Qamoos Bukhari, a photographer and researcher from Kashmir, has conceptualised and put together a visual arts book, Architectural Ornamentation in Shrines & Mosques of Kashmir, recently published by Roli Books in collaboration with the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage’s (INTACH’s) Kashmir chapter. The illustrated book explores the little-known aspects of Kashmir’s rich Islamic architecture through a combination of essays, historical images, new photography and architectural drawings of mosques and shrines spanning the 14th to 19th centuries.
From ‘Architectural Ornamentation in Shrines & Mosques of Kashmir’. Pen and ink illustration of wooden pendant at Khanqah-i-Naqshband, built in the 17th century. Drawing: Syed Basharat Ali
Bukhari, who earlier published a book on Kashmiri artisans, Borderless: The Artisans of Kashmir, in 2016, collaborated with INTACH for this art book project in 2017. He says the finished book is the first-of-its-kind illustrated survey of the main shrines and mosques of Kashmir, providing a comprehensive visual narrative and documentation of the unique architecture of prominent mosques and shrines of Kashmir.
The idea of combining photographs, both archival and new, with drawings and sketches of revered shrines and mosques germinated from a realisation of the limitation of each media. The idea was to use all the three mediums to better document and showcase the design vocabulary, and the past and present condition of these religious monuments.
The book gives a visual insight into the decorative architectural elements of these centuries-old main shrines and mosques in Kashmir. Bukhari believes the institutions in existence for the protection and upkeep of Kashmir’s historic monuments lack sensitivity and dedication.
From ‘Architectural Ornamentation in Shrines & Mosques of Kashmir’ (Roli Books, 2021). Window on the west of Khanqah-i-Maula, built in the 14th century. Photo: Qamoos Bukhari
“In Pampore, for example, there a 14th-century mosque, Mir Masjid, clearly a very important site as the carved woodwork on the eaves of the building is believed to be there from the time of its construction,” he says, adding that it’s a significant mosque structure and should be properly dated and preserved. But with every passing day, he adds, the site is falling into ruin.
Some of the elements that are showcased in the book are inaccessible to the general public and remain out of sight on their usual visits, according to Bukhari.
“So the book provides the opportunity to see and appreciate their intricate designs up close,” he says. Visitors from outside Kashmir, who might not have visited and seen all these monuments spread across different parts of Kashmir, will also get a better understanding and glimpses of Kashmiri craftsmanship at work.
“Some of them are lesser-known shrines and mosques, so the volume provides a peek into the brilliant Kashmiri craftsmanship,” says Bukhari, whose work has appeared in several international museum catalogues and journals.
The art book brings together 75 new colour photographs, 28 archival images, and 46 drawings and sketches that document the 18 religious monuments profiled in the book. The illustrated chapters are organised chronologically from the 14th to the 19th century.
Also read: Book Excerpt: Negotiating Monuments in a New Light
From ‘Architectural Ornamentation in Shrines & Mosques of Kashmir’ (Roli Books, 2021). CAD drawing of the wooden door and calligraphy in stone at Madin Sahab, built in the 15th century. Drawing: Taha Mughal
The photographs, sketches and drawings in the book are complimented by two essays. ‘Understanding Kashmir’s Islamic Religious Architecture in Continuity and Change’, contributed by Hakim Sameer Hamdani, author and former Design Director at INTACH Kashmir Chapter, gives an overview of the Islamic places of worship.
“The architectural outpourings of the area linked with its Islamic traditions have for the most part remained unexplored. The traditions of Kashmir’s Islamic religious architecture may be seen as the physical representation of a syncretic culture, which was based on assimilation and adaptation while also forging continuity with established building features and elements,” writes Hakim, the author of recently published book The Syncretic Traditions of Islamic Religious Architecture of Kashmir: Early 14th -18th Century.
“The strength of these local traditions was strong enough to outlive the powerful image of the Imperial Mughal rule which in the 16th century brought a building style that was developed outside the confines of the valley,” he continues. Hakim’s paper presents a “chronological study of this architectural genre in Kashmir as well as how it has been popularized in the community both through processes of continuity as well as change”.
Another interesting essay in the book titled Patterns of Culture: Understanding Craft through Mathematics is written by academic Fozia S. Qazi. Her essay provides a mathematical perspective to better understand, and appreciate, the complex craft-making structures and designs of these mosques and shrines. Qazi analyses the underlying mathematical principles involved in the creation of the symmetries present in the patterns. Her essay further explores the “cultural patterning in the erstwhile state of J&K State and its immediate neighborhood, through the use of mathematical tools of symmetry analysis as applied to patterns found in decorated forms in use in Kashmir from the earliest times to 19th century”.
From ‘Architectural Ornamentation in Shrines & Mosques of Kashmir’ (Roli Books, 2021). A portion from the painted ceiling at Imambara Hassanabad, built in the 19th century. Photo: Qamoos Bukhari
Archival images in the book have been sourced from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), The Alkazi Collection of Photography, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and also from a few private collections. The book includes a unique photograph of Khanqah-i-Maula showing wall panels with painted floral motifs. Taken in 1890, the photo shows the entrance to the main prayer hall. The book also includes an early 20th-century photograph from the Archaeological Survey of India that shows the 17th-century glazed tiles (now disappeared) from a wall of the Madin Sahab tomb gateway.
“Similarly, a photograph from the shrine complex by Professor Ebba Kock shows some tiles that had remained on the archway leading to the tomb in 1986. The tiles are now disappeared and are dispersed across several museums worldwide. These tiles have also found buyers for millions of dollars in international auctions,” says Bukhari.
Cover of ‘Architectural Ornamentation in Shrines & Mosques of Kashmir’ (Roli Books, 2021).
M. Saleem Beg, convener of INTACH’s J&K chapter, which for the past nearly two decades has been instrumental in creating conservation plans, documenting and analysing the built heritage of Kashmir, writes in his foreword that the book, besides providing information and visual delight to the reader, also analyses the past and present condition of historic shrines and mosques through illustrated records.
“The purpose of this book is not only to appeal to subject experts but also to anyone looking for inspiration from these creations,” Beg writes in his foreword. “For the benefit of succeeding generations, this work is the best insurance that can be offered for preserving the sacred form represented through our built heritage.”
Majid Maqbool is a journalist and editor based in Srinagar, Kashmir.
