Indo-Saracenic
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Indo-Saracenic (from Saracen, an archaic name for Muslims used by Europeans), also known as Indo-Gothic, was a style of architecture used by British architects in the late 19th century in British India. It drew elements from native Indian/Indo-Islamic architecture, and combined it with the Gothic revival style favoured in Victorian Britain.
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[edit] Background
When the British first came to India, they considered themselves the legitimate rulers of India rather than its conquerors, so they sought to justify their presence by relating themselves to the previous rulers, the Mughals. By doing this they kept elements of British and European architecture, while adding Indian characteristics; this, coupled with the British allowing some regional Indian princes to stay in power, made their presence more 'palatable' for the Indians. The British tried to encapsulate India's past within their own buildings and so represent Britain’s Raj as legitimately Indian, while at the same time constructing a modern India of railways, colleges, and law courts.
The architectural style was exported to British Malaya (present day Peninsular Malaysia) via British engineers and architects influenced by Indo-Saracenic stylings in British India. During the design of a new town hall for Kuala Lumpur in the late 19th century, C. E. Spooner, then State Engineer of the Public Works Department, favoured a "Mahometan style" over a neoclassical one to reflect Islamic mores in the region, instructing architect Charles Norman, who was further assisted by R. A. J. Bidwell, to redesign the building.[1] Norman and Bidwell, having previously served in northern India, adopted various elements of Indo-Saracenic architecture into the town hall. Upon completion in 1897, the town hall, now know as the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, became the first building influenced by Indo-Saracenic architecture to be built in Malaya.[1] The town hall inspired other civic buildings in the vicinity to be built in a similar style, while a handful of commercial buildings in Malaya have also been known to adopt some of the style's elements. The style was also favoured as one of several adopted by British architects with regards to Malayan mosques as they did not feel the need to adhere accurately to the cultural heritage, and the traditional culture of the Malays, who remain prominent in Malayan society and are Muslims, did not have the means to design a building of imperial scale; both the Jamek Mosque and Ubudiah Mosque are examples of mosques that resulted from this combination.[2] While its popularity was limited to the 1890s to the 1910s, the style has been reused for newer governments buildings of the late-20th century and 21st century, such as several public buildings in Putrajaya.
[edit] Characteristics
As mentioned before, it is fundamentally British with Indian characteristics including
- onion (bulbous) domes
- overhanging eaves
- pointed arches, cusped arches, or scalloped arches
- vaulted roofs
- domed kiosks
- many miniature domes
- domed chhatris
- pinnacles
- towers or minarets
- harem windows
- open pavilions or pavilions with Bangala roofs
- pierced open arcading
The chief proponents of this style of architecture were Robert Fellowes Chisholm, Charles Mant, Henry Irwin, William Emerson, George Wittet and Frederick Stevens.
Buildings built in this style were usually grand public buildings such as clock towers, courthouses, civic and municipal buildings, government colleges, town halls, railway stations, museums and art galleries.
[edit] Examples
[edit] In India
 Victoria Terminus, now known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus |
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 Ripon Building part of the Chennai Corporation in Chennai |
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[edit] In Pakistan
[edit] In the United Kingdom
 Sassoon Mausoleum, now a chic Brighton supper club |
[edit] In Malaysia
 Textile Museum in Kuala Lumpur. |
 Old High Court in Kuala Lumpur. |
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 Old Kuala Lumpur Town Hall. |
 Jamek Mosque in Kuala Lumpur. |
 Railway Administration Building, Kuala Lumpur. |
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_(frontal_facade),_Kuala_Lumpur.jpg)
[edit] See also
- Moorish Revival architecture
- Hindoo style
[edit] References
- ^ a b Gullick, John Michael (1998). "The British 'Raj' style ", The Encyclopedia of Malaysia (Architecture), p. 82–83.
- ^ Mizan Hashim, David (1998). "Indian and Mogul influences on Mosques", The Encyclopedia of Malaysia (Architecture), p. 84–85.
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