Architectural style in Rajasthan

Rajasthan is the most beautiful and vibrant state or our country. The unique characteristic of its architecture is very popular in the whole world. The Rajasthan architecture is significantly depend on Rajput architecture school which was mixture of mughal and Hindu structural design. Grand havelis, astonishing forts and elaborately carved temples are the vital portion of architectural heritage of Rajasthan. Rajput’s carries the credit of creative builders. Few of most striking and splendid forts along with palaces with parched Aravali land clearly depicts history of Rajasthan’s celebrated heritage. Styles of Rajasthani architecture include :

Haveli

Between the years of 1830 and 1930, well heeled Marwaris built gigantic buildings in Narwar and Shekhawati region. The mansions are known as Havelis. These Havelis carry architecture of Mughal in their style. The Shekhawati haveli consists of two courtyards. The outer courtyard meant for men whereas inner courtyard was occupied by women. Havelis also carries marvelous and breath-taking frescoes which are surrounded all sides with a single main gate. This barrier provides good security and calm totally separated from the external environment.

Chhatri

Located in Rajasthan, the Chhatris are the elevated pavilions in dome shape and are the best illustrations of the architecture of Rajasthan. The Chhatri stands as a symbol of honour and pride. The Shekhawati area of Rajasthan holds chhatris in the place meant for cremation of distinguished and wealthy personalities. Chhatris present in Shekhawati are generally simple structure with single dome built inside four pillars of a mansion carrying several domes along with a basement containing various rooms. There are various significant chhatris present in cities of Jodhpur, Jaipur, Haldighati, Udaipur, Bikaner etc.

Jharokha

Jharokha is the form of overhanging enfolded balcony generally witnessed in temples, havelis and palaces situated in Rajasthan. The Jharokha balcony is basically stone window. Jharokhas projects from wall plane and are generally employed for additional architectural beauty to the mansions or for any other specific reasons. During earlier days, women with purdah use to visualize outside events by hiding themselves inside this dress. The overhanging balcony is a vital structure of Rajasthani architecture fulfilling the duty as decoration instrument and also as a sight-seeing platform. There are many Jharokhas carrying chhajjas with them.

Stepwell

Stepwell otherwise known as bawdi is nothing but a pond or well where water can be filled by climbing downwards on a batch of steps. Bawdis are quite common in the western part of India particularly in Gujarat and Rajasthan. These Stepwells date back to several hundreds of years. During olden days, constructors made very deep trenches into our earth to get dependable groundwater all through the year. The fences of the trenches were made up of stoneblocks with the absence of mortar. There are also stairs to reach water body. Most of the living stepwells originally acted as leisure spots besides providing water. Bundi city situated near Kota carries approximately sixty stepwells.

Johad

A Johad is storage of rainwater in a tank mainly used in Rajasthan. It stores and collects water all through the year that is used for drinking by cattle and humans. In many areas of Rajasthan the yearly rainfall is very little thus; the water can be unlikable to drink. Rainfall during the months of July and August is stocked up in Johads and is used all through the year. Johads are called "Khadins" in Jaisalmer.

Jali

A jali or is the term for a perforated stone or latticed screen, usually with an ornamental pattern constructed through the use of calligraphy and geometry. This form of architectural decoration is common in Hindu temple architecture, Indo-Islamic Architecture and more generally in Islamic Architecture.
Early jali work was built by carving into stone, generally in geometric patterns, while later the Mughals used very finely carved plant-based designs, as at the Taj Mahal. They also often added pietra dura inlay to the surrounds, using marble and semi-precious stones.
The jali helps in lowering the temperature by compressing the air through the holes. Also when the air passes through these openings, its velocity increases giving profound diffusion. It has been observed that humid areas like Kerala and Konkan have larger holes with overall lower opacity than compared with the dry climate regions of Gujarat and Rajasthan.With compactness of the residential areas in the modern India, jalis became less frequent for privacy and security matters.

                       Architecture in Rajasthan represents many different types of buildings, which may broadly be classed either as secular or religious. The secular buildings are of various scales. They include towns, villages, wells, gardens, houses, and palaces. All these kinds of buildings were meant for public and civic purposes. The forts are also included in secular buildings, though they were also used for defense and military purposes. The typology of the buildings of religious nature consists of three different kinds: temples, mosques, and tombs. The typology of the buildings of secular nature is more varied.