Lecture 01

Added: 2026-05-06

[00:00:18]Whenever we talk about ar historical architecture, it is very essential for us to know about the architectural tactics.

[00:00:28]Without knowing the architectural techniques, we cannot understand the architecture.

[00:00:33]I think the study of architectural techniques are almost mandatory to study the historical architecture.

[00:00:44]Today we are living in an era which is dominated by the RCC reinforced cement concrete.

[00:00:52]This is a invention of the late 20th century and this invention change the whole architecture and this through this technique are that is known as RCC we can use the cany liver we transfer the weight of one part of the structure to the other part of the structure.

[00:01:21][snorts] And this technique that is known as RCC is need it needs, cement, concrete and iron meaning by by the this invention of the RCC revolutionize the building concept.

[00:01:48]Now through this technique we never need now we no no more need a load balls and now the question arises what was the architectural technique what were the architectural techniques which prevailed before the RCC because whatever architectural heritage today we have I in the form of a legacy. Architectural heritage constituted a majority portion a very bigger portion on the name of heritage on the name of legacy of the viggon eras we have a architectural heritage that constitutes.

[00:02:50]Now if we want to understand the buildings and heritage buildings and the development of these buildings we must investigate what are the architectural techniques which used and prevail before the invention of RCC.

[00:03:16]Secondly, so far as the building material and mortar is concerned, cement is a 20th century mid 20th century invention. Late 20th century invention before cement we don't have such a binding mortar of a binding force.

[00:03:36]But buildings are built thousand years back it still survives.

[00:03:42]500 years back still survive.

[00:03:45]So now it is very essential for us to know what type of the m building material and motors are prevailing.

[00:03:57]Secondly, these architectural techniques and building material prevailing before the RCC must be investigated because at that time mechanical invention was not happened. So today you are having a air conditioned you created a room through the RCC on a pillar constructions.

[00:04:23]You can chill this room with the air condition. But I'm talking about the time when there was no air condition. So then the construction architecture should be designed in such a way they must have provide the coolness to the structure during the hot season.

[00:04:44]Now with the mechanical invention, now architecture is not bound to follow the rules to keep it keep the structure cool or hot. It was now it is left to the mechanical devices, electrical devices.

[00:05:07]But I'm talking to the times before the invention. All these invention took place in the mid 20th century, late 20th century. Before that we built the structure. This structure provides us warmness in the cool season and providing cool cool in the hot season.

[00:05:32]We must before studying the buildings we must study the various architectural techniques that prevails before the invention of RCC.

[00:05:44]The most important technique which started from the you can say emergence of town or emergence of habitation or when the man started to live in a structure live in a house live in a house type of the structure this technique prevails from that time. What is traiate technique? Composed of a post and lint. [snorts] It is very easy. You created two pillar and keep a single piece of stone or wood and now this space has been covered.

[00:06:36]Historically architecture signifies how to cover the space and this covering of space must have some aesthetic sense and provide food functionality.

[00:06:52]So now this structure having a post you created two walls and the span between these two walls has been covered with a piece of stone.

[00:07:08]These two walls when the roof uh in place of roof we put a slabs of stones and this structure and and this uh was a structure built in a no time and this technique having its own merits and demerits.

[00:07:34]The merit of this structure is that it is not used suttering not used the support temporary support to create the roof. The result is that it is it is not costly. It involves not a big cost. You simply created a walls of the room and the roof. At the place of roof, you put a single place of single uh slabs of stone one by one and you prepared the room. You constructed, you was able to construct the room.

[00:08:14]You built a door.

[00:08:17]You build a door and the span of the door you put a stone and then you continue to construct the whole wall.

[00:08:31]Construct the whole wall. Now what is the merit? It uh involve not a big cost because you no need to create a temporary settling and temporary setting involves some cost.

[00:08:49]Secondly, if you build the structure through this technique, it is it uh and it uh the structure can be put into use without waiting for a long time.

[00:09:06]There is no suting, no period of waiting to get the structure prepared. You can immediately use the structure.

[00:09:22]Now the question arises what are the defects of this techniques?

[00:09:28]Shortcomings of these techniques. These techniques traviet techniques is known as pillar and lintal formation. And if we will want to dis defects we there is a restraction of the length of procuring a stone piece or wooden piece.

[00:09:51]Meaning by you cannot get a single piece of stone with a length of 12 m 12 ft 15 ft not more than that. If you will able to get a 20 ft uh in length a stone piece how you carry at the place of the construction.

