Mughal Architecture
- Mughal Empire established by Babur in 1526.
- The Mughal era defines the most sumptuous phase of Islamic Architecture in India, due in part to the wealth and the settled political conditions of the empire and to the aesthetic nature of the emperors.
- Mughal Architecture flourished under the first five ‘Great Mughals’ of the dynasty, Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan and declined after the rule of Aurangzeb.
- The two most prolific builders of the dynasty were Akbar (1556-1605) and his grandson Shah Jahan (1627-1658), with a transitional phase observed under Jahangir (1605-1627).
- The style can be broadly divided into two phases, an earlier phase when the buildings were principally constructed of red sandstone during the reign of Akbar and a later phase when the buildings were constructed principally of marble under the reign of Shah Jahan.
- Due to the centralized political structure of the empire, the Mughal style of architecture had no provincial or regional manifestations, but was an imperial style only moderately affected by local influences.
- The major influences seen in the Mughal style come from Persia and from the indigenous styles of Gujarat and Rajasthan.