© Penelope Gan – All Rights Reserved – the circular house of relic (Vatadage), Polonnaruwa, SRI LANKA

Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka’s splendid medieval capital was established as the first city of the land in the 11th Century, A.D. It replaced Anuradhapura that was plundered, made desolate, and laid hopelessly bare to the invading armies from South India.

Polonnaruwa reached a dazzling, but pitifully brief zenith, in the 12th century and though like Anuradhapura, where it was ravaged by invasions in the preceding centuries, there is much evidence and remains of the old grandeur and glory. The ruins of Polonnaruwa sits on the east shore of a large artificial lake, the Topa Wewa Lake or Parakrama Samudra (the Sea of Parakrama); created by King Parakramabahu I (1153-86) who reign during Polonnaruwa’s golden age.

Within the city’s rectangular walls stands palace buildings, a bath area and clusters of dozens of dagobas, temples, various other religious buildings and a monk sanctuary that stretches for miles. The centerpiece – the Dalada Maluwa (the hall of the Tooth Relic) contains 12 magnificent buildings in a sacred precinct. The most famous of the ruins, if not the most most famous vatadage (circular house of relic) across Sri Lanka is the Vatadage in Polonnaruwa, with four Buddha images facing the cardinal directions circling around the centerpiece stupa. Evidence of the Buddhas being created out of white marble and one covered with gold leaf is still mildly visible.

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© Penelope Gan – All Rights Reserved – Stupa, Polonnaruwa, SRI LANKA

The dagobas or stupas of Sri Lanka are the largest brick structures known to the ancient world, rendering them significant not only to Buddhism but also a significant architectural and engineering development for the island. The construction of stupas were considered acts of great merit for men as the purpose of stupas were mainly to enshrine relics of the Buddha.

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Despite its shapes evolving from a ‘paddy heap’ to the ‘pot and bell’ and later on an ‘onion’, design specifications for the entrances are consistent in that they are laid out in a manner that ensures that their centre lines point to the relic chambers. As time progress, an ornamented vahalkadas was added to the design of stupas around the 2nd Century AD. The four vahalkadas face the cardinal points, ornamented with figures of animals and flowers. The pillars on the either side of the vahalkadas features figures of lions, elephants, horses or bulls; depending on the direction of the structure.

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Later stupas were covered with a coating of lime plaster; combination applied depended on availability of materials and the requirements of designs. Typically materials includes lime, clay, sand, pebbles, egg whites, plant resin, glues and even the saliva of white ants!

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Although Dambulla is thought to have been inhabited from as early as the 7th to 3rd Century BC, with Ibbankatuwa prehistoric burial site situated 3 kilometers from the cave temples, Dambulla is most famously known for providing refuge to King Valagamba (also known as Vattagamini Abhaya) for 14 years during his exile from the Anuradapura kingdom. Buddhist monks meditating in the caves of Dambulla at that time provided protection to the king from his enemies. As a results, when King Valagamba returned to the throne at Anuradapura kingdom in the 1st Century BC, he built the magnificent rock temple at Dambulla as a gratitude to the monks in Dambulla.

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The Dambulla Cave Temple is the largest and best preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka where major attractions today spreads over five caves containing 153 Buddha statues, 3 statues of Sri Lankan kings and 4 statues of god and goddess (including two statues of the Hindu gods, Vishnu and Ganesh. In addition to statues, the Dambulla Cave Temple has murals covering an area of  2,100 m² depicting Lord Buddha and his life, which includes Buddha’s temptation by the demon Mara and Buddha’s first sermon. The statues and paintings in the Dambulla caves dates back to the 1st Century BC, but have been repaired and repainted in the 11th, 12th and 18th Century AD.

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Time line of the Caves

7th to 3rd century BC – early inhabitants

1st century BC – Painting and statues

5th century AD – the stupa was built

12th century AD – addition of the statues of Hindu gods

20th century AD – UNESCO restoration and lighting

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A former Orthodox Patriarchal basilica between 360 to 1453, and later a mosque from 1453 t0 1931, the Hagia Sophia has been transformed to a museum since 1935.

