PROVINCIAL STYLE : THE PUNJAB (1150-1325)

The earliest provincial style to emerge was in the country of the Punjab, as here the first contacts with Islam were made through its two principal centres, the cities of Multan and Lahore. the tenth century that ltIahmud of Ghazni wrested the Punjab capital from Hindu rule, and brought it within his domination. On the destruction of Ghazni by the rival power of Ghor, Lahore, once the provincial seat of the Ghazni rulers, became the real capital of the diminished Ghaznavide kingdom, and in the twelfth century royal residences to accommodate the princes of that dynasty were a feature of the city. In some of the more remote quarters . of city, there are examples of a very ancient type of wooden architecture, now rapidly disappearing, certain features of which bear a resemblance to the buiJdiDgs of the Saljuqs of the twelfth century, although they are considerably later in date. The wood employed is that ImOwD as "ber" (miP,"" jtljtIlHJ), and is now not often UledOl1 account of its rarity. It may be assumed therefan that. although the two cities of Lahore and Multan nceived their Moslem attributions from different sources, with the result those of Lahore were of GhaznavideSaquqian origin, while those of Multan were of an Arabl'eDiU1 derivation, it is more than likely that on the wboIe the Indo-Islamic art culture at both centres had mach in common. Such building art as these two cities p!Oduc:ed it is proposed to regard as of one style, that of the Punjab. From this rather scanty data, combined with information deduced from the type of building evolved slightly later, it may be inferred with some certainty that the pre-mediev.al architecture of the Punjab was constructed mainly of brick, stone suitable for such purposes not being readily available' in the alluvial plain of the Five Rivers. And it was brickwork of a remarkably fine quality, the bricks being not unlike those used by the Roman builders, broad but thin, and when occasion demanded it was not uncommon, for them to be laid in upright courses to insure additional strength. This brickwork it was the custom to reinforce by means of wooden beams inserted in the walls, so that the builcfin&s were timber-framed, with no arches, as the beam and bracket system prevailed. These brick and timber walls were sloped to provide greater stability, the battering surfaces being a survival of an ancient mud brick tradition. In addition to the beams embedded horizontally within the brickwork, there were other substantial wooden elements, notably doorways, with windows above and also overhanging balconies, the whole providing a very artistic wooden facade. To relieve the inconspicuous effect of the half timbered construction, parts of the building were decorated with painted plaster, and there were also panellings of glazed tiles in brilliant colours. So distinctive in its design and mode of treatment are the remains of this architecture, particularly in the handling of the woodwork, as shown in some of the

examples in Lahore city as well as one or two in Multan and also in certain smaller places such as Chiniot, that they imply an unusual derivation. There is nothing quite like this manipulation of wood in any other development of Islamic art, as the doorways. are framed with carved designs resembliDg heavy tassels and knotted fringes, recalling pleated fabrics made of felt drawn uJ? by cords on each side to fonn the opening. Such a fanciful, and at the same time elegant scheme, combined with the fact that the controlling lines of the building in which they were contained were sloped, recalls in a manner the appearance, shape, and fittings of a tent. So much so that it is a matter of speculation as to whether the entire conception was not a survival of a nomadic existence lived in some of the wide arid spaces of the Punjab and the adjacent Great Indian Desert, where the inhabitants at one time were dwellers in tents. There is something strangely attractive in these wooden house facades, which although basically Islamic are nevertheless strongly impregnated with the imaginative genius of the indigenous craftsman. Except for these remains of timber construction, there are no complete examples of the building art of this period in Lahore, but in Multan there is a group of the five tombs of an ancient date which may help to throw some light on the style which immediately succeeded it. Each is the mausoleum of a saintly personage associated with the history of the city, and. their construction extends .over a period of one hundred and seventy years, from the middle of the twelfth to the beginning of the fourteenth centuries. It is unfortunate that several of them appear at different times to have been seriously damaged, necessitating ccmsiderable restoration, so that in most instances some of their structure is relatively modern. As a whole, the design of the original build .. ing in each example seems to have been respected, and

The three succeeding examples of the tombs in Multan all built within a period of fifteen years, shortly after the middle of the thirteenth century and are of a ftI'J ctilerent architectural formation from the foret is true they are rectaDgular in plan, but any then ceases, as they are in three stages, the which is square, above is an octagonal second ~ while over all is a bemisPherical dome. The ..... to be built, that of Sbah. -Bahau-i-Haqq is the repnsentative of this ~. and is a monument of _ little distinction. Consisting of a tall foundational Itcny IOIDe forty feet in height, devoid of ornament but ~cont. -for elect on its excelJent proportions, the facade ODe feature only, a well-deiiped arched doorway in receding planes. Over the battlemented parapet 01 this storey rises a lofty octagonal drum fonnmg with aD arched openjDg in each face an elepnt clerestory, above which is the broad ovoid of the dome. Although in its plainness almost p,ustere, yet this tomb has an appearance

of p~ strength combined with a simple elegance which 15 noteworthy. The tomb of Rukn-i-Alam at lIultan is a building of no mean dimensions, as its octagonal base measures 90 feet in diameter, and its total height including its finial is lIS feet, the heiflht of the first storey being SO feet and the second 2S feet, while the dome is SO ft. wide inside. Although of brick foundation, its appearance is considerably enhanced by bands of carved timbering sunk into the waDs at appropriate intervals, and to ~ rich texture and co)nl1rin. the brickwork is elaborately chiselled, and ~~inJaid with brilliantly ~ tiles. The underlying ideals of its creators are fairly clear. In that element of slope ~ the dimi ..... iDg mass of a pyramid and the inclined buttresses supporting the outer angles, the intention was obviously that of stability and permanence. Then its great height, elevated as the building is on a terrace, is an attempt to dominate the surroundiDg country and introduce a focal point of interest into the monotonous dead level of the landscape. The tiles were an effort to bring a note of bright colour into the dull dust tint of its desert setting, while its walls of thirteen feet of solid brickwork through which the subdued light passed along the tunnels of the clerestory criJles were a means of shuttiDg out the legendary, thus providing a cool and sombre sanctuary

for the saint's last repose. In style this mausoleum represents three patterns of culture, Arabian, Iranian, and Indian, something of the best has been taken from the building traditions of each, to produce a monument of marked architectural character and possessing a solemn grandeur suitable to its purpose.