South Asian domes

Domed huts made from bamboo or timber appear to have been used on the Indian subcontinent from antiquity and contemporary rock-cut tombs may imitate them. There are examples of domed chambers in brick and stone temples built prior to Islamic rule over northern and central India. The introduction of Muslim architecture included the use of domes constructed with stone, brick and mortar, and iron dowels and cramps. Centering was made from timber and bamboo. The use of iron cramps to join together adjacent stones was known in Ancient India, and was used at the base of domes for hoop reinforcement. The synthesis of styles created by this introduction of new forms to the Hindu tradition of trabeate construction created a distinctive architecture. Domes in pre-Mughal India have a standard squat circular shape with a lotus design and bulbous finial at the top, derived from Hindu architecture. Because the Hindu architectural tradition did not include arches extensively, flat corbels were used to transition from the corners of the room to the dome, rather than squinches. In contrast to Persian and Ottoman domes, the domes of Indian tombs tend to be more bulbous.

Early history Most monumental architecture in South Asia, until the wide adoption of stone construction by the sixth or seventh century AD, was made of perishable materials that have not survived the climate, such as timber or brick. What did survive included stone mortuary monuments, rock-cut monastic complexes, stone-carved depictions of buildings, and references in texts. Hemispherical rock-cut tombs appear to imitate in stone the early bamboo or timber roofed domed huts with central poles known from the pre-Buddhist period. Examples include Sudama cave (3rd century BC) in Bihar, a similar domed chamber at Cannanora in Malabar, and a cave at Guntpalle (1st century BC). A rock-cut hemispherical chamber at Manappuram in Kerala retained a thin central pillar with no structural function. The hemispherical shape of Buddhist stupas, likely refined forms of burial mounds, may also reflect earlier wooden dome roof construction, such as depicted at Ghantasala. Bas-relief sculptures from Sāñcī (1st century BC), Bhārhut (2nd century BC), and Amarāvatī (2nd century BC), depict domed huts, shrines, and pavilions. Relief sculptures in Gandhāra depict dome architectural elements in Indian forms. The Buddhist monastery of Takht-i-Bahi (2nd/4th century) included domed cells that may have represented thatch-domed huts, and may have been a response to building conventions from central Asia. Square kūṭāgāra shrines included a domical roof. The brick temple of Bhītārgāñv, from around the middle of the fifth century under the Gupta Empire, has two vaulted dome chambers. Some caves near the Buddhas of Bamiyan include domes on squinches, evidence of influence from the west transmitted along the caravan route to Bamyan. The term kaṇṇikā in Pali texts has been proposed to mean a roof-plate central attachment point for curved dome or semi-dome ribs in early Indian timber construction. Examples of this wooden rib and roof-plate arrangement translated into stone can be seen in the half-domes of Ajanta Cave XIX and Aurangabad Cave IV. Sixth and early seventh century Hindu temples at Kafir Kot have interior stone domes with triangular pendentives, as does an eighth century brick temple at Kallar. In the tenth century, temples with domed chambers include examples built by the Hindu Shahis at Amb, Bilot, and Nandana.

Dehli Sultanate

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