Photos of the St Stephen’s Church, built in 1867, on Church Mission Road, Old Delhi. Continue reading
Outside Fatehpuri Masjid, Old Delhi
Outside Fatehpuri Masjid
“Dara Shikoh’s Library” at Kashmiri Gate
I got a chance to visit Ambedkar University Delhi’s campus at Kashmiri Gate (a campus that it shares with a couple of other universities), and explored the purported library of Dara Shikoh, which was turned into the British Residency (offices?) in the first half of the 19th c, and which is now used as ASI offices. Continue reading
Nanpara: Desi Deco in Small-Town Uttar Pradesh
During a trip to the Bahraich area of UP in 2010 I passed through this small town called Nanpara, which had a few jems of “desi deco” architecture, desi deco being the umbrella term I’m using for buildings (mostly small residential and commercial) built in the mid-20th c throughout India that use and appropriate art deco elements and motifs in various creative (and often kitschy) ways. One finds such buildings in all kinds of unexpected places, including small towns and larger villages, and it’s always a treat to come across them. Continue reading
A Peek Into Colonial Agra, Mostly Along MG Road
In India when we think of British colonial architecture, we generally picture the “capital” architecture of Calcutta and Delhi, or then hill stations like Shimla, which the British escaped to for large parts of the year to escape the heat of Indian plains, which apparently they just couldn’t stand! However throughout India in cities and towns large and small, there exist rich troves of colonial architectural heritage Continue reading
Agra Idgah
The idgah at Agra, a 17th c (probably) Mughal structure, is a better architectural specimen than most idgahs in India, which are usually nothing more than a tall, long qibla wall with arched niches. This one is more like a large Mughal-style mosque with prayer hall, and is set at the end of a large walled garden. Continue reading
Historical (Architectural) Repercussions of Uneven Affections in Mughal Polygyny: Kandahari Begum’s Tomb Compound
We all know the story of the Taj Mahal, how the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built it as the tomb for his second and favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal, and that it is one of the greatest and most expensive testaments to romantic love in all of human history blah blah blah. However, also in Agra lies (or lay) the tomb of his first wife, Kandahari Begum. And what a difference between the two tombs! Continue reading
Agra Desi Deco
Agra desi deco
Idgah, Agra
Idgah, Agra
Arches and Columns
From a colonial-era building along MG Road, Agra
Sarson ke Khet 