RESEARCH PAPER 1

Colonialism in India: Case of Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus,

Mumbai.
Introduction:
Colonialism in India mainly started after the British ruled India. Colonial
architecture is termed as the architectural style borrowed from a country of
origin and then applied into the structures located far off the context.
Colonial architecture in was mainly influenced from 1610-1947 in India.
Main concept of colonial architecture was to represent power and strength
of British rule in India. Later colonial architecture evolved and gave rise
to fusion of architectural style of origin country and region they colonised.
In the 19th century ,Indian British architects developed an architectural
style that was a combination of Indo-Islamic and Indian architecture with
borrowed elements of gothic revival architecture and Neo classical styles.
Thus that lead to an era of Indo-Saracenic revival architecture.
One of the famous example is Victoria terminus, now known as
Chhatrapati Shivaji terminus. located in bori bunder Mumbai(then known
Bombay) Chhatrapati Shivaji terminus is a railway station which serves
central railways.

Aims :
To study characteristics of colonail architecturewith respect to chhatrapati
shivaji terminus.
Objectives:
 To study and identify colonial architecture in India.

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 Analysing characteristics of colonial architecture.

 Analysis of Chhatrapati Shivaji terminus with respect to colonial
India.
Methodology:
 To study characteristics and distinctive features of colonial
architecture.
 Referring to different examples and finding out common features in
CST (Chhatrapati Shivaji terminus) through literature study.
Research question:
What are the characteristics of colonial architecture seen in
Chhatrapati Shivaji terminus?
Literature review:
1. Title: The Funambulist.
Author saying: “Considering colonialism as a system
of domination rather than an era thus also allows us to
see its most contemporary forms on a continuum of
logic. As mentioned above, Françafrique is certainly
one example, as is the situation in what France
abstractly and disdainfully calls its “overseas
departments and territories,” which was addressed in
Issue 9 (Islands) — in particular in Mayotte and
Kanaky-New Caledonia Hamid .However, one should
also not forget to place along this continuum the
neocolonialistic that formerly-colonized subjects and
their descendants currently experience as unofficial
sub citizens. In this regard, the high-density social
housing amidst the low-density urban fabric of
the banlieues (suburbs) — as is often discussed in
this magazine — are a materialization of social and
racial segregation, and should therefore be seen in a

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genealogy that includes the architectures described

throughout this issue.”
Keywords:
 Colonialism
 Arches
 Buttresses
 Gargoyles
Analysis:
Colonial architecture stood out from other architectural styles due to some
peculiar characteristics. Such as:
 Pointed arch and ribbed vaults.
 lancet windows
 importance was given to decoration and ornamentation
 tall stained glass windows, rich moldings
 Development of clock towers
 light houses
 turrets
 conical/ cross gable/ Jack arch/ pitched/ pyramidal roofs
 Satori roofs (bell shaped domes)
 circular arches
 crenellated parapet
 flying buttresses
 reinforced cement concrete and prefabricated members.

 Planning system:

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Plan of Chhatrapati Shivaji terminus.

Another
characteristic feature of the Gothic style, domestic is the division of
interior space into individual cells according to the building's ribbing and
vaults, regardless of whether or not the structure actually has a vaulted
ceiling. This system of cells of varying size and shape juxtaposed in
various patterns was again totally unique to antiquity and the
The plan of the Gothic cathedral was based on the model of the ancient
Roman basilica, which was a combined public market and courthouse. The
entrance is traditionally on the west end, has three portals decorated with
sculpture, usually a rose window, and is flanked by two towers.

Carved windows in Chhatrapati Shivaji terminus.

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The long nave, where the congregation worshiped, occupies the west end.
This is usually divided from the nave by rows of pillars, which support the
roof, flanked by one or two aisles.There are usually small chapels on the
two sides, placed between the buttresses, which provide additional support
to the walls.

The earlier Gothic cathedrals had four levels, from the floor to the roof. On
the ground floor there were two rows grand arcades with large pillars,
which received the weight of the vaults of the ceiling
Later, with the development of the flying buttress, the supports moved
further away from the walls, and the walls were built much higher.
Gradually the tribunes and the triforium disappeared, and the walls above
the arcades were occupied almost entirely with stained glass.
 Pointed arch and ribbed vault:
The rib vault attained strength due to the pointed arch. The vault was
supported by thin ribs or arches of stone, which reached downwards and
outwards to cluster around supporting pillars along the inside of the walls.
Similarly ribbed vaults and pointed arches were used in Chhatrapati
Shivaji Terminus to match the desired proportion.

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Barrel vaults in Chhatrapati Shivaji terminus.

 Tall stained glass:

Stained glass window were prominently used in gothic style, which
steadily grew in height and size and filled cathedrals with light and colour.
The main purpose of these kind of windows were that they would emit
maximum light.
The early windows were fit into openings cut into the stone. The small
pieces of coloured glass were joined together with pieces of lead, and then
their surfaces were painted with faces and other details. and then the
windows were mounted in the stone .

Stained windows in Chhatrapati Shivaji terminus. 6

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Flying buttresses:
Another important feature of Gothic architecture was the flying buttress,
which were designed to support the walls by means of arches connected to
counter-supports outside the walls. Flying buttresses had existed in simple
forms since Roman times, but the Gothic builders raised their use to a fine
art, balancing the thrust from the roof inside against the counter-thrust of
the buttresses. The earliest Gothic cathedrals, including Saint-Denis and
Notre-Dame in its beginning stages, did not have flying buttresses. Their
walls were supported by heavy stone abutments placed directly against the
walls, The roof was supported by the ribs of the vaults, which were
bundled with the columns below.
In the later 12th and early 13th century, the buttresses became more
sophisticated. New arches carried the thrust of the weight entirely outside
the walls, where it was met by the counter-thrust of stone columns, with
pinnacles placed on top for decoration and for additional weight. Thanks to
this system of external buttresses, the walls could be higher and thinner,
and could support larger stained glass windows.
In the late Gothic periods the buttresses became extremely ornate, with a
large amount of non-functional decoration in the form of pinnacles,
curving arches, counter-curves, statuary and ornamental pendants.

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Flying buttresses in
Chhatrapati Shivaji
terminus.

Height:
An important characteristic of Gothic church architecture is its height, both
absolute and in proportion to its width, the verticality suggesting an
aspiration to Heaven. The increasing height of cathedrals over the Gothic
period was accompanied by an increasing proportion of the wall devoted to
windows, until, by the late Gothic, the interiors became like cages of glass.
This was made possible by the development of the flying buttress, which
transferred the thrust of the weight of the roof to the supports outside the
walls. As a result, the walls gradually became thinner and higher, and
masonry was replaced with glass. The four-part elevation of the naves of
early Cathedrals such as Notre-Dame was transformed in the choir
of Beauvais Cathedral to very tall arcades, a thin triforium, and soaring
windows up to the roof.

References:
https://www.quirkywanderer.com/2018/12/01/heritage-walk-csmt-
terminus-mumbai/

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https://tourism.webindia123.com/tourism/monuments/
colonial_buildings/chhatrapatishivajiterminus/index.htm
https://www.google.com/search?
q=plan+of+victoria+terminus&rlz=1C1NDCM_enIN809IN811&tbm=
isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=i3g5FkDV3ysskM%253A
%252Cbs7oES1bGSmzrM%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/
255171131_Salient_Architectural_features_of_Selected_Colonial_Buil
t_Heritage_in_Visakhapatnam_Andhra_Pradesh_India
https://www.slideshare.net/rajatrmr/british-colonial-architecture
www.Wikipedia.com