Bengal roofs are sloping dome-shaped roofs with drawn-down corners associated with late Mughal and

Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

architecture of

Northern India North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Central ...

. It is believed that stone roofs of this type did not emerge until the 16th century and can be traced back to rural models with straw or reed roofs in the rainy regions of

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predo ...

Description

Characteristic features of the Bengal roofs are the broad partial dome-like shape of the roof with runners down the corners. There are several common types of Bengal roofs: the ''do-chala'' type has only two hanging roof tips on each side of a roof divided in the middle by a ridge; in the rare '' char-chala'' type, the two roof halves are fused into one unit and have a dome-like shape; the double-storey '' at-chala'' type has eight roof corners, four on each level.

History

Such roof forms appeared for the first time in the 16th century on royal architecture of Rajputs and Mughals.Michell, 156 Early examples are in the Bengali ruined city of

Gaur The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ), also known as the Indian bison, is a bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 m ...

, including the Mausoleum of Fateh Khan, the son of a general of the Mughal Emperor

Aurangzeb Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...

Distribution

Two of the first Mughal buildings with echoes of Bengal roof shapes are the two outbuildings of the private palace (''

Khas Mahal Khas Mahal ( fa, خاص محل), meaning "The exquisite one of the palace", was one of the chief wives of the Mughal emperor Jahangir. Family Khas Mahal was the daughter of Zain Khan Koka. Zain Khan was the son of Khawajah Maqsud of Herat and P ...

'') built by

Shah Jahan Shihab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram (5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), better known by his regnal name Shah Jahan I (; ), was the fifth emperor of the Mughal Empire, reigning from January 1628 until July 1658. Under his emperorship, the Mugha ...

around 1635 for two of his daughters in the Red Fort of Agra. A few decades later, his son Aurangzeb constructed the roof of the Pearl Mosque (''Moti Masjid'') in the Red Fort of Delhi in a similar manner. However, it is especially notable in the architecture of the Rajput princes and merchants of

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern ...

, especially the countless jaroka-the roofs of the 1799 Palace of the Winds (''Hawa Mahal'') in

Jaipur Jaipur (; Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had a population of 3.1 million, making it the tenth most populous city in the country. Jaipur is also known as ...

, and the roofs of the houses of rich merchants (''havelis'') in

Jaisalmer Jaisalmer , nicknamed "The Golden city", is a city in the Indian state of Rajasthan, located west of the state capital Jaipur. The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone and is crowned by the ancient Jaisalmer Fort. This fort contain ...

, Mandawa and elsewhere. Some of the later memorial pavillons (''chattris''), built in the 18th and 19th centuries on the incineration sites of the Hindu princes of Jaisalmer and their family members, are also covered with such roofs. Similarly, since the 19th century, the builders of many Sikh temples have used this element as the coronation of their

gurdwara A gurdwara (sometimes written as gurudwara) ( Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ''guradu'ārā'', meaning "Door to the Guru") is a place of assembly and worship for Sikhs. Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all fai ...

, especially Maharaja Ranjit Singh at the Golden Temple of Amritsar.

Gallery

Madan Mohan Temple Arnab Dutta 2011.JPG,

Bishnupur Bishnupur or Vishnupur may refer to: Administrative divisions * Bishnupur district in Manipur, India * Bishnupur district, West Bengal in West Bengal, India * Bishnupur subdivision in West Bengal, India Municipal division * Bishnupur Rural Muni ...

– ''Madan-Mohan-Temple'' (1651) Antpur ChandiMandap.jpg,

Antpur Antpur is a village in the Jangipara community development block of the Srirampore subdivision in the Hooghly District in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is around 20 km from Tarakeswar. Haripal is nearest railway station from Antpur. ...

Chandimandap Antpur Radhagovindjiu Temple.jpg, Antpur – ''Radhagovindjiu-Temple'' (1786) Khas Mahal (Agra Fort)-1.jpg, ''Khas-Mahal'' in Red Fort of Agra (in 1635) Reminiscences of Imperial Delhi Moti Masjid within the Palace.png, ''Moti Masjid'' in Red Fort of Delhi (1659) Deeg Palace.jpg, Palace in

Deeg Deeg is a historical town and a municipality in Bharatpur district in the state of Rajasthan, India. It is situated north of Bharatpur and northwest of Agra. In Hindu mythology, Deeg was situated along the ''parikrama'' path of Krishna, whic ...

, Rajasthan (in 1750) Hamandir Sahib (Golden Temple).jpg,

Amritsar Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha ...

– '' Harmandir Sahib'' (in 1830) Salim Singh ki Haveli 04.jpg,

– ''Salim Singh ki Haveli'' (in 1880)

References

*Harle, J. C., ''The Art and Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent''. (Pelican History of Art.) 2nd edn. 1994, Yale University Press *Michell, George, (1977) ''The Hindu Temple: An Introduction to its Meaning and Forms'', 1977, University of Chicago Press, {{ISBN, 978-0-226-53230-1

External links