01 May,2010 08:55 AM IST | | Fiona Fernandez
If you thought Islamic architecture was confined to the north of the Vindhyas, think again. Silent Splendour - Palaces of the Deccan will open a whole new window to the spectacular world of Deccani tradition
From royal baths to palatial courtyards, this book is an ode to private and ceremonial structures that gilded five dynastic capitals, south of the Vindhyas. Edited by Helen Philon with contributions from Indian and international experts, the reader is treated to a showreel of Deccani culture, tradition and glorious past, complemented by more than 100 colourful photographs and plans. The book is a stunning discovery into the impact of Indo-Islamic culture that sadly, faces the risk of falling into anonymity and ruin.
| Situated inside the palace area of the Golconda fort (16th-17th century) is a tripartite structure of a courtyard with a fountain. This type of structure is repeated at least eleven times in the palace. This rectangular water tank with an octagonal fountain in the middle has a blank wall with five large niches; displaying a typical Qutb Shahi style of design, most obvious in Golconda. |
| This royal enclosure at Firuzabad, built in 1400, is one the earliest baths (hammams) to be preserved at any sultanate site in India. These rectangular, transverse-arched halls, displays decorative schemes on the ceiling to entertain Firuz Shah, his Turkish consorts and wives.u00a0u00a0 |
| Seen here is the dome of a small hammam inside the Mahakot palace, in Daulatabad (1653-1707). Decorated with a perforated open-flower motif this palace, was patronised by Emperor Aurangzeb. This palace was built up to the fort walls at the base of Balakot, now in an advanced state of picturesque decay.u00a0 |
| This motif on Gagan Mahal (Heavenly Palace) in Bijapur, an audience hall on the northwestern corner of this capital's citadel. Built in 1560, it was meant to be the centrepiece of Sultan Ibrahim Ali I's redevelopment of Bijapur, as the grand royal capital. This arch displays sultanate authority; showing large medallion-on-bracket reliefs in its spandrels with wing-shaped motifs at the apex. |
| The tomb of Ahmad Shah in Bidar dates back to 1436. Note the detail of painting of star-shapes and lobed medallions on the arch. The influences can be linked to the Timurid School of painting. Painters from here and Shiraz (Iran) reached Bidar in search of patrons. The design here reflects star ornaments found in the murals and the Star Ushak carpets from Anatolia. |
| Seen here is the royal necropolis, the tomb of Humayun Shah Bahamani, built in 1461 at Ashtur in Bidar. Its soaring dome is visible from a distance and it showcases impressive ruins of dimensions and wall arrangements fit for a king's final resting place. |
| This design is from the Chor Gumbad, situated near Gulbarga fort, the capital of the early Bahamanis. It is a painted plaster decoration on the dome, dating back to 1430. The Chor Gumbad was a commemorative structure built to divide the courtly and religious domains within a stately structure. |
| This shows the central domed hall at Farah Baksh Bagh in Ahmadnagar (Ahmad Nizam Shah Bahri built this city). Completed in 1583, this hall is marked by domes and half domes with radiating geometric designs in plaster, showing clear influences from West Asia. |
| This Panchakki in Aurangabad was built in the 17th century. Scare rainfall in the Deccan meant that rulers became providers, ensuring that groundwater filled wells and baolis. The water conveyed from distance sources is forced up into a tank by ventilation towers, and then down again. It rains down like a mist from a fountain to a pool over a surfaced covered with small niches for light. Water specialists from Iran introduced novel and scientific approaches |
| Silent Splendour: Palaces of the Deccan (14th-19th centuries) edited by Helen Philon, Marg Publications, 148 pages, Rs 2,500. Available at leading bookstores |