Constructed under the orders of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian, the Hagia Sophia whose name originates from the Greek Ἁγία Σοφία, which means “Holy Wisdom” is often mistakenly referred to as Sancta Sophia (Saint Sophia). Designed by Greek physicist Isidore of Miletus and mathematician Anthemius of Tralles, Hagia Sophia is  famous for its massive dome and was considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture; notwithstanding that it was the largest cathedral in the world for nearly a thousand years before the completion of Seville Cathedral in 1520.  The church also contains a large collection of holy relics as it was the seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople and the religious focal point of the Eastern Orthodox Church for close to a century.

However, with its conversion into Aya Sofya Mosque by the Ottoman Turks under Sultan Mehmed II, the bells, altar, iconostasis, and sacrificial vessels were removed and many of the mosaics were plastered over. This was in part due to the excessive damage Hagia Sophia sustained as a result of it being the focal point of the Sultan’s troops of unbridled pillage shortly after the city was sieged and defenses collapsed. Islamic features such as the mihrab, located in the apse where the altar used to stand, pointing towards Mecca were constructed in addition the the minbar and four minarets. Additions continued by subsequent Sultans over the centuries with the most famous restoration being ordered by Sultan Abdülmecid. Eliciting a total of 800 workers between 1847 and 1849, under the supervision of architect brothers Gaspare and Giuseppe Fossati, the domes and vaults of the Aya Sofya was consolidated, it’s columns straightened and decorations of both the interior and exterior revised; mosaics in the upper gallery were cleaned, chandeliers were replaced by new pendant chandeliers and new gigantic circular-framed disks  with inscriptions of Allah, the Prophet Muhammad, the first four caliphs Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali, and the two grandchildren of Mohammed - Hassan and Hussain - by calligrapher Kazasker İzzed Effendi were installed.

With its final transformation to a Museum in 1935, the carpets were removed, revealing marble floor decorations such as the Omphalion that had gone unseen for centuries. Likewise, for the mosaics that had been covered by white plaster. However, the Hagia Sophia is far from being save with its deteriorating structure, some of which is visible; water leaks over the fragile frescoes and mosaics due to its visibly cracked copper roof. What’s not visible to a visitor admiring its beauty is the rising ground water that has raised the level of humidity within the monument, creating an unstable environment for its stone and paint. Conservation work by the World Monuments Fund (with the help of American Express in securing grants) took place between 1997 and 2002 on its roof, followed by efforts by the Turkish Ministry of Culture who worked on the preservation of the dome’s interior till 2006. More funds and work is however still needed on other areas of Hagia Sophia.

© Penelope Gan – All Rights Reserved – Sultanahmet Camii, Istanbul, TURKEY

Built between 1609 to 1616 during the rule of Ahmed I, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Turkish: Sultanahmet Camii) design is a culmination of two centuries of both Ottoman mosque and Byzantine church development. This is evident in traces of the Byzantine elements visible in its neighbouring Hagia Sophia, applied to the traditional Islamic architecture featuring 6 minarets and a total of 9 domes; one being the main dome.

It earned its popularly known name – Blue Mosque – from the 20,000 plus handmade Iznik (the ancient Nicaea area) ceramic tiles in more than fifty different tulip designs that lines the interior of the mosque at its lower levels. While the lower levels had tiles in the traditional designs, the gallery level is adorned with flamboyant representation of flowers, fruit and cypresses. Although the tiles were purportedly made under the supervision of Iznik master potter Kasap Haci and Baris Efendi of Avanos (now known as Cappadocia), the quality of the tiles differed over time. This was primarily attributed to the fact that the price to be paid for each tile during the construction was fixed by the sultan’s decree without consideration of general increases of the tile prices over time. To meet the Sultan’s decree, the artisan delivered lower quality tiles where colours have faded and changed (i.e. red turning into brown and green into blue, mottled whites) and the glazes have dulled.

