The Architecture of British India Reflected the Indifference, Insensitivity, and Power of the Colonizer - Term Paper Example

THE ARCHITECTURE OF BRITISH INDIA REFLECTED THE INDIFFERENCE, INSENSITIVITY, AND POWER OF THE COLONIZER Name Code + Course Name Professor Date The Architecture of British India Reflected the Indifference, Insensitivity, and Power of the Colonizer Introduction The empires currently present in India portray a change that was implemented by the British colonizers in India that led to numerous changes that were aimed at bringing India to the same standards as those demonstrated by British. Most of the tourists who come to India consider it attractive due to its riches, natural beauty as well as having resourceful lands1. The British colonizers could not also deny the fact that India was a flourished supremacy. There were obvious reasons as to why Europeans were more interested in colonizing India. They could have taken advantages of the spices, products, as well as textile mills. It was evidenced in the case of Vasco De Gamma and the East India Company among others2. However, the British expanded their invasion by launching their products and exploring the emerging markets to earn more revenues. Further, the availability of cheap labor, as well as raw materials, was some of the features that attracted the British to India. The British successfully colonized India with utmost power and authority3. The paper discusses how the architecture of British India demonstrated indifference, insensitivity as well as the power of the colonizer. Also, it explains the different styles of architecture of India. The paper also discusses how the British colonizers adopted architecture style as symbol of indifference, insensitivity, and power. It is evidenced from the magnificent infrastructures present in India that would not have existed without industrial revolution. The primary aim of encouraging industrial revolution was for the establishment of the British colonies4. The architecture of most of the Indian buildings reflected the objectives as well as the aims of the British colonizers. It represented the authority, power and a means of forming a link with the Indians. Discussion The year 1757 is considered the beginning of the British Empire in India. However, most of the parts of India country remained under the control of the Indians ruler. It took the British colonizers and the East Indian Company over another hundred additional years to invade the western and northern India5. The British colonized the Indians for over two centuries until they gained independence in the year 1947 thus becoming a sovereign nation. During the two centuries that they had ruled the Indians, the British introduced various reforms in the country. For instance, they improved infrastructure by constructing great cities, roads, as well as better means of communication6. Besides, they introduced smooth governance systems in India. Some of the prominent British architects such as Le Corbusier and Edward Frere designed and provided layout plans for numerous Indian cities. These cities were constructed in modern designs, and they still exist until today demonstrating the great work of the modern architecture. The British government finally decided to redefine its administration thus giving rise to a new state architecture. The East Indian Company developed an interest in India to gain maximum profits by promoting trade7. During this initial stage, the British government controlled it. The British government improved the transport system to facilitate a smooth flow of its operations including military and economic operations. Moreover, the railway network was developed to enhance economic and military undertakings are efficient. The newly designed cities were constructed as well as government building. A report by the Indian Saga argued that the introduction of the British Empire around eighteenth century marked the commencement of the modern Indian agreement with the West8. It led to a drastic change in the artistic field whereby the traditional artists were replaced with modern demands as well as fashions. The British architecture represented a relative insensitivity as compared to the traditional art. The Indian architecture became less influential as compared to the British art that was becoming more ubiquitous. One of the identified British architecture in the 19th century is the Indo-Gothic style. It combined the Indian and Indo-Islamic architecture with the Gothic revival in the favor of British9. All the government, as well as public constructions, were built representing the ideas of the British Empire. A majority of the constructions were made of steel and iron with vaulted roofs, overhanging eaves and open pavilions among others. Most of the paintings were made using oil and easel10. It had encouraged most of the British artists to shift to India in search of a fortune for instance George Chinnery, William Daniel, and Thomas among others. Moreover, the East Indian Company supported the British colonizers by providing services that provided native art. The art of waterproofing was introduced, and it became the company style that later spread to other cities of India. The British colonizers continued to influence the manifestation of the Indian art, culture as well as their literature and towards the middle of the 19th century; they had established art institutions in numerous cities of India. The cities included Bombay, Madras as well as Calcutta11. A research by the Indian Saga identified Lockwood Kipling and John Griffith as the best painters who come to India. They led the Sir J.J School of Art and later Kipling took over the Mayo School of Art. Besides, the report demonstrated that Raja Ravi Varma was a self-taught Indian artist who adopted the modernists’ style and supported the British techniques. Ravi developed a new modern painting style that was greatly influenced by the