Rajasthan is culturally rich and has artistic and cultural traditions which reflect the ancient Indian way of life. Every region has its very own dialect of music and dance. The Ghoomar dance from Udaipur and Kalbeliya dance of Jaisalmer have international recognition. Folk music is a vital part of Rajasthan culture. Songs are used to tell the legendary battles of Rajputs. Folk songs are commonly ballads, which relate heroic deeds, love stories, and religious or devotional songs known as bhajans and banis and often accompanied by musical ins he landscape certainly does not inspire, As it stretches for miles and contless miles all around, it is apparent that the one thing the desert does not have is colour. The sands drift a bleached blond, and the scrub cover is straggly, and when there are flowers, the are a dull shade of white or yellow, with the exception of the flame of the forest that blooms hidden in the forests of the Aravali.
Rajasthan is the most beautiful and vibrant state or our country. The unique characteristic of its architecture is very popular in the whole world. The Rajasthan architecture is significantly depend on Rajput architecture school which was mixture of mughal and Hindu structural design. Grand havelis, astonishing forts and elaborately carved temples are the vital portion of architectural heritage of Rajasthan. Rajput’s carries the credit of creative builders. Few of most striking and splendid forts along with palaces with parched Aravali land clearly depicts history of Rajasthan’s celebrated heritage.
Rajasthan architecture arouses from Rajput School of Architecture, a perfect mixture of Hindu and Mughal structural pattern. The state of Rajasthan hosts few of splendid palaces and forts of the whole world. Ornamented havelis, elaborately carved temples and also magnificent forts are section of the Rajasthan’s architectural heritage. The artistic builders of Rajput designed major architectural styles which are located in cities like Jaisalmer, Udaipur, Jaipur and Jodhpur. The most significant architectural designs in Rajasthan include Jantar Mantar, Dilwara Temples, Lake Palace Hotel, City Palaces, Chittorgarh Fort and Jaisalmer Havelis.
Rajasthan, one of the largest states of our country is well known for their historically important monuments. The state of Rajasthan was the major regional capital of Indus Valley Civilization. Conventionally Bhils, Rajputs, Yadavs, Jats, Gujjars and various other tribal people delivered momentous contribution in constructing Rajasthan state. The state was earlier called as Rajputana and served as princely state lawed by Rajputs. Present state of Rajasthan comprises number of Jat kingdoms, Rajput kingdoms and also Mughal Kingdom. The palaces and forts present in Rajasthan are decorated by Jain and Muslim architecture. Rajasthan’s structural design is generally secular with great motivation from Mughals whereas the latest architecture carries the touch of European interiors.
The outstanding Rajput architecture present in Rajasthan lies in Deeg palace. Deeg palace is encircled by large area of gardens based on garden architecture of Mughals. Jaipur palaces carry strong Islam influence. Rajasthan palaces are designed in Islamic fashion and all the palaces were declared Islamic names. One example is Hawa Mahal. This palace is constructed inside the conventional mansion of Rajasthan but not similar to the residential portion of Mughal palaces. The chambers meant for administrative, residential and court functions are constructed inside the multi-storied barrier. Jantar Mandar present in Jaipur is a breathtaking architectural monument. The place was constructed based on the essentials of natural sciences with unique architectural marvel which is more than home in modern era. The northern border of Jaipur city carries Royal Tombs which also includes Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II. With a strong effect of Islamic influences several Rajputs initiated the process of constructing tombs even though they belong to Hindu religion, they are known as empty commemoratives. The tombs with the design of open umbrella are uniqueness of their architecture.
The Ajmer city carries maximum influence of Islamic architecture. The significant monuments in Ajmer city include Dargah Sharif of Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti possessing various white marble edifices placed around the two courtyards with a gigantic gate contributed by the Hyderabad Nizam, a mosque donated by Shah Jahan along with Akbari mosque. One can witness Hindu architecture in Pushkar in the form of various temples and Ghats. The magnificent temples arranged in a fashion with a touch of Islamic architecture, are unique in their style.
At the time of British reign, Rajputs were highly inspired by Bristish rulers and the effect was seen in their architecture too. The buildings constructed by architects can be easily traced in the city of Jaipur. One such example is the Ranbag Palace which was constructed in Indo-Saracenic fashion is running as high class hotel now. Balsamad Lake Palace located at Jodhpur constructed during nineteenth century serves as summer palace designed in European style carrying a mughal style garden in front of man-made lake.
The Rajasthan architecture is an outstanding arrangement o f colonial, Islamic and Hindu architecture. Rajasthan stays as one among the major tourist spot in India carrying a lavish architectural heritage.
Important Artifacts of Rajasthan Architecture
Haveli
Between the years of 1830 and 1930, well heeled Marwaris built gigantic buildings in Narwar and Shekhawati region. The mansions are known as Havelis. These Havelis carry architecture of Mughal in their style. The Shekhawati haveli consists of two courtyards. The outer courtyard meant for men whereas inner courtyard was occupied by women. Havelis also carries marvelous and breath-taking frescoes which are surrounded all sides with a single main gate. This barrier provides good security and calm totally separated from the external environment.
Chhatri
Located in Rajasthan, the Chhatris are the elevated pavilions in dome shape and are the best illustrations of the architecture of Rajasthan. The Chhatri stands as a symbol of honour and pride. The Shekhawati area of Rajasthan holds chhatris in the place meant for cremation of distinguished and wealthy personalities. Chhatris present in Shekhawati are generally simple structure with single dome built inside four pillars of a mansion carrying several domes along with a basement containing various rooms. There are various significant chhatris present in cities of Jodhpur, Jaipur, Haldighati, Udaipur, Bikaner etc…
Jharokha
Jharokha is the form of overhanging enfolded balcony generally witnessed in temples, havelis and palaces situated in Rajasthan. The Jharokha balcony is basically stone window. Jharokhas projects from wall plane and are generally employed for additional architectural beauty to the mansions or for any other specific reasons. During earlier days, women with purdah use to visualize outside events by hiding themselves inside this dress. The overhanging balcony is a vital structure of Rajasthani architecture fulfilling the duty as decoration instrument and also as a sight-seeing platform. There are many Jharokhas carrying chhajjas with them.
Stepwell
Stepwell otherwise known as bawdi is nothing but a pond or well where water can be filled by climbing downwards on a batch of steps. Bawdis are quite common in the western part of India particularly in Gujarat and Rajasthan. These Stepwells date back to several hundreds of years. During olden days, constructors made very deep trenches into our earth to get dependable groundwater all through the year. The fences of the trenches were made up of stoneblocks with the absence of mortar. There are also stairs to reach water body. Most of the living stepwells originally acted as leisure spots besides providing water. Bundi city situated near Kota carries approximately sixty stepwells.
Town Planning in Rajasthan
Basically Rajasthan was a rural area with limited number of towns. They also have an amazing town designing system. The expanded towns were basically villages transformed in their dimension and population. The town is highly secured with the help of well built walls and huge hills. The town is partitioned into various wards linked by lanes and narrow streets. The palaces, gardens, wells and temples are the significant portion of this town. Main roads lying in the town was filled with shops trading jewelry, cloths, food items, fruits etc…