Describe briefly the contributions of the delhi sultanate rulers to architecture
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Architecture under the Delhi Sultanate
The early rulers of the Delhi Sultanate are often viewed as iconoclastic pillagers, best known for their indiscriminate destruction of Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain temples. They enacted Islamic prohibitions of anthropomorphic representations in art, which had been common at the time. However, the fusion of indigenous and Muslim customs and styles under the Delhi Sultanate gave rise to the beginnings of Indo-Islamic art and architecture, which reached its zenith in later years under the Mughal emperors. The Sultanate’s greatest contribution to the fine arts of India lies in their advances in architecture.
The Qutb Minar
Qutb-ud-din Aibak, the governor of Delhi and, subsequently, the first sultan of the Delhi Sultanate (ruling from 1206–1210 CE), started the construction of the Qutb Minar in 1192, which was completed after his death by his successor Iltutmish. Made of fluted red sandstone and marble, the Qutb Minar is the tallest minaret in India, standing at a height of 238 feet. It comprises several superposed flanged and cylindrical shafts , separated by balconies supported by Muqarnas corbels (an architectural ornamentation reminiscent of stalactites employed in traditional Islamic and Persian architecture). The walls of the minaret are covered with Indian floral motifs and verses from the Quran.
The Qutb Minar is located in Mehrauli Archeological Park, which also contains other fine examples of Delhi Sultanate architecture, including the tomb of the sultan Balban (who reigned from 1266–1287 CE), the first known building in India to feature a true arch. Another building of historical importance in the development of Indo-Islamic architecture is the Alai Darwaza, the main gateway on the southern side of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque in the Qutb complex. Built in 1311 CE by the second Khilji sultan of Delhi, Ala-ud-din Khilji, it features the earliest surviving true dome in India.
The Tomb of Mohammad Shah
There is little architecture remaining from the Sayyid and Lodi periods, but a few fine examples survive in the Lodi Gardens in Delhi, including the tomb of Mohammad Shah, the last sultan of the Sayyid Dynasty, built in 1444. It is characterized by an octagonal main chamber with Islamic pointed arches, stone chhajjas (projecting eaves supported by carved brackets borrowed by Muslim empires from Hindu architecture), and guldastas (ornamental flower-shaped pinnacles) on the roof, both of which would eventually become common features of Mughal architecture.
Painting under the Sultanate of Delhi
The paintings of the Delhi Sultanate represent a period of inventiveness and the development of an influential Indo-Persian style of art.
History and Notable Works
The earliest known examples date from the 15th century, including a copy of the Shahnama, or Book of Kings, created under Lodi rule. This work of art bears a close relationship to contemporary Jain paintings. Other notable works include the Khamseh (“Quintet”) of Amir Khosrow of Delhi, a Bostan painted in Mandu, and a manuscript of the Ne’mat-nameh painted for a sultan of Malwa in the opening years of the 16th century. The illustrations of the Ne’mat-nameh manuscript are derived from the Turkmen style of Shiraz but show clear Indian features adapted from the local version of the western Indian style.
Though the western Indian style was essentially conservative, it was not unfailingly so. It began to show signs of change over the years, most notably in two manuscripts from Mandu, a Kalpa-sutra and a Kalakacaryakatha of about 1439, and a Kalpa-sutra painted at Jaunpur in 1465. These works were done in the opulent manner of the 15th century, but for the first time the quality of the line is different, and the uncompromisingly abstract expression begins to make way for a more human and emotional mood.
By the opening years of the 16th century, a new and vigorous style had come into being. Although derived from the western Indian style, it is clearly independent, full of the most vital energy, deeply felt, and profoundly moving. The earliest dated example is an Aranyaka Parva of the Mahabharata (1516), and among the finest are series illustrating the Bhagavata-Purana and the Caurapañcashika of Bilhana. A technically more refined variant of this style, preferring a fine line, meticulous ornamentation, and the pale, cool colors of Persian derivation, existed contemporaneously and is best illustrated by a manuscript of the ballad Candamyana by Mulla Daud (c. first half of the 16th century). The early 16th century thus appears to have been a period of inventiveness and set the stage for the development of the Mughal and Rajput schools, which thrived from the 16th to the 19th centuries.
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