Other elements that contributes towards the blue hue of the mosque includes the blue painted walls that dominates the upper level interior and the installation of more than 200 stained glass windows, a gift of the Signoria of Venice to the Sultan. However, most of these windows have now been replaced with poor craftsmanship and of little artistic merit.

Other intriguing feature of the interior of the Blue Mosque that’s worth a mention is the existence of ostrich eggs that are placed in the bubbles of the chandeliers and lamps to avoid cobwebs inside the mosque by repelling spiders, in addition to recycled tiles from the Topkapi Place for the back of the balconies!

Taking over two centuries to complete (784 – 987CE), the Mezquita de Cordoba has accommodated to many spiritual and religious purposes; originating first as a pagan temple, then to be converted to a Visigothic Christian Church, followed by its transition to a mosque by the Umayyad Caliphate with the Islamic conquest of the Visigothic kingdom, only to be transformed to a Roman Catholic church after the Spanish reconquering the area.

As a result, the Mezquita de Cordoba is known by the local inhabitants of Cordoba, Spain as the Mezquita-Catedral which translates to Mosque-Cathedral in English. Likewise, it incorporates an eclectic mix of Moorish and Renaissance architecture with minarets being adapted into cathedral bell towers and gilded prayer niches with Quranic inscriptions sitting alongside Renaissance styled cathedral nave.

Most notable for the giant arches – with 856 columns of jasper, onyx, marble and granite – taken from pieces of previously occupied Roman temples and the Merida amphitheater, the red and white voussoirs of the arches of Mezquita de Cordoba are purported to be a result of inspiration from the Dome of the Rock – a shrine located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem that was completed in 691CE. Expanded and improved extensively by the Umayyad Caliphate, the four stages – which is evident walking through the Mezquita de Cordoba – have resulted in richly gilded prayer niches, a centrally located honeycombed dome with blue tiles finished with stars, a breathtaking mihrab with geometric and flowering designs of floral, stained glass windows, screens of finely carved wood, minarets, colorful mosaics, a courtyard and a staircase and a bridge linking the prayer hall with the Caliph’s quarters.

Alterations to the works of the 4 Caliphs by the Roman Catholic invaders under King Ferdinand III of Castile saw the constructions of Chapels within the mosque, the erection of a cathedral nave right in the middle of Mezquita de Cordoba’s expansive structure and bells attached to minarets to serve as cathedral bell towers.

It is said that the Mezquita de Cordoba’s conversion to a Catholic church – the Catedral de Córdoba – was what saved it from being destroyed and continued to be preserved during the Spanish Inquisition.

The desire of men to convert this coveted structure remains to date with Spanish Muslims continued lobbying with the Roman Catholic church to allow them to pray in the cathedral; of which were rejected on multiple occasions by the Spanish Catholic authorities and the Vatican since the early 2000s. This quest turned into a violent incident in 2010.

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Source: Lonely Planet, Wikipedia and Sacred Destinations

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Marrakesh – famed for Djamaa el Fna, its vibrant main square dubbed the most exhilarating meeting place in the world, Marrakesh which is situated in southwest Morocco also features the landmark symbol in its walled old city (medina): the 800 year old minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque.

The minaret, capped with three golden orbs, not only dominates the Marrakesh skyline but also enhances the mosque’s reputation as a masterpiece of Islamic architecture. It was completed during the rule of Almohad Caliph Yacoub el-Mansour (1184-199) and stands nearly 230ft (77m) high and almost 40 ft (13m) wide.

The city’s character is, however, defined by Djamaa el Fna in the city’s medina square. By the day it is the scene of locals and tourists haggling for bargains with market traders and watching snake charmers.

The souk (or marketplace) bordering the square is the largest in North Africa; its alleyways are crammed with stalls selling carpets, kaftans, embroidered slippers, leather ware, lamps and other Moroccan craft items.

