CENTER FOR ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY

The stepwell has been revamped through the centuries by numerous rulers practicing various faiths. The first iteration was Hindu, built around 800 CE by Raja Chand possibly in conjunction with the nearby Harshat Mata temple. At the twelfth level down, the remains of structure are remarkably well preserved with shrines retaining the deities who overlook the water. The Mughal structure is a complex of rooms, galleries, arches and flat terraces. The stepwell is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.

 

Lautman, Victoria, The Vanishing Stepwells of India, 2017, 40

The Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh, also known as Chandigarh Museum, was photo-documented by the AIIS Center for Art and Archaeology in June 1981. The Museum’s famous collection of Gandharan sculptures along with other significant sculptures on display at that time covered in the documentation are presented here as high-quality digital images for academic use. To know more about the Chandigarh Museum please visit their official website http://chdmuseum.gov.in.

Digitization of this collection has been possible with financial support from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. 

Changanachery, Baroque Architecture, Kerala

The water tank is located next to the Rani ki Chattri, a nineteenth century memorial patronised by widow of Anrudh Singh (?) of Ballabhgarh royal family. The tank is constructed with brick walls with octagonal turrets and arched niches. The monument is located inside the premises of the local government hospital.

The Chuhimal Ki Chattri is a large rectangular structure with octagonal corners, topped with pavillions. The structure is two storey high constructed with red sandstone. with two kinds of arches – cusped and trefoil indicating a blend of the 18th century Rajput architectural styles typical of the Mewat region. The roof is a combination of a main dome with four smaller domes and a bangaldar dome. The interior are profusely decorated with detailed stone work. Decorative features on the main chattris are intricate with abundant use of floral and animal motifs. The structure is a memorial built by a local salt merchant in memory of his father Seth Chuhimal.

Rani ki Chattri is a memorial built perhaps by widow of Anrudh Singh of Ballabhgarh royal family. It is a square, colonnaded structure raised on an elevated plinth. Octagonal turrets mark the corners of the Chattri, decorated with blind arcades and niches at ground level; capped with ribbed domed chattris at roof level. It is an ornate structure with architectural details like multi-cusped arches, pointed arches, jharokhas (windows) and a central chattri (dome) at terrace level with onion dome. The structure is constructed with bricks clad, buff coloured sandstone. Interior walls are covered in white plaster, the ceiling is painted. A sandstone chajja supported on brackets runs all around the building below parapet level.