Nanakshahi bricks ( pa, ਨਾਨਕਸ਼ਾਹੀ ਇੱਟ) were decorative
bricks
A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...
used for structural walls during the
Mughal era.
Uses
This variety of brick tiles were of moderate dimensions and could be used for reinforcing
lime
Lime commonly refers to:
* Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit
* Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide
* Lime (color), a color between yellow and green
Lime may also refer to:
Botany
...
concrete
Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse construction aggregate, aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after wa ...
s in the structural walls and other thick components. But, as they made
moldings,
cornice
In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...
s,
plaster
Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for Molding (decorative), moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of ...
s, etc. easy to work into a variety of shapes, they were more often used as
cladding
Cladding is an outer layer of material covering another. It may refer to the following:
* Cladding (boiler), the layer of insulation and outer wrapping around a boiler shell
*Cladding (construction), materials applied to the exterior of buildings ...
or decorative material.
The Nanakshahi Bricks were less than 3/4 in every dimension from the contemporary bricks used in India nowadays those are 9 × 4¼ × 2¾ inches
General specifications
More often than not, the structures on which they were used, especially the
Sikh
Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism (Sikhi), a monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ...
temples (
Gurudwara
A gurdwara (sometimes written as gurudwara) (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ''guradu'ārā'', meaning "Door to the Guru") is a place of assembly and worship for Sikhs. Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faith ...
s), were a combination of two systems:
trabeated
In architecture, post and lintel (also called prop and lintel or a trabeated system) is a building system where strong horizontal elements are held up by strong vertical elements with large spaces between them. This is usually used to hold up ...
and
post-and-lintel, or based on
arch
An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it.
Arches may be synonymous with vaul ...
es. The surfaces were treated with lime or
gypsum
Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard or sidewalk chalk, and dry ...
plaster which was molded into
cornices,
pilaster
In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wal ...
s, and other structural as well as non-structural embellishments. Brick and lime
mortar as well as lime or gypsum plaster, and lime concrete were the most favoured building materials, although stone (such as red stone and
white marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphosed ...
) were also used in a number of shrines. Many fortresses were built using these bricks.
Fort at Mani Majra near Chandigarh's Fun Republic
/ref>
See also
* Lakhori bricks
References
External links
Nanak Shahi Bricks
* ttp://virasathaveli.com/aboutus.html Viraasat Haveli frozen in Time
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nanak Shahi Bricks
Indian architectural history
Sikh architecture
Mughal architecture elements
Building materials
