However, architecture of Rajasthan under Shah Jahan was not free form troubles and qualms. Indeed, the prolonged reign of peace since the times of Akbar in the Mughal ruling, was gradually beginning to give way to incursions and weakened forms of trust amongst the royal household itself. However, Shah Jahan's godlike and unprecedented prowess in consolidating his home as well as his country, was perhaps only matched by his constructions of continuous edifices all through the major portions of the country, some of which was patronaged and championed by him from behind. Hence, internal rebellions, largely headed by vassal chieftains who wished to assert their independence from the Mughal Empire, also disrupted, but could not debilitate Shah Jahan's empire. Among the rebels was the successor of Bir Singh Deo, the raja of Bundelkhand. He was adequately a subversive, so much so that Prince Aurangzeb was forced to intervene. Aurangzeb wrote to his father about the palaces of Datia and Orchha, built during Akbar's and Jahangir's reign and inspired him to visit them. En route, Shah Jahan stopped at Bari, a hunting resort that he came to love and there had constructed a palace. Indeed, architecture of Rajasthan during Shah Jahan, following in the line of his regal predecessors, was verily in-line with Indo-Islamic architecture, slightly influenced by Timurid and Persian influence. Shah Jahan already was a declared master of architectural brilliance and genius. As such, Rajasthan and its architecture was begun firstly from the Chisthi city if Ajmer. In Ajmer during earlier Mughal reigns, building activity was largely concentrated within the dargah of Muin ud-Din Chishti or in its vicinity. It is known that, during Shah Jahan's reign, only the emperor and his family provided buildings within the shrine. On the other hand, structures erected in close proximity, was provided by the religious or courtly elite, emulating the imperially patronised buildings. Architecture of Rajasthan during Shah Jahan from the prime of Mughal times, however could not only terminate in Khwaja Salim Chisthi's dargah itself; much more did lie in store for admirers to admire and for the faithful to pray. As such, Shah Jahan's patronising to the royals, has had an intense effect upon an architecturally manicured Rajasthan and its exquisite mosques. Two mosques were hence erected during Shah Jahan's reign on the main street leading to the Salim Chisthi's dargah's entrance in Ajmer. Each was built by a woman - one the daughter of a renowned musician and the other by Miyan Bai, to whom Jahan Ara (the most prized and eldest daughter to Shah Jahan) had given a garden in Lahore. The more impressive though is Miyan Bai's mosque, constructed in 1643-44 and closely modelled on Shah Jahan's mosque, completed approximately four years earlier within the nearby illustrious cousin shrine. Five entrance arches supported on slender piers, almost identical in appearance to those on the nearby imperial mosque, form the east facade of Miyan Bai's mosque; the central mihrab closely relates to those on Shah Jahan's larger mosque. Architecture of Rajasthan during Shah Jahan, as had been concentrated in Ajmer, was unique and debonaire from every angle, as his supported nobles or sub-nobles, would never dare to disrespect their royal patronaging and respect. Noted amongst such patronaged acts, was the house of Muin ud-Din Chisthi himself. Muin ud-Din's house of meditation (chilla khana), where the saint had resided until his expiry, was also a site of veneration. Located on a hill overlooking the Ana Sagar tank, this small dwelling was restored in 1628 by Daulat Khan, the revenue collector under Mahabat Khan, one of Shah Jahan's very highest-ranking nobles. The chilla khana's inscription suggests that Daulat Khan had rebuilt it as a thanksgiving for the advancement he had obtained when Mahabat Khan was appointed governor of Ajmer and lent the new title Khan-i Khanan. It has been restored so frequently that its 17th century appearance cannot be determined indeed in contemporary times. Notable also in Rajasthan's architecture in times of Shah Jahan was the smooth passageway between the zealous Hindu Rajputs and the Islam fervent Mughal court, perfectly mirrored over and over in Muslim builds. This was thus a period when the relationship between Rajput princes and the Mughal court was generally harmonious. For instance, the patrons of an Idgah, built between December 1655 and January 1656 in Merta (Nagaur District), state that they had benefited from the kindness of the Marwar maharaja, Jaswant Singh. These patrons, Farahat Khan and Misri, son of Bahadur Khan, were probably also Mughal agents. Their Idgah reflects an interaction of Mughal and Rajput forms. Rajasthan's bounteous architecture during Shah Jahan indeed could not that much impress upon the Hindu-dominated households, verily courting dark messages all through and also standing unsuccessful at times in terms of 'Mughal' price and honour. Not everything erected during Mughal times, even some works constructed in response to imperial order, reflects recent building trends. For instance, the Kachehri mosque in Didwana (Nagaur District), built in 1638 by Muhammad Sharif Quraishi following royal command, reveals no awareness of contemporary trends elsewhere. In plan, this structure consists of three aisles of seven bays each. Slender faceted, but wholly unembellished pillars, similar to those on Jahangiri-period structures, support a flat roof. Generally the mosque's plan and overall appearance adhere to earlier regional types such as Nagaur's Sur-period Chowk-ki Masjid dated 1553. |