[00:10:16]The result is that this is a some sort of the restraction now you cannot get the piece of wood more than 12 ft and 15 ft. It resulted into the covering of a space that is comparatively smaller. With this technique, you cannot create a big hole.

[00:10:45]If you want to create a big hole, then you have to put a pillar inside.

[00:10:52]So the is so the pieces of the length of a single piece of the stone can be put and get the support of the pillars in you can say in the in spin span in support uh place in between.

[00:11:11]Now through this technique you cannot cover a big space because of the limitation of the length of the piece of stone and piece of and through this technique such type of the such type of the structures through this style such type of these structures were built. Now you see there is a room in front of room there is a cloas and these are the pillars and lintils have been used to cover the span between these pillars. It is these piece of stones have been put together forming the roof. In the same way this is a room backside and it is its roof has been created with the by putting a slab of stones one after another and in this way because of the limitation of the length to of the stone or wood which we can procure from the mining and now we cannot cover thy Space covering of the space is smaller or not a very big otherwise in between we have to put a pillar.

[00:12:44]If we take example of a great hall court of the Chandra Gupta in excavation we found a very spacious uh hall has been discovered but this hall is having a 80 pillars inside. Then this hall was created without these pillars such a long roof cannot be possible cannot be possible.

[00:13:14]Another prevailing technique of the constructs architecture is a coreld style.

[00:13:21]Coreld style when there is a there is a open place and we uses the piece of stone and projecting towards inner side.

[00:13:33]Piece of stone projecting towards inner side and slowly and by projecting the piece of stone putting one on the another and they were all projected towards inner side and at the top level we put a single piece of now the space is covered.

[00:14:00]This is known as corel style.

[00:14:04]This coral style covers the space bigger than the space covered by private style.

[00:14:16]In other words, the space covered by private style is smaller than the space covered by the coral style. Through this core valing we can cover the space little bigger than the space can be covered by tribulation type.

[00:14:39]This technique is having its own plus point and minus point.

[00:14:47]Of course through this technique we can cover the bigger space in the comparison of the TV space constructed by traviated style.

[00:15:00]But what are its defects?

[00:15:05]When we use the piece of stone or brick projecting inner sides, the thickness of the roof became very enhanced. Thickness of the room increased like anything.

[00:15:24]When the thickness of the roof increased, it exerted a pressure on the wall. To bear this burden the walls also became thick and the thickness of the walls enhanced very much. It make the structure ponderous. It use the building material too much and what was happen now a lot of space get wasted in the thickness of the wall. lot of ma material get pasted in the thickness of the wall and lot of material also get basted in the thickness of the roof.

[00:16:15]Second important problem with this style is that it is not friendly to the gravitational force.

[00:16:25]In the course of time this structure get collapsed because it is not able to transfer its burden to the walls.

[00:16:38]Not transfer.

[00:16:40]uh since it is having a huge burden it's uh this uh weight never be transferred to the walls and in the course of time gravitational force destroyed this way of corvarying a number of the chhatty in India built with this technique but slowly and gradually they all are aid that's why we get a few mercenary Chhattyas today and this structure this style cannot be used individually but this style is always used in the combination of the traiated style through traviated India was having a great structure in the form of the temples. We have a very lofty temples. We have a very you can say imposing structures all are built with traviated style.

[00:17:49]And this style though covers a small place but Indian heritage majority of Indian heritage was built with heavy at this time. Another and through corelling we built such type of the structure. The pieces of the stone projected towards inside and ultimately this is span has been covered.

[00:18:22]Now another important style is known as arquate.

[00:18:27]Arquet style means a use of arch.

[00:18:33]This style invented in Greek and Rome and it is very scientific and you know there is a great develop there is a lot of development of mathematics took place in Rome and they invented this arch. They invented this arch and there is a principle if there is a circle if you put a pressure here this pressure never exerted on this point. This pressure deflected on both side. This principle is used in case of the arch. This is span.

[00:19:14]This is span is now covered with a making a arch and arch is two arches composed of a keystone.

[00:19:28]two two arch keystone and radiating stone. These radiating stone are also known as boyers. Also known as boyers.

[00:19:41]One thing is essentially here if we use these six boers on one side or and then other side we have to use the six boy shirts and a keystone is used through this technique. The one of the biggest merit of this technique is that we use we can cover the space. We can cover the bigger space and bigger much bigger than the space covered by arquate, covered by covered by tab, covered by corvette [snorts] and but this ar develop this technique develop in boom then migrated to central Asia. In central Asia this half circle arch this tudor arch became a pointed arch. This tudor tudor arch became a pointed arch.

[00:20:46]Why? Because half circle arch to build such a half circle arch we need a mathematical expertise. We don't and everywhere is not having a mathematical expertise.

