A ''chhajja'' is an overhanging

eave The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building. The eaves form an overhang to throw water clear of the walls and may be highly decorated as part of an architectural sty ...

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 tempera ...

covering found in

India India, officially the Republic of India, 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 by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

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 construction, constructi ...

. 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 overhangs or eaves; it adorns and protects 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 ma ...

s from the outside elements, and provides shade from radiation. Chhajjas also aid in the facade-making in Rajasthani architecture. 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 period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...

. 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 mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...

and thatch

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

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 a region, 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 meteoro ...

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 Mughal architecture is the style of architecture developed in the Mughal Empire in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries throughout the ever-changing extent of their empire in the Indian subcontinent. It developed from the architectural styles of ea ...

particularly during and after the reign of

Shah Jahan Shah Jahan I, (Shahab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram; 5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), also called Shah Jahan the Magnificent, was the Emperor of Hindustan from 1628 until his deposition in 1658. As the fifth Mughal emperor, his reign marked the ...

.Parihar 1997"> By the time that buildings like the Jahangiri Mahal at

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 Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...

and the palace complex at Fathpur Sikri 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 style) mosque built in

Ayodhya Ayodhya () is a city situated on the banks of the Sarayu river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ayodhya district as well as the Ayodhya division of Uttar Pradesh, India. Ayodhya became th ...

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

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

, such as those within the mosques of

Sirhind Sirhind is a Twin cities, twin city of Fatehgarh Sahib in Punjab, India, Punjab, India. It is hosts the municipal council of Fatehgarh Sahib district. Demographics In the 2011 census of India, 2011 census Sirhind-Fatehgarh had a population of ...

, 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 India, early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent List of Maratha dynasties and states, Ma ...

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

Bahadurgarh Bahadurgarh is a city and municipal council within Jhajjar district in the Indian state of Haryana and Part of National Capital Region or NCR of Delhi. The city comprises 31 wards and is approximately 21 km from National Capital Territory ...

, formerly 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 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 references and interpretations of tradit ...

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