COLONIAL ARCHITECTURE In India
INTRODUCTION
Firstly, It is important for us to understand the context or meaning of colonial
India. Colonial India is the part of the Indian sub continent.
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 British Empire built many masterpieces of architecture
including the Viceroy lounge in Delhi.
BRITISH COLONIAL ERA: 1615 TO 1947
The British arrival in 1615 overthrew the Mughal empire. Britain reigned
India for over three hundred years and their legacy still remains through
building and infrastructure that populate their former colonies.
The major cities colonized during this period were Madras, Calcutta,
Bombay, Delhi, Agra, Bankipore(Patna),Karachi, Nagpur, Bhopal and
Hyderabad.
ST ANDREWS KIRK, MADRAS
It is renowned for its colonial beauty. The
building is circular in form and is sided by two
rectangular sections one is the entrance porch.
The entrance is lined with twelve colonnades
and two British lions and motto of East India
Company engraved on them.
The interior holds sixteen columns and the
dome is painted blue with decorated with
gold stars.
ST ANDREWS KIRK, MADRAS
THE VICTORIA MEMORIAL, KOLKATA
It is the most effective symbolism of
British Empire, built as a monument in
tribute to Queen Victoria’s reign.
The plan of the building consists of one
large central part covered with a larger
dome.
Colonnades separate the two chambers.
Each corner holds a smaller dome and is
floored with marble plinth.
The memorial stands on 26 hectares of
garden surrounded by reflective pools
THE VICTORIA MEMORIAL, KOLKATA
SIR EDWIN LUTYEN
Sir Edwin Landseer was a British architect who is known for
imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the
requirement of his era.
Delhi which would later on serve as the seat of the
government of India.
In recognition of his contribution, New Delhi is also known as
“Lutyens” Delhi .
In collaboration with Herbert Baker.
He was also the main architect of several monuments in New
Delhi such as the India gate he also designed the viceroy’s
house.
SIR HERBERT BAKER
Sir Herbert baker was a British architect baker was the
dominant force in South African Architecture for two
decades 1892 – 1912 among the many churches schools and
houses he designed in south Africa are the St John’s
College Johannesburg, Wynberg boys school, Cape town
In 1912 baker went to India to work with Lutyens and
went on to design the secretariat buildings New Delhi
and parliament house in new Delhi and the bungalows of
members of Parliament.
Baker designed the two secretariat building ranking the
great axis.
PARLIAMENT HOUSE, DELHI
The central hall of the parliament has been
designed to be circular in shaped the dome is 98 ft
(29.87 Meters) in diameter and is Believed that is
one of the most Magnificent domes in the world.
The central hall is a place of historical importance
in India for two reason. The transfer of colonial
power to the provisional government under Nehru in
1957 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.
PARLIAMENT HOUSE, DELHI
INDIA GATE, DELHI
The gate is build as a special memorandum for all the soldiers who belongs to
Indian army and to all those who have given their lives fighting for the protection
of our country.
It is considered that approximately 90,000 and more soldiers names have been
encrypted over the walls of India Gates which is a special honor in itself.
The Explicit India Gate architecture explains that there is a huge Path which is
also known by the name of Raj path at the end of which is constructed a 42 meters
high India gate that was previously known by the name of all India memorial.
The designing of India gate was done by famous architect Sir Edwin lutyen.
Standing behind the gate is an empty canopy made out of sandstone, also designed
by lutyen and inspired by a sixth – century pavilion from Mahabalipuram.
INDIA GATE, DELHI
RASHTRAPATI BHAWAN, DELHI
The Rashtrapati Bhawan is a large and
vast mansion with floors and have 340
rooms.
It is built on a floor area of 2,00,00
square feet. Vijay chowk in front of
Rashtrapati Bhawan and ends at India
gates on the western end of the road.
The ancillary dome – like structure on
top of the building is known as a chattri
an Intergal part of Indian architectural
design.
RASHTRAPATI BHAWAN, DELHI
CENTRAL SECRETARIAT, DELHI
The Secretariat building was designed by the
prominent British architect Herbert baker.
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 house, these
building also used cream and red Dholpur
sandstone from Rajasthan with the red Sanstone
forming the base.
CENTRAL SECRETARIAT, DELHI
They have broad corridors between
different wings and wide stairway to the
four floors and each building is topped by a
giant dome, while each wings and with
colonnaded balcony.
Much of the building is in Colonical
architectural style, yet it incorporation
from Mughal and Rajasthani architecture
style. Another feature of the building is a
dome – like structure known as the Chatri
a design unique to India.
CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI TERMINUS,MUMBAI
The station building is designed in the High Victorian
Gothic style of architecture. The building exhibits a
fusion of influences from Victorian Italianate Gothic
Revival architecture and traditional Indian
architecture.
The skyline, turrets, pointed arches, and eccentric
ground plan are close to traditional Indian palace
architecture.
The centrally domed office structure has a 330 feet
long platform connected to a 1,200 feet long train
shed, and its outline provides the skeleton plan for
building. VT's dome of dovetailed ribs, built without
centring, was considered as a novel achievement of
the era.
CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI TERMINUS,MUMBAI
CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI TERMINUS,MUMBAI
The interior of the building was conceived
as a series of large rooms with high
ceilings
The columns of the entrance gates are
crowned by figures of a lion (representing
Great Britain) and a tiger (representing
India).
The main structure is built from a blend of
Indian sandstone and limestone, while high-
quality Italian marble was used for the key
decorative elements.
CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI TERMINUS,MUMBAI
The main interiors are also
decorated with Italian marble and
polished Indian blue stone. The stone
arches are covered with carved
foliage and grotesques.
Internally, the ceiling of the booking
hall was originally painted blue, gold
and strong red on a ground of rich
blue with gold stars.
Its walls were lined with glazed tiles.
GATEWAY OF INDIA, MUMBAI
The architect George Wittet combined the elements
of the Roman triumphal arch and the 16th-century
architecture of Gujarat Its design is a combination
of Hindu and Muslim architectural styles;
The arch is of Muslim style while the decorations are
of Hindu style.
The gateway is built from yellow basalt
and reinforced concrete.
The stone was locally obtained, and the perforated
screens were brought from Gwalior.
The gateway faces out to Mumbai Harbour from the
tip of Apollo Bander.
TAJ HOTEL, MUMBAI
The Taj Mahal palace hotel is a five
star hotel located in the Colaba region
of Mumbai Maharashtra India next to
the gate way of India.
Parts of Taj Hotel, resort and palace
this hotel is considered the flag ship
property of the group and contain 560
rooms and 44 Suits there are some 1500
staff including 35 butlers.
From a historical and architectural
point of view, the two building that
makes up the hotel the Taj Mahal palace
and tower are two distinct building.
TAJ HOTEL, MUMBAI
MATERIAL USED IN BRITISH ARCHITECTURE
During the early years makeshift were the primary materials they made use of. At first the
Britons followed common Indian practices and built their houses of bamboo, or reeds
plastered with earth and cow-dung, or mud bricks.
The bricks were mostly sun-dried and renamed as "cutcha". Pitched roofs were thatched at
first, or tiled in rough clay.
The early colonial architectural style of British India reflected flat roofs, which were often
made of wood covered with tightly compacted layers of dried leaves and earth.
Ceilings were of whitewashed "Hessian", giving rooms a limp and temporary air; balustrades
were frequently of terracotta and in the absence of glass, oyster shells in wooden frames
were sometimes utilized as windows.
Good building materials were much in demand. In order to make a British construction
astounding, sometimes the imperial builders had to import their materials, like marble from
China, teak from Burma.
