Heritage walk

in chennai

Mohamed Sameer S
2017701545
 INDO SARACENIC
Indo-Saracenic architecture represents a
synthesis of Islamic designs and Indian
materials developed by British architects in
India during the late nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries. The hybrid, combined
diverse architectural elements of Hindu and
Mughal with cusped arches, domes, spires,
tracery, minarets and stained glass, in a
wonderful, almost playful manner.

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 HISTORY
When the British came to India, the European
classical style (incorporating Greek and Roman
Features such as columns, triangular pediments) was
followed for the public and other buildings during
their earlier period of colonial rule to reflect their self
image as the holders of power and status. However
they changed their mind after the Great Revolt of
1857 and went for the INDO-Saracenic types of
buildings.

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 HISTORY
Keeping some traditional elements of British
architecture of homeland, they added elements
of Indian architecture to continue with the
Indian traditions. “They tried to encapsulate
India’s past within their own building”. Indo-
Saracenic architecture, although based mostly
on political motives, kept both the British
citizens living in India, as well as native
Indians,

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 CHARACTERISTICS
The following are the principal Characteristics of Indo-Saracenic Buildings
✣ Onion (Bulbous) Domes, Domed Kiosks
✣ Overhanging Eaves
✣ Vaulted Roofs
✣ Towers or Minarets
✣ Harem Windows
✣ Open Pavilions
✣ Pierced Open Arcading
✣ Pointed Arches, Cusped Arches, or Scalloped Arches
✣ Many Miniature Domes, or Domed Chatris

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 ARCHITECTS
The leading Architects of 1ndo-Saracenic Buildings in India were
✣ Robert Fellowes Chisholm
✣ Charles Mant
✣ Henry Irwin
✣ William Emerson
✣ George Wittet
✣ Frederick W. Steven

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Guindy to chepauk
From guindy to
madhyakailash (bus)

From madhyakailash to
chepauk (train)

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 CHEPAUK PALACE
✣ The chepauk  palace is one of the oldest buildings on marina. located at
the junction of south beach road or kamarajar salai and wallajah road just
across the senate house it now houses various government dept..
✣ the palace was constructed by wallajah muhammad ali, the nawab of
Carnatic for moving his residence from the town of arcot to the palace.

Chepauk palace
( Southern half)

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 CHEPAUK PALACE
✣ Chepauk Palace was the official residence of
the Nawab of Arcot from 1768 to 1855.
✣ the main architect of the building was Paul
Benfield. later on numerous additions were
made by the govt. in this building. Which
were done by r.f.chisholm.
✣ the building comprises of two blocks :
humayun mahal and the kalas mahal

Chepauk palace
sketch

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 CHEPAUK PALACE
✣ the majority of additions were
done to the humayun mahal while
the kalas mahal was largely left as
it  was. The humayun mahal was
transformed into the revenue
board building in 1871 while the
kalas mahal incorporated the
engineering college and the office
of the pwd.
Chepauk palace
Elevation and plan

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 Humayun mahal
✣ it was originally a single storied structure with the often cited, two flor
high durbar hall
✣ rooms were added later on the south and east faces of the mahal. they were
designed by r chisholm to match with the original building style but also
with purer indo-saracenic details. These additions were filled with
horseshoe arches, stone and cast iron columns. a porch was placed in front
of the triple dome entry on the west.
✣ the separate entry building added to the east of the mahal is linked to the
main structure by a carriageway.

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 Humayun mahal
✣ The entrance of this building being on the east ,reoriented the entire palace
towards the new road along the sea and away from the main entrance on
the entrance on the west.
✣ This squarish two storied structure with an impressive two-floor high
arched gateway and projecting intricately worked wooden balcony created
a new focal point for the whole palace.
✣ The Humayun Mahal is spread over 66,000 square feet and has ventilators
on the terrace and a connecting corridor to the Kalas Mahal.