Western techniques in the interpretation of the Indian culture. A majority of his work is considered a good example of the combination of British and Indian art12. More architects were influenced by the Western ideas in the way they interpreted the Indian themes. However, there were numerous rebellions against these styles, for instance, the Bengal School of Art. The school demonstrated against the British academic art programs that were introduced in India13. The demonstrations were supported by a British art tutor know as Havell and led by Abanindranath. The two led these demonstrations by encouraging students to reject these art styles. They regarded these techniques as expressive of the Indians spiritual qualities. One of the commonly known paintings by Tagore was the Mother India that showed a lady with four arms holding symbolic that demonstrated the national aspirations of the Indians. The demonstrations by the Bengal School of Art played an important role in the future modernist demonstration that promoted its decline later in 1920s. Numerous Universities established were aimed at preserving the Indian culture14. These universities were different from those influenced by the western culture whereby they replaced the ink on paper and oil and easel for waterproof colors. There are numerous identified British architecture works in India as well as the life of some icons of modern architecture. The architecture work demonstrates the indifference, insensitivity as well as the power of the British colonizers. One of the modern architecture of British India is the Madras Government Building15. The British architecture is traced back to the times when the East India Company owned large hectares of land in India where the Madras Government House was located and was adopted for Lord Clive during 1790s. The building was renovated according to the modern British architecture whereby much lighting was introduced via colonnaded verandahs and inter-columniations erected on every side of the building. The Doric Banqueting Hall currently manages the building. The other architecture was the Bombay Town Hall16. It portrayed the great work of French Neo-Classical and was constructed for Colonel Thomas Cowper. Other works included the reformative architecture at Madras, Calcutta and other cities in India. Moreover, there was architecture of princely palaces and homes whereby the Indians adopted the western palace formats with houses incorporating banqueting halls, salons and durbar halls17. Architecture has been used deliberately to explain the relationship between individuals, towns as well as nations. A majority of these relationships are based on power that is social, political, cultural, or economic18. Power has been used in different ways in various historic contexts. The Indian architecture has undergone numerous changes through various stages in different parts of the country. Most of these changes were greatly influenced by the British Empires19. There are numerous examples that demonstrate the architecture of British Indian reflected the indifference, insensitivity, and power of the ruler. The temple is regarded the most important monument of the Indian architecture. India is considered a place of divinity due to its feminine manifestation. The notion that India is a sacred place enables it to have numerous temples. Most of the places are covered with temples and shrines signifying the presence of Hinduism gods20. Some of the temples present in India include the Meenakshi Temple on the Southern bank of river Vaigaiin where it serves the Tamil people. It attracts over one million visitors who come to celebrate the Meenakshi Tirukalyanam festival. Other Temples include the Jagannath and Kamakhya Temples among others21. The British and Mughals are considered the people who influenced the Indians architecture mostly. The British considered themselves as the ones who inherited power after the Mughals22. When the British arrived in India, they adopted new architectural vocabulary that would be widely respected by the Indians. The Indo-Saracenic architecture style was introduced in India and comprised of unique power symbolism. The architecture has a link with the political, social as well the economic power. It means that a colonizer`s status is identified by the influence on others and how other people defer the ruler23. Moreover, architecture demonstrates wealth and leadership that in turn is an indicator of power and status. A report by the British Emperor argues that architecture aided the British in spreading their empire across the globe. It played an important role in inspiring a well as reminding them of their functionalities. They greatly influenced the Indian culture, their environments, and the Indian people. They ensured that they did everything in their power to bring a change that was honored and respected by those they encountered24. There are numerous examples of how the British colonists influenced the Indian culture through architecture. Private Residences A bungalow is considered a Hindu word that explains how the British rulers combined the Indian environment with the building styles thus influencing the Indian art. The ancient Indian constructed bungalows with local materials with the help of craftsmen who had adequate experience and knowledge of the traditional techniques25. The British colonists used these methods for many generations before the invasion. The British Empire report demonstrates that the traditional Indian bungalow were large with huge ventilation as well as verandahs that assisted in controlling the excess heat from the tropics. Some of these houses were constructed on wooden stilt frames that helped improve ventilation as well as making it difficult for snakes and other wildlife animals from getting into the house26. The British colonizers introduced the brick buildings, according to their taste and preference. They also ensured that the