Architectural Styles and Movements

Akbar's architects turned to the tombs of his Central Asian ancestor, Timur. The central towering dome and the tall gateway (pishtaq) became important aspects of Mughal architecture, first visible in Humayun's tomb. The tomb was placed in the centre of a huge formal Chahar Bagh and built in the tradition known as eight paradises or hasht bihisht a central hall surrounded by eight rooms. The building was constructed with red sandstone, edged with white marble.

Charbagh or Chahar Bagh is a Persian and Islamic quadrilateral garden layout based on the four gardens of Paradise mentioned in the Quran. The quadrilateral garden is divided by walkways or flowing water into four smaller parts. In Persian, "Chahar" means four, which corresponds to "Char", which means four in Urdu, while "bagh" means 'garden' in both Persian and Urdu.
Shah Jahan adapted the river-front garden in the layout of the Taj Mahal, the grandest architectural accomplishment of his reign. Here, the white marble mausoleum was placed on a terrace by the edge of the river and the garden was to its south. 

Gothic architecture is characterized by the use of pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses, which allowed for taller, thinner walls and larger windows.

Between the eighth and the eighteenth centuries kings and their officers built two kinds of structures. The first were forts, palaces, garden residence and tombs. The second were structures meant for public activity including temples, mosques, tanks, wells, caravanserais.

In the twelfth century, the weight of the superstructure above the doors and windows was sometimes carried by arches. The roof too used this principle and was converted into vaults and domes. This architectural form is called arcuate.

Stupas are generally oval in shape and made up of bricks or stones. The basic structure of  a stupa consists of a cylindrical drum and an oval 'Anda' with a 'Harmika' and 'Chhatra' on the top which remain throughout with minor variations and changes in size and shape later.

Indian temple architecture is traditionally classified into three main styles: Nagara (North), Dravida (South), and Vesara (a hybrid of the two). The statement correctly identifies the two primary styles.

The style of a temple is primarily identified by the shape and design of its tower, known as the Shikhara in the Nagara style and the Vimana in the Dravida style.

Indo-Islamic architecture is an important form of architecture where we can observe a blend of different styles, decorations and structures from the Islamic architecture emerged including the Indian feature of architecture. This unique form started becoming dominant from the 13th century when we can observe the Delhi Sultanate period in Medieval India History. 

During the Sultanate period, Indo -Islamic style of art and architecture developed as a result of the mingling of the Indian and Turkish styles. Indian decoration and techniques were used in the Islamic buildings, with domes and arches of their own style. The forts were simple but strong. they built arches above the doorways and windows instead of beams which were used by Indians before coming of Muslim. Thus they used arch opening but with pointed arch style.

Tughluq architecture is characterized by the use of sloping walls (batter) to provide strength and stability. They also attempted to combine the arch and the lintel, though placing tombs on high platforms is more characteristic of later Mughal architecture.

Indo-Islamic architecture emerged in India under the Delhi Sultanate during the 13th to 16th centuries. The introduction of Islamic architectural like true domes and arches, Beams and balconies and Extensive use of bricks were characteristic features of Delhi Sultanate architecture which can be seen in the monuments like Qutub Minar, Alauddin Khilji’s tomb and madarsa which were built during the Delhi Sultanate.

The Delhi Sultanate was predominantly spread in and around Delhi in North India and it gradually spread its rule across various parts of the Indian subcontinent for over three centuries. The architecture of Delhi Sultanate and Mughals shows extensive use of red sandstone. There are three monuments in Delhi which are regarded as world heritage sites — Qutub Minar, Red Fort and Humayun’s Tomb. All are made up of red sandstone. 

From the twelfth century onwards, attempts began in France to build churches that were taller and lighter than earlier buildings. This architectural style, known as Gothic, was distinguished by high pointed arches, the use of stained glass, often painted with scenes drawn from the Bible, and flying buttresses. Tall spires and bell towers which were visible from a distance were added to the church.