By night the main square is transformed into a mesmerizing  theateric scene of street entertainment of every kind: fire-eating, juggling, singing, acrobatics, story-telling, dancing, magic, drumming, fortune telling and stalls selling traditional medicines or Moroccan dishes of sheep’s brains and eyes, and goats’ testicles sizzling on the pan with smells wafting up to the Moroccan clear cloudless sky.

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]]> http://penelopegan.com/photoblog/2011/07/djamaa-el-fna-and-kautoubia-mosque-at-800-years/feed/ 0 http://penelopegan.com/photoblog/2011/05/hawa-mahal-maharaja-sawai-pratap-singhs-purdah/ http://penelopegan.com/photoblog/2011/05/hawa-mahal-maharaja-sawai-pratap-singhs-purdah/#comments Wed, 18 May 2011 00:18:50 +0000 ganpenelope http://penelopegan.com/photoblog/?p=1137 © Penelope Gan – All Rights Reserved – Hawa Mahal, Jaipur, INDIA

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A poignant landmark of Jaipur that is world famous, the Hawa Mahal (Hindi: हवा महल, translation: “Palace of Winds”) was constructed in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh. Design was commissioned to Lal Chand Usta who not only showcased Rajputana architecture at its best while incorporating elements of Mughal architecture, but ensured that the hostile climate and weather of Rajasthan was taken care off. The outcome was a unique five-storey pyramidal shaped structure with an exterior that is akin to the honeycomb of a beehive with over 950 small windows called jharokhas that are decorated with intricate lattice work of lotus and floral patterns, domed canopies, fluted pillars and arches.

At a height of 50 feet (15 metres), the Hawa Mahal is by no means a typical palace. The top three floors of the structure have a dimension of only one room width while the first and second floors have patios in front of them, facing the stark and plain rear side of the ‘honeycomb’ structure. Viewed from the side, the Hawa Mahal appears to be no more than a ‘wall’ and gives the impression of it being uncompleted due to the lack of ornamentation in the inner face of the rear side of the building and the few chambers built of pillars and corridors on a need basis.

Thus, the Hawa Mahal is believed to have built by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh as a summer retreat due to the cooling effect in the chambers created with breeze passing through the small windows of the façade that is enhanced by the fountains provided at the centre of each of the chambers.

Built of red and pink sandstone that absorbs heat, the palace is also believed to be deliberately situated on the main thoroughfare in the heart of Jaipur’s business centre by Lal Chand Usta (who was also the planner of Jaipur City; then considered one of the best-planned cities in India) and intentionally extended to the women’s chambers (Zenana – the chambers of the harem). This enabled the women belonging to the Royal Family who were required to don a veil or ‘purdah’, to be screened by the intricate windows and balconies while enjoying the Seredeori Bazaar that resembles avenues of Paris in its heydays, green valleys and mountains, Amber Fort, the Thar desert and the daily processions and street activities.

Being part of the City Palace, the Hawa Mahal remains the most popular, photographed and studied section of the palace … perhaps like me, they too are reliving history in their imaginations, trying to capture a glimpse of one of Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh’s beauties observing freedom in style and luxurious comforts but nonetheless trapped behind strict screened exclusivity.

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© Penelope Gan – All Rights Reserved – City Palace Guard, Jaipur, INDIA

City Palace, Jaipur, which includes the Chandra Mahal and Mubarak Mahal palaces and other buildings, is a palace complex in Jaipur city, the capital of the Rajasthan state, India. Built between 1729 and 1732, initially by Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the City Palace incorporates hilpa shastra of Indian architecture with Rajput, Mughaland European styles of architecture, the City Palace has an impressive and vast array of courtyards, gardens and buildings. Currently a museum, the greater part of the City Palace still serves as a royal residence for the Jaipur Kingdom despite its merger with the Indian Union in 1949 along with other Rajput states of Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Bikaner.

