Calico Museum, Ahmedabad - Textile Treasures

Still early in the morning, we toured the Calico Museum, a private collection of rare textiles, particularly that of Gujarat. Considering Ahmedabad being a center for the textile industry in India (in fact it’s sometimes called the Manchester of the East), it was quite appropriate for such a museum to be situated here. A museum guide (after giving us rules such as no drinks/food, no photography, etc.) took us through the lush compound grounds and into the museum’s buildings. Even the exterior of the museum was quite beautiful, with its ornately carved wooden façade. Displays were quite extensive, including a 17th century Mughal tent with carpeting and hand-painted cotton panels taking up nearly an entire room. The tour was kept at a rather fast pace (making it impossible to read descriptions and enjoy all the pieces), but it increased my anticipation of seeing the textile work while in the Kutch region of Gujarat.

This photograph of the  Mughal tent is from the Calico Museum's website

Tweet

Agra Fort

Built by the Emperor Akbar between 1565 and 1573, this UNESCO World Heritage site is another of Agra’s jewels amidst the grime. In true fortress fashion, it has high walls (70 feet - 21 m), double ramparts, battlements, massive gates, circular bastions and a moat. Entering through the imposing Amar Singh Gate, today’s visitors see only a small mount of Akbar’s original structures; some were destroyed by Akbar’s grandson Shah Jahan and others by the British who used the fort for barracks. Parts of the fort are still used by the Indian military, visitors focus on the area closest to the Yuma River.

Despite portions of the fort being closed off to visitors, there are quite a number of beautiful buildings to see. The Diwan-i-Aam was an arcaded hall that reminded me of a similar royal public audience hall in the Delhi’s Red Fort. Nearby was the Anguri Bagh, a series of geometrically arranged gardens in alternating plant colors of green and deep burgundy. The Khas Mahal, built in a style so typical of Shah Jahan, is an elegant white-marble hall with brightly painted ceilings and twin golden pavilions. The Diwan-i-Khas is perhaps the most beautiful structure there, with its exquisite pietra dura work of flowers, vines, and designs covering columns and archways. In this open hall, the emperor would meet his court. From the double-storeyed profusely-decorated octagonal tower named the Musamman Burj, Shah Jahan had a direct view of his beloved Taj Mahal. Ironically it was this tower where Jahan spent the last eight years of his life, imprisoned there by his son. Walking back to the gate, we passed by the Bengali Mahal, constructed out of red sandstone. Its decorative architectural style reminded me of that at Fatehpur Sikri (Akbar’s planned capital city and palace), with its intermixing of Hindu and Islamic elements in the same red sandstone.

Tweet

Humayun's Tomb, Delhi

Late in the afternoon we arrived at Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi. Built in the mid 16th century by the second Mughal Emperor Humayun, the tomb is a superb example of early Mughal architecture. It is now considered a World Heritage Site. Many of its architectural elements were later used in the Taj Mahal. The golden light of the setting sun warmed up the red stone of the gate and tomb even further. Surrounding the tomb are spacious gardens and a pool with fountain, which reflected the structure just as in Agra. Symmetry is a major component of the structure layout at Humayun’s tomb, just as it is at the Taj Mahal. Inside the tomb, the marble lace-like jali windows cast long decorative shadows on the wall and floor. The light illuminated the white marble central sarcophagus just enough to see portions of it, and yet to retain a bit of serenity. High above, the radial design on the domed roof lent a feeling of spaciousness.

Off to the other side of the complex was the octagonal tomb of Isa Kahn and the Nila Gumbad, monument with a blue dome. Portions of the Nila Gumbad still contained colorful mosaics; how beautiful it must have once been.

Tweet