Doors and Archways

My home is currently in the deep midst of renovation and whilst I’ve been searching through magazines and the internet for décor ideas, my trips to India never fail to provide a mass of inspiration. 

I love unusual doors and archways and during my recent trip to India I saw some real jems.  Whether I was wandering through royal palaces, villages or markets, the humble door and archway took on a story of it’s own…….

A key feature is the scalloped archway, which normally act as a kind of portal or frame for the view which lies beyond.

An example of this is the entrance to the Taj Mahal from the Great Gate (darwaza –i-rauza) which leads into the decorative gardens and ultimately the mausoleum of Mumtaz Mahal. It was designed in such a way that it would be impossible for the Taj Mahal to be seen from any angle until you reached the main archway.  The pointed arch frames the visitor’s first glimpse of the great white monument.

Great Gate, The Taj Mahal

City Palace, Jaipur

Other key decorate features of archways include swirling pietra dura patterns, marble inlay work, inscriptions and motifs. Normally most of them have some form of religious or fable connotations. Also, I noticed archways tended to be either in single or triple forms as odd numbers are frequently used in Indian architecture. 

Doors and windows coming tomorrow….Enjoy!

Nahagarh Fort, Jaipur

Amber Fort, Jaipur

City Palace, Jaipur

Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur

Red Fort, Agra

Jaswant Thada, Jodhpur

India Inspiration Trip - Day 1

Agra and the Taj Mahal

A visit to Northern India wouldn’t be complete without seeing the Taj Mahal. It was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Every image you have ever seen of this world recognisable sight will not prepare you for what you see before your eyes. It will blow your mind away! I can’t believe I was lucky enough to see one of the most beautiful buildings in the world which stands as a symbol of eternal love.

Although most people have seen the iconic image of the Taj Mahal and its white marble, unless you have been there yourself, you’ll have no idea what the building looks like close up. The monument is covered with intricate pietra dura (marble inlay) with floral motifs that embellish the marble surface. 

There is a flourishing industry of pietra dura artifacts in Agra ranging from tabletops, medallions, elephants and other animal forms, jewellery boxes and other decorative items. This art form is fully alive and thriving in India and can also be seen at other sites in India including the Red Fort in Delhi, another place I visited earlier on.

You can easily spend half a day here taking in the awesome sights. The sheer scale of the monument is slightly eerie, and its position on the banks of the Yamuna River gives it a dream like setting in the mist. Even though the sun was setting, I didn’t want to leave!