In architecture, Indian structures and buildings do have a lot of differences, with Renaissance structures. For example, a lot of Mughal structures, such as the Taj Mahal were built beautifully inside and out. The landscaping outside of the palace is filled with ponds and beautiful gardens. These techniques have been used over and over in a lot of Islamic structures. The walls of the Taj Mahal are covered with intricate designs and verses from the Quran, which is a holy book in Islam. The Golden Temple is also another example of this. It is actually a mixture of both Muslim and Hindu architectural designs. The floor plan, as seen above, is made using marble. It is also the only man made structure to be completely surrounded by water. The outside of the temple is covered with gold, which has never been done on any other structure or building. The structure of the Golden Temple blends the rectangular form of the Hindu Temple with the Muslim dome and minarets. It is regarded as a handsome style of Architecture combining Hindu and Muslim influences with elaborations that gave it an appearance of it's own. The Golden Temple was constructed on a lower level, then the surrounding area which was against the Hindu tradition of building religious worship temples on an elevated platform. This means that visitors have to go down a set of stairs in order to pay homeage to the holy shrine showing humbleness. Another distinct feature of the design of the Golden Temple is that it is open on all four sides unlike Hindu temples, which usually have one entrance gate.The four doors represent open entry to everyone, including all four castes, which is a priviledge that Hindu temples deny. |