Architecture during Mughal Empire is just one of the superlatively attained most sumptuous form in India of the medieval period. The architecture performed by several rulers of this dynasty was in the late phase of Islamic movement in which a separate expressive form of building art emerged, and in the course of time developed into one of the most important architectural styles in India. The type of building thus evolved was no provincial or any kind of regional manifestation. On the contrary, it was an imperial movement, affected only by local influences, as it displayed the same uniformity in its architectural character as well as in its structural principles in whichever part of the empire it was introduced. These elegant styles developed due to the presence of highly skilled local artisans in those provinces having strong indigenous cultures.
While tracing by the lines of Mughal architecture, the name that first comes to mind is obviously Emperor Babur, the founder of Mughal Empire in 1526 A.D. Mughal architecture in India flourished in the true sense during his regime. As such, Mughal architecture during Babur does demand special attention and understanding of the nascent stage, which had reached its summit status under Akbar.
The type of building that evolved during Babur`s regime was not at all provincial or any kind of regional manifestation. On the contrary, Mughal architecture under Babur was just a beginning of an imperial movement, impressed only by local influences, as it displayed similar uniformity in its architectural character, as well as in its structural principles in whichever part of the empire it was inaugurated. These elegant styles evolved gradually due to the presence of exceedingly skilled local artisans in those provinces possessing potential indigenous cultures. Mughal architecture in India thus began to comprehend the flourishing in the true sense during 16th century, in the regime of the first Mughal emperor, Babur. Prior to Indian advent, Babur was the ruler of Samarkand in Turkestan, who invaded India and founded the Mughal Empire in 1526 A.D.
While Babur`s tenure in Samarkand had been short, the city`s impact upon him was unfathomed, shaping his attitude toward Mughal architecture in India. And, even more significantly, his attitude was also measured immeasurably towards landscape designing. Samarkand, already aggrandised by Timur and his immediate successors with splendid char bagh gardens, mosques, madrasas and tombs, was one of the wonders of the 15th century. Babur was also acutely impressed by Herat, the seat of most cultured Timurid princes, which he had paid a visit in 1507. The place`s umpteen exquisite gardens and magnificent buildings are documented in tourist-like fashion in his memoirs. These memoirs are not only intimate observations of Babur`s own exploits and travels, but also meticulously observed portrayals of nature, be it human or the flora and fauna which abounded in his native Central Asia, as well as in India later. And such exalting and inebriating creational ravishers one after the other in his far-off Persia truly was to affect upon Babur`s architecture in India. Indeed, if speaking about gardens, streams flowing past or the mosques built during the reign of this first Mughal emperor, it can be stated authentically that Mughal architecture during Babur was the most brilliant that might have chanced on this Oriental soil.
Babur had left an indelible set of memoirs, forever indicating that the construction of permanent buildings had assumed less importance for him as compared to the construction of gardens. Just as he was of the habit to camp in gardens in Kabul when moving from site to site, so too in India the garden served as his aide de camp. Moreover, his perilous financial state - where the payment of troops had to be his first precedence - left few and fewer resources for colossal stone monuments. Nevertheless, buildings were constructed, enough to employ nearly 1500 stone cutters at work on projects throughout his north Indian domain. Mughal architecture during Babur was indeed that redefined phase, which saw the most able chiselling of gardens, fondly referred to as baghs in Urdu. Babur constructed several mosques around India, mostly taken from the desecrated Hindu temples. He constructed a series of buildings which mixed the pre-existing Hindu particulars with the influence of traditional Muslim designs which was practiced in Turks and Persian culture.
In spite of his admiration for Indian craftsmen, Babur was quite concerned that the overall design of his structures in India should be modelled upon Khurasani, that is, Timurid illustrations. And this Timurid influence was the first illustration which would possess its long association with Mughal architecture during Babur in India. Such models, for instance, were in all probability followed in the design of one structure in the Agra Hasht Behisht garden. Although it is only acknowledged now from textual explanation, it seems to have had a large pisbtaq on each of four sides, connecting galleries and four small interior chambers. Possibly to ensure loyalty to Timurid models, two artisans from Central Asia came to work for Babur in India. One was Mir Mirak Ghiyas, identified as a stone cutter in Babur`s memoirs, possibly identical with Mirak Sayyid Ghiyas, the architect of Humayun`s Tomb, who hailed from Herat and owned much land in Khurasan. A second stone cutter, Ustad Shah Muhammad, first had attended to Babur in Qandahar before his incursions into India and continued under his employ until at least 1529, the year just prior to Babur`s death. These men doubtless basked in a status far higher than that of ordinary craftsmen, because routine workers, by habit, would not have been identified by name.
