Architecture of Mughal India

by Catherine B. Asher

Overview

This book traces the development and spread of architecture under the Mughal emperors. Professor Asher considers the entire scope of architecture built under the auspices of the imperial Mughals and their subjects. She looks in particular at the role of political and cultural ideology, the relationship between construction in the major cities and in the provinces and the continuing Mughal fascination with paradisical imagery that culminated in the construction of the Taj Mahal.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521267281
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	09/24/1992
Series:	The New Cambridge History of India
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	402
Product dimensions:	7.17(w) x 9.92(h) x 1.42(d)

Table of Contents

List of plates; General editor's preface; Preface; List of abbreviations; Glossary; Map of major pre-Mughal and Mughal sites; 1. Precedents for Mughal architecture; 2. The beginnings of Mughal architecture; 3. The age of Akbar; 4. Jahangir: an age of transition; 5. Shah Jahan and the crystallization of Mughal style; 6. Aurangzeb and the Islamization of the Mughal style; 7. Architecture and the struggle for authority under the later Mughals and their successor states; Bibliographical essays; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"...it promises to engage both the academic and the interested layman....Superbly detailed yet readable, the book places the evolution of Mughal architecture in the context of political and cultural change and ideology....Illustrated with more than 200 fine quality plates, the book is a must..." India Today

"...Asher's treatment of the technical aspects of architectural styles, imperial and provincial, is impeccable...." B. G. Gokhale, Choice

"To present these foundations and the wealth of Mughal architecture (both before and after the Taj Mahal) is a formidable task, and those interested in architecture in both India and Islam owe a debt of gratitude to Catherine B. Asher for her book....Architecture of Mughal India is a remarkable achievement, brilliantly demonstrating that Mughal monuments, patronage, and aesthetic developments are every bit as diverse and impressive as their counterparts in 16th through 19th century Europe. Asher has essentially redefined a field and has done so in a way that will make her book a basic resource for generations of scholars." Anthony Welch, Design Book Review

"Her impressively thorough account of Mughal architecture is the fullest to date and will remain a standard reference work. Its strength lies in balancing a discussion of the best-known Mughal monuments with original accounts of patronage at the subimperial level and of previously neglected provincial buildings, in eastern India and elsewhere." Times Literary Supplement

"Asher writes lucidly and with the confidence of one who has had a long friendship with Mughal architecture, is familiar with the broad traits that define its character and is aware of the environment that explains its idiosyncracies. The detailed bibliographical essyas for each chapter also show her familiraity with relevant primary and secondary sources." Perween Hasan, MESA Bulletin

From the Publisher