Indian Architecture
Indian civilization has witnessed great many enduring achievements over a period of thousand years. It is not easy to talk about all these unique achievements but our site strives to provide you every bit of possible information about beauty of Indian as a whole. One such legendary achievements of Indian civilization is undoubtedly its architecture. Indian architecture is unique, magnificent and multi-dimensional. Credit all these aspects to changing geographical structure and constantly shifting socio-economic dimensions. Indian architecture has kept on evolving since last hundreds of years and yet we seem to dwarf our previous achievements with every passing day.
Indian architecture is truly unique because of an attractive mix of different types of architectural styles. The styles kept changing because of diverse eras, rulers and historical changes. Also the fact that, India is a mass of vast diversities, a range of architectural specimens have evolved over the course of time. The continuity in excellence has always been there in Indian architecture.
The different periods of Indian history stamped its own beauty on Indian architecture. The first sign of rich and well managed Indian architecture was visible during Indus Valley civilization period. There are plenty of substantial evidences of extensive town planning. Buddhism in India brought with it large number of magnificent buildings. Examples include the Great Stupa at Sanchi and the rock-cut caves at Ajanta.
If we look at South India, rich examples of splendid Indian architecture are the rock-cut temples of Mahabalipuram and the temples of Kanchipuram. All the dynasties in South India like the Chola, Hoyasala and Vijayanagar, Pallavas rulers did remarkable job in the field of architecture. North India had unique style of architecture called as the Nagara style architecture. Arrival of Mughals resulted in new architectural style in India- the Indo-Islamic architecture. The final style of architecture was seen during colonization of India. Known as the Indo-Saracenic architecture, this style had combined features of Hindu, Islamic and western elements. The examples of this style can be seen in institutional, civic and utilitarian buildings such as post offices, railway stations, rest houses and government buildings.
Metal Work in India
One of the glorious art works in India is the art of metal work. History pages tell us that metal work in India has been in existence for more than 5000 years now. Ancient craftsmen in India were extremely skilled and they possessed top level quality in their crafts. You must have seen the beautiful image of the dancing girl from Mohanjodaro and that will give you an idea about how rich Indian art was even during the ancient ages. The high level of workmanship attained by ancient craftsmen is truly legendary. Metal work in India has traditionally used different combination of metals like copper, silver, iron etc. Alloys materials have also been used in abundance. White metal, bronze, bell metal etc were major alloys used for making a variety of items like pots, pans, utensils, photo frames, sculptures of deities, mythological figures and animals etc.
The field of metal work has flourished on variety of styles. Different regions in India have their own style of metal work and each one of them is equally beautiful. Ancient rulers in India also promoted and encouraged metal work culture. One of the finest examples of metal work is the iron pillar at Mehrauli (Delhi) made during Maurya Kingdom. It is truly excellent. Chola period witnessed great heights reached by metal craft. Bronze sculptures were created at furious pace and they all are classes apart. Chola craftsmen are believed to be extremely talented at crafting aesthetic metal works.
In the modern times, Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh is renowned for its brass items. One will find a wide range of household items being made here. Decorating of these metal works is par excellence. If one goes to Ladakh area of Kashmir, iron and brass are used for making traditional vessels. You can see the beauty of metal work in household items like bowls, samovars, plates and trays etc Kashmir. Other famous states for excellent metal work are Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Tamil Nadu etc.
Indian Carpets
The glorious land of India is bestowed with innumerable beauties. One such beauty is Indian craft tradition. Even within the craft tradition, there are numerous sub-parts and each of them needs to be discussed individually. In this article, we will focus upon carpets. Carpet weaving is an ancient tradition of India that has remained in existence since centuries. Carpets are made from variety of materials like silk, wool, jute, grass, bamboo and cotton. Floorings like durries and mats are made from different materials. If we go back to history pages, the tradition of carpets weaving actually flourished during medieval period when Mughals brought this technique from Persia. Mughal period was famous for its illustrated court life and miniature paintings. Floral motifs were totally redefined during this period. Mughal carpets were no exception to this culture of excellence.
Famous Mughal ruler Akbar is credited with laying the foundation of carpet weaving in India. Different carpet weaving centers were established at places like Lahore, Agra and Delhi. Indian carpet weaving tradition owes a lot to Mughal tradition for introducing bright colors and silk carpets. Hand knotted carpets were extremely elaborate and attractive. The expertise of the artists can be guessed from the fact that some silk carpets had no less than over 4000 knots per square inch.
Different states in India have their own carpet weaving tradition. Each state has its own expertise and peculiar qualities. Indian carpet tradition has successfully managed to remold itself according to the need of changing times. Carpet weavers in India are very skilled and have wonderful artistic abilities. Indian carpets are quite popular in foreign markets and credit should go to craft work of Indian weavers. Some of the famous carpet types in India are chain stitch rugs, namdas, gabbe woolen carpets and tufted woolen carpets. The major carpet weaving industry in India is based in eastern UP, in Bhadohi- Mirzapur belt.
