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interchange of thought and culture be- as early as the time of Baber, the proc-
tween the capital and the country re- ess of assimilation had gone so far that
mained imperfect. The small, compact, he could characterize it as a new and
and, on the whole, homogeneousMoslem unique mode of life, a mode to which he
aristocracy gave the tone to civic cul- gave the name of the "Hindustani way."
ture. In the country it was otherwise. Those who seek to boast today of the
Difficulties of communication preserved purity of Hindu or of Moslem culture in
some of the independence of the local India are therefore ignorant of history
units. Without constant interchange of or else they lack the capacity to under-
men and ideas, the inherent rigidity of stand the nature of historical processes.
social forms was able to assert itself.
The result was that Moslems in the INTELLECTUAL INFLUENCE
structures of the north, and differenti- This is not surprising, for all the finest
ates them from similar architectural ex- structures of the north are informed by
periments in other countries of the a spirit of harmony and fusion of the
world. The palaces, forts, and tombs two styles.
of northern India during the Middle Economy of sculpture and other deco-
Ages show traces of Persian influence, ration in the north is not a mere acci-
but in spite of their similarity to Per- dent. The emphasis is on symmetry
sian models, they reveal features that of lines and balancing of masses. Vol-
are alien to the ideals of Persian archi- umes have been so disposed as to create
tecture. Though influenced deeply by an impression of uniformity. Architec-
Persian tendencies, they have their basis ture in the north centers around a basic
in the traditions of ancient India. idea. Its value lies in harmony of struc-
In the temples of the south, it is the tural achievement rather than in the
straight line that dominates. All elabo- splendor and variety of the constituent
ration is based on the composition of units. It is remarkable that this syn-
lines and angles. Another striking fea- thesis could be achieved even in the
ture of this temple architecture is the case of temple architecture. Though
exuberance of its sculptural decoration. foreign influences may be adopted in
Each pillar is carved out of solid rock other spheres, the usual tendency is to
and embellished with a hundred forms. resist its application to the religious
The variety is so great that there is field. The fact that Hindu architectural
hardly the repetition of a single theme. genius could even in the religious field
In the famous temple at Cangeeverum adapt Moslem ideals to its own pur-
there are about a thousand pillars. Not poses is evidence of its strength and vi-
one pillar is a replica of any other. tality.
Even in the smaller temple at Sim- The influence was not and in fact
hachalam, the pillars are all of different could not be one-sided. While Sara-
forms and motifs. The aim of this cenic styles influenced old Indian tra-
architecture seems to be to overwhelm ditions, they in their turn profoundly
our minds through an abundance of affected the character of Moslem archi-
forms and splendor. tecture in India. One of the main char-
The contrast with the architecture of acteristics of Moslem architecture was
the north is so glaring that it does not its simplicity and severity. Line meets
escape the merest amateur. Even the line with an austere grace in which there
temples there have broken away from is hardly any room for superfluousdeco-
the domination of the straight line. ration. Even where there are embellish-
They exhibit a composition of the arch ments, these take the form of geometri-
and the circle which subtly transforms cal patterns or calligraphy raised to a
the atmosphere. It is true that domes fine art. In the architecture of northern
are rare, but even the turrets are dif- India this general principle undergoes
ferent from those of the south. Those an almost revolutionary change. Per-
familiar only with the north cannot fully fect fusion of the Saracenicemphasis on
realize this. To them, the difference harmony and form with the Indian em-
between the temple and the mosque phasis on splendor and decoration has
seems more prominent than their under- given us miracles of architecturelike the
lying similarity. But to those who have Taj Mahal. More often the two sys-
seen only the temples of the south, all tems have not been perfectly fused, and
architecture of the north seems imbued we find domination of the one or the
with a subtle aroma of the mosque. other style. Architectural curiosities
the subtle changes in the tone and tem- aims at decoration, prolixity, and splen-
per of Indian painting and music form dor. The other is dominated by the
an equally fascinating theme. The mu- ideal of simplicity, economy, and se-
sic of ancient India remindsone at every verity. The one seeks to overwhelm us
step of the temples of the south. The by the profusion of form and the excess
same solidity of structure and profusion of its material wealth. The other at-
of details stamp it with an unmistakable tempts to influence us through economy
identity. The music of the north offers of material and the refinement of its
a sharp contrast. The solidity is re- modes of expression. The former car-
placed by an airy grace. Wealth of de- ries aesthetic experiment to its ultimate
tails gives place to spacing and har- limits and seeks to express everything.
mony. The same contrast and synthesis The latter leaves the greater portion un-
are seen in the world of painting. The said and conveys its message through
frescoes of Ajanta preserve the memory the barest hints and suggestions. The
of an attempt to paint in timelessness. former expresses itself through the
An amazing plasticity of form conceals wealth of its achievement, the latter
the movement away from the solid and through the creation of a background
the tangible. The change to the sharp where our imagination finds free play.
precision of Mogul and Rajput painting These two modes of art express con-
is almost dialectical. Devoid of the in- trasted ideals of life. We find perfec-
tense aspiration of ancient Indian paint- tion of art where the rival streams of
ing, this world of courtly manners shows romantic and classical tendency are held
an innate lyricism always mindful of in an exquisite balance. We find a new
decorum. The abstraction of ancient excellence in life where the mentalities
Indian art arises out of the stretching represented by these ideals fuse to cre-
of feeling beyond human capacity. In ate a new civilization and culture. The
Mogul and Rajput painting, the ab- Indian and Saracenic styles supplied
stractness is the result of simplification complementary elements whose fusion
and control. The one is ecstatic, the created not only great art but a deep and
other static, but even its staticness is abiding culture. The process of syn-
informed by the memory of former ec- thesis is not yet over. With the con-
stasy. densation of space and time, it will
There are in art two different and to lead to still higher achievements of the
some extent contrary tendencies. One human mind.