“Consider the momentous event in architecture when the wall parted and the column became”
Louis Kahn
Columns in Heritage Architecture
After doing a monograph on arches, another one on columns on which they stand seems a logical progression. A column is a pillar that starts from a base and ends with a capital, the decorative broad element, at the top. The capital is the most distinguishing part of the column and determines the order in which a column is placed.
Pillars are the basic forms that have existed since prehistoric Egyptian civilisation to the later Persian. Decorative pillars started making their appearance from the time Mediterranean civilisations took shape. Likewise, looking at Hindu temple architecture, ornamented pillars have existed in the oldest of temples. Pillars could be part of a wall as a decorative element or a supporting structure for the horizontal plinth above.
Types of Columns
The Greeks developed the concept of orders of classification, and three orders were created. The Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. Romans furthered the usage of these orders. The Tuscan order of Roman origin is a simplified Doric whereas the Composite order is just a mix of these orders.
Most columns in heritage monuments and modern buildings fall into one of these five major orders. The exception being Hindu Temple architecture where pillars hold sway.
A visual display
Seventy-six decorative pillars with carvings adorn the Siddhanath Barahdwari at Omkareshwar, Madhya Pradesh. The carvings have depictions of celestial beings. Each cluster of pillars would support a tower (Shikhara) of the temple.
The fifty-two pillars at the Sun Temple in Modhera, Gujarat symbolise the 52 weeks of the year. Each one is a class apart.
A Doric column is the simplest of all. The base may sometimes be absent, and the pillar is a solid, squat structure and a non-decorative column on top. These at Basavakalyan Fort, Karnataka are at the king’s private recreational hall, Rangeen Mahal.
Ionic columns have peculiar capitals in the shape of a ram’s horns besides fluted pillars. The neoclassical architecture style made a lot of use of these columns as seen at Baradari Khursheed Jah and the Aftab Mahal (within the Chowmahalla Palace) in the old city of Hyderabad.
The most often used column is the Corinthian with its fluted pillars and the elaborate capital on top. This comprised acanthus leaves in two staggered rows and four scrolls in the original. As one style of architecture fused with the other, other variations in designs could be seen.
Islamic architecture incorporates thinner fluted columns to support the variety of arches they are famous for. With origins from Moorish architecture, they spread with Mughal influence and can be seen not just in Islamic but in Indian structures too. The columns at the tomb of Mah Laqa Bai in Hyderabad and the havelis of Churu are testimony to that.
Putting a spotlight on the oft-ignored elements is my way of encouraging experiential travel. Don’t miss the trees for the woods, next time you visit a place.
