Architecture, with its creative and scientific facets, has a large influence on how we reside, function, and communicate with the world around us. It affects the urban fabric, shapes community behavior, and establishes city identity. Architectural design echoes a city’s individuality and ethos. Prominent landmarks, historical sites, and distinct architectural styles create a city’s personality and add to its feeling of identity. It recounts stories about our history and ancestry.
Architecture frequently reflects the social, spiritual, and historical influences of a region or dynasty. Many cities worldwide have multiple architectural styles, each reflecting a particular era or reigning dynasty. The Mughal effect on Agra exactly illustrates how a dynasty may shape the growth of a territory. Mughal architecture’s aesthetic and brilliance are highlighted by structures such as the Red Fort, the Taj Mahal, and the Fatehpur Sikri. These buildings highlight notable features of Mughal architecture, including gardens of excellent design, intricately carved palaces, symmetrical floor plans, and beautiful marble inlays.
Prayagraj and its Diverse History
Prayagraj, often known as Allahabad, is a city in Uttar Pradesh, India. Prayagraj is located at the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna, and the mystical Saraswati. Due to its closeness to the Triveni Sangam, the city hosts the Prayag Kumbh Mela once every twelve years. Hindu texts indicate that Prayāga was one of the oldest towns and is revered as the sacred city in the Vedas. Prayagraj was also known as Kosambi during the late Vedic period.
According to the Akbarnama, the account of Akbar’s reign, the Mughal emperor Akbar created this splendid subah. Following the collapse of the Mughal empire, the city was ruled by the Nawabs of Awadh. The East India Company received a significant chunk of the Nawab’s dominion as a result of various treaties. Finally, the entire area fell under British authority. Throughout the war for Indian independence, the city remained at the forefront.
Every dynasty that controlled the city had a unique architectural style that was influenced by the prominent architectural styles in their native countries. With themes ranging from Mughal palaces and colonial-era buildings to ancient Buddhist and Hindu architecture, Allahabad has an incredibly diverse architectural ecosystem. These varied styles demonstrate the cultural brilliance of these particular eras. This combination enhances the city’s outward appeal while shedding light on the region’s complicated history and cultural diversity.
Architecture During the Mughal Rule
Akbar, the Mughal emperor, examined the region in 1575 and was so pleased by its strategic location that he ordered the construction of a fort. The fort was completed in 1584 and was named Illahabas meaning the Abode of Allah. According to William Pinch, Akbar’s purpose in creating Allahabad was to quell the region’s multiple uprisings while simultaneously creating an impression on the many pilgrims who visited the city.
Allahabad Fort
Raja Todarmal was the principal architect of the fort. It includes a 4-kilometer-long and 33-meter-wide embankment to protect the region from flooding. Akbar’s idea for Allahabad Fort was centered upon splendor and majesty. The Fort complex included 25 gates, 23 bastions, 3 khwaabgahs (sleeping quarters), 33 residences, 277 homes, and a canal that connected the fort to the Yamuna River. The fort blends Persian, Mughal, and Hindu architectural influences.
It has three entryways that include Islamic and Hindu artwork. Another gem within the fort is the Jodhabai Palace, which features magnificent Hindu architecture. The “chhatri,” circular dome constructions, and glazed tiles represent the merger of the Mughals and Rajputs. Other wives of the king also had palaces erected inside the fort with elaborate Persian and Islamic architectural styles.
Khusro Bagh
Originally established as Prince Salim’s pleasure gardens, this Charbagh was eventually converted into the tomb complex of Prince Khusro Mirza, Shah Begum, and Nithar Begum, Emperor Jahangir’s oldest son, wife, and daughter, respectively. The three mausoleums have massive domes, frescoes, and Islamic calligraphy, highlighting a fitting reminder of Mughal magnificence.
Nithar’s tomb is elevated on a platform and exhibits panels with scalloped arches. The plinth has chambers with ornate ceilings decorated with stars in concentric rings. The center room’s walls are adorned with flowery decorations depicting Persian cypresses, wine containers, flowers, and plants.
Aqa Reza created Shah Begum’s tomb in 1606 and it is a three-storied terrace plinth without a main mound. The tomb does, however, have a massive chhatri that surmounts the plinth and arabesque inscriptions that embellish it.
Rani Mahal
It is a three-story structure located amid a large courtyard. This 64-pillared house includes a massive central hall on the first level, surrounded by eight additional rooms and a balcony. Floral designs adorn the palace’s pillars which are a significant feature of Mughal architecture.
Architecture During the British Rule
The British colonial period introduced a new architectural style to Allahabad, which was distinguished by great civic structures, educational institutions, and residential sections. This time witnessed the fusion of Gothic, Victorian, and Neo-Classical styles, which were tailored to the Indian conditions and aesthetics.
Allahabad University
The Allahabad university was formerly known as Muir Central College. William Emerson designed the structure. It was built in an Indo-Saracenic style, combining Gothic, Indian, Egyptian and Persian elements, with a minaret 61 metres high, made from cream coloured stone and Mirzapur sandstone, with marble and mosaic floors. It included Indo-Saracenic domes with blue and white glazed tiles, and a quadrangle featuring tall arches and traceries.
Allahabad University – Senate Hall
The Senate Hall designed by Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob is a vast open-floor space with a red-polished floor adorned with mosaic designs. The hall was built using antique brick and stone construction. It contains two massive stone arches at either end of the long side of the hall, with crowns rising to the top of the first floor, one serving as the stage backdrop and the other with three smaller arches beneath on the ground floor. The first level also includes multiple arches that lead to jharokhas with latticed stone fences overlooking the hall. The hall’s ceiling is adorned with ornate woodwork, and the hall is perpetually illuminated by sunshine through multiple large skylights situated slightly under the roof.
Swaraj Bhavan
Despite its great size, Swaraj Bhawan is graceful, friendly, and almost humble. It’s a long, low cottage with a wonderful interplay of terrace heights, and its interiors exude genuineness. One of the many attractions it provides is the uncommon sight of a (quite vast) colonial-era swimming pool. The intriguing center courtyard is where you can appreciate the harmonic interplay of elements—the Italianate balusters of the terraces above, the arches surrounding the veranda, and the Nandi statues that serve as the area’s gatekeepers.
Just like the central courtyard of the Swaraj Bhavan, the entire city of Prayagraj is a juxtaposition of multiple architectural styles and buildings. The city’s architectural styles and cultural history are inherited from past rulers and our ancestors. Allahabad contains an amalgamation of Hindu temples and British churches, and a Mughal Garden based on the Charbagh philosophy, and a British Park with expansive green landscapes and exquisite flowers. It also contains a Mughal-built fort with Rajputana architecture and a colonial-style university with Gothic architectural elements. The beauty of this dichotomy is that none of the constructed components correspond to a single style of architecture. They all stand and integrate to provide an eclectic environment for the city as if it were a living museum with every nook and cranny smelling of the magnificent past.
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