[00:21:03]Secondly, this style dough is very important technique to build the buildings. But it is costly. Why?

[00:21:14]Because when we build this arch, before building this arch, we have to place a temporary support to it. And in the temporary support, we have to use the calculation to make a exact half circular arch.

[00:21:33]And then we put all these ingredient components of the arch. And after some time this suting temporary suting was is removed. Then this arch is able to bear its burden. And this arch is you know if there is a pressure if there is a weight on this arch this weight is automatically deflected or transferred on the walls from where this arch is spring and but it is a very costly affair. It needs mathematical calculation.

[00:22:16]Mathematical calculation in the context.

[00:22:20]We need a sound. If in preparing a shuttering if any calculation get defected get and it became incorrect the whole arch can fell down in the course of time.

[00:22:36]That's why in creating a arch mathematical precision or mathematical you can say expertise must pre must have. Now what was happening these arches migrated from Rome in central India there is no such expertise in mathematics existed as Romans have. Then these half circle arch transformed into a pointed arch.

[00:23:11]In case of the pointed arch, we don't need such a precise mathematical calculations.

[00:23:20]We prepare a suring. We prepare a sin and a pointed arch has been created.

[00:23:29]pointed arch and having a keystones and equal bosures on all sides. And from central Asia, this pointed arch migrated to India.

[00:23:44]And during the medieval period this arch was used almost in all the imperial buildings and in all the buildings monuments which were known for their perfection. The arch true arch is used and on the concept of arch we created the dome.

[00:24:12]When we rotate the arch then it take the shape of when these are the courses of the boers came from all sides and it take the shape of the dome and at the center we put a single keystone. Boers are coming from all sides and in this way this argu style has been created and it revolutionized the building concept.

[00:24:42]It revolutionized the building concept.

[00:24:45]But so far as my assessment goes, it is a elite class which can afford to use this aret.

[00:24:58]In all the buildings built by some imperial persons, by some kings, queens, we found the use of ar we found the use of aru style.

[00:25:11]Now here I would like to give some con summation in all the imperial buildings built by Mughals built by Sultan directly they are embibed with arquit system.

[00:25:30]They were built with arroet style.

[00:25:33]But when we go and to the monuments which were built by novelity, built by other people here we found on the name of aretic style. They use the indigenous technique but in appearance they followed the principles of the aruetic style.

[00:25:54]They followed the principles of aruic styles. Appear in appearance building is aruated. But all these arches were created through either through core valing or through by make by uh using the piece of stone cut in the shape of the arcs and to form the arm arch.

[00:26:17]The another important component of this lecture is building material material and motor. What was the building material during the medieval period? The bricks we have found two type of the bricks.

[00:26:32]One is sundried or bagged bricks. Backed bricks means they were put in a fire and bagged in a low temperature. Second type of the bricks a clean turned bricks properly created in clay and bricks have been used and during the medival period on the size of the bricks we can identified even the structure which says no inscription and no reference in the contemporary sources.

[00:27:04]Even in case of the muals the size of brick also indicated the period of the bshas.

[00:27:17]So like lagori brick was put into use on a large scale by sanja before that brick is little bit thick and having a good dimensions.

[00:27:30]Second, the stone. Stone especially that is not so tough like granite stone. Red and rough sand stone was used as a building material on a large scale because this stone is not as hard as granite and carving in these stones are very easy very very easy. So we uses this granite this red sandstone for the building purpose. But in some buildings we also find a basalt that is little bit tougher than the red sandstone.

[00:28:11]Another important building material is wood.

[00:28:16]Wood was used as per bun theory. The foundation of the Taj was put on wood. I don't know whether it's correct or not but wood was used and in some structure especially in the region where the boots are very much available wood was used even especially in the red fort is subterranean step belts be I they use the huge planks of the board and other important building material is iron sometime they use the iron clamp to club two stone at a one place.

[00:28:58]And so far as the mortar is concerned, the mortar is lime mortar. Lime mortar is always found is always created by mixing the lime with si. Now the quality of lime is very important as quality of lime depends on converting a stone into a lime.

[00:29:22]In some structures we have also seen mud mixed with husk has been seen. Now the use of material and mortar is monitored by the status of a person status of a builder. If he a shahaja was able who was able to build a tajal such a precious building and another if a novel who was successfully built a single chhatri single room havi at agara and otherwise we don't have equal parameters what material and what motor could be used by these people but these are moderate building material available and used during the medieval period especially from 1526 to 1757.

[00:30:20]Thank you very much. I [music]