A ''chhajja'' is an overhanging eave or

roof A roof ( : roofs or rooves) is the top covering of a building, including all materials and constructions necessary to support it on the walls of the building or on uprights, providing protection against rain, snow, sunlight, extremes of t ...

covering found in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...

. It is characterised with large support brackets with different artistic designs. Variation is also seen in its size depending on the importance of the building on which it features or the choice of the designer.Nath 1987"> Its function is similar to that of other overhangs or eaves in that it protects and adorns entrances, arches and

window A window is an opening in a wall, door, roof, or vehicle that allows the exchange of light and may also allow the passage of sound and sometimes air. Modern windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent mat ...

s from the outside elements. Some styles of roof can be considered large chhajja as well.Nath 1987" />

History

Although there is no conclusive agreement on when the chhajja emerged as an architectural element, it can be traced back to before the rise of the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

. However, much of its popular use seems to be during this time.Azam 2003"> The original inspiration of the chhajja and much of the other Indian architectural elements with which it is commonly not seen can be traced back to building design from older periods, such as that of

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...

and thatch

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

huts that can still be found today. The elements of these buildings may have simply been built in

stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

and made to have a more dignified look that can be seen in many buildings today. This works especially well to counteract the specific

climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologi ...

of the region, as many older architectural designs have been honed to deal with this. Simply adapting a tried and tested design with stronger materials and may be the best course of action.Nath 1987" /> Curved chhajja became popular in Mughal architecture particularly during and after the reign of

Shah Jahan Shihab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram (5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), better known by his regnal name Shah Jahan I (; ), was the fifth emperor of the Mughal Empire, reigning from January 1628 until July 1658. Under his emperorship, the Mugha ...

.Parihar 1997"> By the time that buildings like the

Jahangiri Mahal Jahangiri Mahal may be the most noteworthy building inside the Agra Fort of India. The Mahal was the principal zenana (palace for women belonging to the royal household), and was used by the Rajput wives of Akbar. It is a form of Islamic archi ...

Agra Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra ...

and the palace complex at

Fathpur Sikri Fatehpur Sikri () is a town in the Agra District of Uttar Pradesh, India. Situated 35.7 kilometres from the district headquarters of Agra, Fatehpur Sikri itself was founded as the capital of Mughal Empire in 1571 by Emperor Akbar, serving this ...

were built, it emerged as a popular and important architectural element of Mughal architecture.Azam 2003" /> Later in the Mughal rule, buildings like the Zafar Mahal also illustrated a use for the chhajja for both practical and ornamental means.Paliwal 2014">

Usage

Although chhajja are generally constructed in a manner which can be seen as aesthetically artistic, they have many usage cases in many different types of buildings.

Usage in Mughal Architecture

Despite initial Mughal built mosques not featuring chhajja, the Baburi (

Babur Babur ( fa, , lit= tiger, translit= Bābur; ; 14 February 148326 December 1530), born Mīrzā Zahīr ud-Dīn Muhammad, was the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. He was a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan through hi ...

style) mosque built in

Ayodhya Ayodhya (; ) is a city situated on the banks of holy river Saryu in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Ayodhya, also known as Saketa, is an ancient city of India, the birthplace of Rama and setting of the great epic Ramayana. Ayodhy ...

features eaves in the form of chhajja. After this, chhajja were not rare sight in mosque architecture within the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, In ...

, such as those within the

mosques A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, i ...

Sirhind Sirhind-Fategarh is a town and a municipal council in the Fatehgarh Sahib district in the Indian state of Punjab. Demographics In the 2011 census Sirhind-Fatehgarh had a population of 60852. Males constituted 54% of the population and fema ...

, where many of the arches are adorned with chhajja.Azam 2003" />Parihar 2004"> Although Mughal architecture is the dominant user of chhajja, lesser known constructions undertaken by the

Maratha empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Sh ...

in occupied territory also features this such as in the architectural remains in

Bahadurgarh Bahadurgarh is a city, nearby Jhajjar, is located in Jhajjar district in the Indian state of Haryana. The city comprises 31 wards and is approximately 21 km from National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi and 31 km from Jhajjar, the district headq ...

, formally known as Saydabad. Despite the usual aesthetically eloquent chhajja constructions seen in Indian architecture, a more practical utilitarian version is used in forts as found in the remains at Bahadurgarh.Parihar 1997" /> What appears to be chhajja also appears on fortifications in Mughal Sarai such as the one found at Doraha for both a practical and decorative purpose. Here, chhajja are seen in an elegant semi-hexagonal configuration. There is speculation that here there were more chhajja that have since crumbled.Parihar 1987"> Mahals and

palaces A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whic ...

were frequently built with extravagant artistic chhajja. This is seen in buildings such as the Zafar Mahal constructed during the late Mughal rule. This features a chhajja formed with multi-foliated arches resting on four baluster columns creating an extravagant appearance.Paliwal 2014" /> Chhajja and other architectural elements that supplement it appear mostly in buildings such as residential, administrative and formal buildings and pavilions. Much like on other ways of life, imperial builders possibly wished to represent a sincere desire to find emotional rapport with the local people through identifying with local architectural elements. This suggests chhajja have been used for longer than current standing structures would represent.Nath 1987" />

Modern Usage

Chhajja are seen in

contemporary architecture Contemporary architecture is the architecture of the 21st century. No single style is dominant. Contemporary architects work in several different styles, from postmodernism, high-tech architecture and new interpretations of traditional architec ...

where there have been attempts to replicate a traditional middle eastern or Indian subcontinent architectural style.> The common usage of chhajja is portrayed in the first two stanzas of Ashwini Magotra's 2004 poem "Lohri":

References

{{Reflist Architecture in India Mughal architecture elements Architectural elements Roofs Islamic architectural elements