The City Palace Museum showcases the modernity and western outlook of the Rajput kings where relations were maintained with the British notably. A rich history showcase Maharaja Ram Singh’s bilateral relations, support for the Imperial rulers in the Sepoy Mutiny (Uprising of 1857) and his preference for imperial life that includes polo and hunting. To his credit, Jaipur city’s famed and trademark of being the “Pink City” was a result of an honor of hospitality extended by Ram Singh to the Prince of Wales (who later became King Edward VII) on his visit to Jaipur.

Perhaps the most memorable sight of the City Palace to any tourist in Jaipur is the Peacock Gate, often guarded by palace official guard donning long red turbans spotting curled mustaches. This is followed by the  two huge sterling silver vessels of 1.6 meters height made from 14,000 melter silver coins located in the Diwan-I-Khas on its highly polished marble floors just below impressive crystals chandeliers hanging from the ceiling that are covered with plastic sheets to keep it away from the dust!

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]]> http://penelopegan.com/photoblog/2011/05/city-palace-jaipur-guard-peacock-gate/feed/ 0 http://penelopegan.com/photoblog/2011/04/taj-mahal-the-crown-palace/ http://penelopegan.com/photoblog/2011/04/taj-mahal-the-crown-palace/#comments Wed, 20 Apr 2011 00:18:11 +0000 ganpenelope http://penelopegan.com/photoblog/?p=471 © Penelope Gan – All Rights Reserved – Taj Mahal, Agra, INDIA

The Taj Mahal (Crown Palace) is regarded as one of the eight wonders of the world. Some Western historians have noted that its architectural beauty has never been surpassed and is the most beautiful monument built by the Mughals, the Muslim rulers of India.

Built entirely of white marble, the Taj Mahal was constructed over a period of twenty-two years, employing twenty thousand workers by Emperor Shah Jahan (died 1666 C.E.) in the memory of his dear wife – queen Mumtaz Mahal (her real name was Arjumand Banu*) at Agra, India. Completed in 1648 C.E. at a cost of 32 Million Rupees,  the Taj is an “elegy in marble” or some say an expression of a “dream.” Glowing in the light of the full moon, the Taj transforms to take on a dreamy fairy like existence – as if floating and suspended in clouds – on a foggy morning when viewed from across the Jamuna river.

The Taj serves as a Mausoleum that houses the grave of queen Mumtaz Mahal at the lower chamber. The construction documents show that its master architect was Ustad ‘Isa, the renowned Islamic architect of his time, employing specialised expert craftsmen  from Delhi, Qannauj, Lahore, Multan, Baghdad, Shiraz and Bukhara.

The Taj stands on a raised, square platform (186 x 186 feet) with its four corners truncated, forming an unequal octagon. The architectural design uses the interlocking arabesque concept, in which each element stands on its own and perfectly integrates with the main structure. It uses the principles of self-replicating geometry and a symmetry of architectural elements.

Its central dome is fifty-eight feet in diameter and rises to a height of 213 feet. It is flanked by four subsidiary domed chambers. The four graceful, slender minarets are 162.5 feet each. The entire mausoleum (both internal and external chambers) is decorated with inlaid design of flowers and calligraphy using precious gems such as agate and jasper. The main archways, chiseled with passages from the Holy Qur’an and the bold scroll work of flowery pattern is captivating. The central domed chamber and four adjoining chambers include many walls and panels of Islamic decoration.

The mausoleum is a part of a vast complex comprising of a main gateway, an elaborate garden, a mosque (to the left), a guest house (to the right), and several other palatial buildings. The Taj is at the farthest end of this complex, with the river Jamuna behind it. The large garden contains four reflecting pools dividing it at the center. Each of these four sections is further subdivided into four sections and then each into yet another four sections. Like the Taj, the garden elements serve like Arabesque, standing on their own and also constituting the whole.

Shah Jahan’s grave was later added to the Taj Mahal.

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* In the tradition of the Mughals, important ladies of the royal family were given another name at their marriage or at some other significant event in their lives, and that new name was commonly used by the public. Shah Jahan’s real name was Shahab-ud-din, and he was known as Prince Khurram before ascending to the throne in 1628.

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