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 Kalas mahal
✣ the northern block is
known as Kalas Mahal
✣ a wing of the 245-year-
old Chepauk Palace,
which has been
renovated after being
ravaged by a fire in
2012
Kalas mahal
Sectional isometric view

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 Senate house, university of madras
Robert Fellowes Chisholm
✣ The senate house, with in the madras
university campus, is British architect
robert fellowes chisholm at his very best.
the design of this building were chosen
through an open competition announced by
the madras government in 1864. completed
by 1879 at a cost of rs 289,000, the senate
house was to serve as the examination hall
and offices of the madras university.
Senate house, chepauk
University of madras
Sketch view

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 Senate house, university of madras
✣ inspired by the byzantine and built in the indo-saracenic style, the senate
house is the ultimate manifestation of this style. it comprises of large two
floor high central hall, 16m high, measuring approx. 50m by 15m, and has a
capacity to seat 1600 people.
✣ though laid out as a simple rectangle, a strong variation in form is achieved
on the sensitive lacing of the four towers on simple square projections that
fall behind each of the side entrance porches.
✣ these towers are covered by pendentive bulbose domes that are highly
articulated with intricate surface decoration.

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 Senate house, university of madras
✣ inspired by the byzantine and built in the indo-saracenic style, the senate
house is the ultimate manifestation of this style. it comprises of large two
floor high central hall, 16m high, measuring approx. 50m by 15m, and has a
capacity to seat 1600 people.
✣ though laid out as a simple rectangle, a strong variation in form is achieved
on the sensitive lacing of the four towers on simple square projections that
fall behind each of the side entrance porches.
✣ these towers are covered by pendentive bulbose domes that are highly
articulated with intricate surface decoration.

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 Senate house, university of madras
✣ arches and domes are covered with flowing geometric patterns.
✣ tinier cupolas on octagonal drums pin the corners with a series of turrets
lining the east and west sides.
✣ the walls too are myriad of details and a truly fine composition of light and
shade.
✣ impressive double floor high verandas on the east and west faces are lined
by stone columns with sculptured capitals bearing human figures and Hindu
icons and support large horseshoe arches trimmed in stone.

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 Senate house, university of madras
✣ the wall of the verandah facing the
hall is broken by giant doors with large
tower
clearstorey circular openings decorated
by ornate geometrical patterns of
colored glass.
double height
✣ the result is a finely proportioned mass verandah

with a high fenestrated lower portion, Senate house

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 Senate house, university of madras
.

Longitudinal Section

Plan South Elevation

Senate house
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 Chepauk to George town
.

From marina beach to general

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 GENERAL POST OFFICE
Robert Fellowes Chisholm
The general post office on the north beach road
is today known as the rajaji salai. it has been
described as one of the major historic structures
on the beach road which lend a character to it. it
was designed and completed in 1884 by robert
fellowes chisholm.
It has been laid out as a rectangle measuring
about 100m x 50m. with a floor area of over 5000
sq.m.
GPO, parry's corner
sketch

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 GENERAL POST OFFICE
✣ a courtyard in the east-west direction bifurcates the building.
✣ the main postal hall is located on the southern face of the building. it has a
height of about 13 m and measures 30m x 15m.
✣ flight of steps on the porch lead to the upper storey of the building.
✣ the building is mostly brick which has been painted on the exterior in red
and the interior has been plastered white.
✣ the building has Hindu designs in most of its embellishments

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 GENERAL POST OFFICE
✣ the roofs in the buildings are varied. there is the flat roof and the gable roof
with dormer windows.
✣ there are also towers of varying heights intercepting the gables. they have
balconies appended
✣ the projecting eaves are supported by stone brackets and this seems to be a
hindu influence.
GPO
elevation

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 GENERAL POST OFFICE
✣ the arches in the veranda and the exterior
are pure saracen. however, arches in the
interior of the building show gothic
influence.
✣ . its pillars are of corinthian order and has plan

square flat topped towers.

reflect a Victorian "country-colonial" .