doorframes and windows were purchased from their country of origin. Classical columns that portrayed their home buildings replaced the verandahs that helped reduce heat. The new architecture techniques were applied in all the areas that the British resided27. The British settlers in Canada, Australia as well as those in New Zealand adopted the similar architecture styles like those in their mother country. A majority of the settlers upgraded their buildings before constructing them with stones and brick. They were influenced by the buildings in the home country and hence wanted to build exact designs because they knew they were not going back to their country soon28. They, therefore, decided to adopt this architecture style of bungalows to do away with the terrifying and unfriendly environments. Further, they influenced the building designs of farmhouses as well as towns. Official Buildings The British Empire report also demonstrates that the official building in India underwent similar process just like the private residences. The British officials needed to respond quickly to the problems of impressive buildings to claim a higher type of civilization29. The report demonstrated that the British did not pay much attention to the construction of churches and mosques like the former civilizations. They constructed factories, cathedrals, railway terminals and other buildings that would make it easier for their administrative functions. Their architecture arts collided with those of the local architecture thus reminding them of the European civilizations. The ancient Indian building style was referred to as the Saracenic-Byzantine that explains a relationship between the Roman and Muslim style30. It is also considered a hybrid style that is a unique architecture that combines the European and Roman style while still observing the host culture styles31. The new architecture acted as a way of continued power over the Indian country in an attempt to improve the Moghul Empire. The Saracenic style introduced by the European architects became more popular and classical. One of the prominent architects Edward Lutyen helped in rebuilding the New Delhi that created a large government complex that ruled the greatest empire32. The British colonists exercised their power in reminding the Indians of the world left behind. For instance, the Melbourne in Australia had constructed using a Georgian style while Canada built using an alternative European style that was different from those adopted by other colonizers. Also, the government and other official buildings were constructed using the Gothic style that was not common. The difference in the architecture styles was because Canada wanted to differentiate itself from other colonies. In the United States, most of the government buildings are constructed using the Roman and Greek styles. Some of the excellent examples of classical architecture include the White House and Capital Buildings33. The European and Canadian government shared common tradition and heritage, but they did not want their architecture designs to match those of their competitors in the America. Another report by Paulson Joyce, who was a specialist writer on architecture, demonstrated that the introduction of the British East Indian Company around 1600 AD had an interest in India34. The primary concern was to maximize its revenues through the spice trade. By 1800 AD, the British became superior and invaded most of the cities in India with the help of organizational capabilities, tactics, violence, as well as historic circumstances. Further, the British colonizers established a colonial architecture in most of the cities such as Ahmadabad and Gujarat, which are present until today. Also, some of the towns including New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata were British creations35. They had attracted many people to these cities and hence controlled them easily. The examples of the colonial architecture introduced by The British colonists include the Gateway of India in Mumbai, the viceroy`s Palace in New Delhi as well as the Madras University in Chennai. Others architectures include the Town Hall, Bhadra Court Building and the Old Circuit House36. The British failed to identify the ancient traditional architecture of the Indian people and hence most of the architectures created were no better than the existing one. Just like the previous Muslim rulers, the British colonizers also destroyed the Indian art37. One of the British soldiers said, "Rich medieval pillars were ground down to make road material while temple friezes and bas relief were converted into targets for rifle shooting practice38." According to Desai, not every British colonizer had similar indifference towards the Indian art. John Ruskin, who was a prominent writer, made a speech at the South Kensington Museum urging that none of the architecture styles introduced by the British was better than the works of India. He further demonstrated that the British were attracted by the Indian architecture and that is why they invaded the country39. The British constructed highways, learning institutions, railway stations, and healthcare facilities in every city that they invaded. It ensured that they exercised their power to control the Indians. Moreover, they were the founders of the Archaeological Survey of India that currently preserves thousands of monuments of India. Bibliography Asher, Catherine B. Mughal Architecture: Center and Hinterland, 1526-1857. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. Bernier, Ronald M. Himalayan Architecture. Madison: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 2011. British Empire. Architecture Impressions of Awe or of Home, 2014. 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Oxford University Press, 2013. Volwahsen, Andreas. Splendours of Imperial India: British Architecture in the 18th and 19th Centuries. Munich [u.a.: Prestel, 2013. Read More