The architecture of Telangana dates back over two thousand years. The Indian state of

Telangana Telangana is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated in the Southern India, south-central part of the Indian subcontinent on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ele ...

is in the

Deccan The Deccan is a plateau extending over an area of and occupies the majority of the Indian peninsula. It stretches from the Satpura and Vindhya Ranges in the north to the northern fringes of Tamil Nadu in the south. It is bound by the mount ...

plateau, bordering the coastal plain of

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

. It has produced regional variants of wider styles of

Indian architecture Indian architecture is rooted in the History of India, history, Culture of India, culture, and Indian religions, religion of India. Among several architectural styles and traditions, the best-known include the many varieties of Hindu temple a ...

, both in

Hindu temple architecture Hindu temple architecture as the main form of Hindu architecture has many different styles, though the basic nature of the Hindu temple remains the same, with the essential feature an inner sanctum, the ''Garbhagriha, garbha griha'' or womb-ch ...

and Indo-Islamic architecture.

Buddhist architecture

The Nelakondapalli stupa belongs to the

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

period. It is located on the edge of the coastal plain. ASI excavations in recent decades have found remains of a typical monastic complex, and a few works of art. The site seems to have remained active until the 6th century AD.

Hindu temple architecture

Chalukya

The 7th-century Navabrahma Temples at Alampur were built by the Badami Chalukayas.

Kakatiya

The Warangal Fort, Ramappa Temple, Kota Gullu and Thousand Pillar Temple are the best examples of Kakatiya architecture.

Indo-Islamic architecture

Golconda Sultanate

The architecture of the Golconda Sultanate is very similar to that of other

Deccan Sultanates The Deccan sultanates is a historiographical term referring to five late medieval to early modern Persianate Indian Muslim kingdoms on the Deccan Plateau between the Krishna River and the Vindhya Range. They were created from the disintegrati ...

. This Indo-Islamic style is unique to the states of

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

and

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

. The ruins of the

Golconda Fort Golconda is a fortified citadel and ruined city located on the western outskirts of Hyderabad, Telangana, India. The fort was originally built by Kakatiya ruler Pratāparudra in the 11th century out of mud walls. It was ceded to the Bahmani ...

is the earliest example. They built elaborate tombs and mosques out of mortared stone. The 16th-century

Charminar The Charminar () is a monument located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Constructed in 1591, the landmark is a symbol of Hyderabad and officially incorporated in the emblem of Telangana. The Charminar's long history includes the existence of a m ...

, a centerpiece of

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

, is a mosque with four minarets at four corners, elaborately decorated with stucco work. It stands at the confluence of four roads. It overlooks the Mecca Masjid, one of the largest mosques in India. The

Qutb Shahi tombs The Qutub Shahi tombs are a series of Islamic tombs and mosques built by the various kings of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, Qutub Shahi dynasty, located in the Ibrahim Bagh (garden precinct), close to the famous Golconda Fort in Hyderabad, India, Hy ...

at Hyderabad contain the tombs of the sultans, other royals and important noblemen. Other examples include the Toli Mosque, Khairtabad Mosque and Taramati Baradari.

Colonial architecture

During the British colonial period, Telangana was ruled by the Nizams of Hyderabad. The seat of the Nizam was

Chowmahalla Palace Chowmahalla Palace or Chowmahallat is the palace of the Nizam of Hyderabad, Nizams of Hyderabad State located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It was the seat of power of the Asaf Jahi dynasty (1720-1948) and was the official residence of the Niza ...

, which showcases a wide variety of Indian and European styles.

Neoclassical

The

British Residency The British Residency, also known as the Government Guest House or Residency Bungalow, is a two-storeyed palace situated at Asramam in the city of Kollam in the Indian state of Kerala. It lies close to the site of the old Kollam Airport situate ...

and

Falaknuma Palace Falaknuma is a former palace and currently a luxury hotel in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It originally belonged to the Paigah (Hyderabad), Paigah family, and was later owned by the Nizam of Hyderabad. It is on a hillock and covers a area in F ...

in Hyderabad built in the neoclassical style is another great example of this period.

Art Deco

Art deco buildings in Hyderabad include the Monda Market and SBH Building.

Indo-Saracenic

The High Court, City College, Osmania General Hospital and Kacheguda Railway Station in

were designed by British architect Vincent Esch in the

Indo-Saracenic Indo-Saracenic architecture (also known as Indo-Gothic, Mughal-Gothic, Neo-Mughal) was a Revivalism (architecture), revivalist architectural style mostly used by British architects in India in the later 19th century, especially in public and gov ...

style of architecture. The Moazzam Jahi market, although not designed by him, is clearly inspired from Esch's designs.

Post-Independence

Building built in contemporary styles are common in the

HITEC City The Hyderabad Information Technology and Engineering Consultancy City (HITEC City) is an Indian business district, financial business district located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. HITEC City is spread across of land under the suburbs of Ma ...

and surrounding neighborhoods of Hyderabad. IIT Hyderabad is also designed in contemporary style by Christopher Benninger.

Gallery

File:Sangameshwar Temple at Alampur.JPG, One of the Alampur Navabrahma Temples built by Chalukya Empire between the 7th and 10th centuries. File:Warangal Fort9.ae.jpg, A mandapam at the ruins of the Warangal Fort. The fort was destroyed by the Delhi Sultanate in 1323 File:Taramati Baradari.jpg, Taramati Baradari, a

caravanserai A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was an inn that provided lodging for travelers, merchants, and Caravan (travellers), caravans. They were present throughout much of the Islamic world. Depending on the region and period, they were called by a ...

built by the Golconda Sultanate at Hyderabad File:Kachiguda Railway Station Hyderabad.jpg, The Kachiguda Railway Station at

was designed by Vincent Esch File:Khammam Khilla.jpg, Khammam Khilla

References

Bibliography

* * {{Telangana Culture of Telangana