5/5 Local G. 2 years ago on Google
This
is
another
monument
in
Srinagarās
old
city
but
is
unlike
most
others,
being
a
royal
tomb
instead
of
a
mosque/shrine.
However
it
is
interesting
in
a
couple
of
ways,
the
first
being
in
the
architecture
of
the
main
mausoleum
itself,
and
the
second
in
the
evidence
of
it
having
being
built
at
the
site
of
an
earlier
Hindu
temple.
The
main
mausoleum
(containing
the
tomb
of
the
eponymous
mother
of
Zain-ul-Abidin)
is
a
15th
c
brick
masonry
structure
decorated
with
glazed
blue
tiles.
The
shape
of
the
structure
is
unusual
though,
being
reminiscent
(to
my
eye)
of
church
architecture.
The
central
domed
tomb
chamber
is
flanked
by
four
auxiliary
domed
rooms
that
resemble
chapels
adjacent
to
the
apse
of
a
cathedral.
In
plan
the
structure
will
resemble
a
symmetrical
cross.
Of
course
these
are
only
visual
cues,
and
this
kind
of
tomb
design
may
have
precedent
in
Central
Asia
etc,
but
it
is
unusual
in
my
experience
of
South
Asian
architecture.
The
other
aspect
is
the
evidence
of
earlier
Hindu
temples
at
the
site.
This
is
interesting
at
many
levels,
because
the
temples
in
Kashmir
were
themselves
very
unusual
in
style
(as
evidenced
atĀ Avantipur
and
Martand),
being
heavily
influenced
by
the
Gandhara
school
of
art,
and
in
many
ways
vastly
different
from
the
styles
of
stone
temple
design
in
the
rest
of
South
Asia.
In
fact
it
is
possible
that
the
base
of
the
main
mausoleum
follows
the
lines
of
an
earlier
temple
at
the
same
spot,
since
there
are
a
lot
of
similarities
between
the
base
of
this
structure
and
the
base
of
the
Avantishwara
temple
at
Avantipur
(see
the
Avantishwara
temple
section
in
my
Avantipur
and
Martand
post
linked
to
earlier
in
this
paragraph).
I
havenāt
read
any
scholarly
work
on
this,
so
right
now
Iām
just
conjecturing
about
it.
My
interest
in
this
is
not
because
I
want
to
highlight
the
destruction
of
temples
(I
donāt
know
what
the
state
of
the
temple
was
at
the
time
the
mausoleum
was
constructed),
but
because
I
find
this
layering
of
styles
and
histories
fascinating.
Also,
the
construction
of
mausoleums
and
(more
frequently)
mosques
at
the
site
of
earlier
temples
indicates
a
certain
reverence
to
the
site
and
itās
symbolism.
In
the
case
of
this
tomb
in
particular,
this
was
my
first
interaction
with
the
Gandharan-influenced
iconography
of
Hindu
temples
in
Kashmir
(I
had
not
been
to
Avantipur
and
Martand
yet),
and
found
the
Greek
and
Roman-inspired
elements
quite
fascinating
in
this
setting,
with
an
unusual
Islamic
tomb
which
itself
seemed
to
reflect
elements
of
western
Christian
architecture.
It
all
seemed
like
a
happy
architectural
history
hodgepodge!
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