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 GENERAL POST OFFICE
✣ the arches, columns, and all other details are cut in stone. the arches which
occupy the longer faces of the building have on them intricate jali work carved
in stone.
✣ the roofs may have been inspired by the timber roofs in kerala, also seen in
another design by rift. chisholm in travancore - the napier museum.
✣ after a fire in the buildings many parts of the edifice were damaged and
restoration of the place has not materialized till now. the damaged roofs, which
were lost to a cyclone, have not been replaced.

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AMBATTUR OT TO EGMORE
From ambattur ot (home)
To
Egmore (through ola cab)

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 Government Museum
✣ The museum is located in what is known as
the Pantheon complex, or "public assembly
rooms." It is located on the Pantheon Road in
Egmore. The road on which the museum is
located too takes its name from the complex.
✣ The museum was originally established in a
building on College Road in Nungambakkam
in the year 1851 and was shifted to the present
Government museum,
site in 1854. egmore
sketch

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 Government Museum
In August 1778, the governor of Madras granted 43 acres for an estate to a civil
servant, who, subsequently in 1793, assigned the grounds to a committee of 24
which then regulated the public amusements in the city. In 1821, the committee
sold the main house and central garden space to E. S. Moorat, an Armenian
merchant who, in turn, sold it back to the government in 1830. The government
first used the buildings and the grounds as the collector's "Cutcherry" and later for
the "Central Museum."[4] The museum was originally established in a building on
College Road in Nungambakkam in the year 1851 and was shifted to the present
site in 1854.

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 Government Museum
✣ Many additions to the original building
were constructed between 1864 and
1890.
✣ The core of the old museum building
includes the only surviving remnants of
the Pantheon, identified from the broad
steps leading into it when viewed from
the north. Government museum
✣ Amongst the additions is the Connemara Site plan

Public Library

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 CONNEMARA LIBRARY
✣ The library was built by Henry Irwin and built by namberumal chetty.
✣ linear in plan with apsidal ends, this majestic single floor high structure
rests on a high plinth, whose striking outward slope adds to its imposing
appearance.
✣ equally tall chamfered, bay windows that run from floor to ceiling line the
sides of the central hall that house the stacks.
✣ small square panels of stained glass windows are offset by numerous
decorative friezes and pilasters, all of terracotta, that blends with the fine
exposed brick walls.

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 CONNEMARA LIBRARY
✣ while the four corners of the building are articulated by light airy towers
crowned by cupolas, the ends are punctuated by dutch gables .
✣ the interior of this indo-saracenic masterpiece is even more stunning.
crowned by a large Mangalore tile roof, the end layers are fitted with glass
tiles to allow for natural light.
✣ softened by a false ceiling of stained glass in the shape of a vault, this light
lends a magical glow to the interior and is rejected further by highly
embellished walls of relief plaster.
✣ the stone flooring of the hall is recorded to have come from the Krishna
district in Andhra Pradesh.

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AMBATTUR OT TO GUINDY

From ambattur ot (home)

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 COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, GUINDY
✣ Due to the growing need for surveyors by the East India
Company, the 'School of Survey' was established in a
building near Fort St. George on the suggestion of
Michael Topping in 1794.
✣ This school was one of the first of its kind in the country
and it started out with 8 boys.
✣ It became the Civil Engineering School in 1858 and was
rechristened as College of Engineering in 1859, with the
A 1994 stamp dedicated to the
inclusion of a mechanical engineering course. 200th anniversary of the College
of Engineering

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 COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, GUINDY
✣ The college was shifted for a short period to Kalas
Mahal, Chepauk, before settling at its present location in
1920 as College of Engineering, Guindy.
✣ College of Engineering, Guindy is one of the first
institutes in India to offer degrees in Mechanical
Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Telecommunication,
Highway Engineering and Printing Technology.
✣ In 1978, College of Engineering, Guindy became a
constituent college and the principal seat of Anna
University. CEG guindy
Sketch

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