12/19/2019 10 Most Popular Styles In Indian Architecture - Go Smart Bricks

10 Most Popular Styles In Indian Architecture

 October 28, 2017 (https://gosmartbricks.com/10-most-popular-styles-in-indian-architecture/)  Editor
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Indian Architecture has always been a thing of inquisitiveness mainly because of the magnanimity
and the arty creations. Our country has a varied mix of monuments, baroques and modernistic
buildings which echo some story on the era it saw. Another notable fact about Indian architecture is
that out of the 830 World Heritage Sites listed by UNESCO, 26 of them are from India, isn’t this fact
one tangible proof of artistic geniuses?

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12/19/2019 10 Most Popular Styles In Indian Architecture - Go Smart Bricks

Source (https://www.pexels.com/photo/ancient-antique-architecture-art-296889/)

India has seen a plethora of architectural styles which developed throughout its history. For our
ease, let’s simplify the intricacy in Indian architecture and understand few of the most popular
styles that make India truly proud.

Styles In Indian Architecture – 10 Most Popular Ones

1. Temple Architecture

Temple architecture in India developed in almost all

Source (https://image.freepik.com/free-
photo/architecture-color-holy-beautiful-
detail_1203-6106.jpg)
regional styles in temple architecture which are equally unique.
the regions during the ancient India. Across the
country distinct architectural styles in temple
construction can be seen, this differentiation is
mainly caused due to the geographical, climatic,
racial, ethnic, linguistic, and historical diversities.
Ancient Indian temples are classified into three
broad categories, i.e. Nagara or the Northern style,
Vesara or Mixed style, and Dravida or the Southern
style. Apart from the broad classification, Kerala,
Bengal, and the Himalayan areas also display their

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12/19/2019 10 Most Popular Styles In Indian Architecture - Go Smart Bricks

2. Mughal Architecture

The Mughal architectural style is a unique blend of

Islamic, Persian and Indian styles. Starting from the
16th century until the early 18th century, Mughal
architecture flourished largely in the Indian
subcontinent. During this era, India was ruled by the
Mughal’s and different rulers built some of the finest
structures in the country. Humayun’s Tomb, Akbar’s
Tomb, Fatehpur Sikri, Red Fort at Delhi, Jami
Source
Masjid Delhi and the Taj Mahal at Agra are few
(http://www.freeimages.com/photo/fatehpu
examples of such structures which need to further r-sikri-123-1231302)
introduction.

3. Indo-Saracenic Revival Architecture

Indo Saracenic Revival architecture or Indo

Source
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co
mmons/thumb/6/62/Chennai_High_Court.j
pg/300px-Chennai_High_Court.jpg)
Saracenic architecture is the brilliant architectural
engineering movement by the British architects.
This style is a fusion of Indian architecture and
Indo-Islamic architecture. It is also known as Indo-
Gothic, Mughal-Gothic, Hindu-Gothic and Neo-
Mughal architecture. This form of architecture
absorbs exotic elements from the Indian
Architecture and native Indo-Islamic architecture
and fuses it with the Neo-Classical and Gothic
revival styles favored in Victorian Britain.

4. Dravidian Architecture

Dravidian construction style emerged in the

Southern part of the Indian subcontinent or South
India thousands of years ago. It was built by the
Dravidian people, such structures primarily consist
pyramid shaped temples called Kovils (a Tamil
word). These Kovils are dependent on complex
carved stone; such materials are the key to create Source (http://goheritagerun.com.s3-us-
step kind of designs which contain many statues of west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-
kings, deities, dancers, and warriors. content/uploads/2015/08/26051619/Divine
-Dravidian-Architecture.jpg)

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12/19/2019 10 Most Popular Styles In Indian Architecture - Go Smart Bricks

5. Kalinga Architecture

The Kaḷinga architecture is a style which flourished

in the ancient Kalinga region. This form of style can
be seen in the eastern Indian state of Odisha and
also in northern parts of Andhra Pradesh. Kalinga
architectural style consists of three different types of
temples, i.e. Rekha Deula, Khakhara Deula and
Pidha Deula. The diverse aspects of a typical
Source
Kalinga Temple comprise of Architectural
(http://www.theholidayindia.com/blog/wp-
content/uploads/2015/11/konark-temple- stipulations, historical connotations, Iconography,
free-wifi-1024x685.jpg) also it honors the custom, traditions, and connected
legends.

