followed various architectural styles - Gothic, Imperial, Christian, English Renaissance and Victorian being the essentials.
In 1911 King George V passed an order declaring that the capital would be moved from Calcutta to Delhi. The city was planned systematically, combining 20th century architecture.
Parliament House:
The Central Hall of the Parliament has been designed to be circular in shape.
The dome is 98 ft. (29.87 metres) in diameter and is believed that it is one of the most magnificent domes in the world.
The Central Hall is a place of historical importance in India for two reasons: The transfer of colonial power to the Provisional Government under Nehru in 1947 and the framing of the Constitution by the Constituent Assembly took place in this very hall.
Originally, the Central Hall was used as the Library of the erstwhile Central Legislative Assembly and the Council of States until 1946, when it was converted and refurnished into the Constituent Assembly Hall.
Rashtrapati Bhavan:
The Rashtrapati Bhavan is a large and vast mansion with four floors and has 340 rooms. It is built on a floor area of 200,000 square feet (19,000 m2). It faces east. A straight east-west road, Rajpath, starts from the huge square, Vijay Chowk, in front of Rashtrapati Bhavan and ends at India Gate on the western end of the road.
The ancillary dome-like structure on top of the building is known as a Chuttri, an integral part of Indian architectural design. (This picture shows one of the Secretariats, designed by Baker, which are not part of Rashtrapati Bhavan.)
Central secretariat:
The Secretariat Building was designed by the prominent British architect Herbert Baker in Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture. Both the identical building have four levels, each with about 1,000 rooms, in the inner courtyards to make space for future expansions. In continuation with the Viceroy's House, these buildings also used cream and red Dholpur sandstone from Rajasthan, with the red sandstone forming the base. Together the buildings the designed to form two squares. They have broad corridors between different wings and wide stairways to the four floors and each building is topped by a giant dome, while each wings end with colonnaded balcony.
Much of the building is in classical architectural style, yet it incorporated from Mughal and Rajasthani architecture style and motifs in its architecture. These are visible in the use of Jali, perforated screens, to protect from scorching sun and monsoon rains of India. Another feature of the building is a dome-like structure known as the Chatri, a design unique to India, used in ancient times to give relief to travelers by providing shade from the hot Indian sun.