Architecture of Andhra Pradesh
Architecture
in Andhra Pradesh ranges from prehistoric cairns to Buddhist Setups; Hindu and
Jain temples of great importance to imposing churches, secular monuments such
as the Charming of Hyderabad to some of the most beautiful mosques and Islamic
tombs of India. Cities of Andhra Pradesh have interesting examples of European
architecture as well as domestic vernacular architecture.
Prehistoric Architecture
In the later half of third millennium B.C., people in the central and lower
Deccan (which constitute most of modern Andhra Pradesh) lived on or around granite
hills. They had round or rectangular houses, 2.4 to 6 meters wide. Walls were
generally made of a mixture of sticks, earth and clay; erected around 7.5 cm
thick wooden posts and a bamboo screen. The roof was either conical or flat,
made of bamboo strips and reeds and covered with dry leaves and clay. Of pre
historic architecture only stone burials survive in different parts of the state.
Ancient Andhra people were mentioned in the text of Aitreya Brahmana as early
as in the 8th century BC. After Emperor Asoka, Simuka founded the independent
Satavahana dynasty.
European
Architecture
Hyderabad City
Designed by Lt. Samuel Russel, the British Residency of Hyderabad was built
in 1806 and is one of the best examples of European architecture in India. Presently
used as a Government college, it has a Georgian facade and a vast campus comprising
of several ancillary buildings of considerable architectural and historical
significance.
Some Asaf Jahi palaces of the early period, like the Chow Mahalla were built
in European style. The city also has several beautiful churches built during
the nineteenth century.
European Architecture in other places of Andhra Pradesh
Bimlipatnam (Bheemunipatanam), 24 Km north of Visakhapatnam on the eastern coast
was a Dutch Settlement set up in the seventeenth century. This small town has
ruins of Dutch palaces, an ancient cemetery and an old church and a town hall.
Modern Architecture
Unlike
Chandigarh, Delhi and Ahmedabad, Andhra Pradesh does not have many specimens
of modern architecture built by internationally known architects. However in
Hyderabad, B.V.Doshi of Ahmedabad designed a residential colony for the ECIL,
Mr Charles Correa designed the IDBI complex at Gacchibouli and Satish Gujral
designed the CMC campus and buildings at Gacchibouli which are among the notable
modern buildings of Hyderabad.Elsewhere in Andhra Pradesh some good modern buildings
can be seen in Visakhapatnam.
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