Jami Masjid and Court, Fatehpur Sikri
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Photographer: Arthur Llewellyn Basham
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The present example shows a variety of important features common to the eclectic phase of Imperial Mogul architecture. The Jami Mahal was built after the period of experimentation with the so-called simplified Hindu forms and tries to overdo, somewhat, the employment of repetitive units to unify the whole of the structure. Along the roof line, for example, is a row of small cupolas supported by columns in the manner by now in Indo-Islamic building. What is not customary, though, is the multiplication of these units with no obvious function being served. There are no minarets beneath these cupolas nor a succession of doorways as one might expect. Their use illustrates how easily an architectural element can come to be used solely for its decorative value after its usual applications have become a little trite. This same overabundance of cupolas without function appears on the main portal of the facade. A vertiable grove of cupolas clutters the roof at this point.
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Archives Series
Basham Collection
Date created
circa 1970s
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This item is provided for research purposes. Contact the Australian National University Archives at butlin.archives@anu.edu.au for permission to use.
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