Shillong: A recent issue of MARG magazine, volume 77, number 3, dismantles the myth that grand temple construction stalled in north-central India after the 12th century. The publication, titled Beyond the Mughal Arch: Temple in Modern Hindustan, tracks how Hindu and Mughal styles swapped DNA between the 16th and 19th centuries. Editor Naman P. Ahuja notes, "The design and context of temple construction between the 16th and 19th centuries, largely in north Indian plains, is not a subject included in most curricula on political histories in the early modern period or on the history of Indian art."
Mughal aesthetics relied on local Indian building techniques. Builders used corbelled arches, overhanging eaves, canopies, and domes. These features defined the classic Mughal look, which eventually spread across South Asia. Shah Jahan even borrowed the curved roof style of Bengali huts for his imperial throne jharokha.
Cultural exchange ran both ways. In Bengal, Malla-era terracotta temples featured carvings of Mughal court rituals and figures in Mughal dress. Similar cross-pollination occurred in Gujarat, where mosque designs drew inspiration from temple layouts. The 1439 Adinath temple in Ranakpur remains a prime example of this fusion.
Other religious sites adopted the Mughal tomb design. The Guru Ram Rai Darbar Sahib in Dehradun, built on land granted by Aurangzeb, features a central domed structure with four minarets. Similar designs appear in the 17th-century Shyam Rai temple in Bishnupur, the Nabaratna temple in Bardhaman, and the Mahakali temple in Chandrapur. Jesuit priests even incorporated domes and jali work into early chapels, including one near the Agra Gate in Fatehpur Sikri that Emperor Akbar frequently visited.
Historical records support these findings. French merchant Jean-Baptiste Tavernier traveled the empire in the mid-17th century, spotting high-quality gemstones in non-Muslim shrines. He specifically praised the Jagannath Temple in Puri and the Keshav Rao temple in Mathura. These structures prove that art and design thrived during the Mughal era without being boxed in by political or religious borders.
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