"India" in British-Indian Architecture

Along with constructions of Indian-style buildings in Britain, the British participated in a variety of hybrid construction projects in India itself. The mixture of British and Indian architectural motifs and building styles takes on a slightly different flavor in India than it does in Britain. Look at the building below. This was built by Lt. Swinton Jacob, an officer in the British army, who was commissioned by the Maharaja, or king, of Jaipur to build a museum just outside of the walled, planned city of Jaipur. This was part of the Ram Nivas Garden project, which included a major planned garden and zoo. The garden was aligned with the grid-plan of the city such that the road out from it led directly to the main palace within the city walls. As a result, this building is a major part of the Maharaja's presence in Jaipur.

Click on the image for a close-up
Albert Hall, Jaipur, India
Swinton Jacob, architect
1881-6

Maharaja Ram Singh initially wanted this building to be a town hall, but his successor, Madho Singh, decided it should be a museum for the art of Jaipur. What kinds of messages might be sent by a building that's a town hall, and how do those messages differ from a building that's a museum? Where does the tradition of museum-building come from?

Take a look at the detail of the building at the right. This is called a chattri, a major decorative motif in Mughal Indian architecture and other forms of Indian architecture. Jacob spent quite a lot of time copying motifs from existing Indian buildings, training the Indian stonemasons he worked with to carve these older motifs, and incorporating a variety (some might say a random selection) of them into his buildings. So: Indian building, or British building? How does the patron play into this? He hired Jacob on purpose, retaining him for multiple other projects in the city. What about the placement of this monument on the major axis of the city? What message does that send? And, what kinds of artifacts are housed inside, do you think? All of these questions make this building an interesting problem for interpretation and understanding of the colonial period in India. Why do you think the Maharaja hired Jacob in the first place?
Click on the image for a close-up
Albert Hall, Jaipur, India
Swinton Jacob, architect
1881-6

Check out things to think about and the final page in this section, hybridity, in order to pursue these issues further.

Neo-Classical Architecture
Britain | India | B&I Neo-Gothic Architecture
Britain | India | B&I

Hybridity in Architecture
India in Britain | British/Indian in India | Hybridity

© 1998. Created by Rebecca M. Brown. Last updated 4/18/98.


	Along with constructions of Indian-style buildings in Britain, the British participated in a variety of hybrid construction projects in India itself. The mixture of British and Indian architectural motifs and building styles takes on a slightly different flavor in India than it does in Britain. Look at the building below. This was built by Lt. Swinton Jacob, an officer in the British army, who was commissioned by the Maharaja, or king, of Jaipur to build a museum just outside of the walled, planned city of Jaipur. This was part of the Ram Nivas Garden project, which included a major planned garden and zoo. The garden was aligned with the grid-plan of the city such that the road out from it led directly to the main palace within the city walls. As a result, this building is a major part of the Maharaja's presence in Jaipur.
	Click on the image for a close-up Albert Hall, Jaipur, India Swinton Jacob, architect 1881-6
	Maharaja Ram Singh initially wanted this building to be a town hall, but his successor, Madho Singh, decided it should be a museum for the art of Jaipur. What kinds of messages might be sent by a building that's a town hall, and how do those messages differ from a building that's a museum? Where does the tradition of museum-building come from?
	Take a look at the detail of the building at the right. This is called a chattri, a major decorative motif in Mughal Indian architecture and other forms of Indian architecture. Jacob spent quite a lot of time copying motifs from existing Indian buildings, training the Indian stonemasons he worked with to carve these older motifs, and incorporating a variety (some might say a random selection) of them into his buildings. So: Indian building, or British building? How does the patron play into this? He hired Jacob on purpose, retaining him for multiple other projects in the city. What about the placement of this monument on the major axis of the city? What message does that send? And, what kinds of artifacts are housed inside, do you think? All of these questions make this building an interesting problem for interpretation and understanding of the colonial period in India. Why do you think the Maharaja hired Jacob in the first place?	Click on the image for a close-up Albert Hall, Jaipur, India Swinton Jacob, architect 1881-6
	Check out things to think about and the final page in this section, hybridity, in order to pursue these issues further.