M.F.Hussain
The world of Indian art and culture is truly mesmerising. The more you delve deeper into it, better are the chances of you being surprised with unknown of golden facts. Art is surely one of the best mediums of expression. Indian art world has always been rich since ancient ages. Archaeologists have kept finding wonderful proofs of richness of Indian art. Where there is art there must be artists. Every era in glorious Indian history is blessed with huge talents. Modern era is no exception. Since the independence and complete revolution witnessed in Indian art world thanks to advent of Progressive Artists Group, many new unconventional and hidden talents emerged on the horizon. One of them was M F Hussain.
The name of M.F.Hussain needs no introduction. Probably, he is one artist who made world of painting familiar to common people. He represents contemporary Indian art. He has redefined the way public perceives art and artists. He is fiercely open-minded and independent. He started from the scratch by struggling during his initial days. He began his glorious journey by making film posters. He was born in 1915 at Pandharpur in Maharashtra.
Maqbool Fida Husain first learned the art of calligraphy and also dabbled in poetry. He shifted to Mumbai to make a career in art and joined prestigious J.J.School of Arts. His strength lied in his experimental nature and he also won several awards because of that. He loves to paint trying human circumstances and has carved a niche for himself. He has been awarded Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan among others. He has painted several mythological characters. Countless solo exhibitions of his art works have been organized in India as well as others parts of the world. He has got an international fame and reputation. M.F.Hussain has also made feature films like “Through the Eyes of a Painter”, “Gajagamini” and “Meenaxi: a tale of three cities”. Hussain, no doubt is one of shining luminaries of Indian art who helped it in reaching new heights.
Indian Art
The art that you see today has not evolved from nothingness. It had always been there even in ancient India.
Sometimes art stems from the religion you are following. So if you are Muslim the threads that you follow will be a little different from that of a Hindu or a Christian. If not religion then language and thought processes do matter. All the variations in the country are primarily because of the invaders that left their imprints behind.
From the Gupta dynasty to the Mughal Empire, carvings and culture to each empire has influenced the country even though they were set in the 16th century. If you look back from when time began, primitive men were known to communicate through symbols. They devised art in the form of carvings on rocks with tools they honed from animal bones.
Years later in the excavations of Mahenjodara and Harappa sculptures and art forms of highly intellect men were found in the form of symbols and sculptures. This shows that the ancient India figure sculpture had already evolved itself. The dimensions and creativity found showed that the people living there were highly brainy as coins with symbols on it also existed.
Art in ancient India is also visible in the carvings of palaces, forts and temples. The beautiful work of art still stands tall at various locations in India. One example the world is looking at is the Taj Mahal. Right from the marble that is used to the artistic work done on the tiles to the ceiling show how creatively inclined individuals were even centuries ago.
They wrote on papyrus with pens made of feathers. They dipped in ink and wrote literature that has formed ancient archives. They had artists that painted them sitting in their royal throne then they were framed and put up in one of the most noticed niches. Colour then was also discovered that would last on paper and canvas.
Today many ideas are reclaimed from ancient Indian art and brought to light with a few brush strokes that make it look different. People still have a taste for ancient architecture and revolve their house around this theme. Many also have palates for the modern style, but a keener look and the ancient art theme in a house brings glory and uniqueness that will make it stand out against any competition.
Sometimes art stems from the religion you are following. So if you are Muslim the threads that you follow will be a little different from that of a Hindu or a Christian. If not religion then language and thought processes do matter. All the variations in the country are primarily because of the invaders that left their imprints behind.
From the Gupta dynasty to the Mughal Empire, carvings and culture to each empire has influenced the country even though they were set in the 16th century. If you look back from when time began, primitive men were known to communicate through symbols. They devised art in the form of carvings on rocks with tools they honed from animal bones.
Years later in the excavations of Mahenjodara and Harappa sculptures and art forms of highly intellect men were found in the form of symbols and sculptures. This shows that the ancient India figure sculpture had already evolved itself. The dimensions and creativity found showed that the people living there were highly brainy as coins with symbols on it also existed.
Art in ancient India is also visible in the carvings of palaces, forts and temples. The beautiful work of art still stands tall at various locations in India. One example the world is looking at is the Taj Mahal. Right from the marble that is used to the artistic work done on the tiles to the ceiling show how creatively inclined individuals were even centuries ago.
They wrote on papyrus with pens made of feathers. They dipped in ink and wrote literature that has formed ancient archives. They had artists that painted them sitting in their royal throne then they were framed and put up in one of the most noticed niches. Colour then was also discovered that would last on paper and canvas.
Today many ideas are reclaimed from ancient Indian art and brought to light with a few brush strokes that make it look different. People still have a taste for ancient architecture and revolve their house around this theme. Many also have palates for the modern style, but a keener look and the ancient art theme in a house brings glory and uniqueness that will make it stand out against any competition.
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