6. Sikh Architecture

This is one of those styles that have gained

immense popularity across the globe. Sikh
architecture is characterized by exquisite intricacy,
values of progressiveness, austere beauty, and
coherent flowing lines. This is one particular
architectural form which managed to evolve due to
its Modernism or progressive style. Sikh
Source
architecture is all about beautiful curves and
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co
straight lines; that is exactly what sets it apart from mmons/thumb/4/4d/Hamandir_Sahib_%2
other architectural styles. 8Golden_Temple%29.jpg/1200px-
Hamandir_Sahib_%28Golden_Temple%2
9.jpg)
Related image 7.
Ves
Source (https://qph.ec.quoracdn.net/main-
qimg- ara Architecture
69ce5b0f4475b652475fdb9124b5344e-c)
Vesara style of Architecture evolved in the state of
Karnataka during the medieval centuries. This style
combines both the Dravida and the Nagara
architectural styles. In such form of construction, the heights of the individual tiers are reduced
without affecting their actual numbers, this results in the reduction of the overall height of the
temple architecture. In some of the temples of this style contain semi-circular structures of the
Buddhist Chaityas.

8. Indian Vernacular Architecture

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12/19/2019 10 Most Popular Styles In Indian Architecture - Go Smart Bricks

The vernacular style of architecture refers to the

informal building of structures done by local
builders using traditional building methods. This is
one of the most widespread forms of architectural
style not only in India but across the globe. The
builders who construct such structures are
unschooled in formal architectural design; their
work typically reflects the rich multiplicity of our
country’s climate, locally available construction Source
materials, and the complex variations in local social (https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/
55f7/30b7/203e/c867/7700/00c2/newslett
customs and craftsmanship.
er/4-justin-gaurav-murgai.jpg?
1442263217)

9.
Cave Architecture

The cave architecture in India is believed to have

started in the third century BC. Such structures
were used by the Jain monks and the Buddhist
typically as a place of residence and worship. Some
examples of this type of cave structure are Chaityas
Source
(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/UrXn81wSKYc/max and Viharas of Buddhists. Caves in India are
resdefault.jpg) usually linked with three different religions, namely
Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism; hence they
reflect the architectural difference in accordance
with respective religions.

10. Rock-Cut Architecture

The Rock-cut structures in India display the most

impressive piece of ancient Indian art specimen.
Rock-cut architecture is the art of creating a
structure by carving it out of a solid natural rock.
Most of the rock-cut structures in our country were
related to different religious communities. India has Source (https://s3.ap-south-
more than 1,500 known rock-cut structures and 1.amazonaws.com/zoom-blog-
many of these structures contain artworks which image/2016/04/Ellora_cave16_003.jpg)
are of global importance, and most are festooned
with wonderful stone carvings.

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12/19/2019 10 Most Popular Styles In Indian Architecture - Go Smart Bricks

Indian Architecture – Is It losing it Real Essence?

Source (https://www.pexels.com/photo/architectural-design-architecture-buildings-
business-618079/)

India is a country of rich history and culture and this reflects more in different forms of artistic
building structures. But urbanization is somehow stealing the real essence of Indian architecture.
We cannot deny the fact that our country is transforming rapidly, and during this process, our cities
are totally losing the very essence that once made them unique.

There is a big debate about where this ‘development’ would lead India to. In the quest to become
“modern”, will India lose its real soul and uniqueness?

Final Thoughts

Architecture in any country reflects the phase of development it is going through. However, there is
this huge need to find sustainability in construction, to make it more capable of coping up with the
distress that any building structure is exposed to. The heritage structures and styles of Indian
architecture are strong examples of sustainable building and every developer should learn from it.

Featured Image CC (https://www.pexels.com/photo/architecture-building-capitol-dawn-616852/)

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