Babur had constructed several mosques around India, mostly taken from the desecrated Hindu temples. Mughal architecture during Babur is known to have begun with a series of buildings which mixed the pre-existing Hindu particulars with the influence of traditional Muslim designs, which was practiced in Turks and Persian culture. Babur had created umpteen fine tombs, mosques, madrassas and numerous numbers of beautiful gardens in every palace and province, which still bear the glory of Mughal architecture during Babur`s reign. The Jami Masjid at Sambhal, a town east of Delhi and Babri Masjid in Ayodhya built by Babur, still bears the testimony of the development of architecture during Babur. Mughal architecture of Babur can be readily recognised by their treatment in design and technique in a specific style. The architecture chiselled Babur represents the creativity of Islamic architecture and was the founding base of Mughal architecture with the amalgamation of Persian culture with Hindu culture.
Among the Mughal architectures of Babur`s time that survive to this date, are one imperially patronaged mosque and two others constructed by nobles under Babur`s orders. These were all built during the final years of his reign. This is also much momentous, as, until Babur`s conquest of India there can be found no evidence for his patronage of religious structures. The mosque that Babur himself provided is located in Panipat, presently placed in Karnal District of Haryana State. Inscriptions indicate that the mosque was well set into motion, if not finished, by the end of 1527 and its gate, well and garden were completed by 1528. Since the garden had disappeared, the mosque`s location within it is sadly not known in contemporary times. However, the building`s colossal size suggests that the mosque, rather than the garden, dominated the complex.
Two mosques remain to be called for stellar Mughal architecture during Babur, which were constructed by leading nobles following Babur`s orders. Probably these orders were general ones, not commands to chisel specific mosques. One of these mosques is at Sambhal, approximately 140 km east of Delhi. It was constructed in 1526 by Mir Hindu Beg, a key noble in the court of both Babur and Humayun. Built a year before Babur`s Kabuli Bagh mosque in Panipat, the Sambhal mosque is the first surviving Mughal building in India. The complex is entered through a gate on the east that opens to a huge walled courtyard. The prayer chamber, resembling the one of the Panipat mosque, is rectangular with a large square central bay. Its entrance is set into a high pishtaq, harking back those of Sharqi mosques at Jaunpur. The chamber is flanked on both sides by three-bayed double-aisled side wings. A single dome surmounts the central bay and a small flat-ish dome surmounts each bay of the side wings. The mosque`s pishtaq and other features resembling 15th century Sharqi structures in close by Jaunpur intimates a potential dependence on local artisans and designers.
A second mosque possibly built in response to Babur`s general orders, not a specific command, stands at Ayodhya, today in Faizabad district, on the banks of the Ghaghara River. This very Mughal architecture during Babur is however the most arresting of the illustrations present in India in contemporary times, acknowledged as the Babri Masjid. Unlike the other mosques built under Babur`s aegis, this one at Ayodhya is a single-aisled three-bayed kind. It is also however considerably smaller than the other two. The central bay`s pishtaq is much higher than the flanking side bays, but all three bays incorporate arched entrances. Most of the Babri Masjid is stucco-covered, over a rubble or brick core, but carved black stone columns from a pre-12th century temple are embedded onto both sides of the central entrance porch. The mosque is surmounted by three prominent domes. Babri Masjid amidst its colossal existence breathes the sighs of history, whilst reflecting the development of Mughal architecture during Babur`s regime. It was constructed in an enclosed courtyard in the traditional Western Asia hypostyle plan and was an amalgamation of the Hindu architecture with that of Western Asian style. Central courtyard of the mosque is surrounded by lavishly arched columns overlaid to increase the height of the ceilings. The amazing architecture of their craftsmanship is noticeable in the design of vegetal scrolls and lotus patterns. These patterns are also present in several other creations of Muslim rulers, such as in the Firuz Shah Mosque present in Firuzabad, the Darasbari Mosque in the walled city of Gaur, Qila Kuhna Mosque and the Jamali Kamili Mosque constructed by Sher Shah Suri. All these architectures were considered as the precursor of the Indo Islamic architecture adopted by Akbar.
Babur ruled Hindustan for less than five years before his inopportune expiry in December, 1530. Although he had reigned for only a short time, he was the man to have introduced Timurid architectural concepts and most importantly, the rationally organised `four-part paradise garden`, a factor which was to forever be omnipresent in Mughal architecture not only during Babur, but also his successors. This latter (referring to the four-part paradise garden) in particular was to become a Mughal trademark. The seed of the architectural development which was sown during Babur`s time was later carried forward for more than two lofty centuries. Four rulers of this dynasty after Babur - Humayun, Akbar, Jehangir and Shah Jahan played a major role in the further development of Mughal architecture.
