A Journey Through Indian Architecture

India’s buildings through time: Harappan brick cities, forts and palaces, tombs and gardens, stepwells and havelis, and their features and materials.

Key ideas

Architecture is the art of designing and building, combining usefulness and beauty.
Harappan cities used bricks because they stood on river plains rich in clay.
Many forts were built on hills, which were easier to defend and gave a wide view.
Stepwells stored water and let people reach it as the level rose and fell through the year.
Havelis are mansions built around courtyards, like those of Shekhawati in Rajasthan.
A mausoleum holds a tomb; a cenotaph is a memorial where the person is not buried.
Monuments need protection: pollution from industry was yellowing the Taj Mahal’s marble.

Jali	pierced stone screen for air and light
Jharokha	overhanging, enclosed balcony
Chhatri	dome-shaped pavilion on pillars
Charbagh	garden divided into four parts
Stepwell	vav or baori
Taj Mahal / Humayun’s Tomb	built by Shah Jahan / commissioned by Bega Begum
Mehrangarh / Agra Fort	above Jodhpur / mainly red sandstone

Mixing up a jali (screen) and a jharokha (balcony).
Mixing up a mausoleum (holds a tomb) and a cenotaph (no burial).
Dividing the wrong way round in a “per worker” question: total space ÷ number of workers.

Suppose 5,500 workers built a courtyard that holds 49,500 people. How many people of courtyard space is that per worker?

Working: 49,500 ÷ 5,500

Answer: 9 people per worker