The History of Architecture in India by Christopher Tadgell

by Christopher Tadgell

This is the first modern monograph to draw together all the strands of India's architectural history - from the Vedic and native traditions of early India, through Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic and secular architecture, to the eclecticism of the British Raj. An understanding of Indian history and religion is the basis for the understanding of the complex pattern of relationships in the evolution of its architecture. Therefore, the background material covers major invasions, migrations, dynastic conflicts and cultural and commercial connections, the main religious developments and their significance and repercussions, and external architectural precedents. While avoiding the usual misleading division of the subject into "Buddhist and Hindu" and "Islamic" parts the importance of religion, symbolism and myth to the development of characteristic Indian architectural forms is fully explained. Hundred of photographs, engravings, and plans and elevations produced to a set of uniform scales are closely integrated with the text, resulting in a book which expresses the richness and complexity of Indian architecture. Christopher Tadgell is Senior Lecturer in Architectural History at the Canterbury School of Architecture. Kent Institute of Art and Design. His main research field is French classical architecture, but the present volume is the outcome of a life-long fascination with India. In 1985 he was Morgan Professor of Architectural Design at the University of Louisville, Kentucky, where he taught Indian and French architectural history, and in 1987 a member of the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton. He has lectured widely in Britain and America on French and Indian subjects.

Genres: Architecture

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, an informative work on Indian architecture and a good overview of the many styles, geographic locales, and time periods involved. Tadgell and Phaidon, the publisher have done a great job of including much-needed drawings and floorplans of historic sites and plenty of photography. In places however, the text seems too small and the pages crowded by all the information and photos they've tried to include. Still, it's probably the best and most-informative book on its topic.

[Zeba Khan]

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